• The “magic” formula to stop procrastinating

    When you have too much of something to do, is your tendency to do nothing? You haven’t entered any of your expenses in QuickBooks for the year—and it’s August. It’s such a gargantuan task, you put it off another day, week, month. Your big presentation is six weeks away. You have to research, draft content, […]

  • To Do vs. Toleration:  It matters more than you might think

    I have a To Do list. I use it to get things done. Tasks go on the list. Tasks are marked off the list. I used to be at war with my To Do list because it started to fill less with tasks to do and more with tolerations. You know what I mean by […]

  • Isn’t it time to reclaim your energy?

    I just hate tolerations. Those pesky energy drains that have a sneaky way of accumulating. One becomes two becomes many. It’s the conversation you don’t have even though you know you need to. It’s the To Do you leave undone, moving it to tomorrow’s list, over and over. It’s the boundary you don’t set and […]

  • I refuse to focus on what I didn’t get done

    The world can be divided into two camps: People who make lists and those who don’t. I know who I am. It seems I’ve spent a lifetime making To Do lists. Scribbled on notepads, written neatly in planners, entered into apps… I’m this person: If I complete a task that wasn’t originally on my To […]

  • Mini mission—Stop being so unrealistic

    This one is about unrealistic expectations. But not the ones others have for you. No, these are the worst kind: The ones you place on yourself. The Planner in me is overly optimistic about how much can get done in an hour or a day. The Doer in me is really pissed off a lot […]

  • 5 ways being a taskmaster is no fun

    5 ways being a taskmaster is no fun

    Hey, I have someone I’d like you to meet! She’s a demanding kill-joy who will make you feel lousy about yourself and is never any fun. Certainly doesn’t sound like your first choice for company, does it? And yet you very likely hang out with her all the time. It’s your inner taskmaster. And she’s […]

  • I think we’re scared to death of having more energy

    I want you to draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Go ahead, I’ll wait. In one column, write down what gives you energy. In the other column, list everything you can think of that drains your energy. Really, I mean it. Pull out a piece of paper and spend a […]

  • It’s time to stop being bothered by undone To Dos

    Recently I posted I walk into a room and see a To Do list. The basic premise: Your environment isn’t neutral. It’s either giving you energy or draining your energy. Which means when you’re in your home and all you see are undone items on a To Do list, your energy is being depleted. Here’s an […]

  • I walk into a room and see a To Do list

    The other day a friend said, I can’t walk into any room in my house without seeing a To Do list. She went on to describe what she sees: CDs in piles, dust, unfinished craft projects, carpet that needs to be cleaned, stacks of photos waiting to be put in albums, an item to be […]

  • Don’t look now, but there are dishes in the sink

    there will always be more to clean up to put away to organize to take care of there will always be more to add to your To Do list there’s a dish in the sink a load of dirty laundry a bill waiting to be paid a cluttered closet there will always be more productivity […]