Productivity Porn: How to achieve ‘inbox zero’ in 60 minutes or less

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Whether you perpetually have hundreds if not thousands of emails in your inbox, or you’re coming back from a long weekend or true, “unplugged” extended vacation, you have a problem.  It’s not realistic to declare “email bankruptcy” and start from scratch, but the last thing you want to do is waste your entire first day… Read More…

Productivity Porn: 7 tricks for beating procrastination

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We procrastinate for a variety of reasons.  Fear.  Intimidation.  Laziness.  Distractions.  All reasonable obstacles.  But if you’re prioritized your tasks and projects correctly, the work still needs to get done. I’ve found that procrastination can be the single-largest hurdle keeping individuals at all levels from being more productive and getting more done. It’s a silent… Read More…

Productivity Porn: 7 ways to achieve work/life balance

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Productivity too often can become more than a means to an end.  If left unchecked, being more productive can simply make you feel compelled to fill additional time with more work.  That’s a fine outcome if you need to (or want to) get more done.  But balance – time away from work – is equally… Read More…

Productivity Porn: 7 tips to make yourself more efficient right now

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You’re busy and don’t have time to read a lengthy intro (especially in a piece about productivity).  So let’s get right to it. Plenty of productivity gurus recommend an entire, complicated system to get yourself organized and working optimally. And in this series, we’ll get to many of those ideas and best practices. First, however, give… Read More…

An introduction to productivity porn: How to be lazy, productive & successful

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Some of the most successful and productive people I know are lazy. They’ll tell you so. David Allen, author of Getting Things Done and the godfather of productivity. Lazy. He will tell you this at the beginning of his seminar. Seth Godin, who writes daily blog posts and has published four hundred books and continues to… Read More…

15 New Year Resolutions for Entrepreneurs

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I’m sure by now your 2012 plan, budget and professional objectives are baked and ready to go. Ideally, some of those objectives are reflected in your personal goals and New Year Resolutions as well. But for those still writing goals and resolutions, as well as the rest of you, here are several collected from business… Read More…

11 holiday gift ideas for geeks and entrepreneurs

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Sure, you could give a nice bottle of wine or Scotch.  But for the entrepreneur, geek or start-up junkie in your life (peer, colleague, family member or otherwise), consider something more relevant this year that can, even in a small way, help them professionally in 2012. The following eleven ideas are listed in relative order… Read More…

The Startup’s Guide to Bootstrapping Marketing

Photo via Wonderferret

Twelve years ago, marketing was a primary recipient of the mountains of cash thrown at start-ups in an effort to grow fast.  But over the past two to three years, I don’t see many new businesses that couldn’t bootstrap their marketing in their formative months or years. This thought alone will make many a startup… Read More…

The dying art of offline relationship building (Why I’m playing golf today)

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Guest Commentary: I have a ton of work to do today. But I’m spending most of my day on the golf course instead. Today is the annual Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) golf tournament, and it’s an all-day affair. Pitch and putt contest in the morning, mid-day round of 18 holes, late afternoon meal and… Read More…