Since you’re reading Pick the Brain, I expect that you’ll agree with me when I say that productivity is a good thing.

Being productive generally means:

• You’re living up to your full potential (instead of daydreaming about what might be … and never actually doing it)
• You’re being proactive rather than reactive, taking control of your own life
• You feel good about yourself and your life: each day, you have a sense of accomplishment
• You’ve got clear goals, and you’re on track to reach them

Pretty great, huh? It sounds like a recipe for a happy life.

Except…

…can you end up being too productive?

The Darker Side of Productivity

Like I say, I’m all for productivity. I like to do useful, fulfilling work, and I get bored easily if I’m wasting time or procrastinating.

But … I know that sometimes I take it a little too far. And I’ve often read blog posts or comments from other productive people who are definitely edging towards too much productivity.

Yes, getting things done (or if you’re a David Allan fan, Getting Things Done) is good. But it’s not the be-all and end-all of life.

When you get overly focused on being productive:

• Your relationships suffer. Hanging out with your friends might seem “unproductive” whereas staying an extra couple of hours at work is “productive”. But what’s really more important to you in the long-run?
• Your health might be at risk. Sure, maybe your gym routine counts as “productive” – but what about a long, leisurely walk, or a healthy meal eaten away from your desk?
• You get stressed. You feel a constant pressure to keep doing more, and more, and more…
• You lose perspective. Instead of trying to be effective you end up just being efficient.

Do you need to take your foot off the pedal?

Is your focus on productivity starting to make you feel miserable or stressed out?

Taking a Break From Productivity

If this post is striking an uncomfortable chord with you, then it’s time to take a step back and learn to breathe again.

You could:

• Re-examine your definition of productivity. Spending two hours reading a great book in a coffee shop could well be more productive than spending two hours staring at your computer screen. Taking care of your kids could be one of the most productive things you’ll do in your whole life.
• Plan some down-time. Take an afternoon off – or a whole weekend. If you plan ahead, you’ll have it to look forward to (and you’re more likely to actually hold yourself to it).
• Find leisure activities that you really enjoy. Sometimes, we get caught up in productivity – whether that’s at work or in the home – because we don’t really have anything else to do. Join a club, take up a new hobby, or plan a date night with your partner.
• Get away from it all. It can be hard to “switch off” from work at times. By getting physically away – to a different city or even a different country – you create a real break from your regular life.

Life is about so much more than simply checking off everything on your to-do list – and being less than 100% productive is no crime. In fact, it’ll probably make you happier (and easier to live with!)

So … a challenge for you! If you think you’re overdoing things, how can you get comfortable with being less productive? Let us know in the comments…

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I had a conversation with one of my daughters yesterday. She had recently moved from a conventional office setting to a home office environment and was feeling somewhat guilty for waiting to simply get up and leave that environment to at times do nothing. Her self worth is currently inextricably attached to the amount of work she perceives that she needs to do on a daily basis. At times we can be our worst taskmasters.

As her father and business coach I shared the following – ‘Man or woman looks out of window thinking great thought. That is great work. That is how great businesses, books, and blogs are first germinated – in the uncluttered mind.’

So allow me to share 5 truths why you should at times do absolutely nothing.

1. Be Uncluttered

We live in a world that rushes by at a frantic pace. Our minds, very easily, can be suddenly cluttered – full of all the images and messages thrust at us by the media in all its forms. A cluttered mind, like a cluttered office, will make at times, it very hard to make sense of it all.

This is when I draw aside – and I particularly find that being accompanied by a journal to de-clutter my mind helps greatly. Here I pour my thoughts out and on to a sheet of paper – and suddenly space is made available in the mind that a minute ago was confused and befuddled.

2. Be Refueled

When I put gas in my car’s tank it takes me so far before I need to pull aside to another gas station to fill it up again.

So too my mind.

The only way I can continue to write ‘magnificence’ as I call it – is that I spend some time each day reading or listening to another’s ‘magnificence’. The more I write, the more I need to read. The more I give, the more I need to receive.

