“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.”

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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.

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

“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.”

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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

“Workers in small and medium-sized businesses spend half the work day on ‘necessary, yet unproductive tasks, including routine communications and filtering incoming information and correspondence.’”

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Study: Employees Are Unproductive Half the Day | Inc.com | 3.2.11

Working on a big project and trying to get stuff done? If that deadline is looming over your head and you need to get a move on, try these three easy ways to kick your productivity mojo into high gear.

1.  Take a Nap. Yep, you should take a nap. Tired minds don’t function so well, and you’d be surprised by the huge impact a power nap can have on your output. Don’t believe me? The nice folks at NASA did some research to prove it.

2. Drink Water. Tired and dehydrated minds don’t perform very well, so after that nap (and during breaks), be sure to chug some water. The bonus: you’ll look great while being productive. =)

3. Take Breaks. No surprise here, right? It might seem hard to do, especially when you’re finally “in the zone,” but overdoing it doesn’t help. You need to give your mind – and your butt – a break. Get up from that chair, jump around, replenish and refuel, take a walk around the block…anything that helps you to refocus and get back to the task at hand.

Ok, now off you go.

“Though it’s not a life-threatening condition, nausea associated with pregnancy is exhausting and miserable and can cause major losses in productivity. It’s seen as a ‘normal’ sign of pregnancy. But most women do suffer the effects of it, and the psychological effect can really get to people.”

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Pregnancy Myths | LATimes.com | 3.14.11

We had friends over this weekend and they noticed one of the books on my coffee table was Purple Cow: TransformYour Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin.  It’s hard not to talk about Godin and use words like “genius” and “amazing.” And, those are the exact words we used. In fact, “genius” was said at least 10 times. Have you read his blog? Ah-may-zing.

There are many reasons I think Godin is fantastic. Here are a few Seth-isms you can apply to your life, especially if you’re trying to live more simply.

1. Seth is straight forward and to the point. Godin doesn’t dilly dally about. He gets right to it. He says what he has tosay without the fluff. Fluff can be complicated. Complicated ≠ simple. There are too many bends and curves with complicated. If your life or productivity systems are always bendy and curvy, that means too many steps to keep up with.

2. Seth appreciates brevity. This point is very connected to #1. If you’ve read his blog, you’ll notice that many of his posts consist of just 100 words. Including the title. Even so, the content is powerful and gets the message across as intended. If you’re trying to simplify, this is a great path to follow. Get rid of the fluff and include powerful bursts of activity. You don‘t need to spend hours upon hours decluttering and streamlining. A few minutes a day can have tremendous impact.

3. Seth asks questions. Scan through his blog posts and you’ll notice a few questions sprinkled in. Questions get you thinking. You may not have the answers straight away, but queries get your brain cells to exercise. What will you gain by living more simply? What changes do you have to make? Who will you have to delete from your regular, day-to-day life? Yep, I said “who.” Sometimes, people = clutter + complicated. Another essential Q: How will you sustain the changes you’re about to make?