Posted in Goal, Manifestation, productivity

Accountability Partner Definition: 5 Motivating Reasons Why You Need an Accountability Partner

Rewind to 2019, when I was about halfway through my doctoral program. My progress was slowing, and the task of completing my comprehensive exams and beginning to think about a dissertation topic seemed insurmountable. 

While chatting about this wave of overwhelm, a colleague referred me to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. Our university had a membership, and I could use all its services for free. The site contains a myriad of helpful knowledge for graduate students and faculty members. 

But the most practical thing for me came from the option to be matched with an accountability partner. In the past, I had accountability partners for health and wellness goals but had never considered one for academic pursuits. 

It was the perfect time to test it out. 

I signed up and, much to my delight, was matched right away with a graduate student in Canada. Our backgrounds and experiences were very different, yet our commitment to support one another remained strong. I am fortunate now to consider my accountability partner a dear friend. 

At this new juncture of creating a solopreneur business and being self-employed, I realized (through a conversation with this dear friend) that I am once again in need of an accountability partner. 

photo of a laptop and a tablet on the table. Preparing for a meeting with an accountability partner.
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Accountability partner definition and meaning

An accountability partner is a person you choose to work with voluntarily to help you accomplish your goals or maintain discipline in different aspects of your life. This trusted and supportive companion holds you accountable for your commitments, progress, and actions related to your objectives.

Their primary role is to motivate, encourage, and provide constructive feedback while ensuring that you stay on track and responsible for your goals and responsibilities. This partnership should be based on mutual trust and a shared commitment to personal or professional development. You don’t necessarily have to be working on the same exact goal, but it’s helpful to be in the same niche/discipline/genre.

Here are 5 reasons why an accountability partner can be your best asset:

  1. Consistency – Meeting with an accountability partner weekly or every other week builds consistency into your routine. Having something to report or check in helps you consistently reach your goals. Recently, I’ve also been exploring “The Rule of 100” by Alex Hormozi and believe having a partner to check in with can help you stay the course of your 100 days. 
  2. Motivation – Having someone cheering you on can be a great source of inspiration. When I was going through a tough time, my accountability partner was always there for me, rooting for my success. It’s also great to have someone to share your achievements with. You can check out the Medium Weekly Goals and Wins publication to share your own goals and successes.
  3. Better problem-solving – Discussing issues with a third party can provide fresh insights and potential remedies. They might suggest adjustments to your routine or introduce you to a useful technology that has aided their productivity. (Feel free to check out my Etsy store for problem-solving templates.)
  4. Positive peer pressure: Sharing your goals with someone else can create pressure to achieve them. Although there may be obstacles and detours, having to report progress every week can create a positive peer pressure to stay motivated.
  5. Clearer goals: To take action on your goals, they must be SMART(ER). When sharing them with others, it’s essential to break them down into understandable terms and actionable steps that can be achieved week by week. Making goal-setting a regular part of your accountability routine can be beneficial.

There are many positive benefits to having an accountability partner. It made a world of difference as I was pursuing my doctorate. 

So consider bringing someone on your journey and help each other reach your goals in life!

Posted in Goal, productivity

How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox? Important Advice

“How many emails should I have in my inbox?” is difficult to answer, but I have some advice. You see, there isn’t a single answer—the answer depends on your business and how many emails you send and receive each day.

When I ask people what their email box quota should be, they say “zero.” I guess that makes sense, right? Well, it really depends on what kind of marketing you’re doing. So here’s my answer to “How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?”

A clean inbox is a manageable inbox

A clean inbox is a manageable inbox.

If you’re not sure how many emails you should have in your inbox, the answer is “less than you have now.”

If you’re looking for an INITIAL number to shoot for, try aiming for less than 50 unread messages at any given time. That may seem like a lot of emails, but if you’re using software like Gmail with its search functionality and folders, it’s actually pretty easy to stay under that number.

If you’re like most people, your email inbox is probably a source of stress. You know it’s full, but you don’t know what to do about it.

You have hundreds of unread messages, some important and some not so important. Some emails are stuck in the “Drafts” folder because you don’t have time to respond now, but you don’t want to lose track of them either. Others are buried in subfolders because they were sent by someone who isn’t in your address book and can’t be found with a search query. And so you continue to ask yourself: How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?

