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	<title>Change your thoughts&#187; GTD</title>
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	<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog</link>
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		<title>Mind Alchemy Day 13 &#8211; Clearing Your Mind</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/mind-alchemy-day-13-clearing-your-mind/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/mind-alchemy-day-13-clearing-your-mind/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mind Alchemy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clear your mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dump your brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gettings things done]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[list your tasks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/?p=4080</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before we start You can still join the course by Clicking here Have you completed Day1 &#124;Day 2 &#124;Day 3 &#124;Day 4 &#124;Day 5 &#124;Day 6 &#124;Day 7 &#124;Day 8 &#124;Day 9 &#124;Day 10 Day 11 &#124;Day 12 &#124;Day 13 &#124;Day 14 &#124;Day 15 &#124;Day 16 &#124;Day 17 &#124;Day 18 &#124;Day 19 &#124; Day 20 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Before  we start</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can still join the course by <a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2010/12/30/mind-alchemy-a-challenge-for-2011/" target="_blank">Clicking here</a></p>
<p>Have you completed</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/01/mind-alchemy-day-1-wheel-of-life/" target="_blank">Day1</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/02/mind-alchemy-day-2-motivation-direction/" target="_blank">Day 2</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/03/mind-alchemy-day-3-your-life-values/">Day  3</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/03/mind-alchemy-day-3-your-life-values/">Day  4</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/05/mind-alchemy-day-5-outcomes-for-life/">Day  5</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/06/mind-alchemy-day-6-your-perfect-day/">Day  6</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/07/mind-alchemy-day-7-the-nature-of-your-thoughts/">Day  7</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/09/mind-alchemy-day-8-your-lifes-theme-songs/" target="_blank">Day  8</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/10/mind-alchemy-day-9-changing-your-beliefs/" target="_blank">Day  9</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/11/mind-alchemy-day-10-relaxation/" target="_blank">Day  10</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/12/mind-alchemy-day-11-guided-visualization/" target="_blank">Day  11</a> |<a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2011/02/13/mind-alchemy-day-12-letting-go-of-your-outcomes/" target="_blank">Day  12</a> |Day 13 |Day 14 |Day 15 |Day 16 |Day 17 |Day 18 |Day 19 |</p>
<p>Day 20 |Day 21 |Day 22 |Day 23  |Day 24 |Day 25 |Day 26 |Day 27 | Day 28</p>
<p>A few readers are now blogging  about their experiences on the course, and it would be great to lend your  support:</p>
<p><a href="http://growwithstacy.com/" target="_blank">Stacy Claflin &#8211; Grow With Stacy</a></p>
<p><a href="http://potatoehead64.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marty BoneIdol &#8211;  Living Life in Chapters</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.dereckbreuning.com/wordpress/" target="_blank">Derek Breuning  &#8211; Tech Life</a></p>
<p><a href="http://newlifestartshere.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stephen &#8211; New  Life Starts Here</a></p>
<p>Read the interview I have done  with Angela Artemis from <a href="http://www.poweredbyintuition.com/2011/02/01/change-your-life-in-28-days-with-mind-alchemy/" target="_blank">Powered by Intuition</a></p>
<p>Read the interview I have done  with Sandi Faviell from <a href="http://www.devacoaching.com/2011/02/01/all-you-need-is-love-28-days/">DevaCoaching</a></p>
<p>Watch an interview I made with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0gpjQFx5HE&amp;feature=youtube_gdata" target="_blank">Suzie Cheel on Mind Alchemy</a></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Mind Alchemy Day 13</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Welcome  to Day 13 of Mind Alchemy</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I  originally called this module &#8216;Organize Your Life&#8217;, but I think a better title  is &#8216;Clearing Your Mind&#8217; as that is exactly what we are going to be doing today.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Today  is going to be a relatively short piece as it is really about doing the  exercise.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Typical  scenrio</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Nowadays  we have so much stuff in our heads that it gets cluttered with all the things  we have to do.  I frequently get emails  that are important, and I say in my head &#8216;That&#8217;s important, I need to reply to  that as soon as I&#8217;ve done this&#8217;, I then go about my task and subsequently  forget about the email.  What happens is  that my mind, or my subsconscious mind, tells me that I have something  important to do and it clears a little pocket of energy in order to remind me  that I have got an important email to reply to.   I go to work and suddenly my mind receives a message in its inbox to  tell me I forgot to reply to that email: &#8216;Shit, I&#8217;ll need to do that when I get  home&#8217;.  And that&#8217;s only 1 little  task.  My mind is full of these little,  important tasks, and the pressure starts to build as I am forgetting things  right, left and centre.  I feel a certain  amount of stress as I am sure I&#8217;ve forgotten to do other things.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It&#8217;s  only when I dump everything from my mind onto paper that I feel a sense of deep  relief, a huge weight has been lifted and I can relax again and get on with  clearing all the important little things I have been meaning to do.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When  you have done your first &#8216;dump your brain&#8217; you shouldn&#8217;t really have to do it  again, as you can write everything you need to do in a notebook as soon as you  receive it.  So, as soon as you get an  email in that you will need to reply to, write it in your notebook or worksheet  to do later on, only if you can&#8217;t deal with it just now.  If something is literally going to take 60  seconds to do, do it there and then.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For  now, get everything out of your brain and onto the worksheet or a piece of  paper.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Clearing your mind</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I am sure everyone knows how this feels.  We&#8217;ve always got something else to do, some  important job that our partner has asked us to do that we keep forgetting  about.  When we don&#8217;t do these little  important tasks we are really saying; &#8216;okay that&#8217;s not terribly important in my  life just now, but I know it&#8217;s important to you so I will get it done asap.&#8217;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Well,  now it&#8217;s time to dump your brain onto paper and clear the clutter and stress  from your mind.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Today&#8217;s exercise</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Today  we are going to get everything that we need to do and put it down on  paper.  Yes, it&#8217;s the old fashioned way  of doing things, but it&#8217;s still a valuable way to get rid of mind stress.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://d281aplrs2vmpz.cloudfront.net/13ClearingYourMindWorksheet.pdf">Download  today&#8217;s exercise</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Once  you&#8217;ve dumped your tasks onto paper, it&#8217;s time to get those things done and out  of your mind forever.  