It’s Monday. It’s also the Monday after I got back from a few days away. A few very relaxing days. 

I don’t want to work today. Because it’s Monday and I’d rather be on the beach. Doing nothing.

I’m all too aware that I still have to get stuff done.

I have to force myself to get into work mode. I should be happy because I am getting stuff done. But, I’m sulking because I want to wallow in “Poor me. I didn’t have enough time off.”

Sulking or not, being productive is the name of the game. If you’re interested in getting things done when you get back from a nice, relaxing vacay (sulk, sulk, sulk…), check out these four things you can do to kick your arse in gear and knock off that to do list.

1. Take your time. Don’t rush around because you might give your brain cells a fright. Don’t you know? Scared brain cells don’t function well. You don’t have to move about like molasses…just take a few minutes to gather your thoughts.

What are two or three things you want to focus on? Which ONE must you get done today? Do you need help to get it done?

Just have a sit down with yourself, cup of coffee (or water or your favorite beverage) in hand, and simply talk to yourself…figure out what you need to do.

2. Capture the important stuff. Now that your pow wow is over, put your “must get done” ideas/thoughts/to do’s on paper. Or, grab your camera phone and snap a picture of the things/spaces you want to work on. Or, enter it in your notes app on your smart phone.

Do whatever works and don’t keep everything in your head. Your brain will fool you and make you believe that it will help you remember, but it won’t. Stuff will come up and eat up your time and memory banks. Brains are tricky that way. Yes, I speak from experience.

3. Put your feet up. Don’t try to do everything all at once. You might think that your brain likes to do a gazillion things at the same time and at a constant, non-stop pace.

It doesn’t.

And, then it rebels by offing itself, a few cells at a time. This means that you’ll have less in your arsenal to get your important stuff done. Instead, take a break when you need to. Hydrate. Re-fuel. Sing a song. Do a dance. Then, get back to it.

4. Talk to yourself. Basically, you’re repeating step #1 but for the next day. What’s on tap for Tuesday? Wednesday? The rest of the week? Anything coming up that has a strict deadline?

Before you go to bed, talk it through with yourself. Jot down the super important things (this is step #2) and refine your list when you wake up. Then, go off and have yourself a productive day.

You know that organized people are a bit kooky, yes? Well, that’s what the movies would have you believe. Think Mommie Dearest and Sleeping with the Enemy. 

The characters in both films are crazy, and oh, by the way, organized. Just a little too organized and anal retentive. Did I mention they were crazy? Poor Julia Roberts had to run from her abusive husband who liked to organize the contents of his cupboards in a very particular way.

What about Jennifer Lopez’s character in The Wedding Planner? Uber organized she was. And, detailed. She managed other people’s weddings, afterall. Do you remember her dinner time routine? The self-described control freak had a very specific ritual…microwaveable dinner (cloth napkin on her lap) eaten while watching her favorite TV show…by herself. 

And, let’s not forget, my all time favorite, Mr. Monk (Felix Unger comes in a close second). You’d need the patience of Job to live with this guy. Like me, he has the urge to straighten out kinks in phone cords and neatly arrange anything that seems out of place. Even if that jumbled mess belongs to someone he’s just met. Sounds like a nice guy to me.

Can you tell I’ve been watching a lot of cable lately? ;)

So, yeah, maybe there’s a bit of truth to organized people being, ah, different. Some of us might be quirky and have little (or big) things that make us a little intolerable. But, that same quirkiness can be put to good use.

Mr. Monk, though he has major phobias (who knew you could be afraid of milk?), also has an uncanny ability to notice minor details, things that most people wouldn’t see. This gift helps him solve cases. His stubbornness and inability to be flexible are otherwise known as persistence, which often pays off in the end.

You might not have this kind of specialness.

Maybe you’re really messy but can think quickly on your feet. Take your fast acting ability and put away 5 things in 5 minutes.

Maybe you have lots of energy in the morning but are completely unproductive at night. Do your most important projects early.

Maybe you really are a loner. That’s ok, use some of that alone time to think through your next project or big dream. Then, invite in all those nosy bodies to help you get it done.

Moral of the Movie, er, Story

So what if people think you’re psychotic and have OCD and are without a friend in the world? There will always be an up- and downside to the many sides of our personalities. Use what you’ve got in the best way you can.

“…not only did exercisers have more energy after their workout, their cognitive abilities showed improvement as well. Lifestyle blog Greatist suggests you harness that mental boost by working out over the middle of the day, right when you’re starting to slump, and then head back to the office recharged.”

Read More:

Try Exercising During the Middle of the Day for an Energy and Productivity Boost | Lifehacker.com | 2.17.12

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It’s Presidents Day in the US and some of you may have the day off. Good for you! …and me, too, because I’m still off on a mini-break.  I planned ahead and lined up a few posts  for you, like this one. You know that I like a few websites like The99Percent.com for their great productivity advice. Today, I’m introducing you to four sites you should check out if you want to up your game and be a productivity rock star.

Each of these websites offer tips and tricks for anyone who wants to kick their get-it-done butt in gear. I’ve listed a few articles for each one that you’ll probably want to check out.

Have a website that gives great productivity advice? Leave a comment with the URL.

1. Stepcase Lifehack

• 15 Ways to Stay Focused at Work

• 10 Weekly Ten Minute Practices to Boost Work Productivity

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2. Mark Forster

•  How Do We Tell How Urgent A Task Is?

