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Making a Dream Board with Canva
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 19, 2020
It has been said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Since we can distill complex thoughts into single images, it makes sense that we can use images to represent our desires.
Simple Productivity Blog
Change Your Life With the Bullet Journal Method
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 12, 2020
If you have ever gotten frustrated with a pre-made planner because you ended up working to fit the planner, rather than the planner fitting you, there is a solution. That solution is Bullet Journaling. The post Change Your Life With the Bullet Journal Method appeared first on Laura Earnest.
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What You’re Not Changing You’re Choosing
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 26, 2020
I saw this phrase on Pinterest: "What you're not changing you're choosing.". That's pretty powerful. The post What You’re Not Changing You’re Choosing appeared first on Laura Earnest. Deliberate Living
30 Day Challenge: Gratitude
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 31, 2019
One of the things I hear over and over is that for a more satisfied life, one needs to make a gratitude list. I can always use more satisfaction in my life, and so for the new year I have decided to start with a gratitude. The post 30 Day Challenge: Gratitude appeared first on Laura Earnest.
30 Day Challenge Wrapup: All of the Above
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 30, 2019
This is the last month of the year, and I decided to firm up the 30 days challenges I had attempted over this year. The post 30 Day Challenge Wrapup: All of the Above appeared first on Laura Earnest. 30 Day Challenge
10 Commandments of Stress Reduction
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 22, 2019
There is too much stress in our lives. We're so busy and overwhelmed that our stress levels creep up. And it's not good for us. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mood disorders, cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, eating disorders and more. It's a killer.
Podcast Episode 15 – Choosing to be Mediocre
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 21, 2020
There is a time for mediocrity as well. The truth is that we are wasting precious time trying to master things that simply don't matter in the long haul. The post Podcast Episode 15 – Choosing to be Mediocre appeared first on Laura Earnest. Podcast
Tips for Personal Holiday Greetings
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 8, 2019
It used to be that people sent cards at the holidays as a matter of social norm. Now with social media, most people don't send holiday greetings. After all, it is much easier to click a few times or to post once and let others see it when they may.
Podcast Episode 12: Two Things That Will Make Your Day Go Smoother
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 3, 2019
How you start your day impacts how the rest of your day will go. Start the morning frantic, and you will be playing catch up the rest of the day. But you can stack the deck in your favor by doing the two things that will make your whole day go smoother.
Deliberate December
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 1, 2019
The holiday season is upon us. For most people, it hits like a blizzard tornado, and they find themselves spit out in January dazed, exhausted and bruised. And I understand, because I was like that for many years.
30 Day Challenge: All of the Above
Simple Productivity Blog
NOVEMBER 30, 2019
It’s the last month of the year, and I was at a loss to choose a single habit. Many of the habits I have tried through my 30 day challenges over the past year needs some reinforcement, so I thought it would be good to spend a month making those habits stronger.
30 Day Challenge Wrap Up: Exercise Every Day
Simple Productivity Blog
NOVEMBER 29, 2019
My 30 day challenge of exercising every day is over. See what I learned! The post 30 Day Challenge Wrap Up: Exercise Every Day appeared first on Laura Earnest. 30 Day Challenge
Boost Productivity by Simplifying Spaces
Simple Productivity Blog
NOVEMBER 24, 2019
Many years ago I saw the effect of simplifying spaces in my home. By taking away the immediate choices my daughter had for activities, she was able to settle quicker and play longer.
Using the Right Tools
Simple Productivity Blog
NOVEMBER 10, 2019
I've talked about how you can take a tool that is not quite right and make it work for you. This is good if you cannot use a tool optimally, or don't really know how to use it fully. There are times, though, when you do know how to use a tool, but are forced to use a sub-optimal or substitute tool.
Podcast Episode 14 – Are You A Chronic Starter?
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 7, 2020
How many projects do you have that aren't finished right now? I'm not talking about just the ones you are aware of. I'm talking about all those things that you put somewhere with the intention of getting back to them "someday". Today we will look at how starting projects can become a problem, a way to list all of your projects, and how to combat some of the things that can keep you from finishing. The post Podcast Episode 14 – Are You A Chronic Starter? appeared first on Laura Earnest.