Doing absolutely nothing at times, each day, allows me to draw upon the resources that will sustain me spiritually, mentally, socially, physically, and even financially.

3. Be Inspired

An inspired life is a fired life.

I love my open fire at home. But in order for the fire to be sustained I must first add the necessary wood required to fuel the flame.

To get started there needs to be an abundance of smaller twigs. But to sustain the fire I need to place larger logs in the hearth.

So when it comes to inspiration it may come first to reading my Daily Motivational Memos that contain an original quote of mine plus an additional 100 power packed and life changing words. Those additional 100 words expand upon the subject covered by the quote.

But then to be sustained I may require a self development course such as my Self Development Mastermind Program, that has been created to build people’s lives over a 6 month period through the use of text, audio and video presentations along with personal interaction with myself as their coach.

4. Be Discovered

Life is very much about the discovery of us – our strengths, our desires, our abilities, our passions, and our dreams.

Every day is a fresh unfolding for the seeker.

So times of solitude, when you do absolutely nothing, are times for, great discovery.

By simply drawing aside with your journal and pen in hand – with each stroke of the pen a new discovery will be unveiled.

5. Be

Some people call it meditation. But this is where you close the books, the journals, and put down your pen. Some like to close their eyes, while others like to view the world through fresh eyes.

This is the time that I take myself and immerse myself in nature itself – a walk along the beach or sitting in a bush land setting in the sun.

You choose the place. You choose the time to simply BE. Allow creation’s permeation to infiltrate your being. Don’t talk. Cease the chatter in your head and simply listen – for the answer awaits your question when you learn to simply be.

Motivational Memo: To be or not to be, that is the answer!

Peter’s NEW Short Profile:

Peter G. James Sinclair is in the ‘heart to heart’ resuscitation business and inspires, motivates and equips others to be all that they’ve been created to become. Receive your free copy of his latest eBook Personal Success Blueprint at – http://www.motivationalmemo.com and add him on Twitter @PeterGJSinclair – today!

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Even as we approach the vibrant summer months, and the days grow long and bright here in California, I’ve been thinking about winter. I grew up in France which has long, gray, snowy months sometimes starting as early as October. Now that I live in Los Angeles and bask in the sunshine nearly every day, I sometimes get pangs of nostalgia for those cold, meditative days of being snuggled up inside and watching the bare tree branches wave against the sky. I snap out of those pretty quickly and run outside and smell flowers or chase butterflies. Even if it’s January. Yes, the weather here is dreamalicious.

But I think there is something to seasons. They’re a perfect metaphor for human life- not least of which is our ambitions. Some of the self-help world is pushing to “achieve”, climb, “conquer” and “master” the self. We definitely need to find the fire to get where we want to go. And we need to overcome the inertia that can come from fear. But Mother Nature is far wiser than the ego.

Have you ever worked so hard that you’ve nearly forgotten what it was you set out to do in the first place? Sometimes, after sitting at my desk for ten hours at a stretch, I am nearly delirious. I’ve certainly gotten things done but I’m not entirely sure how well. Or how creatively. Or how self-lovingly. My daughter will sometimes call at these moments and remind me I have a name. And a greater purpose.

The ancient Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu said, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Ah, yes. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Farmers know that crops must be rotated in order to keep the land fertile. And sometimes, land must go unplanted for a period of time in order to fully regenerate the nutrients in the soil. Is this unproductive? I think you know the answer.

Winter serves a purpose. It’s a time when Nature rests- but it is not stagnant. Just because a process is subtle doesn’t mean it’s not happening at all. Doctors all agree that proper sleep is key to our well-being and helps everything from overcoming illness to handling emotional crises. Sleeping sure doesn’t look like much from the outside but try going without it.  (No, don’t! I’m just making a point.)

Your inner ground needs winter. Plant your seeds and let go. Give more respect to the cycles that govern the earth- they’re good for you too. Winter gives birth to the buds of spring and the glory of summer. So rest. Revive. Renew. Embrace your seasons.

