thought of the day
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Productivity
Could you take an email vacation…at work?
Going email free on weekends is a time management best practice. Every guru seems to agree that you should misplace the iPhone or Blackberry on Friday night, and check it only once or twice for emergencies before Sunday evening. That way you can feel relaxed without feeling tethered to work.
But here’s a twist on this practice: could you go email free at… read more »
What I do before breakfast
My first official ebook, “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast,” will be coming out on June 12. This is a new genre for me, clocking in at about 10,000 words and priced as a magazine ($2.99). I welcome any suggestions on how to spread the news about its release (email me – lvanderkam at yahoo dot com – or post in the commen… read more »
Merit badges and motivation
My column on “Why parenthood needs some merit badges” ran in USA Today yesterday. Some of the feedback I got was that rewards of any kind cheapen what you’re doing, make you less effective, etc. People quote Alfie Kohn to me as if I haven’t read him. Personally, I think that small external rewards can provide that final push to get you… read more »
Round-up: How much time do you waste deleting email?
I’ve been thinking a lot about email this week. I have had the same email address for many, many years, and over time, I’ve gotten on a lot of lists. I get ads from companies I purchased something from three years ago, member announcements from organizations I am no longer part of, digests of things that seemed interesting at a different stage of my… read more »
Is anything all-consuming?
Maybe I’m just sensitive, but I’ve been reading a fair number of acknowledgements in books lately that talk of book-writing as an “all consuming” process. The writer thanks someone (often the wife) for taking on all duties at home so our hero could concentrate on writing. The writer apologizes to children for missing soccer games and dinners, so al… read more »