The first step toward curbing the chaos is to get rid of as many unnecessary emails as possible — both those that don’t require action and those that aren’t worth keeping in your inbox at all. Once that’s done, focus on processing messages one at a time until everything is done or read.

black and gray digital device. How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?
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Your email inbox should have as few emails in it as possible

How many emails should I have in my inbox?

That’s a question that has perplexed inbox zero enthusiasts for years.

The answer is: as few as possible.

If you have a lot of emails in your inbox, you’re wasting time. You need to be able to scan quickly through your inbox and identify the important stuff — the stuff that requires action from you — and get rid of everything else.

Your email inbox should have as few emails in it as possible. This means that you are either deleting the emails that you don’t need, or moving them somewhere else.

If you have a lot of emails in your inbox, it’s time to clean things up. When I started my business, I had over 20,000 emails in my Gmail account. It was overwhelming and made me feel like I was drowning. I needed to change this!!

The magic number is 0

The magic number is 0 – for me. And if you’re like me, you should have no emails in your inbox.

You might be thinking, “How can I get my inbox to zero?” It’s not easy, and it’s not realistic for most people. But it’s a great goal to work toward.

For some people, if their inbox is full of hundreds of emails, they feel like they’re drowning in work that needs to be done. But if you can get your inbox down to zero (or close to it), then you’ve reached a place where you have control over your email and you know everything that’s going on. You don’t have to worry about missing an important message because it’s buried under piles of clutter.

You don’t have to worry about making decisions without all the information because other messages haven’t been read yet. And you don’t have to feel guilty about not responding quickly enough because there aren’t any messages in your inbox!

A clean inbox helps reduce stress and anxiety

A clean inbox is a happy inbox. It helps reduce stress and anxiety, which can improve your productivity and focus. This is why you often have the question: How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?

The truth is that we’re all busy, but we’re also human beings who need to take care of ourselves and our mental health. And a clean inbox helps reduce stress and anxiety by making it easier to focus on what’s important when you need to focus on it.

When you have a clean inbox, you don’t need to worry about missing something important because there won’t be anything important left for you to miss!

The trick to keeping an empty inbox is deciding what to do with each email when it arrives

It’s easy to get an empty inbox, but it takes a little more effort to keep it that way. The trick is deciding what to do with each email when it arrives so you don’t have to keep asking the question: How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?

Some people choose to delete all emails that are not work-related or personal. Others file emails in folders and delete only those they are sure they will never need again. Still others use the “flag” function on their email programs to place messages in a “to be dealt with later” category.

No matter how you choose to handle your incoming messages, there are some general guidelines that can help you maintain an empty inbox:

1) Do not spend time deleting emails unless they are spam or unwanted solicitations. If you have a legitimate reason for deleting an email, but do not know what category it fits into, leave it in your inbox until you decide what action is needed on your part.

2) Use filters on your email program so that certain kinds of messages automatically go into a particular folder without making you look at them first every time they arrive.

3) Choose one day each week (or even one day each month) when you will sit down at your computer and deal with any outstanding items in your inbox by filing them or deleting them permanently. Perhaps even daily if you receive a lot!

person holding a smartphone. How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox?
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The more you stick with this practice, the more natural it will become!

If you’re still wondering: How Many Emails Should I Have in my Inbox? Fear not!

The more you stick with this practice, the more natural it will become!

You’ll find that when you’re at work, you’re not thinking about what’s in your inbox or what’s coming next. Instead, you’re focused on the task at hand.

If you have an email account with a lot of messages in it, it can take some time to get through them all and respond to them. This is where tools like email scheduling and email reminders can help.

Conclusion: How Many Emails Should I have in my Inbox?

Truth: The number of emails in your inbox is only important if it’s impairing your ability to do your job. It probably won’t kill you to have an overflowing inbox full of emails, but you’d definitely benefit from trying to get back down to somewhere between 0-50 emails in any given inbox.

Ultimately, the key to maintaining a clean inbox is setting realistic expectations and revisiting your inbox at frequent intervals. If you can do this, you should be able to keep your inbox in tip-top shape. By no means is it a perfect system, but it’s the best way to ensure that your emails are never overwhelming.

