A few years back I wrote this article about overcoming procrastination for a great site called Pick The Brain.
One of the major challenges with overcoming procrastination is that there’s no single cause, and therefore no single solution. The key to moving beyond procrastination is learning how to clearly identify what particular type of procrastination is [...]

It’s funny what things stick with you in life. Back when I was in college, one of my professors somehow got onto the subject of constructive criticism and decided to teach the class the method he uses for offering “critical” advice to people.
It’s called the hamburger method, and here’s how it works:
When offering a critique, [...]

1. Neglect writing it down.
Unfortunately, many great ideas die mere seconds after they’re conceived simply because they were never captured in the first place. This is understandable when we consider how our brains generate creative ideas.
Creativity begins in the right hemisphere of the brain. The right brain becomes most active when we’re engaged in activities [...]

When is perfection your enemy? When good enough will do!
Now, I’m not suggesting you use this advice as license to pat yourself on the back for substandard work, or to neglect striving for excellence. Because there are times when good enough will certainly not do! For instance, some would consider Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or [...]

“Hey Bill!”
- What?”
“Are you almost done with the Cooper file?”
- “I’m on the phone”
“I said, are you almost done with the COOPER FILE?!”
- I’M ON THE PHONE!!”
Welcome to interruptionville. Interruptionville is how I affectionately refer to an office that recently hired me to help them become more productive. The above conversation is a typical exchange [...]

 
You remember good old Dr. Pavlov don’t you? He was the scientist who conditioned his dog to salivate every time the dog heard a bell ring.
Dr. Pavlov achieved that by ringing a bell every time he feed the dog. In so doing, he conditioned the pooch to associate food with the ringing of the bell. [...]

For the last several weeks I’ve been experimenting with a technique that has been so effective, I thought I’d better pass it along.
I recently read this article about using a countdown timer to help sharpen concentration and boost performance. I’ve also been using index cards for task management for the last several months.
The combination of [...]

Several years back, while in a business meeting with my boss at the time (a rather intense man), the tension in the room became quite thick as the boss admonished everyone to, “Stop taking notes, and start paying attention to everything I’m saying” … he further added, “You can’t pay attention and take notes at [...]