6 Powerful Tips to Increase Your Productivity

Do you want to increase your productivity? This is a desire that is shared by a lot of people worldwide and the good news is that there are simple ways that exist for people to do this. In this article I will be sharing 4 tips that will be quite useful when it comes to increasing your output and at the same time deal with procrastination.

Tip #1: Prioritize

Sorting out the priorities is one of the most important skills that you will need to learn if you want to increase your productivity. You are not forced to do each and every job in one go and the key here is to choose the most important ones. This is why it might be important that you set some time apart each morning to prioritize your task. Some people like to create a to-do list which they will follow each day in order to keep them focus.

Tip #2: Delegate

No man is an island and sometimes you will need to learn how to delegate some of your tasks if you want to increase your productivity. Some people have some highly specialized skills and can accomplish some tasks much more quickly than you. It might therefore be more sensible to delegate such tasks as it can be a major time saver for you. One possible idea will be for you to seek the assistance of a virtual worker that will allow you to not only save time doing these jobs but also allow you to cut down cost.

Tip #3: Beat procrastination

This is a major problem for most people and can hinder productivity a lot. Procrastination is all about postponing task that you can do today for a later time. This is where it might be important that you learn how to motivate yourself in order to accomplish more. Also it might be important that you identify your more productive hours of the day. One simple tip that I often use is to accomplish the most difficult or boring task first thing in the morning when still fresh and leave the much easier task for the afternoon.

Tip #4: Change environment

In some cases changing your environment can also help you to boost your productivity. For instance you might want to switch workplace and try to work from somewhere else where you will feel more productive. This can be easy to achieve for those that work from home as you can try to work in some different room or even in the garden if you feel like. The key here is to make sure that you break from your everyday routine in order to provide a mental refresh.

Tip #5: Beware of perfectionism

Some people spend far too much time on perfecting tasks that would have been otherwise quite acceptable. Sometimes we pressurize ourselves in order to make a task as perfect as possible when we could have done it much more quickly. Getting rid of this mentality can help us accomplish far more work than we could have thought possible.

Tip #6: Reward yourself

Working intensively for a long period of time can give rise to burn out. It is therefore important that you learn how to reward yourselves from time to time if you want to keep yourself motivated. For instance you might want to have some ice-cream for every hour you spend at your desk or may be go on your favorite website. Doing this will allow you to focus yourself on the task ahead and ensure that you get your work done.

There are many different productivity tips that exist and the key here is to find the ones that fit your situation. Although you might consider some of your tasks as chores, it is only after accomplishing them that you will really understand the real benefits of these productivity tips.

Robert Bellarmine is the writer behind Visitask.com where he covers topics related to project management and other management topics as well.

Organizing Your Home Office for Maximum Efficiency: Tools and Tips

Working from home is a great way to make a living. If you’re about to start your own online business or if you already have one, you may be looking for ways to ensure that your enterprise runs smoothly, efficiently and profitably.

But how do you streamline your efforts to ensure you are as organized and efficient as you can be? If you work on a computer, it is essential to know where you can find things fast. These tools are invaluable to anyone who has an online business.

8 Essential Tools

I’ve found the following eight online tools to be essential to my being able to work efficiently, collaborate easily and stay organized. All are easy to use and many are totally free!

1. Skype: Meet with other business people, designers and vendors anytime you want. Skype connects people across the world through online videoconferencing.
2. SnagIt: Screen captures and sharing them has never been easier. Want to inspire others with an image, connect them to stylistic look or offer logo suggestions? You can do that and much more with this tool.
3. Pamela: You’re busy and details from that Skype meeting can fade from your memory quickly. No problem. With Pamela, you can record up to 15 minutes of that meeting. This is just one of many great features.
4. RoboForm: Fill in forms, user names and passwords easily. RoboForm remembers all the information needed to make sure you never waste another moment looking for basic information.
5. PageLeap: Turn on your computer and PageLeap displays the websites that are invaluable to your enterprise. One click and you’re exactly where you want to be.
6. Carbonite: Be sure to backup every ounce of information on your hard drive by using this service. Carbonite connects your computer to a backup server that is designed to keep your data, records, financial information and more safe and secure.
7. Google Documents: You will always be able to access each and every one of your documents from any computer anywhere through this software from Google. Collaborate, share and save with this online tool.
8. Google Calendar: Never miss an appointment again, make sure everyone involved in a meeting or project are on the same page and coordinate schedules with ease using this calendar tool from Google.
Settling in, Making it Your Own

