I recently realized that I’ve lied to myself AGAIN about my work. I’m so busy. My work is so hard. I’m so stressed out. Waaaaaaaaaaaah (enter Lucy cry). Granted, some of it is hard & yes I am busy. But most of it I’ve created myself – I have a part – and that’s the truth.
Same dance, different tune — I’ve been here before. But somehow I forgot the lessons I had learned.
My lies are sneaky. They creep in slowly, disguised as my being a productive-worker-bee and they are dangerous. They hurt my work. They hurt my relationships. They hurt my health.
And the time is now to say no to the nonsense.
- I have to work 12 hours today to finish my work. I don’t know about you, but my work is never finished. EVER. I produce much higher quality work during a well structured 8 hour day than in 12 frenetic hours. PERIOD. And if I really need loads of time all the time to stay afloat? Perhaps #5 applies or a rendezvous with Erika @RedHeadWriting is a must.
- I have to check my email tonight. Wrong. Unless there is a TRULY time sensitive project, I don’t “have” to check my email at night. And quite frankly, my work does not involve banning nuclear arms, so it’s important to keep perspective. Besides, when we return emails during off hours, we TEACH people to expect immediacy and that is a slippery slope….
- I’m too busy to exercise and eat well. This is a big lie. Taking time to exercise – for physical, mental, and emotional benefits – is critical for my professional well being. PERIOD. It’s as important as going to meetings, returning emails and other more directly related tasks. And if I’m hungry and jacked on coffee and crap, how thoughtful and effective can I really be? Plan ahead, schedule the sweaty time, prepare healthy food, and honor the physical health which creates a happy energizer bunny at the office.
- I have to stay tethered to my computer to get things done. Really? I actually remember a time before email. I remember when I didn’t have a computer in my house. I remember when cords were required for telephone calls. There are lots of great ways to step away. Grab that stack of magazines you’re behind on and go to the park. Walk to the coffee shop to buy your team lattes. Close the door and do some pushups. Head to the copy room and do some tidying up. Hell, my own space could use some tidying.
- It’s a too hard to delegate. The trick here is to get help before I’m in crisis… when an hour invested in proper guidance will not feel like a burden. But, this requires me to look ahead, be realistic, know early on when I will need help and allow myself to ask for it. I work in a team where I am the leader. I regularly support my staff in many ways, and it’s appropriate and healthy to ask them to support me.
Are there any lies you want to come clean with?
Related Posts:
- Eating Clean Lunches is Fast & Easy (Workout Nirvana)
- How to Say No (Chris Brogan)
- Are you a Slave to Your Email? (Dumb Little Man – Written by Ali of Aliventures)
- Just Say No to Noise & Needless Interruptions (Moi)
- How the Power of “More” Changed My Habits (Moi)
- Creating Happiness in the Workplace – 5 Pity Posts (Moi)
The Heart & Humor of Being Human 
Oooh, these are good. My work is very deadline driven and I can/do get last minute “urgent” projects so I do have to watch my email but, I just don’t function well when I’m not eating/sleeping/exercising so I don’t compromise there.
Delegating before its too late is where I really need to focus. I think I can handle it better/faster/easier myself but I can’t do it all when its all due at once!
I am trying to read an email only once – delete it, deal with it, foward/delegate it, etc. If it is more complex I will flag it with a pop up reminder which gets it out of my main in box. I noticed I spend so much time skimming through my in box reading the same emails over and over looking for the one I need to find.
Hey Coco – great tip on the email! I’ve just completed wk 2 of my war (ha!) and I have to say, it feels really great! Email has given us the false sense of urgency. Think about what we get that would have never crossed our desk before. It’s really crazy, actually…
And, uh, I need to delegate sooner too… But maybe if I’m not a slave to email, I’ll have more time to do that – ha!
Thanks again for stopping by – hugs!
Can you post these each day? I need a dail reminder to get my butt in gear. ha! 🙂
Hi Lindsay – You are too cute! It’s funny, because as I was working on this, all sorts of things came to my mind. I think the lists of lies and myths could go on and on, eh? The daily posting is a good idea – not sure I can get around to that – but how bout a daily post it? Gentle little reminders to stop the madness?
