Displaying All Posts by Mike Vardy

Pac-Man Eats Up Productivity

Last week’s playable Pac-Man game on Google’s home page (permanently playable here, by the way) may have been awesome for those nostalgic about playing the game – the iconic video game turned 30 last week – but it sure did sap the productivity out of the day for most.

A report by software firm Rescue Time (developers of time-tracking software) revealed that nearly 5 million hours of work time was eaten up by the little guy. Totally awesome in one way, not so much in another.

Admittedly, I played it for a spell once I came across the page. I was obviously not alone. How many WorkAwesome readers chased Clyde and the gang around?

UPDATE: The dollar value is in. Whoa. Click Here to Read Article …

The GTD Implementation System

Mike Vardy 25th May Productivity Leave a Comment

David Allen, the “Godfather of Getting Things Done”, has just released a new product that’s ideal for those who have a basic understanding of the popular methodology.

The GTD Implementation Guide goes through the system in a step-by-step fashion, allowing you to get into things quickly and effectively. You can check out more on the latest addition to the GTD product line here.

GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks of David Allen & Co. Click Here to Read Article …

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How to Ask Your Boss to Work From Home

Mike Vardy 25th May Office Life Leave a Comment

I’m writing this article from home – where I’d love to do all of my work. Much of my writing is done here, but my day job doesn’t afford me the ability to enjoy the same “luxury.” That’s not to say I don’t do some of my work for my day job at home – that does happen from time to time. Actually, the separation of the two pursuits makes not only for a clear set of responsibilities depending on where I am (for example, I can leave my work at the office should I choose), but it makes for more productivity on the whole.

But many of you have one job. One that you could do just as easily from home. One that you know you could do better from home. So why not do that? How can you go from working at the office to working at home? Here’s a step by step method to get your boss to say “yes” to your request to work from home… Click Here to Read Article …

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To Read or To Listen?

Mike Vardy 24th May Productivity Leave a Comment

Thanks to the dawn of “The eBook Era,” reading is becoming more accessible (if not necessarily more popular – thanks still to television). If you have an iPad or Kindle (or one of the many eReaders in the marketplace) or simply use another mobile device, ebooks are literally in the palm of your hands. These devices allow the user to carry a catalog of books that would fill a backpack (and then some!), making it easy to carry around whatever books you’d like to have at your disposal.

But what about audiobooks?

Formerly known as “books on tape” these are still popular in that you can absorb the story while driving or commuting in some other fashion. If you’re exercising you can have them at the ready on your MP3 player of choice. Basically, they fill a similar gap as podcasts – only they’re a “tad” longer.

Productivity and self-development books are massively popular in both formats. You can even buy them in (gasp!) actual printed book form should you choose to. In terms of brushing up on these skills and systems, which do you prefer – reading or listening…or a combination of all formats? Click Here to Read Article …

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Are You An Efficient Early Riser or Energetic Night Owl?

Mike Vardy 24th May Productivity Leave a Comment

Some would say getting an early start on the day is the best way to go. You have the opportunity to get focused early on and tackle the day’s tasks and projects with little to no distractions. Then, when the rest of the world wakes up, you’re already a few hours ahead of the game.

Others profess that tackling the “have to’s” early on in the day allows you to do the “get-to’s” as the day draws to a close. Many people have had the day to allow ideas and strategies to percolate throughout the day and spend the wee hours making those ideas happen. In essence, they’re getting a head start as well – just really late the night (or early morning) beforehand.

Then there’s the ever-present question of when you need to be available to others, such as family, friends and colleagues. That plays into how you tackle your day just as much as anything else.

So, WorkAwesome readers, are you an efficient early riser or do you find you work better as a night owl? We’d love to hear from you! Click Here to Read Article …

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Three Quick Snacks That Keep You Productive

Mike Vardy 24th May Productivity Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for snacks that keep you going – and going in the right direction – during your day, there’s a few choices that will help you “keep your steam” throughout the day. While there are more out there, here’s three to keep handy that will get you started:

Almonds
Quick and easy brain food. Keep these at your desk and you’ve got a healthy – and helpful – snack in the palm of your hands.

Cucumbers
When it comes to the movement of eating alkaline-rich foods, this one is a good starting point. Acidic foods are said to lower energy and alkaline foods are said to create energy as it keeps us pH balanced. While you may not be into all that, there’s no doubt that they’re healthy, bite-sized and chock-full of water.

Water
In order to keep moving (both physically and mentally) you need to be hydrated. Drink plenty of it and you’ll get plenty done.

Keep these three snacking options at the ready and you’ll be on your way to a more productive day! Click Here to Read Article …

Do You Have A Productivity Dilemma?

Mike Vardy 24th May Productivity Leave a Comment

First things first.

You enjoy what you do…that’s apparent. That’s why you’re here. It’s not just your work you enjoy, it’s life in general. As a matter of fact, you’d love to be able to enjoy all of it more often – completely, even. That’s always the challenge. Without a doubt, you can’t have it that way unless you really want it so. In order to do that, you’ve got to be not only awesome at what you do, but awesomely productive at it. Click Here to Read Article …

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The Rock Solid Reflection Plan

Mike Vardy 20th May Goals Leave a Comment

One of the best ways – some would say the only way – to keep tabs on where you’re at and where you’re headed in terms of being productive is by looking back on where you’ve been. It’s challenging to do this regularly. Really challenging. What’s more is that many people don’t do it at all. Doing this (or, rather, not doing this) is a recipe of mediocrity…or even organizational disaster.

All that aside, you can do this. You can review, reflect, revisit…whatever you’d like to call it…and you can do it regularly. I’m not going to outline what this consists of – there’s many different ways to do it and not one particular method works for everyone unilaterally. What I can do is present to you a plan on how to make sure you get to the act of doing it. Click Here to Read Article …

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