Once you&#8217;ve completed  them put a tick in the completed box.   It&#8217;s amazing what that little tick can do for you psychologically.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Tomorrow</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tomorrow  we will be having a catch up day, so you can catch up with any or all of the  exercises so far.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Action follows a thought…</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This  course is about taking action, and to become pro active in changing your  life.  Take time to do this exercise and  really think about it throughout the day.   You don’t need to wait until tomorrow to take steps to improve your  ‘Wheel of Life’, but with the support and encouragement from all the members we  can help each other and support each other, but ultimately ‘you have to bring  something to the table!’</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Your thoughts</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As  always it’s good to talk about your experiences and share it with the rest of  the members of the course, so let us know how this exercise went for you and if  you gained any insights or had any revelations about yourself or your life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can  share your thoughts at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StevenPAitchison#!/home.php?sk=group_166347130075467&amp;ap=1">Mind  Alchemy Facebook Group</a></p>
<p>You can  Tweet using the <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23MindAlchemy">hashtag  #MindAlchemy</a></p>
<p>Or of  course you can leave a comment below</p>
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		<title>Assess-Decide-Do A Life Management Framework</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/assess-decide-do-a-life-management-framework/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/assess-decide-do-a-life-management-framework/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 Sep 2010 06:41:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[assess decide do]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dragos roua]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/?p=3124</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most of my adult life I have suffered from an over-active mind and the inability to focus on one project at a time.  Last year I think I had over 40 websites that I was running, 4-6 micro businesses, lots of writing and networking., and a full time job.  That’s when I realised that I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Most of my adult life I have suffered from an over-active  mind and the inability to focus on one project at a time.  Last year I think I had over 40 websites that  I was running, 4-6 micro businesses, lots of writing and networking., and a full time job.  That’s when I realised that I had a problem and  was just taking on too much and not focusing on one thing at a time.  I sold all my micro businesses and  concentrated on the blog and my writing, and whilst the income has dropped  because of this I feel much more focused and able to deal with any issues that  come up.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My productivity has increased dramatically since last year  and I have a good writing schedule, a good social media schedule, and a good  networking schedule (still tweaking this).   Someone who has helped me with this is Dragos Roua who has a knack for  all things related to natural productivity.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Four Books in Three  Months</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Dragos and I had a little competition last year, which saw  us writing 4 books in the space of a few months, Dragos finished first (swine  that he is <img src='http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> ).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It was last year I first read about his productivity  framework <a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/recommends/Natural_Productivity/">Assess-Decide-Do</a>,  which sounds a bit simplistic, but like all things, it’s the simple solution  that usually wins out.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Assess-Decide-Do</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In this framework Dragos sets out a 3 step plan for helping  us get on top of the things we want to achieve in life by Assessing, deciding  and doing, which is his Life Management Framework.  This framework applies to everything we do in  life from getting up in the morning to designing websites.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I had the good fortune to read his <a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/recommends/Natural_Productivity/">Life  Management Framework</a> and have to say that whilst it&#8217;s a simple solution to  help with all the decisions and choices we make in life, it is extremely  powerful.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Sections of the guide</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This guide is split up into three main parts:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The theoretical part of the framework</p>
<p>The practical part of the framework</p>
<p>The iAdd for the iPhone and iPad</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The theoretical</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The main crux of the framework is to be able to hang all  your decisions about anything in life on three working principles:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;" type="1">
<li><strong>Assess</strong>:       your current situation, your options, your goals</li>
<li><strong>Decide</strong>:       establish if you’re doing or not what you assessed, chose an option, chose       a path</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong>: walk your path, enjoy it, be there, be in the moment, in       the present, in the now and here</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I love how Dragos has laid out each section in this guide  and I have to say the most powerful part, for me, is the &#8216;decide&#8217; part of this.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I am of the strong belief that life begins and ends with a  decision, if we can&#8217;t decide what to do in life we will stagnate.  However the beauty in the guide is that it  gives you the steps before and after the decision, which makes the decision and  after effects of the decision so much easier.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There&#8217;s two other aspects that Dragos goes on to talk about  in this framework and it&#8217;s about <strong>Focus</strong> and <strong>Flow. </strong>I found myself nodding my head as I was  reading these sections and just saying to myself  &#8216;that&#8217;s great&#8217; &#8216;perfect&#8217; or &#8216;I never thought  about it that way before&#8217;.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The guide also covers the imbalances of each part of the  framework, which again I found myself nodding enthusiastically about &#8211; things  like: Analysis Paralysis &#8211; Too much assessing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I thought the theoretical side of the guide covered a lot of  ground and gives a detailed description of a great framework in which to live  our lives.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The practical</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The practical side covers how we can apply the theory to our  lives in general and again this was comprehensive and very enlightening.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Topics covered are: Asess-Decide-Do (ADD) for relationships,  ADD for Personal Crisis Management (this was a great section), Add and Inbox  Zero (this section made me rethink a lot of things about getting things done).