It’s important that you find your home office environment enjoyable. It needs to be a place that encourages you to work and in which you enjoy spending time. Take some time to make the space into a real office. What sort of decorations do you want? What types of plants are you going to include? How are you going to configure the furniture? Is your office light and airy? If not, can you brighten it up and find a way to open it up?

No Time Like the Present

The primary thing that you need to do is to get started. You probably have a day job and while you’re starting your online venture, you will need to keep that job. Use the weekends, evenings, lunch breaks and other times to work on your new venture.

You need to develop a plan for your business and office. Then it’s time to take positive steps towards creating your workspace. Your home office will be the anchor, catalyst and central nervous system for your company. With a little effort over the course of a weekend or two, you can be up and running.

It’s Your Energy and Dreams

Your home office is the crucible for your energy and dreams. It needs to be part inspiration, as it should at least support your desire to work (the perspiration part of the equation). If music gives you energy, personal photos inspiration and DVDs instruction, then add an entertainment unit to your space. These can add depth and variety to the space, while providing you with space for other useful technical devices such as a HD television, extra monitor and CD player.

By creating an efficient and pleasant home office space and equipping it for success, you’re well on your way to fulfilling your objectives and realizing your dreams. Be sure to make your home office a place where you will want to spend a lot of time working. Doing so will payoff in the long run.

Joan Mychreest is the publisher of allwalldecor.com helping consumers find wonderful resources and wall decorating tips and ideas. She specializes exclusively in wall decor and TV wall units for your home and office and has many years of experience in the art of wall design representing many major manufacturers in the industry, and working closely with interior decorators and large retail and home decor stores.

The Little Guide to Getting More Done

Have you ever noticed that your friends who seem to be the busiest also seem to get way more done than you? And everyone else, for that matter? How do they do it? It doesn’t make sense, right? Logically, busy people have less time to get stuff done, so shouldn’t they should get less stuff done?

It turns out, not so much!

People with more on their plate are proven to get more done than people with little already occupying their time. So, why is this? And how can you make this weird phenomenon work in your own life? Let’s break it down gently and see how you can follow the pattern, whether or not you’re the busiest person in the world.

1. The Hardest Part is Starting

You know the kind of task you put off and off, and off again? It feels like the worst thing you could possibly do and you find every excuse possible to avoid beginning? Eventually, worst comes to worst and desperate measures force you to begin. And then, you realize, “Hey, this isn’t so bad at all. I’m not sure why I didn’t do this months ago.” It’s because often, the hardest part of any task is simply getting the motivation to begin.

This is especially true when you’re not in the habit of starting tasks often. The less frequently do you it, the bigger/worse it seems. Busy people, on the other hand, are in the habit of starting tasks constantly. This means they are always already geared up. They’re in motion, and they just keep starting the next thing on the list without really thinking of it as “starting” and without making it a big deal. Yep, they skip the horrible build-up altogether.

2. Organization is Key

Busy people are often some of the most organized people you’ll run into. Because, let’s face it: they have to be. If they weren’t, multiple things (serious things like jobs and families) would rapidly fall to pieces.

People who are less busy usually also lack that drive to become organized because there’s little to no call for it, or at least a call of utmost importance. This un-organization, then, allows for tasks to get pushed further and further into the future. There’s something about deadlines and calendars that sparks a fire, a sort of spontaneous motivation. When you see a time frame on something, you tend to kick it into high gear.

Deadlines just don’t allow for you to do something “when you feel like it” or “when you get around to it.” Organized people also typically have a well thought out game plan. And, when things are planned, they typically go more smoothly and waste less time, therefore allowing more to get done! It’s a cycle!