Posted in productivity

Learn SEO: 7 Critical Reasons Why You Should Start Today

Has someone ever mentioned that you should learn SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important skills you can learn as a website owner or content creator. It’s not a matter of if you should master SEO, but when.

When I started working online, I didn’t know the first thing about creating content. But now, I’m slowly learning and I want to help you avoid the mistakes I made.

So to help you get started with SEO, I’m sharing seven reasons why you should learn SEO as soon as possible.

SEO is more important than ever before

The fact is that if you aren’t doing SEO, then your competitors will. And they will do it better than you do.

If you have been in business for a while and have been doing some kind of marketing, then you know how important it is to be found on search engines like Google. However, if you haven’t been optimizing for search engines over the years or maybe have only done so recently, then there’s a good chance that your site has never been optimized properly before now or hasn’t been updated since its creation.

This means that if people are looking for something related to your product or service online today, then chances are good that they won’t find your website via a search engine result page (SERP).

young lady typing on keyboard of laptop in living room. learn SEO
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You don’t need to be a genius to learn SEO

Learning SEO can seem like a daunting task. You might think that you need to be a genius to understand it all. But in reality, the basics are easy to learn and anyone can do it.

The first step is to break down what it means to “learn SEO.” What does learning SEO actually mean? It means that:

  • You understand the basic principles of search engines and how they work
  • You know how search engines rank pages
  • You know how to optimize your content and site for search engine visibility

Once you’ve mastered these things, you’ll have the knowledge needed to make sure your website ranks as high as possible for your target keywords and phrases.

It can help you start your own business

If you learn SEO, it can help you start your own business by driving traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo! or Bing. You need to ensure that people can find your website easily when they enter keywords related to what you sell or offer services for into their search engine results.

The more people who visit your site, the more likely they are going to purchase something from your company.

It’s free!

Many people are under the impression that SEO is a paid service. This is not true at all! SEO is free, and you can perform it yourself if you know what to do. You don’t need to pay anyone or use any special software either.

Although, I did decide to purchase RankMath Pro and it’s been a game-changer for me.

The only thing that might cost you money is the time spent to learn SEO and then testing your own website, but even that can be done for free by using online tools like Google Adwords’ Keyword Planner and Moz’s Open Site Explorer.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no shady tricks or black hat techniques required for successful SEO. All you need is a good understanding of how search engines work, as well as some patience, dedication, and practice.

You’ll get more traffic and leads from search engines

The primary benefit of SEO is that you get more traffic from search engines. People use search engines to find what they’re looking for online. If you rank high in searches, you’ll get more visitors to your site.

The secondary benefit is that it helps you convert those visitors into leads and sales. That’s because most people don’t have time to read long articles on their mobile devices, so if your content is easily accessible at the top of a search result page, people are more likely to click on it and read it right away.

This is something that I’m working on building out here on my current blog. I would like to continue to learn SEO and optimize my sales pages to convert more often.

It makes it easier for people to find you online

The goal of SEO is to create content that’s relevant to your target audience and ranks well on search engines, so people can find your website when they search for related keywords.

So, this is why it is important to learn SEO and understand which keywords you want to rank for in the search results. Once you are able to determine that, then you can use those keywords to make it easier for people to find your business or your content.

macbook air on grey wooden table. learn SEO
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It’s a fun challenge

SEO is a fun challenge for both professionals and amateurs alike, and it can be a great way to build your brand, gain more customers, and increase profits for your business.

There are many ways to optimize your site for search engines, but the most important is to create content that draws people in and keeps them coming back for more. It’s also important to make sure that all the links on your website lead back to high-quality content. This ensures that users who follow those links will be satisfied with what they find when they get there — not disappointed or confused by having been sent off track by poor navigation or poorly optimized internal pages.

Takeaway

Search engine optimization is an ever-changing practice, and the competition for search engine rankings among businesses has never been higher. If you want to stand out from the crowd and improve your website’s search ranking, you need to know SEO. The good news is that SEO isn’t difficult to learn. All it takes is a willingness to study the best practices for SEO and apply them to your business.

Posted in Goal, Mindset, productivity

Implementing The Inspiring Kaizen Method Into Your Life

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Kaizen method and how it can help you as a creative person.

I am constantly looking for ways to improve my productivity and get me closer to achieving my goals.

What Is Kaizen?

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “improvement.” It’s a philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement, and it’s been applied in many different industries. It’s also the name of a popular productivity app.

The Kaizen Method is a system of continuous improvement that was developed by Toyota in the 1950s. The method involves identifying problems, developing solutions, and implementing them immediately.

Kaizen has been used to improve manufacturing processes at Toyota for decades, but it can also be used to improve your personal productivity.

In short, kaizen is a philosophy of continuous improvement. It’s all about making small changes that can lead to big improvements over time. It’s not just about incremental changes either; some of the most successful companies in the world have implemented kaizen because it allows them to make dramatic improvements overnight.

More recently, this method is similar to the suggestions of James Clear in Atomic Habits.

macbook pro beside white ipad. kaizen method
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Kaizen Method: Breaking It Down

Kaizen involves taking small steps toward long-term goals by constantly looking for ways to improve your current situation. It’s about finding new ways to do things better, rather than doing things perfectly from the beginning.

The primary goal of Kaizen is to develop habits and routines that will help you achieve your goals more quickly and efficiently than if you tried to tackle them all at once.

There are five principles at the core of Kaizen in the business model: be transparent, empower people, know your customer, go to Gemba, and let if flow.

It is both a mindset and a methodology that you can implement in all aspects of your life.

Who Can Benefit From The Kaizen Method?

The Kaizen method is not just for businesses, artists, designers, and creative types. In fact, it can benefit anyone who wants to be more productive and efficient.

Anyone who spends time doing manual labor or repetitive tasks will benefit from the Kaizen method. It’s designed to help you reduce waste and become more efficient in your daily life.

The Kaizen Method Is Also For:

-Entrepreneurs who want to increase productivity and efficiency

-Freelancers who have multiple projects going on at once

-Business owners who want to improve their bottom line through efficiency

The Kaizen Method is simple and easy to apply, but it can be challenging to adopt. In fact, it has been found that most people are resistant to change and prefer the status quo. That said, those who do commit to the Kaizen Method will reap its benefits. Here are some of the types of people who can benefit from this method:

-People who want to increase their productivity or efficiency while decreasing stress.

-People who want to improve their health in some way (e.g., with diet or exercise).

-People who want to improve their personal relationships or work relationships with others (e.g., by communicating better).

-People who want more free time for leisure activities like reading, hiking or traveling.

How To Use The Kaizen Method In Your Life

Here are some ways you can use Kaizen in your life:

Identify the problem. Before you start implementing changes, you need to know what needs fixing. This can be anything from getting more sleep to improving your diet or exercise routine. Even if it’s just one thing, at least you’ll have an idea of where to start.

Make a list of ideas for improvement. Once you’ve identified the problem, start brainstorming ways that things could be improved. This can be as simple as coming up with a few small goals or as complex as creating an entire system of self-improvement methods that will work together as a whole.

Pick one item at a time and implement it immediately. Don’t try to do everything at once; focus on one thing that will make a difference in your life and implement it immediately (even if it’s just for one day). Then repeat this process until all items on your list are complete.

Should you implement the Kaizen Method in your life?

While the Kaizen Method is a powerful tool that can be used for creative breakthroughs, this approach can also be applied to more mundane tasks. For example, you might want to use it to create better habits and improve the way that you do things on a daily basis.

The bottom line is this: The Kaizen Method can help you become more efficient, both in your business life and in your personal life. However, you should never think of this as an “ultimate guide” or a set of instructions that will work for everyone. If anything, it’s more like a commonsense checklist that encourages experimentation and open-mindedness.

Posted in productivity

5 Simple Steps To Zero Inbox Life

Zero inbox life is possible. But, it takes organization, effort, and consistency.

Are you looking for a way to reduce the amount of time you spend on email? In this post, I am going to list 5 actionable steps you can take in order to reach that elusive mythical “Zero Inbox Life”.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s a process. You can’t just set up a system and expect it to work perfectly from day one. It will take some time to get used to, but once you do, boy does it make all the difference.

black and gray digital device.
Photo by Torsten Dettlaff on Pexels.com

1. Create an Actionable Inbox

If your inbox is full of emails that are not actionable (or even ones that are), you will never get to zero inbox. Unsubscribe from newsletters and social media feeds that don’t provide value for you or your business. Delete any emails that aren’t important (such as notifications from apps). Delegate tasks and projects to other people in your company or team (if applicable) so they can handle them instead of you.

