Ever wonder why you seem to have a tougher time focusing when you have several things going on at once? The scientific/psychological reason is connected with what is known as the Zeigarnik Effect. Merriam Webster’s definition of the term is: The psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one.

I don't know about you, but the workday after a holiday has always felt a little disjointed to me. On one hand we should be ready to take on the world after an extra day or two of rest from work, but on the other hand, I find myself longing for more of that personal or family time that I got during the day off. If I'm not careful, I can find myself meandering through my day and not getting anything of real value accomplished.

While time management is the phrase we use when talking about our desire to be more productive or to be able to get the right things done, time itself is rarely the limiting factor. There are just too many examples of people who accomplish an incredible number of tasks each day and also live a personally fulfilling life. What makes the difference?

"When I open my email I feel like I'm headed to the dentist, and I hate going to the dentist," the person on the other end of the phone kept saying. I was working with a client who was really struggling with their email management. They had let things get out so out of control that they were rarely checking email at work, opting to spend one to two hours in the evening handling their email. And yes, it was putting quite a strain on their relationship with their family and their own personal renewal time.

The pain in my hip and lower back was severe. After sitting in a plane seat for a few hours I could hardly get up to walk through the airport. As the pain subsided I rationalized that I must have "pulled something" and chose to try and resume business as usual. Then, when I least expected it, the pain would return. "I've just got too much to do to let this slow me down," I thought. I resisted for a couple of weeks until I just couldn't take it anymore.

You’re probably nodding at your screen right now, saying, “Yes! That’s my world.” I think it is for all of us. Just like we are prone to eat too much, we easily allow ourselves to intake too much information.

If I were to ask you about your best technique to wisely manage your time, you would probably share a routine you follow at work or home. You might start listing tactics like "Do the hardest task early in the day," or "Only check emails three times a day." I'd be willing to wager you wouldn't say, "I manage my emotions well."

Over 700 years ago, Francesco Petrarch wrote in Life of Solitude,

It is without question the nature of the mind that when it is earnestly applied to one interest it must neglect many others.

While staying focused might have been difficult then, it's harder then ever today. With technology, open office environments, and task lists a mile long, is it any wonder we can't seem to focus for more than a few minutes?

It's been less than a month since you returned to work from your holiday break. You're filled with a renewed sense of purpose and determination about accomplishing all the right things this year. How's that working for you? If you're like most people (including me), reality has begun to set in, old habits are dragging you down, and you're already feeling overwhelmed.

It has become all too common to hear people discuss a workplace issue, productivity challenge, or networking need, and quickly say, "There's an app for that."

While technology offers extraordinary opportunities for improvements in workplace productivity, choosing the right application or service is critical to fully leveraging the benefit of it.
 

While working on a presentation for a client using Beatles song titles to make the key points, I came across an interesting musical term: Deceptive Cadence. Musically defined, it refers to a cadence (chord sequence) in which the dominant resolves to a harmony rather than the tonic. You can hear it on such Beatles songs as A Day In The Life, Ticket To Ride, and We Can Work It Out. You can also hear an example of a chord progression with deceptive cadence by clicking here.

Yesterday was one of those unusually memorable days in my 20+ year career as an author and professional speaker. A company had invited me to speak to their directors and assistant directors at their annual meeting... in Maui! If you have followed me for any length of time, you know I love to travel and see new places. I also love hearing about the travel experiences of others. I had never been to Maui, and I had heard so many positive things about the island.

A few weeks ago I asked my oldest daughter, who is a sophomore at college, what percent of students does she see when she is walking across campus who are engaging with an electronic device. She quickly replied, “At least 85 percent.” Wow!

In our activity-obsessed culture, the idea of doing nothing is not considered a positive thing to do. Oh we talk about relaxing and disengaging, but even those moments of idleness are incessantly interrupted by the ding, chirp, or ring of an electronic device. The tide is changing, however, and there is now mounting evidence that we need these moments of what I call "sacred idleness. Forbes had an excellent article on the subject just a few months ago.  I've taught the general benefits of taking an "intermission" in my work life balance training for several years, and am always looking for more neurologically-based facts to support the value of doing nothing.