When I started writing my first book in 2009, my initial approach was to block out 4-5 consecutive hours (or even more) for writing. I figured these big blocks of uninterrupted time would help me make progress quickly. However, after more than ten of these sessions, there was hardly anything of value to show for… [Read More]

Let’s do a quick activity… Take 30-60 seconds to write down (or think of) an answer to each of the following questions: What are some words that describe how you feel and behave when your energy is high? What are some words that describe how you feel and behave when your energy is low? Yes,… [Read More]

Have you ever thought about how much time, money, and energy is wasted on unproductive meetings? There are over 25 million meetings in the U.S. every day, and many people spend at least 30% of their time attending conference calls, update meetings, and the like.1 You probably weren’t hired to attend or run meetings. Each… [Read More]

The number of people who regularly work from home (excluding those who are self-employed) grew by more than 110% between 2005 and 2017.1 Teleworking will continue to become more common and acceptable, as more and more employers are supporting or even encouraging employees to work remotely for part or all of the time. Over the years,… [Read More]

Have you ever felt like someone was micro-managing you? Maybe you work for someone who constantly checks-in for updates. Or, maybe you work for someone who never seems to be satisfied with the work that you submit. Many people complain that their boss is a micro-manager. What many people don’t realize, however, is that their… [Read More]

Have you ever wished that you had fewer interruptions at work? We all know that we are more productive when we are focused. However, in some workplaces, it can feel virtually impossible to concentrate on the task at hand. I can definitely relate to this challenge. My first job after college was a full-time sales… [Read More]

Become An Expert After failing my first exam as a college student (it’s not wise to begin studying for an 8:00 a.m. exam at midnight the night before), I decided to create a “studying process.” By using this process during the rest of college, I ended up graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University… [Read More]

At the start of my career after college, I kept my work email open all day, so that I could respond immediately whenever anyone sent me an email about anything. That’s what conscientious people do, right? Well, my perspective shifted one day after I was accidentally cc’ed on an email by one of my clients…. [Read More]

Many bosses and companies send a message to their employees that working longer hours will help you get ahead. It seems logical that working longer would help you get more done. Is this assumption really accurate though? What if you could actually become more productive by working shorter hours? Experiments by Harvard Business School Harvard… [Read More]

Imagine two women named Fran and Debra who each decide to go for a three-mile run near their office. They each plan to run alone. They are each capable of completing this distance in thirty minutes. Fran gets changed at her office, warms up for five minutes, and starts her run at 2:00 p.m. She… [Read More]