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How Can I Be More Productive?

For those of you that are trying to get more done in the time that you have - we all have 1,440 minutes a day - below are a few productivity resources to help you out. 

 I'll be completely transparent and tell you that I am not the most productive person in the world. In fact, I'm just as distracted by the Internet as are most people. But if you have the feeling that you could accomplish more, then here are some resources to guide and motivate you. 

  1. Extreme Productivity - When Robert C. Pozen lays out everything that he's accomplished, you will immediately feel like you haven't accomplished anything. The book is pragmatic and a good first book to read. It covers all the bases. 
  2. The Power of Full Engagement - Tony Schwartz takes his experience with working with world-class athletes to lay out what it takes to accomplish peak performance. This is what productivity is about, right? It's not just about the shear number of widgets you can crank out, it's the impact and value of those widgets you are cranking out.
  3. Getting Things Done - The now famous, "It you can do it in 2 minutes, then do it," mantra comes out of this book. This is philosophy and system rolled up in one. David Allen is a pretty straightforward and deliberate speaker and writer. He's cerebral and it shows in his writing. This is one of those books that requires you take 2 days away from distraction to do this effectively. After that, it's a matter of changing your behaviors to align with the process that Allen proposes. 

Ask yourself what it's like to work 8 hours straight productively. Think about or envision how much you could accomplish in that one day. String them together for a full week and it's probably mind blowing. 

There are people out there that are in a state of flow or fully engaged each and every day -- and that includes vacation time. Wouldn't it be nice to get there? 
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