Thanks again ~
I love number three. My excuse is this South Dakota freezing cold. But really, I can still manage some form of exercise, and the benefits are great!
Oh Wow – I’m a sissy Cali girl – it was 50 degrees and I donned a hat & gloves LOL. I can’t imagine the challenges of working in movement in EXTREME weather. I love my at home gadgets, cuz then I really have no excuse. And I squeeze in minutes here and there – the hard thing for me is to start. And my schedule is nuts, so I rarely think “I have to workout for 60 minutes,” cuz then I’d never start. It’s just too daunting! I typically start thinking I’ll move for 20 minutes, and really, if I use my med ball or weights or swiss ball and do 1 min repetitions – that is a plenty hard workout! Thanks again for stopping by! K
Oh Kris, this is all sooo true! I try my best to avoid checking emails / working beyond working hours…but working full time and studying really do not help! I spend my life constantly in front of a PC and of course it becomes very convenient to say ‘I have no time to diet, to exercise’. Truth is: I don’t have time! But also true that I do not really make the most of my day.
No.4 is the rule that I should definitely remember each single day. It’s been such a long time that I’ve been meaning to do some tidying up in my room and I never get the time…or is this again another sneaky lie??!
I wrote a post on a related issue, on the problem of having grown into the habit of requiring a computer in order to work.
And congrats on getting FP!
Hi Sara – YES! So many sneaky, sneaky lies… And, uh, my room could use some tidying LOL. I’m really working on stepping away from the computer **shrieks with terror **. It’s weird how “hooked” I’ve become, but all the other stuff that isn’t getting done can be so stressful, so I’m thinking it’s worth it.
And I had no idea about FP – gosh – this is exciting!
Thanks so much for stopping by ~ K
Love it; really “get” the comment about responding to emails after hours. It certainly does set up an expectation that we’re always available and I’m .. not. Thanks for the post!
Congrats on being fresh pressed also; Cheers.
I heard Oprah say once, that it’s our job to teach people how to treat us…. That always stuck with me – and it totally applies here. I’ve LOVED shutting down my email – that has been so freeing! Now, for me to grow into the notion that I don’t HAVE to be available and that it’s not a reflection of my dedication. I’ll keep you posted on that one – ha! Thanks so much for stopping by & I’m not sure about this fresh pressed thing – but wow! K
I can seriously relate to #4. It’s so easy to do, too. You get hypnotized by the screen and look up only to discover it’s way past lunchtime. I think I’m going to start setting my alarm on my cell phone to ring every 90 minutes or something, just to remind me to get up out of my chair and get a drink or snack–or dance! (Then I could get in the exercise part!)
Seriously – like in a blink – I’m starved & it’s well into the afternoon! And when I’m starved… watch out…. I just read an article that said that the 90 minute time is the right time to “interval” our work time. And yes – music on – shake your groove thing! It’s good for our body-mind-spirit & work – go figure…
I guess my big one is: if I show people I need to ask for help, they’ll think I’m not capable of what I’ve undertaken. This is incredibly false, but something I’ve had a hard time letting go of. I feel like if I admit I’m in over my head, people will see me as weak and not skilled enough to complete a task. But, I believe that instead of being perceived as weak, you would can be perceived as humble and willing to work with peers if you solicit help. This is a hurdle I’ve tried to cross many, many times in my life.
Great post…congrats on FP!
What a great point – isn’t that funny the little voices that say the oddest things? I think my big hangup with delegation centers around my own attitude. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one 😉
TYSM for your kind words! And yes, a surreal day for sure!
ha. when i used to work, i was a subscriber to all these lies and more. luckily, i dont work anymore 😉
http://dearexgirlfriend.com/
Oh my – not working anymore? I MUST learn YOUR tips!