2. Create rules

Once you’ve organized your inbox, create rules for any automated messages coming in that need immediate attention, such as receipts from online purchases or updates from social media accounts.

For example, if you receive an email from Amazon about a recent purchase, you can create a rule that automatically adds it to a folder called “Amazon Receipts” so that it doesn’t clutter up your main inbox view and alerts you when new messages arrive without having to check each time.

3. Create a To-do Folder

Create a “To Review” folder for each account where you’ll put mail that requires action from you later on (this is where most people end up dumping their messages).

Or, leave emails that need to be answered or followed up on directly in the inbox. And make sure those are the only ones there so you can move them to the proper folder when it’s completed.

4. Schedule Time To Process Your Emails

It’s tempting to just open up your inbox and start checking emails right away, but this can cause stress and overwhelm if there are too many emails waiting for you at once. Instead, schedule 30 minutes each day when you know there will be no distractions so you can focus on processing your inbox.

This way, you won’t feel like it’s taking over your life and affecting productivity levels throughout the day because it won’t be constantly pulling at your attention while you’re working on other things

Young woman making serious face while trying to create a zero inbox on laptop.
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5. Move all emails from one folder to another folder (or archive)

You can move all emails from one folder to another folder by either using the ‘Bulk Move’ feature in Gmail or ‘Move to Folder’ feature in Outlook. This will help you declutter your inbox and organize your emails into folders according to their subject matter so that you can easily find what you are looking for later on if needed.

So close to Zero Inbox Life

You now have a system to follow. You know what works. Once you get started, you’ll immediately notice how much simpler (and faster) your online routine is. Pretty soon, getting to zero inbox will just be part of your normal routine. And, once that happens, life is bound to get a lot simpler.

Posted in Goal, Mindset, productivity

Maximize Your Potential Right Now: The 6 Powerful Questions To Ask Yourself Every Day

I want you to succeed and maximize your potential. There I said it. Sure, you might think I’m just some anonymous person on the internet who is wasting their time writing this guide, but that’s not it. I want you to be better than yesterday and make your life an adventure.

The only way that can happen is if you are constantly suggesting to yourself that today will be different. It may sound cheesy, but changing your mindset is the most important part of maximizing your potential.

I’m a big believer in the power of questions. They’re a powerful tool for self-reflection, learning, and improvement.

So here are 6 questions to ask yourself to get you thinking about how you can maximize your potential

What matters most to me, and how am I doing on that front?

This is one of my favorite questions because it helps me zero in on what truly matters most to me. And once you know what’s important, it’s easier to make decisions about how you spend your time and energy.

This is a tough question, but it’s a great starting point. It forces you to take a step back and look at your life. What matters most to me? What am I working towards? How am I doing on that front?

If you’re like most people, you probably have multiple answers to that question. But if you ask yourself this question every day and really think about it, then you’ll start to see the patterns in your life. You’ll begin to understand what’s important to you and why it’s important.

Once you know what matters most to you, then it becomes easier to make better decisions about how to spend your time and energy each day. If something isn’t getting done or isn’t working out as well as it should be, then it might be time for a change or recalibration of some sort.

maximize your potential
Photo by Ann poan on Pexels.com

What’s my highest-leverage activity, and what is absolutely required for me to accomplish it?

The highest-leverage activity is the thing that will give you the most return on your time and energy.

The goal is to focus on doing that one thing first, then move on to the next thing, and so on.

The key is to identify the activities that generate results and move them higher in priority while eliminating those activities that don’t add value.

One way to identify your highest-leverage activity and maximize your potential is to use the Eisenhower matrix.

What am I committed to doing today?

What am I committed to doing today?

It’s a simple question, and yet it’s one that many people never ask themselves.

I’m not talking about what you should do — that’s easy. I’m talking about what you’re committed to doing.

Why is this important? Because if you want to maximize your potential, then you need to be clear about what you’re going to commit to doing each day. If a person isn’t clear about what he or she wants, then there’s no way they’ll ever get it!

Think about it: If someone doesn’t know where they’re going, how can they possibly get there?

And we often say yes to things way too quickly. It’s okay to wait and give new commitments a thought before saying yes or no.

How will I know when my day is a success?

