We’re all familiar with the standard productivity advice given to those who want to accomplish something big. “If you want to [write a novel, run a marathon, crochet 100 afghans],” the productivity gurus say, “you must make it a habit. Do it every day. Wake up early. Track your time, and then figure out when you can […]
productivity
Important Habits For A Creative Life
When you think of a creative person, what comes to mind? An artist who follows her muse and sleeps until noon? An advertising executive staring at the wall of his office? What about the rest of us, in ordinary jobs, living ordinary lives? Is creativity important, and is it a tool we can use just as […]
The Price of Efficiency
Americans, more than any other nationality on earth, are obsessed with efficiency. In fact, it was America that gave birth to the Efficiency Movement, spearheaded by Frederick Taylor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Taylor would come into factory and construction settings and study them until he came up with the most efficient method […]
September “What I’m Into:” Elliptical and Improv
I used to have a regular column called Current Influences, in which I wrote about the things I was reading, watching and listening to in my spare time. I decided to re-launch it with some fresh ideas. I won’t be including the books I’m reading, because I already do a monthly book review. I will […]
Work Begets Work
Have you ever sat down at the end of a busy day of work and thought, “I can’t believe I accomplished so much in such a short time?” Have you ever found yourself in the middle of the afternoon on a weekend, wondering how you could have spent almost an entire day without doing anything productive? That’s […]
Seasonal Effective Goals
Did you make New Year’s resolutions this year? Did you set goals for all of 2015? How is it going so far? I hope you have better answers to those questions than I do. My answers are: yes, I did make resolutions; yes, I set goals for the entire year; and no, that wasn’t the […]