Category: Productivity

Anytime we work with people, there will be times when it feels like our work comes to a screeching halt because we’re waiting on a decision. Or an answer. Or approval. Or a passed budget...

We’ve talked before about the importance of routine when it comes to a productive week: that day-after-day, no-surprises, ideal slog that helps us get stuff done. [See Mapping Your Ideal Week] But I get it:...

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that Proverbs 16:9 is true: The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. A global pandemic wreaked havoc on our calendars just a...

Fellow productivity nerds, this one is for you. I love the nuts and bolts of how a meeting is constructed. I love putting together an agenda, checking off boxes, and seeing our team gel and...

I’m currently working through Cal Newport’s excellent book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Fair warning: if you have a love for the Twitters and multitasking and the ability to drop...

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, which typically means the official kickoff to the holiday season. Today, turkeys will be basted, football will be watched, and politics will be gingerly avoided. Tomorrow, alarms will...

Leaders plan stuff. It’s just what we do. We don’t stroll into an event or a calendar year unless we’re armed to the teeth with plans, contingency plans, emergency plans for our contingency plans, and...

In his iconic book on productivity, What’s Best Next, Matt Perman delivers the following bombshell: …systems trump intentions. You can have great intentions, but if your life is set up in a way that is...

I have long been a believer in Inbox Zero. It’s by no means a daily occurrence, but it’s a habit I try to keep as often as I can (normally I get there 4 out...

There are a lot of type-A, task-driven, calendar-oriented people who read this blog. I know this because (a) some of you have told me as much and (b) that tends to be the level of...