30 Day Challenge: Exercise Every Day
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 31, 2019
The average American sits for 11 hours a day. That is outside of the time spent in bed sleeping. We are the fattest we have ever been, and our sedentary lifestyle is leading to disease.
30 Day Challenge: Planning The Night Before Wrap-up
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 30, 2019
I realized I was having difficulty sticking to my task list.because I had never made a plan. The Planning The Night Before challenge was to get me past that difficulty. The challenge was to make my plan for the next day in my bullet journal the night before.
Learn Your Shortcuts
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 27, 2019
I was working with a colleague recently, helping him through a process that was unfamiliar with a tool he had not really used. What we were doing is less important than the conversation. Paste the item three times." I'll admit it, I was bored.
Changing Jobs: Let’s Do The Math
Simple Productivity Blog
JANUARY 5, 2020
How do you know if a new job is the right way to go? If all other factors are equal, how do you know that you're not actually taking a cut in pay? I get asked this question - a lot - because people know I can do the math. The price to pay of an engineering degree and a teaching license in math, I guess). So today I wanted to get the article out there so other people can see how to work through it. Bear in mind that this is just the money numbers.
Building a Morning Routine That Matters
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 20, 2019
One of the things that I struggle with as I put together routines to support my life is meaning. It's one thing to take another person's routine and adopt it, but for me, this quickly turns sour if it doesn't matter to my life. I'm looking at this more closely as I rebuild routines.
Why I Am Grateful To My Worst Boss
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 13, 2019
It has now been four years since my very short excursion into the world of education. The wounds have skinned over enough for me to talk about it, and so I wanted to take today to talk about why I am grateful for the worst boss I ever had. I'm going to call it a mid-life crisis.
Making A Tool Work for You
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 6, 2019
Not all tools can be used optimally by all people. This applies whether it is a physical tool like a hammer or a productivity system. Today we will look at an approach to allow you to get as much out of a tool as you can. I've always maintained that there is no magic bullet in productivity.
Podcast Episode 10: The Every Day List
Simple Productivity Blog
OCTOBER 1, 2019
Life can get caught up in the day to day task list items. So much so that we forget about everything except crossing off the next item. In today's show I will talk about an every day list. We'll look at what they are, how to make one, and how to make sure you do them.
30 Day Challenge: Planning The Night Before
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
I had thought to tackle something major this month, but honestly, I need something that is going to help me stay on track rather than something that is going to shake the foundations. And for that reason, I have decided that this month's 30 day challenge is going to be to plan the night before.
30 Day Challenge Wrap Up: Spending Freeze
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
For my 30 Day Challenge this month, I did a spending freeze. As I talked about when I started it, I wanted to reduce the stuff I was bringing in to the house, and see if could manage to break my spending habit. It wasn't easy, but I got some great results. Read on for more details.
What is Multi-tasking, Exactly?
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 22, 2019
Back about 10 years ago, multi-tasking was touted as the way to get more done. Doing two things at once is better than one, after all, right? Not so fast.(literally literally and figuratively!). When I first heard about multi-tasking, I really thought it was a good idea.
Episode 9: How To Pick Your Next Project
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
You have a list of projects. How do you know which one to focus on? It all comes down to return on investment, at least in terms of time and energy. Today I will give you a way to rank your projects to make it a bit easier to figure out which one to tackle next.
12 Productivity Lessons from The Princess Bride
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 15, 2019
Productivity advice can be found pretty much wherever you look. I was watching the Princess Bride a few days ago and realized how much of the movie can be applied to make my life more productive. I work on a team of men that constantly quotes movies.
2019 Annual Reader Survey
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Once a year I take a survey of my readers. I use this information to direct content over the next year. Please help me to help you by filling out the survey. The post 2019 Annual Reader Survey appeared first on Laura Earnest. Announcements
What To Do When Things Start Feeling Off Kilter?