I’m so busted: email is my downfall. And now there’s this pesky little reminder in my life called an iPhone. Ugh…
But you’re absolutely right, and I’m grateful for the reminder. And there’s a handy little button on said iPhone that turns off the sound. Must try that someday…
😉
Getting busted can totally suck for sure! But it can be freeing too (I think) because I feel a sense of regaining control over what “seems” to be out of my control. Go figure. And yes, just got a droid… Add that to my list – ha!
wow, number 1,3,4 are sure define myself 😛
yeah, I think you’re right about it. I always said to myself, to my friend that I need some time to do my job. Even when I think of it, I’m kinda deadline-person-type, and I just need a little time to do my job. lol. It’s like addictive to say it to myself like i’m kinda busy person type :P.
Number 3 remind me of that I always postponed to do exercise or bit moving my body. I kinda miss my indian dance lesson. I think I should attend the lesson again.
Yeah you’re totally right when you said about number 4. I think computer make myself lazy and creative at the same time 😛
Anyway thanks for the infos. 😀
Indian dance? That sounds LOVELY – body, mind, soul medicine? Gosh, we all need a bit more of that, right? And yes, the adrenaline and chaos can be such a hook. And for me, I think it has its place – BUT I’ve been operating that way too long and this energizer bunny could use a nap 😉
Hi Kris,
I’ve been postponing my attempt to learn about blogging for some time.
Intead of setting goal whihc will end up with all the lies supporting rational for not doing the task.
I started to focus on ” Lets start this now” rather ” to complete blogging”
This works for me so far because let start demand immediate action.
Well, i’m happy to be blogging 3 post so far in my side.
🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by – I hope you’re enjoying yourself – I’ve grown so much and am so grateful for my new community. Thanks again ~
I can definitely relate to this entire list. I often say things out loud and then wonder if I’m really in the situation I just described. Great reminders here.
http://www.eduClaytion.com
That’s a great tip! What a great reality check to hear our thoughts out loud. Hmmmmm – you’ve got me thinking and my office may never be the same 😉
Attimes, we overly work ourselves – majoring in things that don’t matter like the Earth would stop spinning in its orbit if we didn’t do this and that.
Remember when I kept falling ill because I was getting stressed at work and was asked by my line manager to take things easy ” The work will get done, somehow…” I have since learned to deal better with ‘deadlines’.
Congrats on being freshly pressed.
TYSM – so great to have a boss look over your health and well being. I try and do that with my team, but as for me, I have the responsibility to take care of myself. And yes – perspective is SO important!
There was a time when I was super produtive without youtube facebook wordpress, twitter and the like. That time was long gone.
Ha – I hear you 😉
Excellent Post! I NEEDED to read this today! I am a Doctor who has a BlackBerry AND an iphone that I keep on 24/7! I hate to delegate because I worry that it won’t be done as well as I can do it! I’ve been working on this! I’ve also been working on the EXERCISING& Eating healthy because ULTIMATELY, it makes you more productive! So, Here’s to being a LEAN MEAN PRODUCTIVE DELEGATING FIGHTING MACHINE!!
Congrats on being Fresh Pressed!
Dr. Mo
Thx Dr Mo! So love all of your great tweets and it’s great to see you hear. I REALLY APPRECIATE knowing that I’m not alone – and it’s even better supporting eachother through our like journeys. And yes – today I was a LEAN MEAN PRODUCTIVE DELEGATING MACHINE (I pyramided my bench presses today – yowza!)
Hugs~~~~
Great post! And congrats on being freshly pressed!
Happy Holidays from Haiti,
Kathy
Thanks Kathryn – and thank you for your kind greetings from Haiti – I do believe you’re my first – woot!
Productivity lies are so important to catch. The one I always tell myself is that I have to constantly be multitasking a dozen things in order to be efficient. But that just gets me frazzled and making tons of mistakes.
I like to use the “big rocks” concept. Each day you have is a glass that can only fit so much in it. You have big rocks (really important tasks) and lots of little rocks(petty tasks that might not matter if they don’t get done). I’m trying to learn to “put my big rocks in first” and then fill up any spaces left over with little rocks. Otherwise, if you dump a ton of little rocks in, you’ll fill up your day before you even have a chance to get to the big rocks.
