• define goals

    Define Goals with 20 Questions

    There comes a time in every examined life where you have to stop and say "What am I trying to do?" Here are some questions to help you answer that.

  • pareto housecleaning

    Applying Pareto To Housecleaning

    I've talked about the 80/20 principle before. Formally known as the Pareto principle, it says that 80% of the results will come from 20% of your effort. Today I want to apply this rule to housecleaning.

  • podcast

    Podcast Episode 71: Leaky Systems

    Productivity systems leak. And like plumbing, sometimes the only evidence is after the fact. Today we talk about how leaks develop, how to spot them, and what to do about them.

  • Productivity Slump

    The Dreaded Productivity Slump

    I've had a rough couple of months, and my productivity has taken a hit. It reminded me of a week years ago. Read on for the description, and what I did: It was the week from hell: a situation with a family member threatened to sever a relationship, I was recovering from a vertigo-inducing double ear infection, and my daughter…

  • podcast

    Podcast Episode 70: Pursuing Zero

    The feeling of getting to zero in my email in box is something that really gives me a boost. I realized after a trip away that the piles in my life were very much like a backlog of email: incomplete decisions. I decided to go through my physical, written and electronic spaces to pursue a concept of zero.

  • zero

    In Pursuit of Zero

    Getting my inbox down to zero means that I can approach my inbox each time without the dread of all the leftover email waiting for me to do something about it. It makes email much less stressful. I wondered if I could apply the concept of Zero to other areas of my life.

  • Gratitude

    The Importance Of Gratitude

    In the US this month we have Thanksgiving. I find that being thankful, or having gratitude, is one of the things that helps keep me on track, both in how and what I am doing.

  • podcast

    Podcast Episode 69: Clearing the Decks

    If I have too many projects on my plate I shut down, overwhelmed by the volume. I needed to tackle this early this fall, and I tried something new: clearing the decks. It worked really well taking my 18 project list down to 4 in about 5 hours.

  • mothers death

    Things I Learned From My Mother’s Death

    I had a really rough August into September. Two days after we took my only child to college and became empty nesters, my mother passed away. My husband and I made the drive to Wisconsin. I came away with some profound lessons. These are things that I am trying to incorporate into my life.