3. Delegation Helps

If you notice, busy people also tend to know how to delegate. That is, they may be getting a lot done, but they also know how to be a team player and how to create a team to help them. Not only does this make things easier and allow more to get done, the end result is usually better because it involves using the right people for the right tasks. Taking on a project that’s too big for you or that includes aspects out of your frame of reference will not only mean an extended amount of time needed to get it done, it will probably mean the job won’t be completed as well as it could have. Bring in key players who know what they’re doing. You’ll finish faster, the job will be better, and you’ll have more hours in the day for your next project.

4. Motivation inspires Motivation

Always remember: inertia. Once you get in motion, it’s a lot easier to stay there. Busy people never slow down. And they never feel like they need to, because they’re constantly on a roll. If you can get started (ie: Step 1) then you’re 90% of the way there towards getting more done. Even before project one is finished, start another so that when you finish the first, you’re still in motion. If you don’t let yourself fizzle out, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Author Lisa Trent is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about helping people live more fulfilled lives. She is currently residing in Orange County, CA where she writes and works alongside Coffee Home Direct.

How to Multiply Your True Productivity

Understanding the Nature of Productivity

Productivity is basically defined as how much stuff you can get done in a certain amount of time. Improving productivity means being able to do more stuff in the same amount of time. This is pretty a straight-forward idea, and there’s nothing ground-breaking here until you realize that the definition itself tells you exactly how to improve. According to the definition, there are only two core ways to become more productive: cut out tasks that don’t give results, and lowering the time it takes to perform tasks without sacrificing quality.

Step 1: Measuring Your Output

Before you can hope to multiply your productivity, you have to know what your current level of production is. Take a period of three workdays and keep a list of everything you do. Note the approximate starting and stopping times for each task you do, and make note of every distraction and period of procrastination that comes up. Improving productivity is a very personalized process, so you need to avoid the temptation to skip this step. The results you get from measuring your output are going to allow you to improve your productivity on a personal level with a plan that is tailored specifically to your needs.

Step 2: Identify and Reclaim the Biggest Blocks of Wasted Time

From the three days you recorded in step 1, identify the periods of time in which you accomplished the least. Take each one of these periods and try to analyze it with an eye towards what caused the lack of productivity. Sometimes this will be some sort of distraction, not having enough information about the task, or the lack of available tools that are necessary to get the job done quickly. Whatever the problems were, make a list of them, and keep track of which problems come up the most often.

Next, make another list of the periods of time in which you accomplished the most. Follow a similar process as before of listing what caused these tasks to be accomplished quickly and efficiently. Now you will have a list of personalized problems for your productivity, and a list of what causes you personally to work more efficiently. Apply your findings from the list of what works well to the list of problems to figure out what changes you can make to improve the problem areas.

Step 3: Work on the Small Things

A lot of productivity leaks occur in the small, repetitive tasks you find yourself doing over and over in work settings. Look over the three day period you recorded in step 1, and find which small or medium tasks you did the most often. From this list of small to medium tasks, find ways to shave a few seconds off of the next time you do that task.

It’s pretty easy to find five minutes each day by making the small things a little more efficient. Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but for every five minutes you free up each day, that will average to about one percent of your total work time saved. Anyone in business will tell you that a one percent increase in productivity is huge.

Step 4: Work on Handling Distractions

The number one parasite on productivity is the never-ending availability of distractions while you’re trying to work. The key to handling distractions is to cut out the distractions that you can ignore, and handle the distractions that you can’t ignore more efficiently. For distractions that you can’t ignore, you want to make the transition to dealing with it and the transition to going back to your work as smooth as possible to avoid losing time.

If you follow these four easy steps, you can multiply your productivity and see huge advances in how much you get done during the day.

Gina Harris writes on many topics, including how to make money fast and make money online.

Virtual Assistants: Are They Really Useful When It Comes To Boosting Productivity?

More and more people are now interested to make use of virtual assistants in order to help them boost their productivity. The question that you might be asking is whether these virtual assistants can be really useful? In truth I don’t think there is a clear cut answer to this question and it will depend on a lot of factors. What I can do is to list the different advantages and disadvantages of employing a virtual assistant and it will be up to you to take the most appropriate decision for your business.

