Most of us have tried establishing a new habit. With good intentions, we usually start out strong. But then life happens, and the habit falls to the wayside. Maybe things become busy at work, or the weather isn’t cooperating, or your kids aren’t sleeping, which means you’re not sleeping. Whatever the reason, there is a […]
Archive for automation
Automation for the People
Why It's Difficult and How to Get It Right
If you want to understand how hard it can be to automate, consider the many attempts to replace cashiers with self-checkout systems. To wit, CVS pharmacies were once lousy with self-checkout systems, which I personally tried to use, many times, to get out the door faster. Almost every time, some loud error sent me to […]
Go Viral, and Stay That Way
3 Ways to Create a Self-Perpetuating System of Growth
The question prodding us to increased productivity is almost never, “How do I fit more work into my day?” That question leads to productivity “hacks,” an exhausting pace of work, and endless to-do lists that never completely get done because there are only so many hours in the day. A better question to ask, instead, […]
How to Defeat the Terrible Tyranny of Tiny Tasks
5 Simple Solutions to Get Back Your Time—and Your Sanity Too
My wife, Gail, recently purchased a DVD set of The Jetsons. Remember that? The cartoon imagined what life would be like in the future: robots, flying cars, and other conveniences—like minimal work hours. But it hasn’t panned out like that, has it? Believe it or not, since the 1930s economists and others predicted a future […]
Using Email Templates to Say “No” with Grace
I hate saying “no” to people. In fact, I don’t know anyone who enjoys it. So to make the process less painful, I have developed a series of email templates that I can use for these requests. Here is my list of requests by category with my boilerplate text.
Finding More “Head Time”
Most of us don’t spend enough time thinking. We are so busy doing that we have, I fear, almost forgotten how to think. Yet it is our thinking, more than any other single activity, that influences our outcomes.