Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed when looking at your to-do list? I overheard a co-worker saying she forgot what one item stood for on her list; sometimes these lists end up flustering more than helping. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, try not to use abbreviations that represent other common words. For example, using DL as a reminder to do laundry might be confusing because it can Read more

Resolutions don't stop in January. Make a mini one this weekend, and resolve to tackle all the tasks that have been lingering in the back of your mind for weeks or even months. Start by making a list of things you will finally get around to this weekend, and tack it up somewhere visible. Don't groan at the idea of having yet another monster list (which you can conquer with these tips!), because Read more

If you're like me, you may constantly find yourself tackling never-ending to-do lists. I think one of the worst drawbacks of a to-do list is that it becomes entrenched in your mind — you're always thinking about what you have left to do and that can take a toll on you. For example, sometimes I can't help thinking about it when I'm in bed, and that leaves me restless. The solution to reducing Read more

Sometimes, as I'm nodding off to dreamland, I suddenly get the best ideas or remember something important. Obviously, it's going to be hard to retain whatever comes to mind when you're dozing off, and if you're like me, you'll get really frustrated the next day when you're trying to recall that vital piece of information. Just to make it easier on yourself, put a notepad near you when you're Read more

Productivity: sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Most of you agree that you’re productive in bursts, but what happens during your unproductive days (or weeks, or, gulp, months)? Chances are, your job doesn’t afford you the luxury of checking out and sprawling on the couch with a book when an unmotivated day strikes, so we’ve all got to fight procrastination somehow. My approach Read more

Ever have those odd little pockets of time between meetings and other tasks during your workday, when you feel like you should be doing something but can’t decide what? I do, and I hate them! In the time I spend sorting though my various to-do lists trying to decide what to tackle, I know I could’ve been doing something far more productive. To find out about a recent fix I've found for this Read more

Are you a list maker? If not, you should give the simple act of writing it all down a whirl. When your mind is jumbled with lists of tasks, it is hard to relax and be in the moment. But writing all those to-dos down can clear your mind, so you can get to the task at hand. Seeing all your chores listed out can help you brainstorm on how to actually accomplish the goals you have set out to achieve. Read more