Great take on productivity! And congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
BINGO – SHABANG! When did it ever become a good idea to talk on the phone, send emails, take notes, straighten the desk at the same time? For me, it has taken its toll, both in terms of mental clarity, and in terms of physical energy.
I LOVE the big rock concept – I’ve always heard about it in terms of work-life balance – but of course it fits here!
And yes, for me, time is like a vampire – it will just fill up with minutia (sp?) if I let it.
Thanks so much for the congrats – I must say – it’s been a surreal day – and I’m so grateful for all my new friends & the great comments!
Just HAD to pop by and see the new celebrity! OMG so cool and on such a brilliant post. Oh is the work every done, NO! lol it’s how we manage the never ending pile.
Congrats!
Ah Rita – thank you so much for stopping by – join me in a Snoopy Happy Dance? Or a wog? Or shall we shake our groove thing?
Yes… that’s another lie… “I’ll be fine when X is done…” Not – because X will become Y….
Sigh… Thanks again!
#2 and #4 are very much applicable to me! 😀
Yay! I’m not alone! I can’t tell you how much that helps me 😉 Shall we try to untether for a few minutes? Perhaps shut down the email at X time? I’d love to have a buddy with this 😉
Ha i agree with the excercise fact, i also work all day but thats why i work out at night, although the main reason for overweight is not not exercising, its not eating healthy or eating too much healthy food, people are just lazy and lack ambition, and they dont know what is a credible lie, if your fat and you say you cant workout id say eat less and take away form your sleep time and burn some fat. It someone who is fat asks me if they are fat i just say yeah.
Thanks for the reminder! (Especially about email at night, it is a slippery slope indeed!)
I’ve had some good progress with the email – I’ve turned it off during the day (for a few hours at a time) and am not checking it at night. I can’t tell you how much that has helped me! Yes… slippery, slippery slope.
TYSM for stopping by!
Good points. 🙂 Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
Ah – thanks! It’s been a wild ride indeed – so grateful for all the kind comments and insight!
I like your tips. They will be very helpful for the work I do at my church as we finish up the christmas baskets. Congrats on being freshly pressed.
Indeed – this would be a busy time for you! I hope you’re able to get some “quiet” time – in terms of tasks & mental noise – so that you may enjoy the fruits of your labor 😉
Holy cow, 31 responses! You’ve hit a nerve, Kris. I can relate with ALL of these things, especially being tethered to my computer to get anything done. While I LOVE blogging and my online community, I have a feeling I’m missing out sometimes on “life.” Thanks for the great post!
Holy Moly Batman! Or whatever the phrase is – what is it?
Shall we break the chain together? Unless it’s tether ball, I think we can do without the tether.
And yes – I LOVE my online tribe – but I must make time to plant the tulips too 😉
MWAH!
Sleep is the thing I’ve been neglecting lately. You make some good points here.
Yawn…. I hear you! I recently made a goal to go to bed by 10:30 three nights per week. And it felt so good – I highly recommend it 😉
I can totally relate to these. But you know what makes it harder to break away from these tips? When your boss expects you to work 12 hours a day (because otherwise, it seems like you don’t have enough work to do) and to check your email during off hours. I try not do because like you, my work doesn’t involve banning nuclear arms. Great post!
Oh my – I don’t have a good suggestion for you because my situation is totally different. My 15 bosses are not in my office and I don’t punch a clock, so my hours are my responsibility. One thing I have done with some success, is to say, “OK, I can do this, but I also have these things on my plate. Which ones should I give up?” Part of the curse of being excellent is that we tend to just “get it done” because we’re awesome. The down side is that people expect marathoning energizer bunnies forever – and quite frankly – that’s not sustainable. Please keep me posted and thanks so much for stopping by ~
I love this list – it’s so me. I know other people go through the same things, but it’s nice to know I’m not the only person that recognizes it and can’t quite correct it ^_^
Another one on my list is “I have to be the one to answer all the questions that people have”. This tiny little fear makes me think that if someone else has to answer a question about my job, they’ll think I’m not working.
