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Manage your time in thirds
Irish people, myself included, often struggle with their ‘t’s and ‘th’s. If I need to say the word ‘tree’, my brain will want to say ‘three’, and vice versa. As I approach the dreaded word, I almost have to stop talking, organise the words in my head, and then say them. Thirty-three and a third […]
Read MoreI want to help the future
I want to help the future. The past is past and was busier than I would have liked. The present is upon us and is full-on. But the future has yet to happen and can be influenced by what we do now. Anything I can proactively do ahead of time to make my future, and […]
Read MoreHow being proactive can save you when you need to be reactive
I recently avoided a potentially calamitous situation because I choose to operate in a proactive way. I’m checking in at Sydney International Airport for a long-haul flight to the US, and the check-in agent advises me that there is no visa attached to my passport. That can’t be right I’m thinking. While packing the day before I […]
Read MoreAugment your productivity
I recently bought an e-bike – easily the best fun I’ve had in years. It’s been a while since I was on a bicycle. I grew up riding them in Dublin through my childhood and teenage years, but as an adult, cycling left me a bit cold. It was the hills that killed me, I […]
Read MoreParking friction
When I’m at my most productive, I’m focused and organised, and the world around me is friction-free. However, this was not the case recently when I tried to park my car before presenting at a team offsite. My client contact had sent me a map of parking in the area of their new building. She […]
Read MoreThe key to focus every day
Recently I have been running Smart Teams workshops for several clients who have previously attended our Smart Work personal productivity training. It’s always insightful to revisit clients at some stage after they have done the initial training, because even though the Smart Work system is simple and practical, it’s easy to slip back into old […]
Read MoreProductivity lessons from school
Well, today is the last day of school for my son Finn. He starts his HSC in a few weeks, and then takes on the World. I am so excited for him. And just a little sad. Just yesterday I was walking him to kindy!Here are three productivity lessons I hope he takes out of his schooling and into the […]
Read MoreSand in your Shoes and Emails in your Inbox
You might recall my last newsletter was written in the sunny glow of a holiday in Europe. Well, I’m back in Sydney, with sand in my shoes and emails in my inbox! Returning home got me thinking about my ‘back-to-work’ process. I like it because it ensures I start back in a focused and productive […]
Read MoreGet clear for the new year
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome back to work. As soon as I’m back from the summer break, I always like to clear the way for what I hope will be a productive year ahead. In other words, I move from ‘end of holiday confusion’ to ‘start of year clarity’. To achieve this clarity, I […]
Read MoreDon’t forget to set a reminder
A very common question in our training that comes up when we cover task management is ‘Should I set a reminder for a task?’ My answer is generally no. Reminders work well for calendar appointments, but are unnecessary for tasks and priorities if you manage your task list well. This is a hard concept for […]
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