Advantages

Cost Benefits

The main advantage that is associated with virtual assistant is that they are cheap. This can allow you to decrease your cost of production and thus increase your profit.

Work during your sleep

Given that most virtual assistants come from Eastern countries, this can allow you to have workers that will be working during your sleep. When you will be entering your office in the morning you will be able to resume work as quickly as possible. This can be a real boost for productivity especially if you need to do some boring and repetitive tasks.

New ideas

Dealing with other cultures and people can allow you to generate some new ideas. This may allow you to find more effective or even new solutions to problems that you may have overlooked in the past.

Disadvantages

Quality issues

You should remember that you get what you pay for. It is important that you make sure that the service that you will be getting is of good quality. The key here is to find out what other people are saying of the service before hiring your virtual assistant.

Communication

Given the distance barrier and also the cultural differences it can be difficult for you to communicate properly. You should keep this in mind when employing a virtual assistant.

Most of the service providers will provide you a free trial where you can assess the quality of their service. It is during this period that you should consider all communication problems.

Accountability

It is important to have a contact person especially if you are dealing with a team of virtual assistants. This might be really important if you have some last minute change and you do not know who is in charge of your project.

As you have seen there are numerous advantages and disadvantages that are associated with the fact of hiring a virtual assistant. The key here is to make sure that the virtual assistant will add value to your business and will indeed help to boost productivity.

Enough of the talking now and I will like to hear from you. Do you think virtual assistant is beneficial for businesses or is it more of a hindrance? Please share your views below.

Charles Borromeo is the writer behind Justice-Explained.com, a site devoted to explain legal questions in layman’s terms. He is also a passionate blogger during his free time.

How to Eliminate Daily Distractions and Get Things Done

Whether you work at home, in an office, in the service industry, or at any other type of job, increasing productivity is probably one of your main goals (or at least the goal of your employer). With all the distractions of daily life to tear your attention away from the task at hand, it can be difficult to stay on track and get your work done in a timely manner. You just know if you could eliminate outside influences, you could really focus and increase your efficiency exponentially. But how can you cut down on interruptions when many of them are out of your control? In truth it is a lot easier than you think. By making a pretty simple plan and sticking to it, you can remove these unwanted obstacles and get everything done.

1. Pinpoint distractions.

In order to eliminate distractions, you first need to know what’s pulling your focus. Think about the things that cause you to turn away from your work, step away from your desk, and basically drop whatever you’re doing to attend to them. Often you will be distracted by other people, the internet, and your own wandering mind. Luckily, each of these things can be addressed and dealt with.

2. Organize.

One of the many problems for people who work at home or in an office is the clutter that comes along with multitasking. With piles of paperwork left unfiled, office supplies stacked willy-nilly in the corner, and post-it notes covering every inch of available space, it’s no wonder you can’t concentrate. If you follow feng shui, this type of physical clutter is what leads to a disorganized mind, making it impossible for you to focus. So clean up, clear away, and make a place for everything. When your office is orderly, you’ll have a much easier time getting things done.

3. Disconnect.

Stop the harassment of ringing phones and pinging emails. Disconnect from the communications technology that controls your life. Set aside time each day to answer messages and email and the rest of the time, keep your tech turned off. You’ll realize better time management and probably a lot less stress.

4. Turn to the arts.

Specifically: music. Studies have shown that classical music has a calming effect on brain activity that helps people to focus and concentrate. So slap on the headphones if you want to avoid the squawking ladies at the water cooler, the yard crew outside with their mowers and blowers, or another hour-long lecture from your boss about how you’re wasting time.

5. Sign up for old-school.

Post a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Keep unwanted intruders from barging in and ruining your flow by posting this classic dis-invitation on your door. Then lock the door. Advise those who need your services to call or email you instead.

6. Plan for the inevitable.

Into everyone’s life a little distraction will come. So plan for it by scheduling “free time” into your day. That way you will retain the flexibility necessary to deal with the eight people who need a cover sheet for their TPS reports, the assistant who can’t get the printer to work, your sister and her ongoing relationship problems, your son forgetting his lunch, and so on. Despite all these everyday emergencies, you should be able to stay on track with just a little planning and preparation.