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">One of the best sections, for me, in the guide was when  Dragos spoke about Deadlines:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever really  thought what is the meaning of the word “deadline”? It has the word “death” in  it. Never wondered why? Because a deadline is a line of death. Once you meet  that line, you kill the task. You take its life away. You conquered it. You  extended your presence onto its territory, occupied it and now you have the  right to eliminate it from your system. That’s a highly motivating psychology.  Also, it’s a very disempowering one.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This for me was a bit of a revelation.   Dragos goes on to speak about a great concept he terms as having  &#8216;Livelines&#8217; instead of deadlines.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The practical side of the guide has so much more in it including  natural Productivity, sorry Dragos I am trying not give away too much but  there&#8217;s so much good stuff  I don&#8217;t want  to leave out.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">The iAdd</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you&#8217;re an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad user this sections will be for  you.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Dragos has created an app for the ADD framework (coded it himself as  well, smart arse <img src='http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />  )</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">he gives a comprehensive overview on exactly how to use the iAdd app,  but I am not going to review that here as, being honest, I was not interested  in this section as I don&#8217;t own any of the above.  However my sons does and I bought the app for  him and he thinks it&#8217;s a &#8216;great little app&#8217;.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">In conclusion</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There have been many life management tools out there and many I have  read, but Dragos&#8217; ADD framework is by far the easiest and most powerful one I  have started incorporating into my life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you want to learn more about the ADD framework you can download the <a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/recommends/Natural_Productivity/">Assess-Decide-Do framework  guide here</a> (affiliate link)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you decide to buy this guide I will make a commission, however I  would never review a product if I thought it was not going to benefit you.</p>
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		<title>The Most Powerful Productivity Technique Ever</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/the-most-powerful-productivity-techniques-ever/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/the-most-powerful-productivity-techniques-ever/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:21:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buddhist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mindfulness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/?p=1966</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This might be one of the shortest posts I have ever written, but there&#8217;s a reason for it.  The reason is that the technique I am about to share with you is so simple, yet so profoundly life changing that it need only be explained within a few sentences. We are all looking for ways [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">This might be one of the shortest posts I have ever written, but there&#8217;s a reason for it.  The reason is that the technique I am about to share with you is so simple, yet so profoundly life changing that it need only be explained within a few sentences.</p>
<p>We are all looking for ways of being more productive and cutting out time wasting activities in our lives.  There have been countless books written about it, countless blogs blogging about it, and countless gurus doing seminars on it.</p>
<p>Well, here is the one most powerful methods for being the most productive person you will ever be:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Work as if you are being audited,</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">and have to explain every single</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">minute of your day.</h1>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<p>That&#8217;s it.  I can guarantee you that this technique alone will double your rate of productivity.</p>
<h2>The technique works in two ways:</h2>
<h4>Notice time leakages</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Working as if you have to account for all your time and explaining yourself will let you see exactly where you waste time.  When you know where you are wasting time you can cut the practice out.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">Being mindful</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When you work like this you are being what Buddhists call &#8216;mindful&#8217;.  You are focusing on the work you are doing and talking to yourself about it:</p>
<p>&#8216;I am on the internet.  Why? I shouldn&#8217;t be on it I am being audited, I&#8217;ll get back to writing my notes up.&#8217; All day long, you are constantly being mindful of what you are doing.  this is extremely powerful, as this is not a normal occurance.  Our mind wanders all over the place.  the technique above will stop it from wandering and help it to focus on what you deem important.</p>
<p>Of course you have to be disciplined to be mindful, but the more you practice the better you become.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/sponsor_post/" target="_blank"><img name="" src="http://cyt-images.s3.amazonaws.com/SponsorThisPost.jpg" width="347" height="346" alt=""/></a></center><center></center></p>
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		<title>Productive Magazine by Michael Sliwinski</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/productive-magazine-by-michael-sliwinski/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/productive-magazine-by-michael-sliwinski/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[david allen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting things done]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael sliwinski]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zen to done]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/?p=478</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Michael Sliwinski founder of Nozbe and editor of Productive Magazine has just released the first issue of Productive magazine and I have to say it looks fantastic.   There are 17 articles in the first issue and the one headlining the magazine is an Interview with David Allen by Oliver Starr.  The great thing about this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify">Michael Sliwinski founder of Nozbe and editor of Productive  Magazine has just released the first issue of Productive magazine and I have  to say it looks fantastic.   There are 17 articles in the first issue and  the one headlining the magazine is an Interview with David Allen by Oliver Starr.  The great thing about this professionally  produced magazine is that it’s absolutely free to download.</p>
<p>The magazine is in PDF format but looks like a professional  magazine and it’s obvious that Michael and his team has put in a lot of time and effort into  producing this.  It’s not your normal PDF  download.</p>
<p>As I said there are 17 articles on productivity and how you  can get more done in your life and the list of blog authors is impressive.</p>
<ul>
<li><a title="Alex Shalman Blog" href="http://www.alexshalman.com/blog/">Alex Shalman Blog</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Michael and James about GTD and Productivity" href="http://blackbeltproductivity.net">Black Belt Productivity</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Steven Aitchison" href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/">Change your thoughts</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Brett Kelly" href="http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/">Cranking Widgets</a></li>
