When your list is longer than your day, you need a fresh approach to the way you work. Yes, you can get by managing your work the way you always have but managing is not thriving. And we all deserve to thrive. It may be counterintuitive but if you want to do more, you need to subtract. Simplify to amplify, so you can focus on what matters most.
Do you struggle with balancing your need to be responsive with your (equally important) need to protect focus time in your day? Remember: your great work requires focus and attention. It’s important to build this time into your day - and protect it as you would any other meeting or appointment in your calendar. Here are three strategies you can use to help you avoid slipping down the spiral of distraction.
Does “little stuff” like rounding up hockey gear, or booking doctor’s appointments end up taking your whole day? Here’s my strategy for how to manage supporting tasks so they’ll take up less of your precious time.
I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of the restorative value of taking a break. But sometimes the stress we experience before and after a vacation can leave us wondering if the vacation was even worth it. To help you head into the holidays feeling calm and in control, I have a fresh approach to this challenge. The Simplify Filter is designed to help you scale back, streamline, or seek help. I tested this approach before our family vacation earlier this year and here’s how it worked.
With many organizations calling for a bigger in-office presence, those trips into the office are ramping up. Why does this shift seem so difficult now? And how can we minimize the upheaval associated with yet another change in how we work? I’ve got three strategies to share.
If you’re working hard but don’t feel you’re making progress, there’s a good chance you’re slipping into a common productivity challenge: taking on too much. It's tempting to want to do it all. But this dilutes our effort, wastes our time, and creates the frustration of carrying countless unfinished tasks. If you can relate but don’t know where to start, it's time to try a new approach.
Our emails are designed to prompt action. The easier we make this action for our recipient, the more likely we are to prompt the results we want. But with email subjects spanning anything from corporate mergers to little league schedules, it’s hard to imagine one approach to fit this wide range of communications, yet there is. Try my 4C approach to send clear and concise emails that are easy to answer.
Our time is our most precious resource. I wrote Workday Warrior to help you reclaim control of your time using three simple tools to transform how you work – and live. This proven method weaves the best time-management approaches into our daily work schedule, so our days are centered around what we value most. Here's how you can use one of the Workday Warrior tools to make the most of your time.
Painful commutes. Sitting on back-to-back video calls while in the office. Complicated childcare. Having to put on pants with zippers. It’s a list that leaves leaders struggling to entice people to come back into the office. Over the last two years, we have proven we can be quite productive remotely, thank you very much. Yet there is magic that comes with spending time together, in person. We don’t need to do this every day, but here are 5 solid reasons why being on-site helps us do our best work.
Are you trying to settle on a new approach to work, balancing some days in the office and some days at home? Or maybe you are back in the office every day and having to juggle personal and family commitments to accommodate this shift. As the way we work continues to evolve, you may find yourself craving consistency, predictability, and connection. Building and keeping a Proactive Routine is the key.