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019
Over the summer, making deliberate choices about my life and activities have fallen by the side of the road. Not deliberately (no pun intended). It just has happened due to a lack of intention.
Podcast Episode 13 – 10 Productivity Things Your Boss Expects You To Know
Simple Productivity Blog
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Our bosses don't expect us just to do our jobs. They also expect you to know some basic productivity techniques. Today we will go over 10 Productivity Things Your Boss Expects You To Know. The post Podcast Episode 13 – 10 Productivity Things Your Boss Expects You To Know appeared first on Laura Earnest. Podcast
30 Day Challenge: Spending Freeze
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 31, 2019
My 30 Day Challenge for the month of September is a spending freeze involving no spending outside of the necessities. I will confess that I have a shopping habit. It's not for clothes or decoration or even anything big, but I still shop for a lot of stuff.
30 Day Challenge: Touch It Once Wrapup
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 30, 2019
I spent a month putting things away immediately - and found that not only were things neater, but my procrastination and stress went down too! The post 30 Day Challenge: Touch It Once Wrapup appeared first on Laura Earnest. 30 Day Challenge
How I Process My Email (2019 Edition)
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 25, 2019
How many emails are in your inbox? How much time do you spend scanning over emails that are already seen, thinking about what you have to do to each one? Inbox zero, which is not the number of emails in your inbox, minimizes the time you spend in your inbox.
How I Do Web/Blog Reading (2019 Edition)
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 18, 2019
Today we take a look at a targeted way to read content from the web. I'll look at RSS readers, and share an even better way to read the content when it's convenient for you. Most bloggers will offer free content in exchange for your email address.
8 Productivity Lessons from the Teacher’s Desk
Simple Productivity Blog
SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
Teachers have an immensely difficult job. Faced with a classroom of children, they have to plan the lessons, produce the materials, manage the classroom and deal with the politics of the front office and parents. If a teacher is not productive, they end up working hours beyond their contract hours and adding to their stress burden. It has been four years since I entered the classroom to teach high school math.
How I Listen To Podcasts
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 11, 2019
Podcasts are a great way to get information for a busy person. It's like blog articles in audio - you can listen on your commute, while washing dishes, weeding, exercising and more. Today we'll look at what podcasts are and how I listen to them.
Podcast Episode 6: How I Use A Calendar
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 7, 2019
Calendars form the basis of any productivity system. These are the single item that tell you where you need to be and when. But calendars have evolved massively from 30 years ago, when everything was on paper. Today I'll look at my own calendar evolution and share how I use a calendar today.
How I Use My iPad (2019 Edition)
Simple Productivity Blog
AUGUST 4, 2019
Tablets are a great way to have productivity on the go. With the latest hardware and apps, some people are using them to replace their computers. Today I'll give you an update on how I use my iPad.
30 Day Challenge: Touch It Once
Simple Productivity Blog
JULY 31, 2019
What's a great way to avoid procrastination and clutter? Touching things once. My 30 day habit for August of 2019 will be exactly this: training myself to complete little things so I don't have piles of unfinished tasks everywhere. Read more about this challenge and join me.
30 Day Challenge: Life Reboot Wrap-Up
Simple Productivity Blog
JULY 30, 2019
I spent a month working through a life reboot. I found that it was useful in many ways.but that at the same time I needed to recover from a hard-drive crash of life rather than the stuffed memory that required a reboot. The post 30 Day Challenge: Life Reboot Wrap-Up appeared first on Laura Earnest.
Stress Management From Teenagers
Simple Productivity Blog
JULY 28, 2019
Adults aren't the only ones who have to think about stress management. Recently, my Girl Scouts shared their favorite techniques with each other during their AP Exam week. The post Stress Management From Teenagers appeared first on Laura Earnest. Stress
Make Stress Your Friend: A TED Talk Worth Viewing
Simple Productivity Blog
JULY 21, 2019
Doing research into stress is enough to induce stress. Looking at all the damage that chronic or acute stress can cause to our bodies is enough to make people want to crawl into their beds and not come out.
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