Sophie Chiche, catalyst, visionary, curator of characters and mom is the founder of lifebyme.com, a global community gathered around the question, “What is meaningful to you?” She has master’s degrees in business, journalism and psychology. www.lifebyme.com

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An awful lot of time-management techniques show an obsession with efficiency. And being efficient – getting tasks done quickly – is certainly important. But efficiency for its own sake is worthless.

Sure, you could spend three hours implementing a new system that lets you automatically tag every email as it comes in. But I doubt that you’re going to look back in ten years’ time and say, “Wow, my inbox was always so well organized.”

If you pay too much attention to efficiency, you might actually become less effective. You’ll stop focusing on the things that really matter – the “great work” in your life, the projects that really would make a difference in ten years’ time.

Here’s how efficiency is damaging:

Playing the Numbers Game

Efficiency tends to reduce everything to numbers:

• How many emails did you answer this morning?
• How many words can you type per minute?
• How long did you take to make those phone calls?

Now, I’ll be the first to agree that paying attention to metrics can help you with your time management. But not everything can be reduced to a number. For instance:

• What about that long, heartfelt email from an old friend? Should you try to answer that in under two minutes?
• What if you’re writing the copy for your company’s new product? Is it better to knock it out as fast as possible – or to take the time to make it really good?
• How about that potential client who had a lot of questions? Should you cut them short to get all your calls done – or spend the time because you’re hoping that they’ll put in a big order?

Change It:

Cut yourself some slack, and remember that there are many situations that can’t be reduced to numbers. When you’re interacting with other people (clients, colleagues, friends or family), try to honor them as important and worthy of your time … don’t just think about the results you might get from them or the time that you’re spending.

Shying Away From Challenges

Becoming obsessed with efficiency can make us cowardly. If you’re focused on being as efficient as possible – getting through tons of work, never making mistakes – then you’ll be afraid to take on new challenges.

When we tackle something new, we might fail – or only partially succeed. We make mistakes, or do things badly. But this is how we learn and grow. Taking on that new project at work might give you the confidence to ask for a raise, chase a promotion or even change careers. Tackling something new at home – like learning to cook – might take time and involve some initial hiccups, but it could open up a whole new source of joy in your life.

Change It:

Try saying “Yes” to one new opportunity this week. Don’t dismiss it because you think it could be a waste of time, or because you’re worried you won’t do it very well.

Inability to Enjoy Life

Efficiency doesn’t have much to say about relaxing, recharging and simply having fun. Sure, you’ll come across some tips along the lines of “take frequent breaks so you can focus better while you’re working” – but you won’t find much that helps you really live a richer life.

People who become obsessed with efficiency can become rather joyless. They might find it hard or impossible to “switch off”. They may be constantly worrying about the utility of a particular aspect of their life. Efficiency says “keep doing more.”

On a broader level, focusing too much on efficiency may mean that you ignore what you really want from life. You might be keen to take a sabbatical or make a substantial commitment of time or energy as a volunteer. You might want to change to a new career that you’d love – but that would bring in less money.

Change It:

Instead of trying to be efficient, think about being effective. How can you make a difference in the world? What would you really love to do with your life?

Of course, efficiency does have a role to play. If you’re doing work that you enjoy, you’ll want to do it well. You’ll also have chores to complete that might not be fun or fulfilling, but which need to get done – and so you’ll want to find ways to get these out of the way as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Be careful, though, to keep efficiency in its place. Don’t let it become an end in itself – just a means of supporting the rest of your life.

How efficient – or effective – are you? Share your thoughts in the comments…

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Working with rock star productivity is awesome. You get stuff done like nobody else, and let’s face it, you’re the envy of colleagues and competitors alike! If you want that, but don’t feel like shelling out a thousand bucks for an expensive time management consultant, why not go the do-it-yourself way?

I know you’ve got the chops for it. So, roll up your sleeves, grab yourself a beer, and get ready to start building your productivity power house.

Assembly Instructions — Not!

