Category Archives: Productivity

No Limit On Better

Posted on July 4, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Harrison Ford, carpenter turned movie star, learned early on to approach everything he did with the mindset of a craftsman. One of his earliest lessons came at the hands of an employer: “When I was a carpenter, I once worked … Continue reading →

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Violently Execute

Posted on June 28, 2011 by AJ Kessler

A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week. General George S. Patton Most successful people spend a lot of time planning.  But, at a certain point, your plan is good enough.  … Continue reading →

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When Precision Is Detrimental

Posted on June 27, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Precision is generally good.  It generally feels good.  I’ve used camera lenses that have been precisely machined and mated to particular camera bodies.  They’re about as perfect as can be and they were a joy to use. Peter Drucker famously … Continue reading →

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Time Tracking, version 4

Posted on June 26, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I love this new addition to my time tracking routine, courtesy of author and Study Hack maven Cal Newport: the tally system. It’s extremely simple.  Identify a core task.  Put a tally mark down for each uninterrupted hour you spend … Continue reading →

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Cheating Work

Posted on June 22, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I’ve had this Seth Godin post on my mind the last couple of days.  It’s good.  I thought I’d throw it up here so I don’t lose it: If you’re going to work, work hard. That way, you’ll have something … Continue reading →

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Relax

Posted on June 21, 2011 by AJ Kessler

On a mini vacation in Palm Springs.  It was 115 degrees today.  What do you do in Palm Springs, in the summer, when it’s 115 degrees?  Well, the sane half of the area’s residents leave town: many shops and restaurants … Continue reading →

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Four Steps To Hacking Anything

Posted on June 14, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Great insights from an interview with Tim Ferris, all-around life hacker and author of the The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body.  These are the four steps he follows to figure out how to get meaningful results without spending what … Continue reading →

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How To Make Meetings Productive

Posted on June 11, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Everyone has been forced to sit in meetings that stretch on forever about something that’s either irrelevant, unimportant, or that they’re uninformed about.  Say someone’s giving a talk about a new technology that’s going to be implemented.  Most people have … Continue reading →

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Barely Hanging On? Count Backwards to Success

Posted on June 8, 2011 by AJ Kessler

The explosion came from out of nowhere. Flames surround me. I couldn’t see through the glowing white light of burning magnesium. That’s how the “second half” of Dan Ariely’s life began.  After sustaining third degree burns to over 70% of … Continue reading →

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Did Boredom Make Species Survival Possible?

Posted on June 7, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Boredom may not be unique to humans, as it seems polar bears and other animals experience some kind of boredom, but did it help our species survive? Boredom is a fascinating thing.  It’s so familiar to people that the dictionary … Continue reading →

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You’re Always Gonna Be Scared

Posted on June 2, 2011 by AJ Kessler

We’re all scared.  The difference is whether you’re gonna keep moving. An inspiring talk about fear by Merlin Mann: (starts slow, but it’s worth pushing through)   What are you scared of?

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More Hours ≠ More Results

Posted on May 28, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Energy, the capacity to work, is not a finite resource. I really want to believe this.  I often get exhausted though, or sick of working on something, or drained, or just lazy.  My capacity to work seems fluctuates all over … Continue reading →

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Time Tracking, version 3

Posted on May 24, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I was turned onto time tracking a few months ago by Sebastian Marshall.  Overall, I’ve found it tremendously helpful.  It’s a fantastic system to not only keep you on track, but it really does increase (my) productivity.  But, the my … Continue reading →

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How to E-mail

Posted on May 22, 2011 by AJ Kessler

E-mail is the single greatest time-waster in modern life. –Tim Ferris Tim Ferris, of Four-Hour Workweek and Four-Hour Body fame, is on a one-man mission against e-mail.  Check out some of the results for a search of “Tim Ferris e-mail”: … Continue reading →

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How To Get Smarter

Posted on May 18, 2011 by AJ Kessler

For years, people thought intelligence was genetic.  It was thought that your intelligence potential was more or less fixed at birth, that at best, you could make yourself dumber by huffing paint or drinking booze.  This was actually confirmed by … Continue reading →

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