<li><a title="David Allen Company web site" href="http://www.davidco.com">David Allen Company</a></li>
<li><a title="Official Getting Things Done blog" href="http://www.gtdtimes.com/">GTD Times</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Chanpory Rith" href="http://www.lifeclever.com">LifeClever</a></li>
<li><a title="Marc and Angel Hack a Life" href="http://www.marcandangel.com/">Marc and Angel Hack a Life</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by the editor - Michael Sliwinski" href="http://www.sliwinski.biz">Michael Sliwinski on Productivity</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by James" href="http://www.organizeit.co.uk/">Organize IT</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Chief Happiness Officer - Alexander Kjerluf" href="http://positivesharing.com/">Positive Sharing</a></li>
<li><a title="Productivity blog by Mark W. Shead" href="http://www.productivity501.com/">Productivity 501</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Stephen Smith" href="http://hdbizblog.com/blog/">Productivity in Context</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Nick Cernis" href="http://putthingsoff.com/">Put Things off</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nozbe.com/blog" target="_blank">Simply Get Things Done with Nozbe</a></li>
<li><a title="Blog by Gretchen Gubin" href="http://happiness-project.com/">The Happiness Project</a></li>
<li><a title="Un clutter you life by Erin Doland" href="http://www.unclutterer.com">Unclutterer</a></li>
<li><a title="Zen Habits by Leo Babauta" href="http://www.zenhabits.net/">Zen Habits</a></li>
</ul>
<p align="justify">You can head over just now and check it out by clicking this  link <a href="http://productivemagazine.com/2008/11/1st-productive-magazine-launched/">Productive  Magazine by Michael Sliwinski</a></p>
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		<title>How to wash dishes</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-wash-dishes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-wash-dishes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting things done]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grouping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to wash dishes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[making chores easy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[multitasking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tasking made easy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tasks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/?p=437</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Did you ever have to wash dishes when you were younger as part of your chores? I did and I hated it until I found a quick way to do it.  At this point you might think I’ve lost it and am actually going to write a post on how to wash dishes, well I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Did you ever have to wash dishes when you were younger as  part of your chores? I did and I hated it until I found a quick way to do  it.  At this point you might think I’ve  lost it and am actually going to write a post on how to wash dishes, well I am  and I’m not, keep reading you’ll see what I mean.</p>
<p align="justify">When I had to wash the dishes I done it haphazardly, wash a  knife here, wash a dish there and consequently it took me ages to do them and  they weren’t done properly.  I was then shown  a way to do them which seemed to make the chore less of a chore and I would zip  through doing the dishes.  Now I have  shown my children how to do the dishes properly they see it as less of a chore  as well (no we don’t have a dishwasher thank goodness).  My son said he done his homework the same way   I showed him how to do the dishes, when I  asked him to explain I thought the intelligence required to link dishes with  doing homework was amazing and I told him so.   Having expanded on it a little more you could apply washing dishes  system to anything in life.</p>
<h3><strong>How to wash dishes</strong></h3>
<p align="justify"><strong>Pre-preparation</strong></p>
<p>About 10 minutes after dinner, in my house, you’ll always  hear me shouting through ‘who’s not rinsed their plate off?’ and one of the  boys will come trundling through and rinsing their dinner plate off under the  tap.  Rinsing the plate will obviously  make washing the dishes a lot easier, especially if they sit for half an hour  before they are washed and dried.</p>
<p>So it is with any chore or task, pre-preparation is a good  habit to get into.  Imagine you’ve been  given a report to write for next week, you have a thousand other things to do  so can’t do it right away.  What you can  do right away is a little pre-preparation.   You quickly skim the task and find out what it is about and in your mind  what you will have to do to prepare it, you write this down and put it in with  the folder for the next time you pick it up.   What this does is sets unconscious triggers in your mind and your mind  starts to work on the report without you doing anything.  It keeps it fresh in your mind and when you  sit down to do the report a lot of the work has already been done, without you  even knowing it all because you’ve done a little pre-preparation.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Preparation</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>So the dishes have been rinsed half an hour before they are  due to be washed.  The next stage is  preparation.  This involves making sure  all the cups are emptied before washing, any bowls have been rinsed, the sink  is cleaned before washing , all the dishes are grouped together and the right  amount of hot water and washing up liquid is put in before starting.</p>
<p>This preparation is applied to any task.  It is a vital component of reducing any  stress when starting a task.  You get  everything ready before starting any task.   I work as a homeless tenancy support worker and I see about 30 clients  week who are at various stages of homelessness.   My week is prioritised and I see the ones who need a lot of work done on  a Monday and Tuesday and I prepare any paperwork that they might need done or  any information they might need before going to see them.  This could involve filling out a benefits  form, getting more information on an education course, or helping them with an  application for funding for furniture.   Then I group the clients together in order of area as I have to cover an  area of possibly 100 square miles in a week, grouping them makes it quicker and  easier to get through all the work required. Every single task in the world  requires preparation, if no preparation is done then time, money and energy is  wasted which causes undue stress.  I always  leave about 90 minutes per day in case of emergencies and for writing notes.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>The task</strong></p>
<p align="justify">Now it’s time for the dishes to be washed.  These are done in groups; cutlery first,  plates, cups, glasses and then pots and pans.   Grouping makes them easier to stack and quicker to get through.  Each dish is washed and then rinsed to make  sure there is no dirt, if there’s still a little dirt it is then washed and  rinsed again.  To make the task a little  less of a chore I remember playing games in my head when washing dishes.  I used to play cutlery Olympics whereby all  the cutlery was  put in the sink and I wanted  to see if the knifes, forks or spoons would win the gold medal i.e. what one  would finish being washed first, there were four possible winners as the spoons  had teaspoons in them as well. I always willed for the underdog and hoped the  teaspoons would win, I don’t know why but the teaspoons always used to come  last and the knifes or forks used to win.</p>
