Category: Productivity

This is about being effective with your time and being focused on the right things to do each day or at each stage.

It could overlap with PM when we talk about your time on a project.

  • Your problem is that you’re reading this

    Your problem is that you’re reading this

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    This article is about writing fiction but there is a very specific point here that stuck out to me as a business owner and coder. Your problem is that, well, you’re reading a fucking list of writing tips instead of actually writing. We talked about this. That’s your issue, genius. – Matt Gemmell How much…

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  • Setting yourself up to be unproductive?

    Setting yourself up to be unproductive?

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    This will not be the first article you’ve read about someone finding social media way to intrusive for daily life. All of us are on social media and most of us find it totally overwhelming at some point. When it hits that breaking point we try and take steps to turn it off. For a…

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  • You pulled an ‘all-nighter’ because you are an idiot

    You pulled an ‘all-nighter’ because you are an idiot

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    The all-nighter seems to be the staple of so many freelancers. There is just so much work to do and things need to get done. At least that’s the convenient excuse. I find that the reality is that you are a poor planner and have bad productivity habits. So what are you doing wrong that…

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  • Evernote as my GTD reference

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    Any productivity system is really about growth and learning. You learn how your brain best processes random bits of information in to tasks. That also changes over time, and someone else’s system may not work exactly for you. As I’ve been reading Getting Things Done again I’ve been realizing that there were components of the…

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  • Queues and broken self-contracts

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    How many queues of crap do you have in your life? These lists are things that you intend to do at some point. But really if it’s been sitting for a few weeks is it going to get done? I sit here looking at my Instapaper queue of 95 articles and I have no doubt…

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  • Focus is damn hard

    Focus is damn hard

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    Focus is damn hard. I’ve got about 10 ideas for businesses and products slamming around in my head today alone. Most are crap but there are bound to be a few gems and maybe even one that takes hold. I’m awesome at starting projects. Take the book I wrote in the last 2 weeks. It…

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  • Take your time or head for burnout

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    I take pretty much every Friday for myself no matter how much client work is happening. Most Friday’s are spent screencasting and learning new things, because we all need time to practice. Then the afternoon is a bike ride with a stop at a local coffee shop. On top of that I’ve been known to…

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  • Stuck

    Stuck

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    I watched Horrible Bosses last night. The premise is that these 3 guys have terrible bosses and that they are ‘stuck’ in their jobs. They have to put up with all this crap for their bosses and have no place to turn but stick with that job. That is a load of bullshit If you…

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  • Inbox 0 with Mailbox and Boomerang

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    I try to accomplish inbox 0 each day. It doesn’t always happen but I almost never have more than 2 or 3 emails sitting in my inbox at the end of the day. I certainly don’ think that inbox 0 is the ‘dream’ that some people do. I see it on a regular basis. The…

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  • Strategies to stop wasting time

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    As a solo consultant I don’t make money unless I’m billing it to clients. That means coffee breaks and lunches aren’t paid. Talking with the neighbour is not paid. Getting the mail not paid. So how do I keep myself on track with projects so I can be sure I’m getting paid each week? Define…

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