Develop New Habits

In a recent post, I talked about how you can recognize signs that you’re taking on too many tasks at once. But once you figure out you’re in over your head, what do you do?

Some people are tempted to just keep working. They tell themselves, “Once I bust through this project, then I can back off a bit.”

I don’t know about you, but my to-do list never works that way. The moment I cross off one thing, I feel compelled to add two more.

But if you keep trying to bite off more than you can chew, you’re …

Today, we’re going to talk about some of the crazy stuff that happens when you’re overcommitted and working too hard to get through an impossible to-do list.

I’m not talking about burnout. Burnout is what happens when you allow stress to build to the point that you stop caring. You lose your motivation to work.

Instead, we’re going to dig deep into what happens before that, when you’re hyper-motivated, but your mania is starting to sabotage your efforts.

In the rush to be as productive as possible, it’s tempting to push yourself to your limits. You put in …

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

It’s 8:00 a.m.

Monday morning.

You arrive at the office and notice you have a bunch of emails and voicemails waiting for you.

Great. More fires to put out.

You look at your physical inbox and notice several unfamiliar folders sitting in it. At best, each one represents a new action item you need to address for someone.

At worst, a new project.

Then, just as you’re about to roll up your sleeves and dig in, a coworker drops by. He wants to tell you about his evening. Unfortunately, a 60-second summary isn’t on …

Everyone battles procrastination.

It’s a uniquely human trait. We’ll always put off today the task that can be done tomorrow.

If there’s a big enough incentive to act now, we’ll do so. For example, if you develop acute pancreatitis, you’ll probably (hopefully!) jump to action and head to the hospital. Your incentive is to end the pain and avoid permanent damage to your body.

But if the incentive isn’t big enough, we wait until it is.

A perfect example is cleaning the house. It’s not a life and death situation. No one is going to die if you neglect to …

Ever wonder where all your time went?

Ever shut down your computer or closed your laptop at the end of the day and thought to yourself, “Good grief! I didn’t accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped to!”

I’m guessing the answer is yes. If it’s any consolation, you’re in good company. Most people aren’t able to accurately account for their time. They let it slip through their fingers.

That’s unfortunate. Wasted time means less time to do what you really want. It also means less income and more stress. That’s no way to live life, especially when it’s …

$100,000.

That’s what being an info-junkie cost me. If I’m being honest, it probably cost me a lot more.

If you’re on my email list, you already know the story. (If you’re not on my list, fill in your name and email address over on the right to get the good stuff!)

I’m willing to bet that you’re a junkie too. You collect a mountain of information and read every detail before you take action.

On the one hand, that level of preparation improves the quality and thoroughness of your output. If you’re writing a book on golf and …

Get into the habit of waking up early and you’ll be more productive, more energized and more grounded for the rest of your day.

The result?

You’ll end up getting more things done earlier. And that means you can spend more time doing the things you love rather than the things you have to do.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Today, we’re going to dig deeply into an area of productivity that proves challenging for a lot of folks: waking up early. You can probably relate if you’re a night owl. It’s not easy to change your sleep patterns and become …