<p align="justify">When writing articles I use the same method as above.  I group my writing tasks on subject.  So if I have 5 articles to write and two of  them are on self help, two on property, and one on making money online, I group  the and write them in order of groups.  I  also find photos to go with each.  To make  the task more interesting I try and finish as quickly as I can without  compromising on quality.  I then re-read  the articles and make sure they are okay and feel okay to publish.  This often involves, in fact, always, involve  a little re-writing.  I then publish them  to various blogs, or compile an ebook or send out to a newsletter group.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Post task<br />
</strong><br />
The dishes have now all been washed and rinsed and stacked  on the rack.  It’s time for a  cleanup.  This involves cleaning any  water and soap bubbles off the sink area, cleaning the sink out and rinsing out  the sink.  Voila dishes are done in  record time and the forks have won the gold medal again.</p>
<p align="justify">Going back to writing articles, after I have completed checked,  and published  them I always save the  files to somewhere I can find them quickly and easily.  I also answer any queries via email on the various  articles or any blog responses, although I have become a bit lax with this  lately.  I then sit back and chill out  knowing I have done a good job and done it to the best of my ability.</p>
<p>Now, go and get the dishes done!</p>
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		<title>8 Ways to get out of the rut</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/8-ways-to-get-out-of-the-rut/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/8-ways-to-get-out-of-the-rut/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 May 2008 07:43:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Goal setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consciousness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stuck in a rut]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/05/17/8-ways-to-get-out-of-the-rut/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week I went to a football game with a good friend, Celtic v Hibernian. He had tickets for the executive lounge at Celtic Park and asked if I wanted to come along. I was hesitant at first, knowing that family time is at a premium as I work a lot of hours between my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-4378" href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/05/17/8-ways-to-get-out-of-the-rut/stuck_in_a_rut-3/"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-4378" title="stuck_in_a_rut" src="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/stuck_in_a_rut2-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>Last week I went to a football game with a good friend,  Celtic v Hibernian.  He had tickets for  the executive lounge at Celtic Park and asked if I wanted to come along.  I was hesitant at first, knowing that family  time is at a premium as I work a lot of hours between my job and my online  work.  I was also hesitant as I hadn’t  been out without the family for a while.   It might sound crazy but I had gotten so used to going out with my  family whenever I had free time that I was a bit apprehensive about going out  with a friend and meeting new people.  It  turns out the day was fantastic and we were treated to a champagne breakfast,  the game and dinner.  I have followed  Celtic for years, I’m not a true supporter, but my team won that day.  The atmosphere was amazing at the game and  the people we were sitting with were nice.</p>
<p>I had gotten into a rut, albeit a very nice rut, by being  with my family all the time.  When the  chance to step out of my, now, comfort zone, came along I took it and it was a  good feeling.  We are not anti-social  people we just want to spend most of our time together as a family as we know  the boys will be grown up and will not want us hanging around them in a few  years time.</p>
<p>A lot of us are stuck in a rut in a lot of areas of our  lives, whether it be work, relationships, friendships,   hobbies and our free time.</p>
<h3>Here are 8 ways to get out of the rut.</h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li>The first step is to recognise you are in a rut.  You will know this instinctively but maybe  not been able to put a name to it.  It’s  that feeling you get when you think you just can’t be bothered doing the same  thing that you’ve been doing for ages like going out drinking every weekend  with friends, being stuck in the house yourself every night, doing the same old  thing day in day out with your job.  When  you recognise this feeling, you can then do something about it.</li>
<li>Once you have recognised the feeling of being in a rut start  to think about what you can do to mix things up a little.  If you are used to going out drinking with  friends every weekend suggest something else you can do together or go and do  it yourself or with other friends.  If  your job is your rut , start thinking about what you want to do with your  life.  People are stuck in a rut as they  don’t know what else to do and haven’t really thought about doing something  different.</li>
<li>When you have thought about other things you can do in your  life start thinking about ways of implementing them and incorporating them into  your life.  It may be just a case that  you are stuck in a comfort zone and it can be scary breaking out of your  comfort zone.</li>
<li>‘Small moves Ellie, small moves’ (Contact, 1997), this is a  quote from one of my favourite films and it is so true when trying to get out  of a rut.  Some people like to change  their whole life and turn it upside down and that’s great if it works for you  but the period of adjustment can be overwhelming.  When you take it slowly and take ‘small moves’  to get out of a rut it is not so overwhelming and you can ease yourself gently  out of your comfort zone.</li>
<li>If your job is your rut start taking action to change  it.  Think about what you REALLY want to  do and start taking steps to getting there.   See in your minds eye the outcome and how you will feel when you reach  that outcome.  Your imagination and your  thoughts are key to change.</li>
<li>If your friends and your social life is your rut do  something different from the norm.  Sometimes  we outgrow our friends and it’s okay to make new friends, give yourself  permissions to do this.  It might be hard  for you and your old friends, but you have to recognise that you are growing  both spiritually and mentally and it can be good to have new friends.</li>
<li>Changing your routine can also be a good way to start  changing your life for the better.  If  you are used to getting up late every morning, rolling out of bed, going to  work, going back home, lying on the couch and falling asleep to TV try changing  this.  Get up early, yes you have to  force yourself, go for a walk and then relax until it’s time to go to  work.  This is a small change to a  routine but it can have a major impact on your life.  When you are up early and possibly walking you  start to think about other things you can change, when you think about this you  are more likely to act on your thoughts, when you act you will change.</li>
<li>If you are not used to being a sociable person start getting  yourself out there.  Even if you are  quiet, you can practice the art of small talk and get out of your comfort -zone  of being alone.</li>
</ol>
<p>We have to realise that being in a rut is down to our  thinking being in a rut, it’s not our lives it’s our thinking.  When you recognise you are in a rut you will  start to think of ways of doing something different.  When you think of something different to do  you will see in your imagination something new, when you can see it in your  mind it is possible to do it, when it is possible to do it it’s time to get out  and do it.</p>