Now, I know a handyperson like you doesn’t need 100 pages of assembly instructions, so I’m just going to give you one single rule to follow:

Spend 20 minutes every day thinking about how you can do things smarter.

Not how you can get more work done, but how you can do things smarter. Can you make more money per hour? Can you process your emails more efficiently? Can you spend less time on shopping and cooking? Is there a way to keep your office and apartment tidy with less hassle?

The answer to all of these questions is “yes”; and by getting to it every day, you’ll find a way in no time.

Your Tool Box

Alright, no detailed manual then, but you do need a tool box. Here are two basic instruments all craftsmen should have at their disposal:

1. Systems

A system is a pre-defined sequence of steps to get a repetitively occurring task done. The better the system, the more efficiently the task is performed. You should try to install and improve systems in your workflow wherever you can.

A basic example: I just assigned an MS Word short-cut key to the action of accepting changes that my editor makes to my blog posts. That’s a simple thing to do, but it enables me to go through the corrections at least 25% faster.

Think of similar opportunities:

• Assign short keys and macros on your computer.

• Have your emails auto-sorted into appropriate folders.

• Install software that automatically backs up your data at specified intervals.

• Use a system of categorized storage boxes to keep your apartment in order.

• Set up standing orders to pay your bills.

• Place a “No Advertisements” sign on your mailbox so that you’ll have less paper to throw away.

• Write a FAQ document for your customers, or improve the one you already have, to reduce the number of customer service requests.

• Buy a larger freezer, so you can store more food and need to go shopping less frequently.

• Hang decorations on the wall instead of placing them on shelves to avoid having to dust around them.

• And there’s so much more you can do! Analyze your workflows and come up with your own ideas.

2. Upgrades

The second powerful tool in your box is the use of upgrades. Use your daily 20 minutes to

• hunt for a better paying job;

• search for more qualified people to work with;

• teach yourself a new skill that improves your own value as an employee; or

• brainstorm upgrades yourself!

Steal the Steel

Even with these pointers, finding materials for your productivity power house can at times be tough. Luckily, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, look around and get inspired by the experience-hardened ideas in the Pick the Brain archives.

You’ve got what it takes. Now spit on your hands and start hammering your way to rock star productivity!

Lucas Kleinschmitt is a time management coach who teaches you personal productivity, made in Germany, at his blog German Efficiency.

Photo Credit: Lenny Montana

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Your friend texts you about their frustrating day, your taxes have to be filed, the radio spouts news of another disaster somewhere, and you still haven’t taken your car in for its oil change.  With the wonders of technology and high-speed interaction between us all, we’re finding it more and more difficult to keep our mental machinery chugging away at optimum performance.  What you need is scheduled maintenance.

Just like your car, your brain needs fuel and regular care to perform like you need it to.  If you drive your Ferrari too many miles without adding gasoline, it will sputter and quit on you.  If you go months without replacing oil and tires and hoses and belts, your Maserati will eventually respond with sluggishness or even more catastrophic ends.  Your brain is precision crafted—there is no substitute.  Here are five things to make sure your brain and mind keep humming along to serve your increasing needs:

1)      Sleep! Deprive your brain of sleep long enough and you’ll simply go crazy.  Your brain needs sleep to organize what’s happened during the day. Memories are processed and learning is cataloged during sleep.  Don’t get enough sleep, and you’ll simply not think clearly.

2)      Meditate.  Very different from sleeping, meditation is focused concentration on right now.  It gets your brain functioning in different wave patterns by clearing your thoughts and keeping your mind in the present—not worried about the future, not haunted by the past, but simply focused on right now.  Your brain finds peace in mindful meditation, and that produces rejuvenation.

3)      Experience beauty.  For some, this is the same as creativity, but not all of us are creative types.  Soak in what you find to be beautiful.  Some find beauty in the purr of an engine, others find it in a baby’s laugh.  This is what generations have referred to when they advise us to “stop and smell the roses.”  Whether you find beauty in flowers, in a fast pitch at a baseball game, or in the grandeur of nature, “beauty appreciation” is the brain’s opportunity to stop and function in a different mode.

