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I am a small business Conversation Consultant and public speaker that uses the power of the internet to leverage your success. Productivity in Context is a web magazine focused on Productivity and tools for organizing. Make this your headquarters for improving your life and work through increased mindfulness, education, and workflow practices.

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It is the peak of the Christmas Season and I believe that this is a good time to spend a few minutes each day thinking about someone who has had a positive impact on your life or work, and how can you thank them.

You probably have a number of people on that list.

Who can you say, “Thank you!” to today, and how will you say it?

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Who will you thank tomorrow?

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/69y8e4. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

The very first step in David Allen’s productivity workflow is to Collect. This does not mean just papers and “stuff”. Whenever you speak to and listen to another person, you are collecting information. But are you getting all of it?

Effective listening is more than not interrupting the other person. It means that you are mindful of the entire thought that they are communicating to you. It means not waiting with impatience for your chance to respond. It means taking the time to understand.

Slow down and listen to every word.

When you take the time to hear everything, and respond mindfully, the people you are having a conversation with will relax. They will communicate better. You will both achieve a higher level of understanding. You can create a better conversation by being a better listener.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6dz8zb. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

When I was a kid I hated washing the dinner dishes by hand in the kitchen sink. Hated it! I would do anything to get out of it. Finally resorting to doing such a bad job of it that my mom had to give in and do them herself.

Our new home in Maine does not have a dishwasher.

I do, however, have something that I did not have when I was younger. Patience. And an appreciation for a job well-done. Now, I actually enjoy doing the dishes by hand. It gives me a chance to be purely in the moment, mindful of the washing and the rinsing, letting all of my other thoughts vanish.

When I wash the dishes, I wash the dishes.

When you multi-task, the efficiency level of any given part of your attention goes down. You are not giving anything your best, nor will you get the best possible result. Work on “mono-tasking“.

Do one thing at a time. You may find that you get more done, and more importantly, things will get done better.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/64fqj4. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Time management is a common focus here (Three Steps to Better Time Management) and on other productivity blogs, but something that is not often discussed is just what good is all this time that we are managing? There are several reasons to be concerned about your use of time, and there are times when you should feel free to just “be”. Here are five things for you to think about, as an exercise in investing your time:

1. Time allows you to rest and recover - We all need downtime for recuperating from stress. Pushing yourself and overcoming challenges are excellent ways to invest time, resting is the best way to use some of the time you gain from your investment.
2. Time allows you to increase your focus - Invest the time that you gain to think about bigger things, your 3-5 year goals, your Someday/Maybe list. What do you want to have time for doing later?
3. Time allows you to gather the facts - Gaining a true understanding of your situation takes time. Investing time in this way creates a larger picture for you to evaluate.
4. Time allows you to see how things turn out - Once you set a plan in motion there are frequently some variables beyond your control, and waiting is all that you can do. Invest this downtime to prepare for the next stage of your project.
5. Time allows you to create balance in your life - All work and no play leads to a heart attack. Invest the time that you gain to be with your family and friends. Connecting with your circle is energizing and can be a link to discoveries you may not have expected.

How do you invest your time, and what do you do with the time that you gain?

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/57tdpr. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen