The "Work Less, More Success" Guide to Time Management!

Since 1992, I've dedicated my career to teaching people how to do less while achieving more. American workers need this relief now more than ever. In the past decade, we've worked harder and done more with less than at any time since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, the pay hasn't kept pace with our efforts, and we often excel at the expense of our health, relationships, and free time. People are tired of "do more with less" and want to "do less and achieve more"! Overwork may be slowly killing you, emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually.

But it doesn't have to.

Often, overwork stems from taking the wrong approach to structuring one's schedule. I have a solution to offer--one that will significantly reduce your task load and help you rebalance your work/life ratio in your favor. In my new book, What to Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, which hits bookstores on June 26, 2012, I introduce my breakthrough Productivity Workflow Formula™ (PWF). The PWF's core message is simple: reduce, reduce, reduce! It's always better to do less, not more, so you can do better, more focused work.

In this article, I'll give you a sneak preview of the six steps of the PWF.

Step 1: Determine What To Do: REDUCE YOUR TO-DO LIST

Too often, we overwork ourselves by doing what doesn't matter much or what someone else could do. You can remedy this by studying your work requirements closely and then zeroing in on what truly matters. Use the medical concept of triage to reduce your to-do list to manageable proportions. The emergency room doesn't treat patients in the order they walk in the door; you shouldn't work in the order tasks arrive in your inbox or by who screams the loudest. Remain flexible at all times, realizing priorities can shift on the fly, with new high-priority tasks muscling their way into the workflow and pushing aside less-important items.

Quit thinking of your To Do list as a Must Do list, and in general, stop doing things that lack long-term consequences for your job. Delegate out low-profit or low-priority items. Take what remains and sort them into a Master "someday" list, where you track important but non-urgent tasks, and a High Impact Task (HIT) list of items you need to work on right away.

Master List tasks might include things like long-term strategies, hiring a new assistant, and reviewing basic French terms before you visit the Paris office. Your HIT List should consist of the items that keep workflow humming along: new and ongoing projects, milestones and deadlines, and critical items you need to accomplish every day. Your Master List flows to your HIT list on a dynamic, daily basis.

Just as important as your To Do list is your Not To Do list. Spell out the things you refuse to waste your time on, such as multitasking, most meetings, handling brushfires, and procrastination. Finally, get rid of general timewasters like arriving late, excessive Facebook time, and superfluous socializing.

Read the rest of the article here.

You can get the full details on all six steps in What To Do When There's Too Much To Do, my brand new handbook for maximizing workplace productivity without running yourself into the ground. Buy your copy on JUNE 26 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or 800CEORead and email your receipt to WhatToDo@TheProductivityPro.com for special bonuses from authors Dianna Booher, Eric Chester, Mark Sanborn, Joe Calloway, and Terri Sjodin!

Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com/WhatToDo for complete details.

Make it a productive day! ^™

© Copyright 2012 Laura Stack.  All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com

Time Tips and Tricks

To be featured in this section of our newsletter and get a free eBook with our thanks, send your productivity tip or trick to Becca@TheProductivityPro.com with "Tips and Tricks contribution" in the subject line.

Have you taken advantage of the cloud computing revolution yet?

In my experience, new technology often has the unintended effect of bringing with it more work than intended. Plus, I often caution against paying too much attention to electronic technology, because it can prove so distracting it dumbs down both your intelligence and personal productivity. That said, you shouldn't hesitate to latch onto an innovation if it offers a true hope of helping you tighten up your efficiency. From everything I've seen of cloud computing, it does.

The term "cloud computing" itself sounds odd, but simply refers to the practice of using distributed, remote servers to store and manage data on the fly, via the Wi-Fi network connections you find just about everywhere these days. Imagine having an up-to-date, invisible "cloud" of personal data surrounding you at all times, adding what Amazon calls "elasticity" to your digital activities.

What's so great about cloud computing? For one thing, if offers an extra place to store your data--somewhere completely independent of your personal computer or company servers, just in case a disaster occurs that damages or destroys those facilities. I wouldn't recommend using the cloud as your primary or even secondary storage facility, but it does make an excellent backup venue.

Also, you can synchronize your cloud across all or most of your mobile electronic devices (depending on the application) so you can always access the latest versions of your files, whether you find yourself in a McDonald's in Mumbai or a Starbuck's in Seattle. As long as you have your passwords and access to Wi-Fi, you can fill your downtime with productivity. Add in file sharing to make group projects even easier, and you've got the recipe for a winning productivity technology.

Cloud computing has been around for a few years now, but developers have barely scratched the surface of the possibilities. My favorites: Google Docs, Dropbox, YouSendIt, Mozy, and Evernote.

If the cloud computing trend has left you scratching your head, don't just give up on it. Sit down and study it for a bit, to learn how you can use it to punch up your workplace productivity. It may take you a few hours to get up to speed and implement some test applications, but I believe you'll find it worth making the time for. The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between

Virtual Festival of Authors

I will be speaking as part of the upcoming Virtual Festival of Authors that my publisher Berrett-Koehler is hosting from July 16 to 20, and I encourage you to attend. I'll be discussing managing yourself and others with Devora Zack, author of Managing for People Who Hate Managing. The Festival of Authors brings together 32 thought leaders who are creating a world that works for all at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. There are over ten hours of extraordinary learning opportunities in this week-long online conference, which you can attend from your home or office. If you miss some sessions, you can watch them later. The website link above provides much more information about the week's speakers and activities.

To register, please use this special "Stack" promotion code that was created for my friends. It offers a 10% discount from the early-bird rate of $149. Your special price is only $135 if you sign up by Friday, June 15. Thereafter, the price will be $199.

Hope to see you online that week.

Thanks,

Laura