Isn’t it grand to not be alone? I hear you about that fear. I’m in a small company and it’s important for the company for many people to know many things – so my job is to trust the people, know that it is good for them to share the “love”, and know that it is good for our organization for them to know. Keep me posted, eh?
Wow. Thanks for sharing this list. Numbers 1 and 2 get me every time. I’m a teacher, and your words ring true. Teachers are EXPECTED to be working all the time out of the kindness of our hearts because we’re dedicated to the kids, so those of us who like to go home to be with our families once in a while, or stop working for just a minute are thought of as slackers. I really need to stick to working within my hours and limiting my time planning lessons at home. Thanks for the reminder!
Sigh… I can’t imagine being a teacher – and yes – the expectations are huge! With the holidays coming up, it might be a good time to re-remember how valuable the down time is. Perhaps it will be easier to incorporate on January 3? Thanks so much for stopping by!
oh what perfect timing! i’m right in the middle of finals and a crazy work week. thank you for a great post 🙂
http://luckyenoughblog.com
Oh gosh – finals?!?!?! Good luck to you in finding the quiet in the storm – thanks so much for stopping by Lizzie ~
I have told myself every one of those lies. Thanks for sharing. I’m with you all the way!
Crystal
http://www.crystalspins.com
Yay! This has been so helpful for me to know I’m not alone! TYSM ~
Wow great post and so true. I used to be a big no-delegate person. I just had to do everything myself. Sometime in my old age I realized I was just so tired, I started delegating. The email one is also one I used to do. And you right. Before I knew it, I started getting emails and calls at night after work because everyone knew I was always “connected”.
Yes – my old age has me surrendering for the better 😉
Holy crap! You totally hit the nail on the proverbial ugly head. Jesus, I am so guilty of all of the above it makes me want to curl up in a ball under my desk and cry for hours. I especially feel an uncontrollable urge to check my work email at night. What the hell is my problem? Seriously??? WTF?
Okay, now I am going to revamp my entire life.
🙂
We’re hooked! Plain and simple – digital crack or something – ha!
Great post. I tell myself those lies. Another lie I tell myself quite often, when after frequently adding to my to-do list, is that I’ve barely accomplished anything. When I actually pay attention to what I’ve done, it’s usually more than I’m giving myself credit for.
I hear you – that can be so frustrating…. Cross 1 thing off, add 3 things…. And it continues. We have to find a way for celebrating the work that we do do, even though it might not be the work that we “think” we should have done.
What I like about your post is that you recognized you had an issue here. And you’ve decided to try to alleviate those stresses to make yourself more productive.
I get so tired of hearing people complain how busy they are, they rush around getting kids ready for school, getting themselves ready, are late, forgot to do this in their haste…their life is just a whirlwind. But don’t do anything about it. Stop and smell the roses! It does make sense.
Thanks so much! In the end, I am responsible, eh?
All of these “sneaky productivity lies” are very true indeed. I think they can all be summed up in this formula:
I cannot do “X” [real important things for my own physical and emotional well-being], because my sense of duty and responsibility requires that I do “Y” [imagined important things that will ultimately have no consequence except to make you more stressed and empty inside].
Funny how, even when this formula is clear, it is easier to live according to it, than to make the conscious choice to introduce change.
Great post. Very insightful.
Purposeful… Mindful… Conscious… all so key – you’re absolutely right!
This WAS me about ten years ago. I literally made myself very sick by doing too much and not taking care of myself (single mom of three, work, college, little sleep, bad diet). No one in my family has MS – I once described my previous frantic life to my neuro and I said, “I think my MS is my fault because of the way I lived.” He said NOTHING, just looked at me. I took that as he agreed that it may be a real possibility. Please take heed, and take care of yourself!
Colleen
Thank you Colleen – and yes – I’m much better at taking better care of myself than I used to be. But it still requires daily attention – sigh…. Thanks again!
