A Perfect Productivity System Isn’t the Goal—Doing What Matters Is
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Appeal of Productivity Systems—and Their Trap Many productivity enthusiasts start with good intentions—trying to get more done—but end up obsessing over the perfect system instead of actually doing the work. It’s easy to become enamored with apps and systems. It appeals to our nerdy, organizational side as introverts. Productivity nerds start seeing the goal …
Apple Invites: A Free, Stylish Way to Send Event Invitations
Reading Time: 3 minutesApple Invites on iPhone, iPad, and Mac There’s a new free service from Apple available to Apple device users, Apple Invites. Apple Invites is designed to be accessible across the Apple ecosystem, though the experience varies slightly by device: • The iPhone – The Invites app is designed for the iPhone. Download it from the …
Life After Work: Navigating the Loss of Purpose and Identity in Retirement
Reading Time: 4 minutesYour Career and Family Gave You Purpose—Now What? Most of us don’t realize how much our job defines us—until it’s gone. For decades, work gave us a built-in sense of purpose and identity. We wake up every morning knowing what we need to do and who we are in the world. But retirement changes that. …
Limiting Beliefs vs. Knowing Your Limits: How to Tell the Difference
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Common Misunderstanding Between Limits and Limiting Beliefs Have you ever stopped yourself from trying something new because you thought you couldn’t do it? That’s probably true of most of us. However, there’s a big difference between ‘knowing our limits’ and ‘having limiting beliefs.’ The two are often confused. Limiting Beliefs: Self-Imposed Barriers That Keep …
How to Stop Living Your Life ‘In the News’ and Start Living in Reality
Reading Time: 4 minutesHow the News Took Over Our Lives Some people live their lives in the news. They spend an inordinate amount of time consuming news and allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated. As a result, they are always mad and upset about negative things in the world. For some, this has become so all-consuming that the …
Not a Fan of Flywheels: Rejecting the Latest Productivity Fancy Lingo
Reading Time: 3 minutesMy Gut Reaction to the ‘Flywheel’ Buzzword I’ve noticed that every time I run across the term ‘flywheel’ in productivity or creativity circles, I have an immediate negative gut reaction. When I hear this term, I can’t help but picture a housefly sitting on a mechanical wheel in a machine. I keep encountering terms like …
Choice-Based Productivity: A Freeing Alternative to Rigid Time Blocking
Reading Time: 5 minutesDoes Your Productivity System Control You? Productivity systems can help us be more organized and complete the work we need to do. However, for many people, a too-rigid productivity system can lead to a sense of productivity enslavement. Instead of directing your own work, you feel like a slave working for a demanding master. Using …
‘Enough’: A Legitimate Alternative to ‘More’
Reading Time: 3 minutesOpting Out of the Growth Trap—Letting go of ‘more’ to make room for what matters. We live in a world that worships ‘more.’ More money, more growth, more success. But what if there’s a better way? It’s easy to get caught up in society’s definition of success, but sometimes the best move is choosing less—less …
What to Do With Unfinished Projects: Keep, Park, or Kill
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn a recent blog post, To Finish or Not to Finish,writing coach Ann Janzer describes the reality of a writer: “False starts, half-written pieces, and scattered notebooks are the messy and necessary detritus of a creative life.” She goes on to point out that “Wisdom lies in knowing which of those projects to carry through …