7. Seek help.

If you have taken the time to eradicate outside distractions but find that you are still functioning at only a modicum of previous productivity, perhaps the real difficulty is internal. Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re distracted by personal problems, or for whatever reason, you just can’t seem to concentrate and take an interest in your work. If it turns out that you are your own biggest distraction, consider approaching a counselor or psychiatrist. Perhaps a little therapy will help you clear your head or maybe you just need some medical help to get focused and back on track.

Sarah Myerson writes for Remote Desktop Mac where you can read over the benefits of remote desktop software and receive a free 30 day trial.

5 Tips for Working When You Don’t Feel Like It

We all can be motivated, self-starting dynamos – when we feel like it. But, let’s face it: sometimes starting or finishing a job can be excruciatingly difficult, especially when we are our own boss. These tips might help you get your body and mind synchronized and working together to get you off the couch and into active productivity.

Just start moving

You know the two sides to the Law of Inertia: A body at rest will remain at rest; a body in motion will remain in motion. Get the ball rolling. Go ahead and gas up the lawn mower. Fill the sink with soapy water. Open the can of paint and start stirring it. Open the book, turn on the calculator, put on your work clothes. Whatever your task might be, you probably know what Step 1 is. Do it.

Break it into pieces

Sometimes a task just seems so large and daunting that we just don’t know where to begin, and that can cause paralysis. You can’t climb Everest in one run, and you can’t paint a house in a day. Plan your work, and then work your plan. If you have to write a 20-page paper, make a list of the research you’ll need; do your research; outline the points you want to make based on your research; write the first half; write the second half; edit and polish it. The sooner you settle down and get to it, the more time you will have for each section of the project and the better your result will be.

Plan a treat for yourself at each milestone

Don’t let yourself have that carton of peach yogurt until you get completely done with the first piece of your project. Challenge yourself to complete the next phase of the task in time to watch Survivor or Grey’s Anatomy. Treat yourself to a Facebook break when you finish the next milestone (unless you’re a Facebook addict, then go for a scoop of ice cream). You get the idea. Give yourself the little perks you deserve to keep yourself motivated. And no cheating!

Figure out what’s holding you back, and then fix it

Is it a job you hate? Are you lacking the knowledge or instructions you need to proceed? Is your mind cluttered with other concerns that are making it impossible to focus? Are you physically too tired or too filled with toxins that are making you lethargic and lazy? Motivate yourself with the relief you’ll feel when the job is behind you and off your mind. Talk to your boss or client, or go online and get the information you need. Clear your mind and cleanse your body with some rigorous physical exercise, and then get right to work.

Have a little talk with the man or woman in the mirror

There is no better motivator than self-affirmation, self-confidence, and positive thinking. Look yourself in the eye and tell yourself that you can do it and that you have to do it. Visualize yourself as the master of your task, and visualize your task from start to finish. This part is like the huddle in a football game: You set up and design the play, and then you break with a shout of affirmation, leaving no room for doubt as to your ability and resolve to move the ball ahead. It may take several plays and a few first downs, but soon you will cross the goal line. Nothing succeeds like success, and each move ahead inspires the next and the next.

Jim DeBellis is a staff writer for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a resource site providing information on criminal justice degrees, schools, and careers.

Selectivity and Depth in Time Management

Why do we manage our time? We do it in order to make to the most efficient use of it.

I’m sure many of us have experienced situations where, if we had managed and organized our time better we could have done something a lot better or prevented a lot of nonsense from happening.

Time management allows us to do many things. It allows us to prioritize activities, schedule the appropriate amount of time for each activity, make sure that we do everything we need to do — because one you’ve put something in a schedule, it’s much easier to follow through. You’ve written it down and you’ve scheduled it in, as opposed to saying “Oh, I’ll get around to that.” So time management allows us to do many things. Fundamentally, it allows us to choose our time and plan it out…ahead of time, as opposed to just “figuring it out” and potentially getting sidetracked and mixing activities together.

