Stress Free Productivity

Guest post by @terryeva, a solutions architect for aol. and a social media enthusiast

Once upon a time, not very long ago, humans worried how to fill idle time. Imagine the stress of trying to decide if one should have another beer, barbecue, or spend the evening with friends talking, laughing, and having fun. Are these days gone? Was “once upon a time” just a fairytale?

Those of us who manage projects, businesses or work in a corporate environment may long for the good old days. The business world today runs at an extremely fast pace. From the time one wakes in the morning, until the time one falls asleep, demands are constantly requiring our attention. Life can run us over unless we take control.

Luckily, one can search for productivity and find articles on everything one would want to know about being productive. Sixty-seven million articles from Google cannot be wrong! However, sorting through 67,000,000 articles is probably not a good use of one’s time. Perhaps we just need to manage our time better.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes in a year. Manage away! Do not let those seconds tick unless they are being productive! What? Oh, time will not stop. Perhaps a system will work.

I read “How to get unstuck in life” a few weeks ago. Penelope’s system sounds reasonable. Who would not want an empty in box? Goals? Check! Lists? Check! Priorities? Check! Sounds great! However, as I continue reading, Penelope mentions she struggles with self-discipline. To-do lists must be written, schedules accommodated, and one must have the self discipline to choose not to do something because one does not have time to do everything. Penelope’s system sounds reasonable for those with self-discipline. Are there better methods?

I do think there is a better method. In a series of articles about stress free productivity I will briefly examine other ways of being productive, discuss the method I use, and show my tools in action. Which activities will you be able to accomplish in your small business with your new found time?

Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver