Articles tagged "Personal productivity"

Break Bad Work Habits with the Help of These 10 Apps

You'll likely work around 90,000 hours throughout your career—an incredible amount of time. Sadly, much of it gets wasted.

Why You're Not Getting More Done, and How to Fix It

I used to read a lot of articles about productivity. New apps, productivity systems, tiny hacks, or experimental techniques—I sought anything that could help me get more done. And yet, it didn't actually make a difference in my productivity.

3 Science-Backed Ways to Boost Your Motivation (Even When You Don't Feel Like Working)

I tend to wake up early and do my best work while the sun is up. Whenever I try to work late at night, I find I'm less focused and I have trouble thinking creatively. But there is one thing that I've noticed that I have more of at night: motivation.

How to Make Mind Maps: Visualize Your Ideas for Better Brainstorming

Legend has it that in the summer of 1994, as the production of Toy Story was wrapping up, four Pixar creatives went to lunch to brainstorm ideas for new projects. Sketching on napkins, they teased out ideas for what would become Wall-E; Monsters, Inc.

Solve Problems and Test Ideas Faster with Google Ventures' Design Sprint Framework

The best ideas always seem to come at the last minute. There's a project with a crazy deadline, a blank spot in this week's editorial calendar, or an impromptu speech an hour from now.

Gamification: The Science and Software to Make You More Productive

Gamification is everywhere: in to-do list apps Todoist and Asana, encouraging you to get more done; in Apple Watch, rewarding you for achieving fitness goals; in Fortune 500 companies' strategies to boost employee engagement.

Communicate Better: How to Master Small Talk in Awkward Professional Situations

There’s an episode of Seinfeld when Elaine and Jerry get stranded at a party and spend the night dodging awkward small talk.

How to Avoid the 9 Things That Hurt Productivity Most

You’ve probably seen enough "fail" videos to guess what happens when a skateboarder rolls towards stairs, a bike gets anywhere near a tree, or a dog runs full speed at a sliding glass door.

How to Manage your Personal Tasks with a Project Management App

To-do list apps can help you tackle personal tasks, but a full-featured project management app gives you the flexibility to manage smaller, low-hanging fruit and long-term, multi-layered projects.

Make a Plan: How to Outline Your Ideas with 20 Powerful Tools

It doesn't matter how many ideas you have if you can't connect them. To turn those scattered concepts into a finished product, you're going to need a coherent plan. That’s what outlines are good for.