SimpleProductivityBlog.com— Open Loops 7/7/2009: Articles I Think Worth Passing Along

Open Loops 7/7/2009: Articles I Think Worth Passing Along

Posted on July 7, 2009 by LJ

Tuesdays are open loop at SimpleProductivity blog.

Photo by Duchamp There are a lot of articles out there about how to achieve focus. A recent one at Dumb Little Man, “9 Practical Ways to To Help Stay Focused“, offers a new take. Some things I think can’t be emphasized enough: “choose one or two objectives for the year,” “complete everything you start” and “develop your will power.”

Black Belt Productivity came up with a list, “Tips for a More Productive Workday”, aimed at those of us who are not freelancers. It’s one thing to have complete control of your time. It’s another to be productive within the constraints of an office environment.

Since my daughter is now getting into electronics, I found Geeky Mom’s “Too much of a good thing” a very interesting article. One thing stood out: checking electronics at the door at bedtime. I’ve already had to block internet access for my daughter’s computer after 8 pm. And she’s six. I think taking the devices is something I’m going to have to implement sooner rather than later.

Liz Strauss put up a great example of customer service goals at “Accidents Happen … The Extreme Customer Service of the IT Man“. Get them to love you so much that they will forgive an occasional big blunder. This can be applied to many areas of life, not just business. I believe Stephen Covey talked about an emotional bank account. Same thing, different context.

Unclutterer asks “Do you have a big ‘But …’?” Here’s the part I like best: “We keep bad habits and clutter in our lives because they’re known quantities.” Habits, even bad ones, are less scary and less work than the unknown. I’m going to examine my life this week for Buts.