You had me at #1.I have to work 12 hours today to finish my work.
Great posst.
Blessings,
Ava
xox
Ah Ava – and the work is never done, right? Thanks so much for your kind words – hugs!
#2 and #4 . Thank gawd for the smartphone/iphone. That’s saves me a lot of time when I don’t have time to turn on the computer but check my phone on the go.
#3 Multitasking on the exercise part. I call walking the dog at the park my exercise. I know it’s not real cardio but in my mind it is for now.
Funny blog. I especially like the note in the beginning.
http://lifebehindthemakeupcounter.wordpress.com/
I am VERY into squeezing whatever minutes of movement I can, whenever I can. I’ve been known to do pushups during calls where I don’t have to take notes 😉
But shhhhhhh…. don’t tell 😉
So true. I relaize I give myself close to impossible tasks only to get down on myself when I don’t complete them. Giving realistic tasks that can be done in one swoop or over time are the truths to my lies. I need to put my tasks in persepctive so that I’m productive and not procrastinating. 🙂
Heavy duty work can be very daunting – I definitely know that one. Yes, perspective is everything, along with portioning the elephant into manageable bites 😉
It’s amazing how the self lies that we tell ourselves are really the most convincing considering there’s no one who can gain say it. And IF we do we can still counter-argue which brings us back to teh point that we think that’s it’s totally logical the reasoning behind one of our action.
Nice post!! I think some of those things are so ingrained in our personalities that we don’t even whether it’s right/wrong reasonable or not..the subconscious just leads us to do this. Had a discussion with some people that contend that a busy schedule with myriads of things (sports, cooking, travelling, reading etc) might bring more productivity to a person then a person who has teh same workload but decides to dedicate full days on the project on it. The mind of the latter person in fact thinks that he’ll have the entire day to use and naturally becomes slower and less efficient.
but anyways really nice post! enjoyed it
Ah – very interesting! Thank you for sharing ~
This is a cool and funny list. I enjoyed reading this.
Great post, thanks identifying these myths, so true!
I love the one about responding to mails during off-hours. I always thought that we teach people to explect us to be awake and ready to solve their problems all the time. Very nice post, thanks!
Ha – nice one! TY for stopping by 😉
Great post! So true
I have a lie I must confess. I told my mother I was foing algebra and I’m always on WORDPRESS !!!
Shhhhhh – I won’t tell….
smoking (yeah, I know). I always lie to myself and think that I need that extra cigarette after say I work out, eat, finish a project, drink a beer, and the list goes on. I know smoking is terrible for my well-being, but I found a way to train my mind to think I actually need them (just to think, I started smoking a year ago!) in the end, lying to yourself usually just hurts yourself in the longrun.
cheapsushi.wordpress.com
great list. been trying my hardest to break through the mold of procrastinating and setting goals right.
http://enjoibeing.wordpress.com/
Absolutely true. I especially support the part about immediate responses creating an atmosphere of immediate demand.
Great post – I think I’ll share it with my husband!
http://jessicavitalis.com Stop Pinching Your Sister!
Hehehehe – yes – let me know what he thinks 😉
Oh so true! But at the end of the day, I always say, “Busy is good!” 🙂
Cheers,
Dyna
http://www.asiandyna.wordpress.com
Ha! Busy is good… but for me, the non-busy time is productive too. Thanks so much for stopping by ~
Love the sneaky lies! and they are all so true!
Lie # 6. I will work hard this week-end and catch up on my email.
Truth – I have never been caught up on email for 15 years…and I no longer make this a goal. My goal now is to not hold people up by not reading my email. In this way, I have taught people to let me know when there is something important that needs my attention, and I don’t get hung up on reading / acting on every email every day.
As for #5…the more you practice, the easier it gets. And your team (the good people anyway) actually appreciate it because it shows trust.
Congrats on being freshly pressed.
LOVE that you’re teaching people about email! Funny how batching & bulleting & id’ing what’s important can help so much. I’ve been working with my team on this, and you would not believe how much my email traffic has decreased as a result. It is like a whole new inbox!
