Tag Archives: productivity

The Power of “No” (Part 1)

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Jim Carrey was recently in the charming film “Yes Man.” It’s about a movement to say “yes” to everything. While the film is certainly worth watching (for those old enough for the content), and the overall meaning is positive, there is a definite danger to the word “yes” when it comes to college. One of the best pieces of advice you’ll ever receive is “get involved: early and often.” College is necessarily a transition for most traditional students. You’re moving away from the ever-watchful eye of parental supervision and into a different environment that involves a certain amount of maturity … Continue reading →

Showers: More Than Just Hygiene, Says Study

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Is a shower part of your daily ritual? Maybe you like one first thing in the morning, to get your brain going. Maybe you like one before bed, so the warm water can help you relax. A new study has shown that showering during the workday can actually help increase productivity! Four businesses took part in an eight week study sponsored by Mira Showers, a shower designer in the United Kingdom. (They’re owned by kitchen and bath powerhouse Kohler, in case you’re curious.) The study included ad executives, restaurant industry workers, architects, and more. Study participants were asked to record … Continue reading →

Windows of Productivity

Multi-tasking and time management are frequent issues for the average single parent. I have learned over the years that instead of expecting myself to be perpetually productive and efficient, I need to take advantage of those really “good” days and make the most of the windows of productivity… I know that there are single parents who are far more efficient and organized than I am, but I do not think I am a slouch when it comes to time management and organization. Still, there is just no way that I can sustain productivity and efficiency day in and day out. … Continue reading →

My Time of the Day

If you would have asked me twenty years ago, I would have told you that I definitely was NOT a morning person. Like the typical young adult, I resented having to get up too early and starting work at 9:00 am seemed perfectly civilized to me. Weekends were for sleeping in and having the late breakfast out on the town. Well, fast forward twenty years, three kids, and building a life as single mom, and I’ve found that I really love the wee, dark, early morning hours after all. Like most families with older kids, my house is incredibly quiet … Continue reading →

Looking For Waste and Inefficiency

I know that one of the great things about a home-based business is that we do not have to worry about a big, paper-logged workplace with Human Resources departments and lots of boring meetings. BUT, we can still keep an eye out for ways to make our home businesses more efficient. And, even if we don’t have efficiency experts and consultants breathing down our necks, finding ways to cut waste and improve productivity can pay off in more lucrative and stress-free businesses. What sort of things might constitute waste? Well, it depends on the type of business you are running. … Continue reading →

Active Words: Opening Websites and Documents

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If you haven’t heard of Active Words before, I suggest starting at the beginning and reading the first blogs, here. AW has another function that I use constantly: Opening up a website that I go to regularly, without having to open another tab in my browser and then bring up my list of bookmarks with the website listed in it. With AW, all I have to do is type in the word or letter I assigned it in AW (Google, for example, has the letter “g” assigned to it) and then hit the F11 key. No matter where I’m at, … Continue reading →

More Ideas to Get Organized and Enjoy Your Hobby

Organization is key to productivity in any hobby or environment really. It’s easy to organize if you start small and build on it. Don’t expect everything to just happen, and don’t expect it to happen quickly either. It takes time and practice. It takes twenty one days to make anything a habit. So imagine that it is going to take you twenty one days from the day you actually get it all organized before it becomes second nature to you. In a previous article I provided a couple of basic ways to get organized and enjoy your hobby more. I … Continue reading →

My favorite Firefox Internet Browser extensions

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The Firefox Internet browser is a useful alternative to Internet Explorer. One nice feature of Firefox is the ability to customize your Internet browsing experience with the use of what are called Extensions. Extensions for Firefox are small add-ons that enhance the functionality of the Web browsers. Today, I want to pass on three Firefox extensions that I recommend for all Firefox users. Below, I’ve pasted a screenshot of my current Extensions list. I also encourage you to go to the Firefox Extensions homepage and browse through the endless add-ons you can use to customize your Firefox Internet browser. Forecastfox … Continue reading →