4)      Experience the spiritual.  This isn’t your mother nagging you to go to church.  It’s an invitation to open your mind to awareness of something beyond the physical and visible.  For some this comes through study of quantum theory while others may experience it in religious worship.  The 12-steps refer to it as appreciation or awareness of a “higher power,” or something bigger or different than all of this and us.

5)      Veg!  In addition to sleeping and meditating, your brain needs time to let go and roam where it may.  You might “veg” by perusing Facebook or a magazine.  Some people might just exist for a period of time in front of TV news or a rerun of a mindless sitcom.  In men, “vegging” actually releases a hormone that produces a sense of calmness and can be useful to let go of the day’s stress.

While none of these five suggestions are helpful when practiced in excess, they each add to brain health.  So to prevent your brain from pinging or backfiring, give it a tune-up with these five maintenance activities, and your thinking will be clear and smooth

Kevin Bergen, MFT, is a freelance writer and the curator of  www.kevinbergen.com

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I’m guessing you’ve read a fair few blog posts which warn you about the evils of TV. You might even have tried stopping watching TV altogether – perhaps checking out Steve’s post, The 5 Step Process to Complete TV Elimination.

Now, I’m all in favor of productivity. I’ve no problem with people cutting out some of the crap in their lives and replacing it with good stuff. But …

… I don’t think you need to cut out TV altogether. In fact, I think watching TV can actually be a great idea.

Here’s why.

#1: We All Need Downtime

To be truly productive, you cannot work every hour of the day. You need downtime – and that doesn’t mean doing chores in between answering emails. It means switching off from your work (whether that’s paid work, housework or volunteering) and letting your thoughts focus on something else.

Personally, I think TV is great for this. (Books are great too – but it can take a bit more effort to get into a good book.) You can switch on the TV, kick back and relax with a favorite show – and return to your work, feeling refreshed.

#2: You Don’t Have to Just Watch TV

When you’ve got the television on, you don’t have to simply sit and stare at the screen. You can do all sorts of things, like:

• Household chores – like ironing
• Needlework or other craft projects
• Chatting to family/friends
• Tweeting or updating Facebook

Sure, there’ll be times when you want to really focus on a show – but often, you’ll have the TV on as a backdrop to other activities. If it makes a mundane chore a bit more interesting, or helps you stick with your hobbies, then what’s wrong with that?

#3: TV Isn’t All Trash

Just like good novels, good TV series have compelling narratives, engaging and interesting characters, clever plot twists, thorny moral dilemmas … they’re far from being trash.

Non-fiction TV shows – like documentaries – can provide a window onto a new world. Some of us learn best from books, but many people find it easiest to engage with a combination of audio and visual material.

Sure, there’s a lot of trashy TV out there. But it’s up to you what you watch.

(If you’ve got a great series to recommend, let us know in the comments…)

#4: TV Can Make You Laugh

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been feeling a bit down, and I’ve watched something that’s laugh-out-loud funny, and … everything’s seemed okay again.

It’s not just me. Scientists believe that laughing really is good for you – and can help you live longer. So next time you’re feeling a bit stressed out, instead of struggling on with your work, find a great comedy to watch.

#5: TV Can Inspire You to Change Your Life

Ever watched a show which really lit a fire under you?

Perhaps The Biggest Loser helped you get started on your diet. Or maybe SuperNanny and Wife Swap inspired you to really turn your family life around. Or The Apprentice gave you the push you needed to go after your own business idea.

Watching other people’s triumphs can be really uplifting (and seeing them face difficult circumstances can often put your own life into perspective).

What shows do you watch? Do you have the TV on for hours every day, or just a few times a week? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments…

When he said this, there were only three channels to choose from; now there are hundreds.  However, I think his words still ring true.  How often have you flipped through the few hundred channels you have access to, but still can’t find anything to watch?

Why Give Up TV?