Practice… sigh… you’d think I would have arrived by now LOL.
TYSM for your kind words & thank you for stopping by 😀
I absolutey loved reading your post. I myself was recently pondering about lying and posted this, http://www.agirlsgirl.com Thanks for sharing Kris!
Thanks! I’ll totally check it out – thank you for stopping by!
AWESOME list and so true (and may I add to your many congrats for making it to FP!). I am guilty of ALL of these things. And getting insanely burnt out. This list came at exactly the perfect time!! Thank you!
Tis the season, eh? Tis the season to take care of ourselves – wooot! TYSM for your kind words – it has been a wild ride indeed – I’m thinking a bit Rod Serling-esque – ha!
MWAH!
“I have to work 12 hours today to finish my work”
… cause I´ve to tell this every colleague about 6 hours a day.
I´ll never believe those fellows! 😉
Yes – don’t believe them… Wait – that’s me! OK – not all the time anyway **winks**
http://superdan95.wordpress.com/ check out the blog guys it’s still a work in progress but it’s got good stuff funny pics
Enjoyed that!!! Here is one:
I dont spend much time on my blog!!! HAHA!
http://husbands4hire.wordpress.com
Hehehe – join the club! **winks**
wow…its like you are in my head! i just got my exam results and they weren’t what i expected. When I looked back, it was all the points that you stated in this post! Honestly, I made myself with unneccessary things. for you it might be checking your email, but for me it is checking facebook lol. and the exercising thing is true as well – i joined up and then because i was ‘busy’, i rarely went. and cant forget the 12 hours things – i notice when im focused i work better than when i spread the work over more hours, taking longer breaks. this post was an eye opener for me! congrats for being freshly pressed! 😀
Enter Twilight Zone music… Isn’t it great that we’re not alone? Yes – breaking down the hard work to 90 min – 2 hr intervals is a really great trick – and quieting the noise during those times too 😉 TY for your kind words!
Great post!
2011 will be the year that I try to put some of your sensible ideas into action. After all, isn’t the definition of madness, “…doing the same things over and over again, but expecting a different outcome every time?”
http://www.contactless.wordpress.com
Yep! And we “know” this stuff, but it’s so easy to forget sometimes – let me know how it goes!
oh hell, lies, lies, i need to make a list of my own lies… thanks for this post.
Ha – we’re both busted! TYSM for stopping by!
Me? A liar? Guilty on all accounts! Tethered to my computer? No time to exercise? I actually tried to remedy the situation by trying to balance my macbook on my elliptical so I could get some work done while working out, but it seemed a bit precarious so I climbed off the machine and plopped back down in my chair.
Everything you say here is correct, so why is it so hard to put the healthy habits into practice?
You have a new follower….
Thank you! The why is it so hard is a great question… Do we not value the down time? Do we think chaos is productive? Do we not think we deserve the down time? Hmmmm Thanks again!
After reading all of this it is no wonder we don’t have any work time. I go back before cell phones, fax machines, scanner, we wrote letters and waited for the reply. Used party line phones and some of you may remember the telex.
Ah – can’t say I remember the telex… but indeed, we did get quite a bit done before 24/7 connectivity, eh? I do remember the old mimiographs with horrid blue ink and carbon paper.
Yes – I know where CC came from 😉
I am addicted to 2 and 4!!! haha. I actually tried to go as long as possible without a laptop not too long ago and made it to almost a week and a half. I will try again sometime soon!
Nice list
Ah – thanks! Seriously, I’m hooked to the computer…. It’s a bit embarrassing. A week and a half? That sounds DIVINE…..
Good Job, thank you so much. I liked this post. You know I suffer from all these five sneaky productivity lies so I will change for sure
thanks again
Thanks a lot 4 this post:)
You know I suffer from all these sneaky lies so I will try 2 change but I think it’s gonna take time ^_^
Oh yes. I have lies that I tell myself. I have no willpower and then I eat the junk that ALWAYS seems to be on the table at work.
I need to think about this for a while.
Good post!!