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		<title>How to make true friends &#8211; Part 6 &#8211; Attracting the friends you want</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-make-true-friends-part-6-attracting-the-friends-you-want/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-make-true-friends-part-6-attracting-the-friends-you-want/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:39:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[law of attraction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manifestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manifesting your desires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soul mates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/04/14/how-to-make-true-friends-part-6-attracting-the-friends-you-want/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How to make true friends – Part 6 – Attracting the friends you want This is the 6th part of 7 in the how to make friends series. You can find the links to all the other parts of the series at the bottom of this article. Attracting the friends, you want To attract the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>How to make true friends – Part 6 – Attracting the friends  you want</p>
<p>This is the 6th part of 7 in the how to make friends  series.  You can find the links to all  the other parts of the series at the bottom of this article.</p>
<p><strong>Attracting the friends,  you want</strong></p>
<p>To attract the type of friends you want you will have to  know what type of friends you want to attract, makes sense doesn’t it.</p>
<p>Using the principles of manifestation you can attract to you  the type of friends you want in your life.</p>
<p><span id="more-351"></span></p>
<p>Although it sounds like another airy-fairy law of attraction  type of thing, I know this works as I have used it myself and have married my  best friend, my wife.  I used to imagine  what she looked like, what type of personality she had, how she would react in  certain situations etc I have also attracted business relationships this way,  friendships, online acquaintances and even readers to my blog.  I know it sounds sad thinking about the type  of readers you want to read your blog, but I am a bit weird that way.  ‘What’s really going to bake your noodle’ is  would you be here if I didn’t think about you reading this blog.</p>
<p><strong>How does it work?</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cytguides.com/MakingTrueFriends"><img class="alignleft" title="TrueFriends3D" src="../wp-content/uploads/TrueFriends3D.png" alt="" width="250" height="280" /></a>This is quite simple.   You think about the different attributes that you would like in a  friend; honest, strong minded, fun, attractive or whatever it is you are  looking for in a true friend.  You  imagine them and the different situations you would be in together and how they  would react if different situations.  You  imagine feeling a strong bond with them and having a lasting friendship.  Imagine yourselves together in years to come  and how your friendship will evolve.  You  imagine going to their parties, meeting up with your future partners, going  through difficult times with them.</p>
<p>You don’t go looking for friendships; your friends will come  to you when the time is right.</p>
<p><strong>Belief </strong></p>
<p>There is one huge condition to you attracting your friends  and potential partners and that is belief.   Belief that it will happen when the time is right.  This usually means getting rid of all your  negative emotions such as feeling lonely, feeling jealousy, hate, depressed;  all these feelings will hamper you in meeting your true friends or potential  partner. Why is this? When you body and mind is riddled with negative emotions  you are concentrating on yourself and your energy field will be low and not  very expansive.  When you have let go of  negative emotions your energy field will be much more expansive and far-reaching,  touching the lives of those you want to meet.   Have you ever come across someone who just radiates energy and they seem  to attract everyone around them? This will be because they have let go of their  inhibitions and their negative emotions.   These people are usually happy go lucky people and don’t really care  what other people think about them and can take people as they are and see they  positives in everyone.  Don’t get me  wrong you still get the people who attract everyone else around them due to  their self confidence and yes they may be nasty or unkind but this type of  person usually breaks down later on in their lives due to the masking of their  negative feelings and emotions.</p>
<p><strong>Does this sound like  a lot of rubbish?</strong></p>
<p>Of course it does, because for most of us we simply can’t  believe in a world that is interconnected and we are all at this very moment  touching each other’s energy.  If you don’t  believe it can work it won’t work.  For  some, like me, it took years to start believing in the power of thoughts and manifestation,  but it has changed my life in immeasurable ways and I can only pass on what I believe.  If you believe it’s a pile of cow dung, that’s  great I respect your opinion.  However, I  would urge you to try it for a week or two and really try to believe in it  before dismissing it.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/04/06/how-to-make-true-friends-%e2%80%93-part-5-%e2%80%93-get-out-of-self-deprecation-mode/">How to make true friends &#8211; Part 5 &#8211; Get out of self deprication mode</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/03/31/how-to-make-true-friends-part-4-body-language/">How to make true friends &#8211; part 4 &#8211; Body language</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/03/26/how-to-make-true-friends-part-3-the-art-of-honesty/">How to make true friends &#8211; part 3 &#8211; The art of honesty</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/03/21/how-to-make-true-friends-part-2-the-pride-of-loneliness/">How to make true friends &#8211; part 2 &#8211; The pride of loneliness</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/03/16/how-to-make-true-friends-part-1-know-yourself/">How to make true friends &#8211; part 1 &#8211; know yourself</a></p>
<h4>Other articles you may be interested in</h4>
<p><a href="http://streetsmartsmarketing.typepad.com/street_smarts_marketing_p/2008/04/can-attraction.html">Can attraction principles work to build your business? &#8211; Street smarts</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.evolvingtimes.com/2007/05/law-of-attraction-carnival-18-relationships.htm">Law of attraction carnival: Relationships and the law of attraction &#8211; Evolving Times</a></p>
<p><a href="http://theordinarymystic.com/blog/improving-relationship-the-law-of-attraction-a-first-step/">Improving relationships &#8211; the Ordinary Mystic</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.todayisthatday.com/blog/can-you-save-your-relationship-with-the-law-of-attraction/">Can you save your relationships with the law of attraction &#8211; Today is that day</a></p>
<p><a href="http://veryhappyhuman.blogspot.com/2008/04/manifestation-exercise-14-how-to.html">How to attract and create a happier love relationshipn &#8211; Very happy human</a></p>
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		<title>How to become a better person at work</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-become-a-better-person-at-work/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/how-to-become-a-better-person-at-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:21:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Karl Staib</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karl staib]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work life]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/03/23/how-to-become-a-better-person-at-work/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A job is so much more than helping a corporation or a boss earn more money. There are many levels to work that people miss out on because they&#8217;re too caught up in their goals. I don’t advocate blowing off your goals, but I encourage everyone to find other aspects that help them enjoy their [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify">A  job is so much more than helping a corporation or a boss earn more money. There  are many levels to work that people miss out on because they&#8217;re too caught up  in their goals. I don’t advocate blowing off your goals, but I encourage  everyone to find other aspects that help them enjoy their work and become  better at their job.</p>