There are a lot of advantages to time management. It allows us to hone in on certain activities. If time isn’t managed properly, then many different priorities will constantly be running through your head, “Oh I need to do this. Oh I need to do that.” If you know that you have things scheduled, then you don’t have to think about them.

But what are some ways in which people take time management too far? These are the type of people who I would classify as being more concerned with managing their time than actually enjoying it, or being fully engaged in their activities.

The reason we manage our time, in the first place, is so that we can perform activities at their best. But a lot of people get into this trap of being more concerned with “following the schedule” than actually enjoying or getting engaged in activities.

To take an example, it’s similar to the person who writes a perfectly detailed travel itinerary that takes everything into consideration, but then during the actual trip he can’t actually enjoy it because he’s so concerned with following the itinerary to a T. He’s always checking up on everything, making sure everything is going to plan that he can’t actually focus on the activities that he’s planned. He’ll be on a tour or exploring some area and he’ll be thinking of how he needs to be at a certain place by a certain time and whether his time is being used efficiently — when the itinerary was meant to make sure everything was organized smoothly so that he’d be able to enjoy the trip. What ends up happening is he lets the itinerary take over his mind and destroy the purpose of the trip.

A lot of people do this with time management. They get so used to this organization; it makes them feel so good. But then they can’t even “chill out” and relax during their activities. They’re too concerned with how efficiently their time is being used. And many activities, if you want to perform them effectively, require your full focus. If you’re working on a project or playing a sport, you need to be fully focused on the task at hand. You can’t be worried about how well you’re currently following your schedule or whether it needs to be updated. You need to have your “head in the game”, so to speak.

So what many people have with time management is the selectivity. They’ve selected the right things. They’ve scheduled the right things in. They have that selectivity, which is great…but they lack that depth to get “fully engaged” in the activities that they’ve scheduled. So what you want is both sides of the equation. You want to keep that selectivity, but you also want the ability to focus on a task and reach that level of depth where you become fully immersed in the activity.

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by Mark Swan
Visit his latest website at http://www.bestmultivitaminformenshop.com/ which helps people find the best information on products like the multivitamin for women.

Passion First – A Different Approach to Prioritizing

A lot has been said about prioritizing. We all know that we’re expected to focus on the most important, time-sensitive tasks and only then attend to other, less important tasks. The question is: what is important? In the absence of a definite deadline, what should we really start with?

1. First, there are those items that do have a definite deadline (a letter announcing next month’s campaign, a presentation for tomorrow’s meeting and of course daily emails and meetings) which we just can’t postpone. These should be taken care of right now or we will simply miss the train. With no other choice in hand, we usually rank these at the top of our priority list.

2. Then, we have the paperwork. This includes bills, invoices and ongoing reports that almost any job entails and almost any worker resents. We often find ourselves pushing these tasks back to the bottom of the priority list but at the same time, feeling extremely guilty about the ever-growing pile or outlook reminders that are getting harder and harder to ignore.

3. Last, among the many items on our “to do” list, there are a few tasks that we actually feel passionate about: An article we’re excited to write, a presentation for which we have an exceptionally creative idea or a lunch meeting with a fun, interesting client. The problem is that these items are not always considered “high priority” hence, we feel at fault spending time on them now and find ourselves putting them aside in favor of the due-tomorrow-report or the financial analysis we had promised ourselves to work on this week.

So what did we have? First, the time sensitive tasks, then the must-do admin work and last, the less-urgent, more enjoyable items. Guess what? If you choose (very logically) to prioritize your “to do” list in this order, you will probably end up with very little efficiency and one big frustration. Very quickly, you will find yourself updating your status on LinkedIn / Facebook, browsing the web or even calling your mother-in-law: anything to avoid the dull day ahead of you. Your low motivation and lack of investment in any of these tasks will translate into mediocrity at best.

Prioritize with your heart and start with the tasks you’re most passionate about!

I know it sounds like a promotional slogan for an irresponsible decision-making process (have some faith in me, will you?) but there are some pretty sound arguments to following your heart.

