Visual Productivity

When you look at it, it just makes sense!

Productivity

Will a GPS Based Errand List Help You Get More Done?

gps-based-errand-listYour life is probably in perpetual motion.

When you're out running errands, you likely find yourself rushing from location to location.

It's crazy.

All that rushing means that from time to time, a critical component from your list might be forgotten, or a quick stop might be missed because you don't have time to analyze your list as much as you'd like.

You might have an errand list, but in this day and age, you have to wonder, “Is there a way to make my list more effective?”

The problem with errand lists

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Building a Habit of Success Using Checklists

For a Pilot, missing an item on a checklist could mean the difference between life and death.

They already know all the steps necessary to get their plane off the ground and return it safely, but by having a checklist, it ensures that everything that should be done, IS actually done, thereby raising the rate of success.

While you might not always be involved in life and death situations every day, checklists can still be a good way of helping you get to your destination.

What makes a good checklist

Everyone's heard of checklists, but most people never use them properly. In the average person's mind, a checklist is the same thing as a to-do list. It's something they scan until they find an easy task to do. When they're finished, they put a check mark beside it. A to-do list simply lists off things you’ve jotted down that would be nice to get done.

A checklist, on the other hand, is a list of actions that you plan on completing that will move you towards a definite goal.

Creating and executing an effective checklist can offer incredible results and it’s something you systematically work through, not pick and choose from like a menu.

Results will only be as good as the list and how you effectively work it. If your checklist is meaningful, the results will be good. If the checklist sucks, you can guess what the results will be like.

Checklists are uncool, but effective

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5 Fantastic Fiverr Productivity Hacks

fiverrNo matter who you are, work always seems to keep piling up. The most common options are to either work harder or to not even bother.

What if I told you there was a way to streamline some of the easy tasks you wish you could do more of?

Well, there is… sort of.

If you're not familiar with it, Fiverr is a site where people agree to do things for $5. You can find someone who will do just about anything.

Here are 5 easy Fiverr uses to get you ahead:

mega-productivity1. Logo for a project

It's nice to have a logo for individual projects.

If there's a client who is planning on doing something special and you want to go the extra mile for them, or even if you just want to take an action that will demonstrate your ingenuity to your boss (or yourself), you can get a neat little logo made for $5.

$5 is pretty cheap, all things considered, and it'll help you get noticed.

I had a few people design logos for Mega Productivity. The image you see on the right is the one I'm going with.

2. Pretty up Excel

time-blockingIf you don't know Excel very well, or if you're an Excel pro, but don't have the time, you can get someone to tidy up your spreadsheets to save you time.

I've spent a lot of time with Excel myself, but I don't like the time it takes me to make the spreadsheets look pretty.

When I released my Time Blocking Upgrade a while ago, I found someone on Fiverr to tweak my spreadsheets. It's not like I wasn't able to do it, but why spend my time doing something I don't enjoy, when I can just get someone else to do it at the same or higher level.

Of course, I probably spent about 30 minutes searching and letting my person know what I wanted, so for a one off bit of work it may not be worth it, but if you can find someone who is good, this would be an amazing idea. [Read more…] about 5 Fantastic Fiverr Productivity Hacks

Group Collaboration for Up To 30 People, for Free

Group Collaboration ToolThere's a company I've been watching for a little while called Asana. It was opened to the public in November 2011, and so far, it looks cool. It's come out with a group collaboration cloud solution that works like a shared to-do list.

A free group collaboration product?

Asana, like a lot of other web companies, works on a freemium model. That means a basic account is free, but they make money when (they hope) you upgrade to allow for more people or to get additional services.

Most other places on the web give you the ability to have one or two people on the system at the same time, which isn't enough in my opinion to make a fair judgement. These guys let you test out the system with a real group of up to 30 people. I like that.

I still don't know why a huge product like 37 Signals' backpack didn't keep a model like this.

Rapid-Fire Features and Benefits

30 members for free – You can actually try out this group collaboration tool with a real group to see if it's for you. Most small businesses and organizations fall comfortably into this category. Yay for the little guys.

Tabs for both work and home – This makes it OK to mix business with pleasure. You can quickly add an item to your personal to-do list and then get back to work. It also eliminates the need for a second productivity tool for everything at home.

Activity feed – A simple, but powerful way to stay up to date with what other team members are doing. You can scan the feed to see what's been completed and read any comments related to what you're working on. I can see this eliminating a few meetings in itself.