<p align="justify">Most  people want to accomplish the tasks that they are assigned, but there are many  ways to get the job done as well as increase your enjoyment at work.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Phone Skills</strong></p>
<p align="justify">I  disliked talking on the phone. I thought it was a waste of time, until I began  to improve my skills. When my communication became more fluent I began to enjoy  trying to improve the mood of the person on the other end of the line. I  stopped worrying about my own mistakes and became a better listener. I would  ask them how their family was or how their day was going, trying to make the  conversation more dynamic rather than just asking how many units they were  shipping me, thanks, good bye.</p>
<p><span id="more-342"></span></p>
<p align="justify">Next  time you are about to get on the phone, give yourself a little goal. It may be  to have a clear conversation or to try a joke to get the other person to laugh.  I find self deprecating jokes work really well over the phone.</p>
<p align="justify">You’ll  notice that when you challenge yourself to improve the happiness of the person  on the other end of the line, you’ll be more likely to extract joy from the  situation.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Public Speaking</strong></p>
<p align="justify">Speaking  to groups of people used to be as frightening as being trapped in a room full  of snakes. It still makes my heart beat pick up its pace, but I’ve learned to  push past these uncomfortable feelings by volunteering for presentations. I  wanted to improve my speaking skills, and the only way to do that was to jump  in front of a crowd and give it my best.</p>
<p align="justify">If  you have trouble speaking to groups of people, then try looking at it from  different angles. Fear is only one emotion out of many that may occur when  speaking to groups.  You need to stop  labeling this feeling with just one word: “fear.” Try rephrasing it with  “excitement” or “high energy.” You&#8217;ll open yourself up to new ways of defining  your emotions, which should help you get out in front of people.</p>
<p align="justify">I  had an old <a href="http://www.toastmasters.org/">Toastmasters</a> friend tell me, “If you don’t take the  opportunity to speak to groups, then you aren’t giving people all the knowledge  that can help them become better.” A good public speaker is there for himself  as well as the audience. You can learn to improve your communication skills as  well as impart wisdom on to the audience.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Knowledge</strong></p>
<p align="justify">I’ve  always been an advocate of continuous learning. It brings fresh ideas to an  organization and lets employees know that the company wants them to succeed.</p>
<p align="justify">Many  companies are also catching on to the dynamic work environment because it keeps  people motivated. When people learn other co-worker&#8217;s jobs, they are able to  learn more about the business, which makes them more valuable and allows them  to satisfy their curiosity. People love to know how co-workers and managers do  their jobs.</p>
<p align="justify">Your  company may not give you much training or prepare you for different jobs, but  you can still extract plenty of information yourself. Don’t be afraid to talk  to a co-worker or a manager who has a set of skills that you admire. Ask them  if you can help them for a few hours. They may see that you care about the  company and it could give you a better chance for promotion. You will probably  be surprised by how many people could use a hand to knock out some of their work.  Knowledge at work is everywhere, if you allow  the curiosity to come out.</p>
<p align="justify">There  are thousands of ways to enjoy a job besides just reaching sales goals or  finishing projects. It’s up to you to implement creative ideas that help you  accomplish your job, but also inject a little enjoyment and improvement into  your work.</p>
<p align="justify">What  is your favorite way to enjoy your job that wouldn’t be in your job  description?</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>About the author </strong></p>
<p align="justify"><em>Karl Staib writes  about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog:<strong> Work Happy Now!</strong> If you enjoyed this article, you may like to </em><a href="http://www.workhappynow.com/feed/">subscribe to his feed</a><em> or read one of his most popular articles, </em><a href="http://www.workhappynow.com/2008/02/20/7-tips-to-process-your-stress-faster/">7  Tips to Process Your Stress Faster</a><em> and </em><a href="http://www.workhappynow.com/2008/03/12/8-mental-boosts-that-never-fail/">8  Mental Boosts that Never Fail</a><em>.</em></p>
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		<title>8 Ways to take action now</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/8-ways-to-take-action-now/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/8-ways-to-take-action-now/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:34:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steven Aitchison</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[analysis paralysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[get off your arse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting things done]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOYA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/01/31/8-ways-to-take-action-now/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Life can become a movie sometimes where we are the ones sitting back and watching life pass us by. We have many ideas to make our lives better but we seem to be stuck in an inertia phase. If you don’t take action, you will regret it, whatever it is you need to take action [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify">Life can become a movie sometimes where we are the ones  sitting back and watching life pass us by.   We have many ideas to make our lives better but we seem to be stuck in  an inertia phase.</p>
<p align="justify">If you don’t take action, you will regret it, whatever it is  you need to take action for.  You are  someone who is filled with the get up and go to change your life in so many  fantastic ways if only you would get up and do something about it.</p>
<p align="justify">Here are 8 ways you can get up and take action:</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Wipe the slate clean  – </strong>If you have too many projects on the go, clear them all and start from  scratch.  When you have wiped the slate  clean, concentrate on thing at a time until it’s finished and then move onto  the next.  If you can’t clear everything,  just drop them temporarily, concentrate on one thing until it’s finished and  then move on.  You will find you move a  lot quicker through everything you need to get done.</p>
<p><span id="more-326"></span></p>
