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Productivity

Video: John Cleese Discusses Innovation

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGt3-fxOvug

The hilariously creative John Cleese shares how interruptions and busyness are the biggest barriers standing in the way of innovation.

If you get into the right mood, then your mode of thinking will become much more creative. But if you’re racing around all day ticking things off your list, looking at your watch, making phone calls, and generally just keeping all the balls in the air, you are not going to have any creative ideas.

His solution? Make boundaries of space and time.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Video: How to Stop Hitting That Snooze Button!

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Here’s the science on why you should stop hitting that snooze button. Alarms and snooze buttons disrupt our sleep cycles, which include a natural ability to wake up. This causes less restful sleep and less energy to be your awesome self during the day.

Managing our energy levels and syncing with our natural rhythms are key to feeling great and doing your best. So try to get on a regular sleep schedule, and if you still need an alarm, set it for later, and go to sleep a little earlier!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Master Your To-Do Lists

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[T]ry picking a stubborn item from your own to-do list and redefining it until it becomes something that actually involves moving one of your limbs… Breaking each task down into its individual actions allows you to convert your work into things you can either physically do, or forget about, happy in the knowledge that it is in the system.

Tom Stafford, “The Psychology of the To-Do List”, BBC.com.

Discover four more helpful to-do list tips and how to master the art of to-do lists by understanding why they fail.

Simple Work-Life Balance Shortcuts

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Frequently take stock of what’s working and what’s not — because it’s always changing. Put that on your calendar.

Cali Williams Yost, author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day, shares simple work-life balance shortcuts.

One thing people do to “have it all”? A regular practice of checking in and reflection.

What’s happening at work and in the other parts of my life? What do I want more of? What do I want less of? What do I want to continue? They realize that the actions that keep them healthy, their career network and job skills up to date, their personal relationships strong, and their personal finances in shape won’t happen by default and are always changing.

The Procrastination Workshop: The Best of the Internet

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Happy Friday! Catch up with the best of what we’ve shared on the interwebs this week!

Marc Andreessen’s surprising procrastination antidote to super-productive superpowers.

Don’t waste productivity superpower on getting just any old stuff done. Get the right stuff done …

By saying no to spending time thinking unhelpful thoughts …

And by taking time for yourself. Pick your battles and recharge your human batteries —

So that you can face the question with that strong heart of yours, of what would you do if you weren’t afraid?

And stay open to face fear, for “being vulnerable, especially in our work, is fucking terrifying” and that vulnerability is where empathy begins.

imageDundee’s Tip of the Week:  Display entries for multiple days at once by clicking and dragging over the days you want to show on your I Done This web calendar.  Your path o’ progress will show up on the right!

 

Marc Andreessen’s Surprising Antidote to Procrastination

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It’s almost inconceivable that somebody as productive as Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape, Opsware, Ning, and Andreessen Horowitz, needs a way to deal with procrastination. But it turns out he’s just like the majority of humankind.

His solution of structured procrastination is rather devious. Instead of fighting procrastination, go with the flow and put that task on hold. Meanwhile, work on something else. He explains:

The gist of Structured Procrastination is that you should never fight the tendency to procrastinate — instead, you should use it to your advantage in order to get other things done.

Generally in the course of a day, there is something you have to do that you are not doing because you are procrastinating.

While you’re procrastinating, just do lots of other stuff instead.

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Photo: Dick Jensen

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Take Charge Of Your Life

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When you are overwhelmed, overworked, and overinvested in maintaining the status quo – when you find yourself resisting change even though what you’re doing right now isn’t really working – that is a sign you are not fully in charge of your life. You are letting things happen to you by accident.

Lauren Bacon, on shifting gears, accepting discomfort, and living on purpose, not by accident.

Productivity Secrets: The Best of the Internet

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Get BetterHappy Friday! Catch up with the best of what we’ve shared on the interwebs this week! 

Dare to say “YES, AND”!

Having the audacity to ask (or say “Yes, and”) opens doors. Waiting for permission leaves you hanging.

Harness the Productivity Power of Automation.

Create with an open heart. Edit with a critical eye.

Productivity secrets for startups.

What will our digital etiquette be in the age of Data Darwinism?

imageDundee’s Tip of the Week:   Try using Zapier or IFTTT to automate I Done This updates from lots of apps, including Evernote and Github! Set triggers and zaps to send to today@today.idonethis.com (personal users) and yourteamname@team.idonethis.com (teams). You can find the exact address in the “from” field of your reminder emails.