Time Management

By Susan Ricker Between commutes, budgets, client demands and deadlines, it's no wonder work can be a huge source of stress. More than three quarters of workers are feeling the pressure, too: An overwhelming 77 percent of workers say they are sometimes or always burned out in their jobs, according to a ...

By Laura Roeder This probably isn't the first article you've read about taming the email beast. You know all about categorizing, filtering, batching your time, etc., etc. But no matter how savvy your email system is, managing your inbox is still attacking the symptom, not the problem. What if you just got less ...

By Travis Steffen As entrepreneurs, we're always busy. But where does it end? When you get more successful, do you think your schedule will magically get less busy and fill up with fewer obligations? Think again. Instead, you'll have to get more done in less time. And unless you have a system, it may prove ...

How do you stay focused when working on the go -- in airports, co-working spaces, Starbucks? -- Ashley ...

By Jude Bijou It's normal to procrastinate at work. Usually we do it because we're avoiding a task that's unpleasant or daunting. And, in truth, procrastinating isn't really a serious problem until it starts to interfere with your performance at work. If you're feeling worried, fearful and stressed out, or ...

Everyone knows that ambition is key to success. If you're not naturally driven, acquiring ambition can feel like an impossibility. While I can't promise I can turn a torpid procrastinator into a dynamo, I have been able to help my clients see moderate improvement. And one of the world's top experts on ...

What with the election and all, we're a bit behind on "can't have it all" manifestos. Fortunately, a lawyer (and mother of two young children) threw some grease on the fire recently by quitting her big D.C. law firm with an email to her colleagues that recounted a rather rough day, hour by hour. (That link ...

By Susan Ricker When employers say they're having trouble filling open positions because of a lack of necessary skills, they aren't always talking about an inadequate number of math, science, technology, engineering or math experts. Soft skills -- a professional attitude, the ability to be punctual, ...

By Luke Roney I'll admit it from the outset -- I do enjoy working from home. Occasionally. When there is some sort of complication or emergency on the home front, it's great to have a boss who's OK with me logging on remotely. But, working full-time from home (or from Starbucks) just isn't my cup of ...

By Mollie Ficarella Co-workers stop by your desk to ask questions, unexpected emergencies need to be dealt with, phone calls interrupt your concentration and the email alert constantly beeps. It can become almost impossible to get anything done. The to-do list becomes bigger and more unmanageable by the ...

Many workers are eager to work from home, and more employers are accommodating them. But what do these workers actually do all day? Are they as productive as the rest of us toiling away in our cubicles? Well, maybe not. A recent survey asked work-from-home employees if they do non-work activities. Many ...

I write about time management a lot. I'm also one of those comically punctual people who don't get the idea of social lateness. If you invite me to a party at 8 ... I'll probably be there at 8. So being late to anything puts me in quite a state. I don't like to scramble when I've already made plans. So I ...

There was a time, not so long ago, when I was busy, busy, busy. At least I thought I was. I told people I worked 60 hours a week. I claimed to sleep six hours a night. As I lamented to anyone stuck next to me at parties, I was basically too busy to breathe. Me time? Ha! ...

Decades ago, I had a brief interest in chess. I played around with a board and I read through books of the greatest matches. I decided I didn't really like the game enough to pursue it, but I always loved the concept of what master chess players do. They look at the way things are, and then think three, or ...

Long-time readers of my articles know that I have a favorite data set: The American Time Use Survey. This annual study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks thousands of Americans to keep track of their time. Because it is broad, and based on actual days, as opposed to how people recollect "typical" days, ...

Annie Marie Slaughter's article in the current Atlantic titled "Why Women Still Can't Have It All" had a familiar ring - hauntingly so. More than two decades ago, the Harvard Business Review published an article titled "Management Women and the New Facts of Life," which made many of the same arguments that ...

It's a constant lament from people with long hours and commutes: I want more time for myself. I want time to exercise or do creative work, but when I come home from my job, I'm spent. On weekends I do all the chores I don't have time for during the week. Where's the time for things I find meaningful -- but fun? ...

By Ritika Trikha If your current time-management system involves five-hour energy drinks or three to four cups of coffee per day, it's time for a change. But cutting back on your work is likely not an option: In this competitive job market, taking on more responsibility and exceeding expectations is a given ...

Recently, I was giving a talk to 160 senior executives at a large bank. As part of the talk, I asked them to fill out something we call "The Energy Audit," as a way of assessing how well they are managing their own energy. It happened that they had access to individual polling devices, so we were able to ...

It's one of the hardest things in the world to do, probably because it runs so counter to our powerful and primal need to feel safe, loved, and successful. For most of my life, I prided myself on relentless perseverance in the face of obstacles, and a refusal to give up on any goal or client I was pursuing. ...