Hermes Technologies

At the start of the year I emailed a number of famous productivity writers and bloggers asking them what their productivity message was for the new year.  To my joy many of them wrote back to me (I really was flattered) – here is what they said. Enjoy – and be sure to check out their websites for more excellent advice.

Gretchin Rubin

Gretchin Rubin is a writer and blogger at The Happiness Project, where she test-drives the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happy–from Aristotle to Martin Seligman to Thoreau to Oprah. She just released a book called The Happiness Project which, at the time of writing her book is currently #2 on the New York Time’s Bestseller’s List. If you haven’t heard of her yet, I guarantee you will in the coming year.

If there’s something that you really want to get done, especially if it’s something you approach with some reluctance, do it first thing in the morning.

If you’re trying to get yourself to exercise more, go for that run or go to the gym before you do anything else. If you need to makes sales calls, pour yourself a cup of coffee and start dialing. If you need to write, plan to write for an hour before you turn to anything else.

As the day wears on, more obstacles appear — and it’s easier to find excuses to skip doing the task. On the other hand, accomplishing an important task right away gives energy for the rest of the day.

Mike Torres

Mike Torres is a technologist and writer in Seattle. Mike’s blog, Refocuser, is about focus; about willfully directing your attention to where attention is really deserved. Be sure to check out his excellent 12 goals series, a thorough introduction to goal setting, marketed as a beginner’s introduction, but really a pros guide. This is goal setting –for smart people.

If I were to pick my most important message for 2010, it would boil down to one word which can set a tone for the year ahead: CHOICE.  There’s a big difference between people who CHOOSE what they want their life to be about and people who let others – or their circumstances – decide for them.  This “power of choice” is something each of us have – it’s part of our human nature – yet so few people make their own choices about who they want to be, how they want to contribute to the world, or what things matter most to them.

Many times this apathy is related to fear, lack of information, or ingrained limiting beliefs about their potential.  Lack of information leads to fear of the unknown, which in turn leads to a victim mentality and an inability to see yourself for the person you could be… and so the cycle continues.  The end result is someone who never chooses to take ACTION and instead justifies inaction through statements and behaviors motivated by fear (usually fear of humiliation).  The key is to get out of that dangerous spiral by taking control of the fear and gathering as much information on the thing you’re most frightened of.  People who LEARN and have experience with something are rarely afraid of it, and once they realize that the worst possible outcome isn’t that bad at all, light bulbs go off about what’s POSSIBLE for them.

That’s how you start to make choices and change your life one bit at a time.  We all have the ability to influence the world around us and how we perceive our place within it.  It starts with CHOOSING to do so (and a little work!)… so make 2010 the year you start making your own choices.

Dave Seah

Dave Seah is one of those fascinating creatures who is impossible to classify – my attempt is that he lives somewhere in the overlap between productivity and graphical communication of information. For an insight into this fascinating mind check out his design portfolio, his blog an investigative look into design, productivity and inspiration. I like Dave for his Jobsian perfectionism – reading his blog you see a man who designs things principally for himself, always a good sign.

I think the main thing I’ve discovered for myself is that once you figure something out that seems to work, turn off your brain and work that angle until it runs dry. This is a productive kind of clarity. Count your blessings and count your results, and then try something new. The search for a productivity system that works is rewarding once you’re able to turn it into something reliable. I’m finding that I have a few productivity machines that I turn on depending on my mood, but what really matters is being able to account for what you’ve done in some way that builds to your goals. I’ve not done that accounting as much this past year, instead participating in a flurry of activities, and I need to get back to it.

So, my theme for 2010 is to put my head down and do the work. After exploring productivity systems for the past five years, I’ve figured out what’s important to me and how I’ve determined that, and now my mind is clear on what needs to be done.

Terry Prince

Terry Prince is an internationally recognized expert and consultant on the subjects of organization, productivity, and chronic disorganization. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, the Federal Government, local government agencies, non-profits, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Her blog is a great place to keep up to date on trends, thoughts and issues regarding productivity, organization and general business practices.