Sync with calendars – The system works with Google Calendar, Apple iCal, and Microsoft Outlook. I like that it works with the tools you're already using and doesn't force you to only use their system for everything.

Multiple email addresses – Such a simple thing, but it makes total sense. It allows you to receive your personal notifications at your home email and your work notifications at your work email.

Smart phone and tablet apps – This is almost a given these days. Taking your lists with you lets you stay productive on the go.

Next Steps

If you're considering using a group collaboration, I think you can reasonably add Asana to the consideration list. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of it, or start a discussion about another collaboration tool you like.

I'd also encourage you to like, tweet, and otherwise share this content.  You're Making Me continues to grow based on your word of mouth.

3 Ways to Make Good Decisions More Often – YMM #14

Right click to download this podcast
make-good-decisionsThe ability to make good decisions comes from a combination of learning from what you already know and then adding a little bit of structure to the process. Here are 3 ways to make good decisions more often:

Leverage bad decisions

Good decisions often come from bad decisions.

Although it never feels good to make a bad decision, it shows that you're trying to make something happen.

There are typically three types of bad decisions:

  1. Doing something you're familiar with, and making the same bad decision over and over again.
  2. Doing something old, but making “NEW” bad decisions.
  3. Trying something new and out of your comfort zone.

No matter what the situation, there's always an opportunity to learn from previous mistakes. If you find yourself making the same bad choices over and over again, it's probably a signal that it's time to sit down and chart a new route. [Read more…] about 3 Ways to Make Good Decisions More Often – YMM #14

Improve Team Productivity With A Quick Tune Up

It's like sympathetic vibration on a piano

improve team productivityHave you ever heard the effects of sympathetic vibration? It's when you play a note on one instrument, like a piano, and another instrument nearby starts to sound the same note in response.

This also applies to enthusiasm and work ethic in that a good leader can improve team productivity by passing on enthusiasm and energy to other members of the team.

The challenge with trying to use enthusiasm to amp up your team productivity is that most people go about it all wrong.

The 1000 Watt light bulb approach

When you hear me say that you should use your enthusiasm to raise other team members enthusiasm, do you think of the 1000 Watt light bulb approach? [Read more…] about Improve Team Productivity With A Quick Tune Up

Time Blocking Pro – YMM #9

I'm excited to announce the release of  Time Blocking Pro. It's based on content I share during live events and I've paired it with screencasts to demonstrate how it all works.


(You can watch the video here if it doesn't load automatically.)

Here's what you'll get in Time Blocking Pro:

  • Over 40 Minutes of video demonstrating how to completely implement Time Blocking in your life.
  • Excel Spreadsheet including:
    • Time Blocking Sheets (1/2 hour and hourly) – These are same basic sheets I teach with during my productivity training sessions.
    • Daily Tracker – One of my favourite sheets. It shows where you're spending your time now, and helps you develop habits that stick.
    • Goal Tracking Sheet – An amazingly simple way to plan and act on your goals.
    • Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Goals Sheets – After 15 years of using these, I still love them.
  • 2 Excel Versions (97-2003 and 2010) for maximum compatibility.
  • Bonus PDF versions of all the the sheets.
  • Full 30 Day Guarantee to ensure your satisfaction.

I'm offering all this for the awesome price of $19.95.

Get instant access via PayPal!

How to Turn Off Tunnel Vision

18th Hole of The Petroleum Club in EdmontonWhen you have tunnel vision, your focus is directed on one thing completely at the exception of everything else. It can be a great tool, but once you're in the zone it's hard, if not impossible to stop by yourself. I know from experience.

Who knew I'd learn so much on the golf course

I spent one summer while I was in high school working for a golf course construction company. It was cool watching the course I worked on change over the summer, especially as the grass started to come in.

One day, near the end of the summer, I was asked to go cut grass on the fairways.

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Get Ahead of The Pack by Hosting an eLunch

elunchThe concept of using eLunches is an amazing way to build and strengthen connections with others. I got the idea for this from a book called The Referral Engine by Jon Jantsch and I love it.

What's an eLunch?

In it's simplest terms, an eLunch is a video meeting using Skype, Dim Dim or similar tools. The kicker is that you send the person food, so they can actually “Do Lunch”with you.

eLunches allow you to virtually connect with someone in a different city or country. In the past, meetings like this would never have been possible.

What type of Food do I send?

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