Most of us get behind on our plans for the day at some point – and from my experience in coaching thousands on time management – one issue crops up constantly which can become the culprit: NOT making time for everything related to a task. The little ‘extra’ steps are really necessary in order to be truly done with something or to make that task more effective.

I have been sitting on some awesome information for awhile and thought it might help you when attending a conference. This is for those of us who still like using pen & paper for some things. While there is nothing wrong with entering notes into your computer or tablet, I have found that writing notes by hand has some advantages. Firstly, I write less stuff. Since the majority of people who take notes at a conference rarely if ever, look back at those notes, it is probably better to just listen mindfully versus trying to scribble down or type in everything the speaker says. Since I am a speaker – I can attest to the fact that I prefer an audience looking at me and listening versus trying to jot down every word I say.

How many of you make a list of tasks to accomplish and never really check things off that list? Maybe you procrastinate; or perhaps you run out of time; or maybe you don’t like what is on the list and avoidance behaviors set in.

Many of us are familiar with the thought, “I can do that later, I have other things I want to do now instead.” It’s quite possible most of us put off something we don’t want to do right now, and for a variety of reasons. Most people know the humorous saying, “Why do now what you can put off until tomorrow” but have you ever really thought about the negative ramifications about your procrastination?

It has come to my attention that there are several really important skills that the average 20-something doesn’t acquire while in college. Those who don’t go to college may acquire these skills earlier even, simply due to necessity. But these skills are lacking nonetheless and to be a smart, degreed individual unable to manage life as we know it – is a bit of a tragedy. Those of you older than this demographic may find these skills useful too.

It's undeniable:

Today, we feel more stressed than ever at work...According to CareerCast's 2019 report, 79% of America's workforce feels stressed 'sometimes or frequently' during their working day. From longer working hours to being bombarded by late night emails, we live in a demanding work culture.

But there's a solution:

Some careers come with a calming working environment and a better work life balance - and still pay surprisingly well. So here's our list of the top 25 best low stress jobs for people with anxiety...

I recently watched a very funny, and somewhat unfortunate TEDTalk® video by a guy who discussed his life-long problems with procrastination (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU). Nothing new to me here as almost everyone I coach – okay, most everyone I know (me included) - deals with procrastination on some level. The speaker put a humorous spin on it, which made the audience laugh, as it was very relatable for just about everyone. However he never really spoke about solutions.

You know exactly what I am talking about. You probably know these people…or perhaps you are this person. How can you tell if you are actually being productive versus just seemingly very busy all day long?

For many of us, thoughts of the coming new year bring ideas on ways to improve life and what we want to change from what life has been like – or perhaps continue the good we have already experienced. Whichever camp you are in – contemplation of what you want is probably crossing your mind on some level. I know it is for me.

I am not speaking about the kind of change as in, “change of season,’ or ‘change your mind’ or ‘change who you are,’ but just how change can be a good thing and often a challenging thing – especially when decision-making is not your strong suit.