May 22, 2013 I’ve been meaning to create this video for a while. It shows you how to create and use Quick Step buttons in Outlook 2010 and 2013 to simplify converting e-mails to tasks. There …

We all wonder where the hours go. What are the effective, research-backed strategies that can help you spend time wisely?

Trying to determine which tasks need to be done and in what order can get complex. Productivity blog GTD Times recommends simplifying the process down to two simple questions.

Any.DO is one of our favorite to-do apps. It’s powerful, flexible, and it looks great, too. However, tracking your to-dos isn’t the only thing Any.Do is good at. Here are some features that you may not use or know about, and how they can help you get and stay organized.

iPad: Mailbox, the Gmail app that’s made to help you get to inbox zero, is now available for the iPad. Like its iPhone counter-part, it sports a clean design and gesture-based interface that makes flicking through email easy.

http://evernote.com/getting_started/#7 Reminders in Evernote combine our three most requested features: alarms, note-based to-do lists and pinning notes to t…

Mac/iOS/Web: Evernote is incredibly popular, but it has been missing one key feature: reminders. Today, Evernote has updated its apps to include easy-to-use reminders.

Julia Davids, who is graduating from Stanford this semester, shares an interesting technique professors use to get students in the zone: physical warm-ups such as partner and self massages. Awkwardness aside, both physical and mental warm-ups can jump-start any work activity.

10 useful tips for a successful time management that is needed for everyone to make the best out of their valuable time.

“When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly.” We seem to have a strange but all too human cultural fixation on the daily rout

Come on in to the mind of an investigative journalist with a GTD spin on it. Charles Duhigg, a multiple award-winning reporter for the New York Times and author of “The Power of Habit,” talks with David about his career and how he does his work, his dedication to GTD, and the fascinating discoveries he [...]

How are meetings in your organization? Do they need better planning? Better agendas? And better follow up? If so, you are not alone. Most companies struggle with this issue. Today, I want to share …

May 21, 2013 By now you know I recommend two task servers to put your tasks “in the cloud.” They are Outlook Exchange, and ToodleDo. Many of you are using ToodleDo now, and I get a lot …

While I’ve always emphasized competence, persistence, and hard work over talent, I’ll readily admit that talent does exist. We all have a few things we do well without struggling, whether because of personality, genetics, environment, education, or some unique combination of these and other factors. The talent rule holds as true in the productivity field [...]

Comfort may be nice when snuggling into bed, but in the workplace it leads to laziness, complacency, and stagnation. To get ahead (much less retain your current place in the line-up), you need to get on the ball and regularly step outside your Comfort Zone. If you don’t make what some of my colleagues call [...]

A life lived of choice is a life of conscious action. A life lived of chance is a life of unconscious creation.

We’ve all been there – staring bleary eyed at a computer screen, digging deep for motivation or inspiration that seems to have taken a temporary hiatus just when we need it most.

With just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, you can go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. That’s the message from Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours. In the video above, he reveals the four steps to learning any new skill, fast.

May 20, 2013 It’s not Halloween, but I feel like a ghost theme is appropriate for this topic called Tasks that Haunt You. Here’s why. Feeling Constantly Behind. Something that happens to all of us …

Over at Wandering Scientist about two years ago, the blogger known as Cloud posted a graph highlighting a fascinating little observation about productivity. Charting her hours at her desk/office against actual hours worked, and also against actual work produced, she found that her optimal work week was around 45 hours. At 45 hours in her [...]

Video – Sometimes I Work the Hardest When I Seem To Work the Least.

Android/iOS/OS X/Web: To-do service Producteev, one of your favorite group to-do management tools, unveiled a major overhaul to its webapp today that’s aimed at making your personal to-dos easier to follow, and group projects easier to manage.

Android: EasilyDo, the proactive personal assistant, launched for iOS a few months ago. Now the app is available for Android, and features the same proactive reminders and tools, from reminding you to make dinner reservations to suggesting you get flowers on the way home for your anniversary.

While Evernote zealots would have you believe Evernote is the end-all, be-all for note taking and information organization, it’s not necessary for everyone.

When you begin any new self-improvement program, you’re enthusiasm is high and you’re motivated by the pleasure of what you want or the pain of what you don’t want. But motivation naturally diminishes with time.