I used to be an avid TV watcher.  I have watched every episode of both older shows and newer ones.  It’s a comforting feeling to follow the lives of regular characters you get to know.  The best part is that it is a one-way street.  They give you entertainment and a sense of companionship, but you don’t give them anything except your time.

But that’s one of the reasons I wanted to stop watching TV altogether.  At the end of a series run, I had nothing to show for it.  Add up all the hours together and it turns out that I spent most of it sitting down, watching other fictitious people live their lives.  I wanted to live my life, not watch others’ live theirs.

Stop TV Watching in Five Steps:
1.    Weed Out The Shows You’re Watching

Figure out what shows you watch on a regular basis and stop watching the ones you don’t care about.  These are shows you catch here and there and watch only for something to do.  It was only when I listed out all the shows I regularly watch when I realized how many of them were just killing time until something I really wanted to see came on.  Eventually, you’ll be left with your “core” TV shows.

2.    Don’t Start Watching Anything Else

Watch these “core” TV shows and immediately turn off the TV before anything else comes on.  If it is out of sight, it is out of mind.  This will be difficult when you listen in on other people’s conversations.
When I was at work, I would constantly hear about TV shows and commercials people were watching.  I had several shows recommended to me and all I could do was shrug and tell them that I didn’t watch TV.  It was hard because you couldn’t interact with their conversations, but it also made me realize how dominant TV is in some people’s lives.

3.    Fill your new-found time with other things

As you slowly eliminate TV from your life, you’re going to realize just how much time it actually took from you.  At first, you might find it hard to figure out what to do.  If you’ve been watching endless hours of TV every night, you may be completely unaware of any hobbies and interests you might like.
This is important to do.  You can’t just sit around and do nothing.  If you don’t find a hobby to do, then the pull of TV will be too strong and you’ll just end up turning it back on.

4.    Cut the TV Cord

Making the final transition to get rid of cable or satellite TV can be tricky.  Those “core” TV shows you’re watching probably have several years left in them.  But kicking a bad habit is hard work; this is no exception.
When I disconnected my cable TV box, I let it sit idly in the corner of my apartment for several weeks.  I think I was like a recovering alcoholic who needed beer in the house just to prove that he could resist temptation.  Eventually, I turned it in to my cable provider and was rid of TV for good.

5.    Dealing With TV in the World

One amazing thing about getting rid of TV in your home is how much you notice it is pushed on you elsewhere.  There are TVs in malls, airports, stores, bars and restaurants.  I’ve even seen them at a few gas stations.

I’m not going to stop myself from going somewhere just because they have TVs, unless they have an obnoxious amount of them.  However, I try to sit where there is little TV interaction.  I even thought about buying a universal remote for my keychain so I can turn any TV off anywhere.

TV and I, Today

Eventually, TV reasserted itself into my life.  Eight months after I had given up TV forever, I moved in with my girlfriend.  She’s not much of a TV watcher, but wanted to keep it.  I was okay with this.  After all, she is more important than some box.

Now that I’m in a household with TV again, I realize how much I’ve changed.  When it’s on, I can tune it out as I do other things.  Occasionally, I’ll turn my head towards it.  But all that does is to remind me why I turned it off in the first place.

And I have to admit that I started watching it again.  I tend to think of it like candy or fast food now.  It’s okay in moderation.  But chances are that if you were to stop in my house on any given day that my TV would be off.  I have too many things I want to do in life to be sitting in front of it.
Steve is the writer behind Do Something Cool where he blogs about personal growth, motivation, travel and adventure.  He’s always looking for ways to make life more interesting.  Get tips on living life to the fullest through his Facebook fan page.

Do you ever find yourself saying “I can’t”? Sometimes, it’s perfectly reasonable: I can’t drive is simply a statement of fact, if you haven’t yet passed your test.

But often, I can’t is loaded down with self-judgment:

• I can’t draw.
• I can’t sing.
• I just can’t stay organized.
• I can’t ever get it right.
• I can’t lose weight.

