Displaying All Posts by Susan Johnston

My Music Playlist at Work — What’s on Yours?

My boyfriend swears by techno when he’s racing to meet a deadline. I crank the show tunes when I need to lose myself in my work. Clearly, everyone has different preferences for listening to music at work.

Fortunately for me, I work from home, so I don’t have to worry about disturbing cubicle mates by singing along to the cast of Glee. Depending on your work environment, you might have to take turns choosing music with several coworkers or discretely plug in headphones when you need a music break. Read More

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Favorite Quotes on Productivity: Ben Franklin, Paul J. Meyer and More

Susan Johnston 28th October Productivity 4 Comments

I’m a collector of funny or inspirational quotes. They’re great for tweeting or motivating, and as a writer, I appreciate other people’s ability to sum up key messages in as few words as possible. For a long time, I had the following quote by James Thurber scribbled on my whiteboard:

“Don’t get it right, just get it written.”

It was there to remind me to write now, perfect later. Read More

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How to Improve Concentration with 50-Minute Focus Sessions

Susan Johnston 17th October Productivity 16 Comments

Earlier this summer, The Wealthy Freelancer introduced me to the idea of a 50 minute focus, which is a great way to learn how to improve concentration for better productivity. It’s a simple concept: spend 50 minutes intensively focused on one task, then you give yourself a 20 break and move onto the next item. Read More

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How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit Your Job?

Susan Johnston 11th October Your Job 17 Comments

It’s tough making the decision to quit your job, especially now with the unemployment so high. So, how do you know if you should stay or go?

Some people try to stick out a job they don’t love out of fear they’ll get labeled as a “job hopper” or have trouble finding the next gig (after all, most recruiters prefer to hire people who are already employed). Others find that leaving a stressful job frees them up emotionally and logistically to find the next job. Read More

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Gmail’s Priority Inbox: An Email Review

Susan Johnston 14th September Communication 6 Comments

It’s been one week since I started using Gmail’s Priority Inbox, so I though I’d summarize my experience with an email review. For those of you who haven’t heard about this handy little tool yet, the idea is that Gmail sets up “priority inbox” for important messages and sends the rest to your regular mailbox. Although I’ve been marking tons of emails as important (or not), Priority Inbox is still getting a sense of my email priorities and yes, still marking some of my daily emails as important despite my marking them as not important. Read More

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Testing Out Gmail’s Priority Inbox

Susan Johnston 4th September Communication 5 Comments

I was super-psyched when the new Priority Inbox showed up in my Gmail account earlier this week. I typically get 100+ emails on an average weekday, so even with filters and other sorting techniques, it’s hard to stay on top of my inbox.

Might Priority Inbox be the answer?

Time will tell. So far, it assumes that frequency implies importance, and that’s not necessarily the case for me. Sure, I like getting Google Alerts and Groupons daily, but those messages aren’t nearly as important as the less frequent ones from clients and editors. I’ve been marking a lot of emails as “important” (or not), so hopefully that does the trick.

I’ll report back in a week once I’ve had a chance to test drive Priority Inbox a bit more. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if you’ve tried it out yet. What are your initial impressions? Read More

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Send Gmail Reminders to Yourself and Others with Boomerang

Susan Johnston 31st August Communication 9 Comments

If you’re anything like I am, then you often find yourself checking email late at night, but you’re hesitant to actually send emails at that hour lest you give clients the impression that you have no life and they can always expect an immediate response from you. Or maybe you have a set of recurring emails that you’re often forgetting to send.

Enter Baydin’s Boomergang for Gmail (it’s also available for Outlook). Read More

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The Inconvenient Truth About Convenience Foods

Susan Johnston 26th August Office Life 4 Comments

For many over-worked cubicle dwellers, meals consist of Luna bars, Lean Cuisine lunches, and soups out of a can. Yup, that used to me, too. (And I admit that I sometimes still reach for a protein bar when I’m in a rush.)

But it’s better for you, your body, and your budget not to subsist on these so-called convenience foods. Anyone who’s seen the 2004 documentary Super Size Me knows about the horrific impact the McDonald’s drive-through can have on your health. Read More

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6 Ways to Get More From Your Commute Time

Susan Johnston 18th August Productivity 10 Comments

According to the United States Census Bureau survey, Americans spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work. Australians don’t fare much better, as the average daily commute time ranges from 22 minutes up to 35 minutes. And if the infamous opening scene from Office Space is any indication, most workers don’t enjoy weaving in and out of traffic (or being crammed into a public transportation, as the case may be). Read More

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How Do You Ease into the Work Week?

Susan Johnston 16th August General 10 Comments

A freelance friend of mine recently commented that she has a hard time transitioning from weekend to weekday. “How do you ease into your work week?” she asked. “Monday mornings are always killer!”

I’m afraid I have the opposite problem: work days and weekends blend together thanks to my BlackBerry and MacBook addictions. This means I rarely have a huge email overload on Monday morning, but I also miss out on the chance to feel completely relaxed and rested because I’m never fully unplugged. However, I do make sure I have something fun to do Sunday night (often watching Mad Men with the aforementioned friend), so I’ll start the week on a positive note. It helps that I also try to stick to roughly the same sleep schedule so I’m not throwing my circadian rhythms out of whack.

Your turn! How do you transition into the work week? Do you keep worktime and playtime clearly delineated? Or, like me, do you sometimes find they blend together? Read More

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What’s Your Avatar?

Susan Johnston 12th August Communication 10 Comments

Nowadays, with photos on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, even individual blog comments, you’re often judged based on your avatar. That postcard-sized picture says a lot about you. Depending on the image you choose, you might come off as professional or playful, creative or cookie-cutter, silly or somber.

Due to privacy concerns, some people opt for a symbol (a typewriter for a writer, a gavel for a lawyer) instead of a photograph. Others choose a cartoon alter ego or some sort of artistic representation (for instance, a close-up of the just the eyes or a silhouette). Still others use an actual photo, whether it’s a professional headshot, a candid photo snapped by a friend, or a self-portrait courtesy of an iPhone.

I use a photo taken by a photographer friend. We staged a photo shoot at a local writer’s space to create a literary vibe, also incorporating props like my laptop and books plucked from the shelves to reflect my love of words.

How did you choose your online image? What sort of impression did you want to create? Read More

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