The answer to that question is not as obvious as it may seem. If you’re like most people, you probably have a general idea about what makes a day successful. But there are many ways to define success.

Success could be defined by the number of hours you worked or the amount of money you made. Or it could be defined by the quality of your work, the relationships you built with your coworkers, or even by how well you managed your time and energy.

It’s important to understand that there are different measures for success in each area of life: work, family, friendships, and so on. When we’re able to measure our successes against our own personal benchmarks — instead of comparing ourselves against others — we can better identify our strengths and weaknesses.

If you can do that, then you can maximize your potential in all areas of life!

What do I need to do to ensure that I can enter this day refreshed and recharged?

Some suggestions:

1. Wake up early.

It’s a lot easier to start your day when you’re already awake than when you’re trying to drag yourself out of bed.

2. Exercise or meditate before work.

If you find that you’re always tired at work, try exercising or meditating in the morning before heading into the office or school. This will help boost your energy levels throughout the day and give you more focus and clarity when it’s time to get down to business.

3. Get enough sleep every night.

Sleep is important for everyone, but it’s especially necessary for those who want to maximize their potential in life and their career. Research has shown that sleeping too little or too much can lead to health problems and poor performance at work, so make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep per night — preferably 8 — if possible!

4. Start your day with positive thoughts and affirmations about what you want in life rather than focusing on what’s wrong with things or people around you (even if they do irritate you).

How will I track what I’m doing so I can make improvements over time?

If you want to maximize your potential, you need to engage in the process of making deliberate and thoughtful choices about how you spend your time. It’s not just about what you accomplish, but how you accomplish it.

If you want to maximize your potential in life, you need to be intentional about how you spend your days. And if you’re like most people, this can be a challenge. We live in an era where it’s easy to lose track of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it — especially when we have so many options available to us at any given moment.

One way I’ve found helpful is tracking what I’m doing so that I can make improvements over time. If you have a smartphone, there are plenty of apps out there that will help keep track of what you’re doing each day (Google Calendar is one example).

You can also use pen and paper or even sign up for a free service like Trello or Asana to keep track of your activities and projects. You don’t need fancy tools — just something that works for you!

Final Thoughts

Maximizing your potential is a very personal journey. It takes a great deal of introspection and self-awareness to identify the most important things that matter to you.

But there are some common themes that can be identified.

If you are going to maximize your potential, you must be willing to sacrifice some things in order to achieve others. For example, if you are willing to give up one hour of sleep per night in order to spend more time with family and friends, then that’s something worth doing.

If you’re willing to choose a career that pays less but allows more flexibility so that you can spend more time with family and friends, then that’s something worth doing too.

Some people want to maximize their potential by becoming rich; others want to maximize their potential by doing something meaningful; still others want both.

The important thing is not how much money or meaning you get from life; it’s how much happiness those things give you. And happiness is quite subjective — what makes one person happy might not make another person happy at all.

Posted in productivity

How To Increase Productivity By Eliminating Distractions Today

Eliminating distractions is important and difficult. One of the hardest parts of starting a new project is getting in the zone. We all have distractions that prevent us from focusing on the task at hand. This makes it hard to get anything done. We’re going to show you how to increase productivity by eliminating distractions and staying focused.

Eliminating distractions: Turn off notifications on your devices

Turn off notifications on your devices. You don’t need to know every time someone likes your Instagram post or retweets your tweet.

Turn off the ringer on your phone so you’re not interrupted by incoming calls or messages. When people call or text, they assume you’re free to talk to them at any time. When they don’t hear back from you right away, they’ll be more likely to leave a voicemail or text message than call again. And you’ll save battery life!

Eliminating distractions: Block distracting websites with a website blocker app or browser extension

Use a website blocker app or browser extension. You can block distracting websites with a website blocker app or browser extensions such as Freedom (for Macs) or SelfControl for Macs or PCs. These apps and extensions will prevent you from visiting specific websites for as long as you choose — up to 24 hours. If you try to visit the site while it’s blocked, you’ll be greeted with an error message that prevents further access until the time period is over.

Eliminating distractions: Don’t open multiple tabs at once

Don’t open multiple tabs at once. When you open several tabs in your browser, it’s easy to lose track of what you were doing or what page you were on. Keep track of what you have open by using one tab at a time. Close all other tabs except for the one where you are working. It will help keep you focused on what needs to get done right now and prevent distractions from popping up while you’re trying to work on something else.