How often do you say “I can’t” when it’s, at best, a half-truth? Maybe you really think that you can’t draw – but is that just because you’ve never actually tried? And if you can’t get organized, or quit smoking, or lose weight … do you really mean that you won’t?

“Can’t” Saps Your Power

Whenever you say you can’t do something, you’re reinforcing that message in your mind. For years, I told myself that I couldn’t draw. I’d never really done any drawing – apart from a few compulsory lessons in school – but I knew I was no good. I couldn’t draw people. I couldn’t draw still-life arrangements. I couldn’t draw anything.

Then I picked up a copy of Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and realized that the only reason I couldn’t draw was because I’d never tried to learn. I had a go at some of the exercises in the book, and pretty quickly found that I just didn’t like drawing.

That’s okay! It’s fine to not want to do something. But it’s important to acknowledge that, if you wanted to, you could. If I really wanted to learn to draw, I could finish the book, or go to a class, or spend an hour or two every day with a pencil in my hand.

Changing that “Can’t”

If there’s something in your life which you’d like to do, but which you can’t do, what’s the “can’t” and what’s the real reason behind it?

Maybe it’s one of these, or something similar:

• I can’t quit my job and start working for myself (because I’m scared that it’ll all go wrong)
• I can’t lose weight (because I don’t really want to)
• I can’t quit smoking (because I need some help)
• I can’t get organized (because I don’t take the time to establish a good system)

I know that some of the things that you “can’t” do are big, emotional, tricky problems. You might want to talk to someone – a trusted friend or relative, or even a professional coach or counselor – to work through some of these areas.

Usually, though, it’s rare that there’s anything which you really truly can’t do – if you put your mind to it.

To change a “can’t” into a “can”, you might need to:

• Get more information – from books, websites or people who you know
• Build up your confidence – by taking small steps
• Become more determined – perhaps by finding a group of like-minded friends (e.g. a slimming club)
• Admit that the only thing holding you back is you

You’ve Overcome Lots of “Can’t”s Already

Once, you couldn’t do very much at all. You couldn’t walk, talk, or feed yourself.

Even when you were at school, there were loads of basic things which you couldn’t do. You couldn’t cook, or drive, or follow a map.

Throughout your whole life, you’ve been facing new challenges. Some of those might have been huge at the time – like when you first left home – but they seem pretty small in retrospect.

It’s the same with all those things that you can’t do today. They might seem big and challenging – almost impossible – right now, but they’re not. Plenty of other people have tackled and conquered the same things (and they started out from just where you are right now).

What would you love to do which you think you can’t manage right now – and how’re you going to change that?

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“Hey Miss ‘Doesn’t Find Me Sexually Attractive Anymore’, I Just Tripled My Productivity!”

The sub-title of this post is taken from a classic episode of The Simpsons where Homer turns (more) obese and starts working from home. He soon realises that he doesn’t have to enter Y-E-S into his computer to confirm a repetitive command, but instead he can just hit ‘Y’ and get the same result, thus tripling his productivity.

Whilst the sketch was obviously created for comedic value, there is a surprising amount of truth to be found in Homer’s discover and an important message we can take away about saving large amounts of time by making small changes. If you think about it, if Homer’s only job was to confirm computer commands all day, what would have taken him 9 hours would now take him closer to 3. With this in mind, here are 5 simple ways in which I save lots of ‘small amounts’ of time each day, mainly using my computer.

Macros

A large number of computer programs allow for macros to be used, but I save most of my time on MS Word and MS Excel. Macros are basically a saved list of commands that will run in sequence when you press an assigned button. They are pretty simple to set up – just start recording your macro, go through all your processes manually, and then stop recording when you’ve finished the sequence. You can then assign the macro to a new button in your program and whenever you press it the macro sequence runs, saving you from having to go through all the steps manually each time. I once had a table of data that I had to format each day before emailing on to another department. I set up a 15-step macro to handle all the formatting steps, and estimated that it saved me approx 45 minutes each day (that’s almost half a day per working week!)