First, remind yourself the reason you took this job / stayed in this position for 20 years / started this company in the first place: you wanted to make a living AND enjoy what you do! This goal should guide and inspire your every career-related decision.

Now, if you start your day with a task you enjoy, not only will you be more energized and motivated for the rest of the day, but you will probably maximize your performance and the successful accomplishment of all your daily tasks. Imagine yourself as a kid, running outside to play when that was exactly what you’ve been waiting for all afternoon.

Now, imagine being sent out to play “because mom needs some quiet time.” How invested were you in that playtime? In other words, working on that presentation just when you feel a great idea popping up in your mind and you’re all eager and steamy about it is nothing like working on the same presentation when the deadline is approaching. Furthermore, by postponing your “passion” to later in the day /week, you might lose momentum and either forget your brilliant idea altogether or approach it without enthusiasm, which is almost as bad as letting it go.

Now, since I promised prioritizing responsibly, here’s the plan: bribe yourself to complete some “must-do” work with every fun work you get to do. Just like you “bribe” kids to eat some veggies with their pizza, you are ought to pay for starting with a favored task by doing some agonizing paperwork / due-tomorrow task right after. In other words, you kick-off the day with something you enjoy doing but make sure to follow with some other essential work so you can still complete all your tasks on time.

Overall, we are probably looking at a similar balance of enjoyable vs. not-so-fun workload. The difference is in how we prioritize our tasks to keep ourselves motivated, enthusiastic and efficient when approaching each one of them.

It all comes down to following our hearts. The rest will follow.

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Daniella Balaban established DB Business Coaching in 2008. Her coaching training from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and her background in business and marketing add to make the formula for helping business women and women entrepreneurs find balance and success in their life and career.
http://www.dbbusinesscoaching.com/

How to Tame Your Home Office Chaos in Seven Days

If your home office has become an explosion of paper and disarray it may feel like a hopeless goal to ever get organized. You may have the best intentions to spend a day getting everything in order but somehow end up with a bigger mess than you started with.

Help is on the way! Often, creative entrepreneurial types are so busy with new ideas and following their passion that the organizational side of their work space gets terribly neglected.

If you are one of those passionate individuals, driven to succeed, it can be discouraging when you try to get everything organized in just one day. Getting discouraged can be a big downer that affects your creative state of mind.

Take a deep breath and use these simple steps to tame the chaos in just seven days.

Day 1

This day is for making piles. Yes, you already have piles and that is part of the problem. Let’s keep it simple; one pile is for junk you will shred, one is for personal papers to be filed, one is for business papers to be filed and one is for ideas or future reference.

Day 2

This day is for shredding the junk. Ignore the other piles for now. After you have done your shredding it is time to evaluate the flow of your office. If you have enough storage space, great, if not then write down what you realistically need. You may need to rearrange things a bit to make your office easier to manage. Write your plans to arrange your office down but do not start doing it today.

Day 3

Today you will put the remaining piles in tidy bundles. Do not try to put them in folders or drawers yet, just stack them neatly.

Day 4

Today is a big day! Today you will rearrange the furniture and equipment in your office so that it is optimal for the work you do there. There will probably be some things you find you do not really need or some things you need but do not have, take notes!

Day 5

It’s time to go shopping. You have made notes and know that you will need some way of organizing the piles left over. This is a personal choice but you will need to make sure that whatever you choose allows for the items to be clearly labeled. If there were things you noted that would help you be more productive in your work space now is the time to get them.

Day 6

You are ready to tackle those neatly stacked piles! Since you have already de-cluttered your space and have appropriate storage, this is a breeze!

Day 7

Today you will enter your office with a whole new feeling. The furniture and equipment necessary to be productive flows and you no longer have paper everywhere. Everything has a place and it is clearly labeled so you can not only find what you are looking for, you can also promptly file new documents.

By breaking up the tasks needed to create order from chaos you will regain a sense of control and need never waste your creativity again.

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Michael has been writing articles online for 10 years. When he is not writing about self development, he writes about health and fitness. Visit his latest website http://www.icecreamfreezersreview.com/ which helps you find the best ice cream maker so that you can make delicious ice cream.

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