<p align="justify"><strong>List everything – </strong>Make  a list of everything you would like to do, whether it be cleaning the house to  taking the dog a walk.  Write it down.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prioritise</strong> – Pick  the most important thing you have to do for the day, or week or year, and then  pick the next most important thing and so on until you have reached the bottom  off your list.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Eliminate distraction  – </strong>No I don’t mean kill your partner! Eliminate the things you do from day  to day that distracts you from taking action for example TV, books,  computer.  When you eliminate distractions,  your mind wants something to do and this makes you more inclined to take action  on the things you want or need to do.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Take a day off – </strong>Maybe  a bit contradictory this one. It’s a simple piece of advice but one that is  hard to do.  Just take a whole day off,  the world will still turn, the work will get done and nobody will die because  you are not there.  You will come back  refreshed and ready to take action again which means you will be a lot more  productive than you would have been should you have kept going.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Clear the clutter – </strong>Clearing  the clutter, whether it be from your desk, your house, or your wardrobe.  When there is clutter in your life there is  clutter in your mind, clearing the clutters clears your mind.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Analysis paralysis – </strong>This  is the term given to people who are analysing things too much and it keeps them  from moving on. Stop analysing and just do it.   There comes a time when you have to stop evaluating something and just  bite the bullet and do it, if it doesn’t work out do something else and start  again.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Change the narrator  of your thoughts – </strong>Do your thoughts predominantly sound like Elmer Fud on  dope; ‘Yeah, I have to get up but I can’t be arsed, I’ll do it tomorrow’.  Change Elmer Fud to someone who gets you  going, someone who can motivate you into doing something.  It can be anybody from your best mate to your  wife or a film star, anybody as long as they can motivate you.  This can be quite amusing and the results can  be great.</p>
<p align="justify">&nbsp;</p>
<p align="justify">&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>10 Ways to stay productive</title>
		<link>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/10-ways-to-stay-productive/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/10-ways-to-stay-productive/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:12:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlie Ambler</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gettings things done]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2008/01/27/10-ways-to-stay-productive/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Once you&#8217;ve started leading a successful productive lifestyle, it&#8217;s very important to be able to stick with it. All that hard work getting there, and now you need to be able to continue getting things done. Here are 10 ways to stay productive in the long term: 10. Budget your work Just as you would [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Once  you&#8217;ve started leading a successful productive lifestyle, it&#8217;s very important  to be able to stick with it. All that hard work getting there, and now you need  to be able to continue getting things done. Here are 10 ways to stay productive  in the long term:</p>
<h4>10.  Budget your work</h4>
<p>Just as  you would budget your money, budget your work. Decide what you need to get done  versus what you want to get done. Split your work up into 3 categories:</p>
<p>* What I must do now<br />
* What I must do later<br />
* How much time will each of these tasks take?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s  important through this routine to stay happy and not become a workaholic,  because that defeats the purpose of personal growth through productivity. Be  sure to budget your work and give yourself some downtime. However, don&#8217;t put  down an important task while you&#8217;re still in the middle of it. Finish, and then  relax.</p>
<h4>9. Stay  organized</h4>
<p><span id="more-325"></span></p>
<p>Personally,  I believe that organization and productivity go hand in hand. If you&#8217;re the  type of person that keeps a clean desk and living area, then chances are you&#8217;re  the type of person that gets things done efficiently and effectively.</p>
<h4>8.  Believe in yourself</h4>
<p>This is  important for anything you do. Remind yourself that you can accomplish  something if you put your mind to it. This is usually easier to do if you&#8217;ve  worked on a solid goal-setting routine so you have an idea of what you want to  accomplish.</p>
<p>7. Set  goals<br />
As I  just mentioned, an effective goal-setting routine is a great way to keep  yourself in a good attitude about finishing things.  Set little goals for  yourself throughout your working routine, as well as bigger goals to work  toward.  This will make staying productive fun, easy, and even more  productive.</p>
<h4>6.   Think productive thoughts</h4>
<p>I&#8217;m sure  you&#8217;ve noticed how I&#8217;ve been saying the word &#8216;productive&#8217; somewhat redundantly  throughout this article.  That&#8217;s because I feel that the more you put  thoughts of productivity into your head, the better your working experience  will be!  It&#8217;s better thinking about what you&#8217;re working on than thinking  &#8216;what&#8217;s on TV tonight?&#8217; or &#8216;I wonder how many diggs my story  has..?&#8217;.  It goes without saying that when you&#8217;re determined to  get things done, you tend to do a better job than when you&#8217;re determined to  procrastinate.</p>
<h4>5.   Enjoy what you&#8217;re doing</h4>
<p>We want  to make the good things last, right?  This is why you should make your  mindset positive about getting things done.  Allow yourself to find the  fun and enjoyment in being productive, rather than focusing on the cons.   You&#8217;ll want to stick with something if you&#8217;re having fun doing it.</p>
<h4>4.   Be satisfied with your downtime</h4>
<p>Make  sure that what you&#8217;re doing in your free time is beneficial to your  happiness.  It&#8217;s much better to spend time with family or friends than to  sit around and hang out alone.  If you&#8217;ve enjoyed the time you&#8217;ve had with  the special people in your life, you&#8217;re more likely to be <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=103472&amp;c=ib&amp;aff=4500" class="kblinker" title="More about confident &raquo;">confident</a> and  satisfied about getting back to work.</p>
<h4>3.   Stay healthy!</h4>
<p>No one  can be productive if they&#8217;re sick or feeling crumby, right?  It&#8217;s  extremely important to keep a good diet and healthy lifestyle.  Go to the  gym or go for a run every day or two and establish solid, healthy eating  habits.  Not only will this make you more productive, it will keep you  happy and free from anxiety.</p>
<h4>2.   Relax</h4>
<p>Don&#8217;t  get stressed out about your work.  Handle the situation maturely and  positively by staying calm while getting things done.  Your life is  important, so don&#8217;t waste your time and enjoyment worrying about the little  things.</p>
<h4>1.   Do what works for you</h4>
<p>Use  these tips in your daily productive life, of course, but also personalize the  working plan.  Try out different things and see what ones work for  you.  Everyone is different, and we all have unique ways of getting things  done.  The best favor you can do for yourself is use this post as a guide  to help you along the way while implementing your own productive habits into  your lifestyle.</p>
<p>If we  want to be &#8216;productive people&#8217; it&#8217;s important to stay productive once we&#8217;ve  started.  No working routine is going to stick if you haven&#8217;t gone to  proper measures to keep it going.  Remind yourself of these steps when  you&#8217;re working to help you stay productive, happy, and healthy.  So, keep  moving along the productivity path, and enjoy it!</p>
<p><strong>About The Author</strong></p>
<p>Charlie is a student who writes personal development related articles.  He  focusses on positive thinking, productivity and zen related subjects in his  posts and also adds in helpful tips on how to integrate technology into  developing a positive living experience.  Check out his blog at <a href="http://ich4z.blogspot.com/">ich4z.blogspot.com/</a> you will no doubt be hearing a lot more from him in the future.</p>
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