Or, utilize the tab grouping feature in Chrome or Safari:

eliminating distractions

Eliminating distractions: Don’t multitask and get organized

Don’t multitask: Multitasking is a myth. When you try to do two things at once, you actually focus on neither. Instead, take the time to complete one task before moving on to the next.

Get organized: This can mean different things for different people, but if you aren’t sure where to start, try creating an inbox of all your emails and tasks. Create folders or labels for each project, then file away any emails that don’t need immediate attention away into those folders or labels so they don’t clutter up your inbox anymore. Make sure you have a notebook or planner where you can write down ideas or tasks as they come up throughout the day so they don’t get lost in the shuffle either!

Eliminating distractions: Use a writing system to take notes and make to-do lists

Use a writing system to take notes and make to-do lists. In Paperless Way, I recommend using a writing system like Bullet Journaling or Getting Things Done (GTD). These systems help organize your thoughts and ideas so that you can focus on the task at hand.

Eliminating distractions: Take breaks regularly and reward yourself for staying focused

Take breaks regularly and reward yourself for staying focused. Breaks are important because they give your brain time to rest and recharge. Taking a break will help you avoid burnout and increase your overall productivity throughout the day.

For example, if you have a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m., take a 15-minute walk around the office or do something fun that helps you relax before returning to work. Reward yourself with a treat or special activity after you’ve worked for two hours straight.

Takeaway: Stay focused on the task at hand by using these tips to eliminate distractions.

Posted in Goal, productivity

Creative Ways To Increase Your Productivity Working From Home

If you want to increase productivity working from home, and find more ways to earn income working from home, there are a lot of things that you need to know.

Being able to work from home can be a dream for some and a nightmare for others. While working from home can promote increased productivity, many struggle to stay focused and on task.

Use the 50-10 Rule

When you’re working from home, it’s easy to get distracted by all the things that are going on around you: The television is on in the other room, there’s a dog barking outside, or someone is knocking at the door. To help stay focused on your work, use the 50-10 rule. Set an alarm for 50 minutes. When it goes off, take a ten-minute break before starting another 50-minute stint of work. This will keep you on track without feeling like you’re being regimented by an employer who expects you to sit at your desk all day long.

The Power Hour

The idea behind The Power Hour is to set aside a specific time period each day where you do nothing but work on one project. This can be very helpful if you have multiple projects that need to be completed, or if you feel like you never seem to get anything done because there are so many distractions.

The Power Hour should be scheduled at the same time every day (e.g., 9am-10am). You can use this time however you wish; it could be for one project only or for multiple projects. Just make sure that you stick with the same time slot every day so that it becomes part of your routine! This can help productivity working from home.

productivity working from home
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Know When to Stop Working

If you’re going to work from home, it’s important to set boundaries. You might not want to get up at 6 a.m., but if that’s what your job requires, then do it! Learn how to say no when necessary and don’t feel guilty about it either! If your boss is asking for something unreasonable, then explain why it isn’t possible for you at this time and ask if there’s anything else that could be done instead.

Designate a Workspace

One of the biggest challenges of increasing productivity working from home is keeping yourself away from distractions. If there are too many distractions around, it can be very difficult to get anything done.

To help with this problem, I recommend that you designate a workspace where you will spend most of your time working. This may be an office or another room where there isn’t much going on besides work—or it could be as simple as setting up a desk in a quiet corner of your house.

Make To-Do Lists and Prioritize

To-do lists are great for keeping track of everything that needs to get done. The key is to make sure you’re prioritizing them so the most important stuff gets done first.

If you have several tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day, break them down into smaller chunks and prioritize each one based on how much time it will take or how important it is in relation to other projects. This way, when things go wrong or you get distracted by something else, you’ll know exactly where to go back to pick up where you left off.

Reward Yourself for Accomplishments

If you have a hard time staying motivated while working from home, try rewarding yourself for accomplishments instead of setting goals for how much work you want to accomplish each day or week. For example, if you finish writing an article or book chapter without procrastinating too much, reward yourself with a nice dinner out or a trip to the movies with friends. Don’t wait until the end of the month or year either — reward yourself as soon as possible after accomplishing something important!

