Productivity, Efficiency and Organization from Sitting on the Beach?

For the first time ever, I got to experience a whole afternoon relaxing on the beach... alone. Yep, I didn't go with a big group of friends, or family members, where my attention is typically more focused on being social, than actually taking in the insanely humbling yet mind-blowing majestic-ness, of the ocean, (yes, I'm making up words again). I experienced the most overwhelming feeling of joy and pure gratitude, starting the moment my feet hit that hot sand. Now here I am, a couple of days later, and I can't help but think of so many clients I've worked with, and I'm sure a huge percentage of the population, that haven't taken time for themselves in years. Ugh- that kills me! It's absolutely critical to take time to rejuvenate, and renew our energy. When you go months on end, running around town, taking care of work, your family, your pets, your house and on and on, and never stop to build your energy, it's quite likely you're not operating at your highest level, and probably haven't been for a while. My simple analogy would be a car- if you're not changing the oil, checking the air in the tires, or warming it up before you speed off on a cold day, your poor little car is pushing itself, but it's not going to perform at it's optimal potential.
When is the last time you took time for YOU, and YOU alone? It's time to do something that allows you to fully unplug and hit the reset button on your hard-working self! This restoration of energy is absolutely proven to be connected to your productivity and your ability to function at peak performance- and it's not like I'm telling you to go organize your paperwork here... Shift your thinking if you believe it's better to run this rat race and not stop, and schedule a YOU day, (except it'd technically be called a ME day), today!

Managing Lots of Tasks and To dos?

Ok, remember how I was shocked to know that the whole world didn't know about Jott.com? Well in order to keep you fine people up to speed on other cool resources, I'm going to share one that's awesome for managing tasks, especially when you feel like you are overwhelmed with lots of different types of tasks. www.TaDaList.com is a free, online application, (is application the right word there?), anyway, for listing out all of your tasks. You can create numerous lists under different category headings, and can email yourself or others the lists, which keeps things even easier of course! This can work great if you're delegating tasks to an assistant, because the entire list can be emailed off, versus, in Microsoft Outlook for example, where you can only email individual tasks... Who wants an inbox that's likely already overflowing with to dos, to be flooded with more to dos from the boss' task list? Basically, it's a great little tool for housing all kinds of to dos, that can help unload your brain of all the tasks you're storing... Remember- your brain is for thinking and creating new ideas, and not for storage!! Check it out!

Staying Focused when You're Tired!

So I'm having one of those Fridays where I'm just feeling a little lazy and unmotivated... I have plenty to do, but just don't feel like doing it. What's my problem? Well I think we all get in these moods and have dips of energy in our day. Unfortunately, my advice to you is not to just give in and take a nap, OR to just keep forcing yourself to slowing push through your tasks...Here's what I suggest when you want to manage your time and get more done, all while fighting a lack of energy...

If you're in an office with other employees, step away from your desk and take a brisk walk, maybe 5 minutes, (outside if it's not 110 degrees like it is here), and take in some big deep breaths.

If you're working from a home office, blast one of your favorite songs and dance around for 5 minutes. Yes- I'm totally serious here... I just did it in fact, and I feel like I had a shot of espresso...(ok, that would be a little too hyper considering I don't really do coffee). I played Natasha Bedingfield's brand new song and danced around... I have some cool moves! (ha ha)

Anyway, bottom line- when you're really struggling for energy or motivation, step away, take some deep breaths and move! You know what, even if you're in an office with others, I say dance around, but just play your favorite song a little quieter... I'm serious! You can teach others by example!!

Bad Memory? Say goodbye to forgetting things...

Ok, so I've known about this cool tool for over a year now, but was at a seminar last night, (on blogging actually), and one of the speakers mentioned this exciting tool that I'm going to tell you about and people's jaw's dropped to the ground with awe... I was sitting there thinking, duh-old news! Point is, I have a REALLY awesome tool to tell you about...
Jott.com:

• Leave yourself messages and get a transcribed email of what you said
• Leave messages for others and they receive a transcribed email of what you said, as do you

So just think, you're driving down the road and something you suddenly remember you have to do pops in your head- call Jott, (I have it on speed dial), and "jott" yourself a message.
Watch for an email within 15 minutes, and then plug that reminder into your well organized, effectively managed task list. Ok, I know- one thing at a time.
Check it out and tell a friend! It has saved a lot of my clients, a lot of stress!

Finish your toughest task, first thing in the morning...

I just had a great coaching call with one of my clients, where I asked him what he felt, thus far, has been the biggest "aha" or most powerful nugget of information since working together. He thought about that for a bit and said it would have to be, completing the toughest task on his list, first thing in the morning. He said it's made such an impact in his work days, to knock out something that he would normally put off until later in the day.
I LOVE this answer, because it truly can be one of the most transforming habits, if you put it into practice. Yes, this includes completing your biggest task even before checking your email. Sorry folks, but it's true. Email takes us off in so many directions, without us even realizing it, so that before we know it, we've spent an hour chasing random tangents, that have no close impact to our bottom line. Also, if you're still not convinced, consider the 80/20 rule- that 20% of your efforts produce 80% of your results, and 20% of an 8 hour day is 96 minutes... Now we easily spend an hour to an hour and a half on email with our morning cup of coffee- but the reality is, most of us are our freshest in the morning, so wasting that time on email actually decreases our earning potential. Seriously! And if you're digging your heels in the ground or think that I don't understand your line of work- prove me wrong! Please- I'm totally serious! Practice this for 10 days, and let me know if it doesn't improve your productivity, and overall effectiveness of your day. Deal? By the way, I think frogs are more creepy and gross than snakes, so I do NOT like the picture I used here- but hopefully you'll remember it!