•  Time Management Helps

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3. GTDTimes

 • Questions for completing and beginning the year

 •  The way out is through

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4.  Work Awesome

• Effects of Information Overload & How to Deal with it

• Why You Should Throw Away Your To-Do List

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“Evidence suggests that it’s best to view willpower as something that can be strengthened like a muscle: hard work will improve your endurance and discipline. Believing in your ability to fortify your willpower will in turn help you persist.”

Read More:

Mind over Mind? Decision Fatigue Saps Willpower — if We Let It | Time.com | 8.23.11

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I’m on  sabbatical and normally on Wednesdays, we would share a tech or time tip, but today we’re talking resolutions and how you can keep them going well into the new year.

Are you one of the millions of people who make resolutions? Do you ever stick with them? …for more than a month or two? If you answered yes, then no, and then no again, you’re not alone.

But, there is good news. You can make them work for you long after the first three months of the year have passed. Here’s one thing you can do – it’s #3 on my list:

3. Stop doing. So, normally, I tell clients to write a daily, weekly, and monthly to do list. And, I’m still all for that. Buuut, there’s value in writing a stop doing list, too. There are things that you really don’t have to do. There are also things that you can let someone else handle. There will definitely be things that you hate doing, so find the right person to pass the buck to.

Check out all five of my tips for Getting Your Resolutions in Gear over at the Rubbermaid blog, and be sure to share how you plan to keep your goals alive in 2012.

]]> http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2012/01/04/how-to-really-make-your-resolutions-work-for-you/feed/ 2 http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/11/22/quick-tip-get-to-know-your-to-do-list/ http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/11/22/quick-tip-get-to-know-your-to-do-list/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:20:00 +0000 Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer® http://dallisonlee.com/blog/?p=20388

If you’re struggling with your to do list, take a minute to get to know it a little bit. Understand it’s landscape and what should be on it. And, most importantly, what shouldn’t make it to your list at all.

To help you enhance your relationship with your to do list, I’m sharing this bit of advice from Merlin Mann’s 43Folders.com. This is just a snippet, so click on the link at the end to get more in-depth info.

Anatomy of a To-do

The primary idea of a to-do is that it’s a task that can and should be done–a point that might seem obvious until you start uncovering how many of the items on your to-do list may not belong there (or, conversely, how many uncaptured items do). The best and most useful to-dos share common qualities:

• it’s a physical action
• it can be accomplished at a sitting
• it supports valuable progress toward a recognized goal
• it’s something for which you are the most appropriate person for the job

Glancing at your own to-do list, do you see any potential troublemakers? Notice any items that make you squeamish? Any mystery meat tasks that seem “un-doable” as is?

 Read More at 43Folders.com

]]> http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/11/22/quick-tip-get-to-know-your-to-do-list/feed/ 0 http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/11/18/fact-friday-women-suffer-from-atbs%e2%80%93addicted-to-busyness-syndrome/ http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/11/18/fact-friday-women-suffer-from-atbs%e2%80%93addicted-to-busyness-syndrome/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer® http://dallisonlee.com/blog/?p=20393

“Busyness is the drug of choice for most women. Like any drug, Busyness is not only a downer; it’s a dangerous form of self deception. We fool ourselves into feeling productive…when actually we’re sabotaging our success.”

Read More:

Detox From Busyness | Forbes.com | 9.20.11

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If you want to be more productive while in school, StudyBlue.com might work for you. The website offers study tools like flashcards and lecture notes that you can access anytime, anywhere.

You can also get reminders that it’s time to study delivered to your smartphone or via e-mail. You can even keep your notes and flashcards on StudyBlue for a long time. Like forever.

And, it’s free. Visit their website and blog for more information and check them our on Facebook and Twitter.

Our Thursday article is usually reserved for a guest blogger, and today we’re sharing a post from OTR friend, Cori Padgett, from a year ago. Enjoy!

Let’s just say that organized and productive are pretty relative terms when it comes to what I do and how I do it!  While I have all the theory and know how to stay on top of things and keep my business running smoothly… implementing that theory and know how is another story altogether.  Sometimes things simply do NOT go according to plan!

However, there are a few things that I find help me to keep things efficient, which is what I’ll share with you now.

Create a Schedule for Yourself

I know, sounds a bit dumb… after all, you go into work for yourself to work how you want, when you want.

Right?

Except when you operate from that mindset, what happens is that the things that should be done end up falling by the wayside, because you wind up not managing your time appropriately.  So… set a schedule for yourself, even if it’s a somewhat loose one.

Figure out what are your most productive times of the day, and make it a point to reserve those hours specifically for high priority projects whenever possible.  For me, that is usually from 8am to 2 or 3pm, which are the hours that my kids are in school.  After 3pm, any additional work I get done is just gravy!

Create Timed Priorities

I’m a ghostwriter, so the bulk of my high value activities involve writing consistently.  I’ve found the best way for me to do this is to do it in blocks, or chunks of time.  So invest in…

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About the Author

Cori is a wildly hire-able freelance ‘ghost’ as well as the creative brains and dubious brawn behind her blog Big Girl Branding. If you’d like to harness her creative brains and dubious brawn and put it to work for you, just stalk her on Twitter and ask her. I’m “almost” sure she doesn’t bite. Well… like 95% sure.

Connect With Cori: Web | Blog | Twitter