Takeaway
These are a few techniques that can increase your productivity working from home.

Posted in Goal, productivity

17 Inspiring Productivity Quotes To Kick You Into Gear

Many productivity quotes exist that give you the motivation to get work done. These quotes can serve as a good reminder of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and that you’re not alone. Here are 17 motivational productivity quotes that will keep you focused and determined.

Productivity Quotes

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” William Penn

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” —Zig Ziglar

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill

“No matter what the scale of your dream is, the way you get there is the same—one day at a time of focused activity.” – Greg Reid

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” ― David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

productivity quotes
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“Never confuse motion with action.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss

“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays

“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” – Thomas Carlyle

“We all have 24-hour days. It’s just that some people use their 24 hours more productively than others.” – Rick Warren

“You may delay, but time will not.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb


A lot of people get caught up in their busy schedules, but don’t have time for the things that matter. Sure, it can be tough to strike a balance between work and play, but there are ways to help you do just that—like using these productivity quotes.

Posted in Goal, productivity

6 Ways To Increase Productivity In Your Employees and Reduce Stress

How to increase productivity in your employees? This is an important question that requires a level of empathy and understanding. Business leaders around the world are constantly looking for ways to increase the productivity of their employees.

Whether it be by implementing new strategies, systems, or working conditions, improving the productivity of your team is an important priority, even during these tough economic times. So how exactly can that be accomplished while making sure to respect the human aspect of your employee?

Make sure that tasks are clearly assigned

Stress comes from uncertainty and confusion over what needs to be done and how it should be done. If you want to reduce the amount of stress in your workplace and increase productivity in your employees, make sure that each employee understands what his or her responsibilities are. When you give employees clear instructions and expectations, they know what they need to do and how they should go about doing it. This will help eliminate the kind of ambiguity that causes stress in the first place.

Create a positive work environment

Make sure that the workplace is set up in such a way that employees have what they need to be successful. This includes providing enough resources (time, money, equipment), making sure that the space is clean and welcoming, and keeping distractions at bay. You may also want to consider setting up a break room or other type of area where employees can go when they need some time away from their desks or computers. All of these work environmental factors contribute to the ability to increase productivity in your employees.

Set time aside for communication

Communication is key when running any business so make sure that you have regular meetings with each of your team members (at least once every week). These meetings should not be used only for checking up on progress but also for talking about personal issues as well as work-related problems. This will ensure that everyone feels comfortable talking about what’s going on instead of keeping it all bottled up inside until they explode later on!

Increase flexibility within the workplace

The nature of work has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. We no longer have 9-to-5 jobs that don’t require us to be online 24/7. We’re expected to respond and answer emails at all hours of the day, which only increases stress levels for everyone involved.

One easy way to help alleviate this problem is by giving your employees more flexibility with their schedules. Let them choose when they want to come into work or take extended breaks throughout their day instead of having set office hours where everyone has to be there at 8:00 AM sharp every morning (and then staying until 6:00 PM).

Provide opportunities for growth at every level – from entry-level positions up to management roles – so each employee has the opportunity to advance his or her career within your company as well as move up into higher positions within other organizations if they choose to do so in the future.

increase productivity in employees
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Increase Productivity in Your Employees by Encouraging office wellness programs

You can start with something as simple as offering free fruit or snacks in the office kitchen, or even just having some games available for the staff to play during breaks. If your company has a gym or fitness center on site, consider offering discounted memberships to your employees. Healthier employees tend to be happier and more productive, so this can pay off in both ways!

Organize team outings and events outside the office. There are many fun things you can do together as a team outside of work hours — going bowling or playing miniature golf are great examples! Even if it’s just once a month, taking some time away from work will help relieve stress and increase overall happiness at work.

Prioritize employee health and wellbeing

Make sure your team knows what’s expected of them, and give them the tools they need to get the job done. For example, if you want to increase productivity in your employees, you may want to consider giving them more freedom in their personal lives so that they don’t feel overworked or stressed out at home.

Encourage self-care practices such as taking breaks or going for walks during the day rather than working continuously from 9am until 5pm. This will help them focus on their work more easily because they’re able to recharge their batteries when needed.

Takeaway: To increase productivity in your employees, you need to make them happy and feel like they are valued.