Bookmarking

Bookmarking web addresses has been possible ever since the first web browsers were developed. It’s surprising how few people use them these days though, preferring instead to Google what they are looking for each time, or type the URL in manually. I realised after a bit of monitoring that around 90% of my internet activity was spent on just 10-15 websites. I therefore set up bookmarks to these websites and I reckon I save loads of time now, not to mention frustration I used to get from spelling my desired site incorrectly time after time. I bet if you had a little think about it, you’d realise you too spend most of your time on the same few websites. Why not set up bookmarks for your most used and see how much time you save.

I’ve also now set up a secondary bookmark folder where I save all the interesting things I come across when browsing around the net. I rarely use this bookmark folder, but when I do try to trace something I recall seeing or reading, it can save me hours.

Email Auto-Responders

No one daily activity takes up quite so much of my time as sorting through emails, and I suspect this is the same for many other people too.  Unfortunately, short of cloning yourself, there will always be a certain amount of emails you have to respond to manually. However, there are a few tricks to save you time and effort when it comes to your email chores.

1.)   If it doesn’t require a personal response, automate it.  Perhaps someone has signed up to your news letter or has downloaded your ebook? You can often send automated thank you emails that still sound personal and appreciative.  Addressing them by the name they entered in the ‘name’ field of the sign-up form is a simple way to make your auto emails more engaging.

2.)   Auto-update your contacts. I’ve set up a system whereby if I don’t respond to an email within 24hrs, an auto email is sent in reply stating that I have received the message and I will respond personally as soon as I can. If I have not replied within 4 days (very rare) another email is sent apologising and assuring them I will respond as soon as I get a chance. This system took a little bit of getting used to, but I’ve lost count now of how many times it has saved my bacon, and how many times people have told me they appreciate keeping them updated. Most of them know it’s an automated system, but this doesn’t seem to matter to be honest.

3.)   For many people the emails they receive tend to fall into the same categories. For example, they might be a request for product information, a sales pitch email, a call back request etc. Over time I created a number of email templates that pretty much cover about 70% of the emails I receive. I use these templates all the time now, and with little tweaks here and there they look perfectly custom each time.  Whist this is not strictly auto-responding, it sure feels like it sometimes with regards to the amount of time it saves me.

Keyboard Shortcuts

It’s hard to get into the habit of using keyboard shortcuts due the fact many people like to stick to what they know, even if switching would save them lots of time. This is an odd phenomenon because often when people do start using shortcuts they wonder why they didn’t adopt ages ago. I think it’s a security thing – people don’t want to risk doing something new when they know what they currently do works just fine. However, by taking the plunge and learning a few simple keyboard shortcuts, you can more than ‘triple your productivity’. Here are my favourites:

• Ctrl+C = Copy
• Ctrl+V = Paste
• Ctrl+Z = Undo (I use this a lot!)
• Ctrl+S = Save
• Ctrl+F = Find
• Alt+Tab = Switch between windows

I apologise if this seems patronising, it’s just that so few people actually use them, despite knowing they exist. There is even a shortcut to bookmark a web page (Ctrl+D) – two birds with one stone I say!

Remote Control Kettle

This one was inspired by the Homer school of logic, but I defend it fiercely whenever friends laugh at me for it. I’ve got my kettle hooked up to a ‘Radiplug’, which is a radio controlled plug that can be activated as far as 20m away. This means that if I’m in my office at home and fancy a cup of tea or coffee, I can turn the kettle on in my kitchen downstairs remotely, thus giving me a few more minutes work time while it boils. Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!

Using the techniques in this post and a few other small time-savers, I’ve estimated that I save a full working day (8hrs) per week. Now the hard bit is deciding if I use this extra time to chill out with a beer or get more work done…hmmm…what would Homer do?

Duncan is MD of a surf-clothing company based in the UK that sells items such as flip flops and Roxy bag designs. He’s a massive Simpsons fan and wishes one day to have the productive genius of Homer…the Greek scholar, not the cartoon character.