1. Limit Distractions. Turn off the email or telephone signals and work on your projects in specific blocks of time.
2. Spend the last five minutes of each day wisely! Review your calendar for the next day’s activity. Clear off your workspace so you can get a fresh start tomorrow.
3. Focus on the important and eliminate the unnecessary.
4. Complete the projects you start.
5. Create a Lost List. Write down when you lose something, and cross it off when you find it.  This will make you feel better when you find things. It will also help show patterns of losing things you may need to work on.
6. Make an I Will List for big items you really need to do this year. Write this list and add new items to it every time you hear yourself saying “I really should do this”.  Review this list weekly and add in structured time to work on the I Wills.
7. Designate an official “paper” mail sorting area. Always sort your “paper” mail over a recycle bin, trash bin and shredder.
8. Create and use a Wait Time File to hold short duration reading material. Keep it near your telephone for when you are put on hold.  Bringing the Wait Time File with you when you are waiting for an appointment or when traveling.
9. Reduce your email checking to a maximum time of 3 to 4 times a day. Do your checking in bursts of 10 minutes.
10. Get professional help. Use a productivity coach to help: plan and organize your space, manage your time, create suitable structure for your ever evolving; changing life or business. A fresh perspective can help you find great, workable solutions.

Scott Young

Scott Young writes prolifically on and is author of 6 books including The Little Book of Productivity and Learn More, Study Less. He blogs on a broad variety of topics, including learning, finance, relationships and life philosophy, the overall theme being how to Get More from life.

There’s an old Chinese curse that says, “may you live in interesting times.” Well we live in interesting times. We might be the people to solve world poverty, see the rise of developing nations or develop transformational technologies. Or we might succumb to global warming, financial ruin or self-induced apocalypse.

Kelly Sutton

Kelly Sutton writes an edgy blog leading the way forward for the student 2.0, a technologically savvy and highly productive student. His popular blog, Hack College has an enormous range of posts ranging from cheap ways to stock a bar to ways to get textbooks for free.

More than most generations in history, what we do matters. With great opportunity and danger, what we do matters. So make everything you do count.

I think the next decade will be marked by gadget consolidation and standardization. Over the last 10, even 20, years we’ve seen more gadgets than most people know what to do with. I hope that people slowly begin to realize that adding gadgets does not make life easier, but rather more complicated. Things should work when they first get plugged in or turned on. Over the next 10 years, things will get simpler and better, while still becoming more powerful.

Monica Ricci

Monica Ricci is an Atlanta based organizing expert, motivation speaker and author. On her blog she writes about organizing everything, from your home to your head, to your entire life.

Productivity often feels elusive. We say we’re “busy” but that doesn’t mean we’re productive. Being productive means accomplishing the things that matter most. My best tips for maximizing productivity this year can be summarized with the acronym FOCUS.

• FILTER your activities against your main goals and highest priorities to make sure they are in alignment. We spend too much time and energy on low-payoff tasks and then wonder why the important stuff doesn’t get done.
• ORGANIZE your space. When you can find what you need quickly and easily, you’re more likely to start and finish tasks and projects in a timely manner. Plus, you can respond to clients and customers quickly and proactively.
• CREATE PROCESSES for routine and repeated tasks. Use email templates, create forms, and put simply systems in place to make your work easier and leave yourself more time and energy for revenue-generating thought and activity.
• USE A CALENDAR consistently. Your calendar is your personal assistant, which tells you how much time you have at your disposal for given activities. Relying on it consistently frees your brain for more important things such as generating new business and problem solving.
• STOP PROCRASTINATING! A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Productivity soars when you tackle tasks and projects quickly and without hesitation. Starting is the most difficult part, but remember that the sooner you begin, the sooner you’ll finish.

Eyal Sela

Eyal Sela is a hyper efficient tech savvy productivity guru. He blogs on the crossover between productivity, social media, web tools and web presence. Be sure to check out his enlightening posts on the latest and greatest web tools and software for making your day that little bit more productive.

Productivity-wise, and as always the case with technology – now, more than ever, finding answers and information online is possible. The need to reinvent the wheel decreases, as internet tools make it easier to contact exactly the right person or get to his or her knowledge. My suggestion is to open our eyes and use tools like Aardvark, Linkedin, and other, more “traditional” applications, like Google and its constantly improving search abilities.

I often find that when I need an answer, stopping for a moment and thinking where I can find it and what is the right tool for the job can save me a lot of time. Sometimes, it could be the difference between succeeding and failing in the task. I think that this tip is suffice by itself for better productivity. I outline some specific practices in the post 20 Social Media Practices to Use in Your Daily Life.

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3. The Hermes Technologies Guide to Getting Stuff Done
   Hermes T knows you don’t just want one life. You want nine. You want to be a lawyer by day, a party animal by night, a family man, an artiste. Maybe even a dog. The point is you want it...

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