Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

Have you ever have one of those unproductive days?  You know.  One of those days when you just feel a little lazy.  One of those days where you don’t want to work on anything on your to-do list?

We’ve all had those days.  I have.  None of us are productive all of the time.  The type of day where I did a little work but not everything I had planned.

Sometimes we didn’t get enough sleep; sometimes we just don’t have motivation; sometimes we get distracted by a new game …

So when this happens, what do you do?  It’s a matter of finding ways to still get the important things done when not feeling productive, and also allowing yourself to take breaks now and then.  Our minds and bodies need periodic breaks … we can’t go full charge all the time.

Here are some strategies for combating (or surviving) unproductive days: Read More »

Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

For all the tips and advice on being productive, it’s all ineffectual if we can’t focus on what we’re doing.  We need to work as efficiently and in as stress-free a way as possible to be productive. 

Yet we can’t do any of that if our mind keeps flicking to other things every two minutes.  Having had my own struggles with focus recently, here are some tips to get back on track when focus is lost:

Finish Work
A sure way to lose focus is to have too many things going on.  At the moment, my wife and I are working on repairing a bathroom wall and decorating the bedroom.  The challenge is that I keep starting new projects without finishing these old ones.  With my attention spread all over the place, it’s hard to focus. 

So my goal is to keep the number of incomplete tasks to a minimum.  The same can work for you. Read More »

Article By Kevin L. DeWitt

Perhaps it has been a while since you’ve felt the excitement that comes with starting a new job … and you wonder to yourself whether the professional fire been extinguished, or, if it is flickering faintly, waiting to be reignited.

The following quiz courtesy of Career Builder will help you identify whether if what you’re feeling is temporary, or, the telltale signs of total burnout.

• Are you burned out or just exhausted?
Take a real vacation to find out.
Burnout: If you dread returning to work, you may be burned out.
Temporary: If you come back rested and recharged, you just needed a well-deserved break. Read More »

Article By Kevin L. DeWitt

Our lives are lived around the clock…

We wake up at more or less a certain time every work day.  We work schedule and base our performance on the amount of time it takes us to do things. 

Unfortunately, it’s not just the clock that gives us anxiety … it’s basing our worth on how productive we are … how much stuff we can cram into a given time period.  We have been told by the media, by employers, and even school that if we just finish everything on our to-do lists, we’ll be done. Afterwards, we can finally be happy.  Right?

Unfortunately, that time never comes.

We always find more things to do, more projects to work on, more ways to improve and optimize. But when we base our happiness on achievement, we are no longer looking at productivity as a means to an end.  It becomes the end entirely.  And it’s not healthy. Read More »

Article By Kevin L. DeWitt

Have you ever been asked by someone to something that you really did not have time for?  You said “Yes” when you really wanted to say “No.”  I have.

How did you feel afterwards?  Be honest.  Were you a little resentful?  Did it just add to your busy schedule, making you all the more squeezed for time?

We all reduce our productivity and efficiency - and ultimately our very happiness – by wavering between two words: “Yes” or “No.”  Many times, we say “Yes” when we mean “No” or say “No” when we should say “Yes.”  Both words a very powerful and have direct impact on our well-being.  Each word needs to be used wisely, judiciously, and with grace, with our own peace and self-respect in mind. Read More »