I saw this quote at my health club and thought you would enjoy it to begin the year.  I like it so much that I plan to use it in an upcoming productivity pointer.  If you’re not on the distribution list use the form in the sidebar on the right.  I promise not to spam you. If you like to collect quotes below is the text so that you can copy it: “Every man is enthusiastic at times. Sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes for 30...

The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it. - Alan Saporta During physical activity, your mind is stimulated and potentially very  creative; yet few people take full advantage of this opportunity. Use the time you spend doing physical work or exercising to come up with new ideas or resolve problems. When you do come up with solution ideas immediately pause to jot them down. So don’t just “zone out” when doing...

Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem, in my opinion, to characterize our age. - Albert Einstein When is “good enough”, good enough? That’s a question that haunts many of us. Perfectionism, while important in brain surgery, can become a roadblock. One of the best examples of “good enough” is the MP3 audio file format. It delivers less that perfect fidelity, but because of its ability to compress...

Successful people choose to do the things unsuccessful people choose not to. - Unknown I learned this quote from a mentor many years ago.  It has stuck with me ever since. We are blessed to have freedom of choice. But sometimes this works against us. Too often we choose to avoid doing positive things that are uncomfortable like changing habits or delivering bad news. What are you choosing not to do? Take a minute to identify some things...

I must create a system or be enslaved by another Man’s. - William Blake Whatever system you use to manage your work must use almost no thought on your part during it’s execution. If you find yourself asking “what do I do with this” or “where do I put that”, then you aren’t performing at your best. The purpose of your workload management system should be to get everything in its place with little...

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important. - Doris Lessing What’s the most important thing you could be doing with your time right now? (Other than reading this post of course.) Are you doing it? We often gravitate toward the easy things when it’s time to decide what to do next.  It’s comfortable and gives us a false sense that we’re accomplishing something....

Even a stopped clock is right twice every day. After some years it can boast of a long series of successes. - Ebner-Eschenbach Do you find yourself wasting time in one-on-one meetings that go on too long? Our mothers taught us to be polite to guests, which includes not asking them to leave. And many people just don’t catch on to the subtle hints that you are finished. So why not hold your meetings at their place instead?  This way...

If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk? – Laurence J. Peter A colleague once said that clutter is the result of unmade decisions. Look around you at the clutter in your office or home and ask yourself what you should do with it. I’ll bet you’ve been avoiding the answer. I know because I do it all the time. One of the major reasons we allow things to accumulate...