Matt Clark Unplugged

10 Tips to More Productivity

// May 6th, 2011 // No Comments » // Personal Development

There has been a lot of talk about productivity at work. I mean let’s face it how much work do you feel you get done after a full day at the office? Here is 10 tips to supercharge your day and increase your productivity so you can work less and play more.

1. Plan a week in advance. Take sometime prior to the start of a new week and look at what you really hope to accomplish for that week. Slot in some time for you to complete those goals.
2. Plan your day. Now  that  you have a good overview of what you want to accomplish for the week you can plan your day with some real action steps to get it done.
3. Turn off the email. If you really want to get stuff done stop checking your email. Try to set 2 to 3 time slots in the day that you check your email. Then check it respond to what you have to and use something like labels or reminders to come back to things that will take a little more time.
4. Stop the meetings. Yes that is right meetings are one of the biggest time sucks in your work day. Here is a great video on the idea of being productive at work. If you really need to have one keep it to a minimal and have a clear agenda with the goal of coming to a decision by the end of it. Also, include only those that really need to be there. Most meetings can be reduced to a 10 minute conversation with the main decision makings talking it out.
5. Take a break. Plan to get up at least every two hours and do a quick walk or stretch. If you can a 30 min workout will really get the energy flowing again. Here is a great post with some ideas for taking a short break.
6. Avoid the phone. Try to use more passive ways of communication like email or chat. Then you can be direct with your question and allow the person to respond when they have time. You are not breaking up their day.
7. Work from somewhere other than the office. If your office is a constant source of distraction book some time out and go somewhere else. I find coffee shops great, they have wi-fi and no one bothers me.
8. Leave the mobile alone. Just like email if you are busy don not answer the phone or check the text message. It will break up your flow in what you are working on. And it will take at least another 15 minutes to get back to the flow you were at prior to taking the call or text.
9. Reward yourself for getting work done. Make plans for the free time you are going to create by being super productive. Don’t just keep working, we need to play a little bit to get the juices recharged.
10. Find your productive time and plan around it. Track when you are the most focused and productive then plan complex tasks and work around this time.

What tips do you have for being more productive?

So You Think You Are Rich? 12 Signs Of The Rich

// November 13th, 2010 // 6 Comments » // Personal Development, Success Tips

We all have many ways that we use to measure our success or prosperity. Some look to their riches, others to their relationships etc. However, to have a truly prosperous abundant life we have to have balance and abundance in many areas of our life.

One of my favorite books is Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Affiliate Link), he talks about true prosperity or riches. It is not always what we think the sign of riches would be. Here is a list of 12 things that designate true life prosperity.

1. A Positive Mental Attitude
2. Sound Physical Health
3. Harmony in Human Relations
4. Freedom from Fear
5. The Hope of Future Achievement
6. The Capacity for Applied Faith
7. Willingness to Share Ones Blessings with Others
8. Engaged in a Labour of Love
9. An Open Mind on all Subjects and towards all People
10. Complete Self Discipline
11. Wisdom to Understand People
12. Financial Security

Notice that Financial Security is last on the list, I found this very interesting but after reviewing the list it made great sense. Financial security means nothing if you do not have the other beliefs and attitudes in the list. You will not be able to enjoy or share the financial prosperity.

What order would you rate the list, leave your comments and share what you feel are measures of true life prosperity.

15 Ways to Motivate Yourself

// October 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Personal Development, Success Tips

Many things can be said about motivation, and many things work for motivation. However as we get into the realm of working for ourselves it is easy to find ways to sidetrack ourselves from doing what keeps us moving towards our goals.

We have to remember that we are as humans destine to find challenge and obstacles in our lives. It is what keeps our fires burning and always seeking to improve on how things are. (more…)

You Get What You Focus On

// May 7th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Personal Development

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You get what you focus on. How many have heard that? Seems simple right? But, often the simpler they appear the deeper they run. We need to pull back the layers and find the true meaning.

For instance, you are focused on a getting a new car. It is the perfect car for you. You want that car badly. You have laser beam focus. Since your focus is on strong desire, the results is that you get more of that. More desire, more longing.

Now, what if your current circumstances predict that you are not able get that car right now. You begin to think of the lack of not having the resources to get the car. Again, you are getting more of what your mind is focused on. More feelings of lack, more circumstances that keep you from receiving that new car.

So, what can you do differently? Instead of focusing on your outgoing desire for the car, you instead focus on the internal emotions of having the car. Replay how it feels to have the car. Your mind will behave in alignment with your new thinking. You will begin to attract things, people, and circumstances that will lead you to having the car. It is a subtle difference, a difference that brings the successful use of the Law of Attraction to you.

You get what you focus on, so be careful of the way you focus. Be conscious of your consciousness.

What have you been focusing on that is keeping you from what you desire?

Balance in Your Life

// April 30th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Daily Insight, Personal Development

Are you looking to find Balance in your life and not sure how to do it?

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What does that word mean to you? Many of us seek balance in our lives and sometimes it seems it is just not possible. We juggle our career, family, personal life and usually one area of our life suffers. What is balance, how can we achieve balance in our family and personal life when most people spend 80% of their waking hours at work.

Balance to me is not one or the other it is both. You see to achieve balance in your life you need to move with the flow of your life and your feelings. We need to stop flowing with the external circumstance that are put on us and move inside to our internal flow and what our feelings are telling us. This is the true guidance system of life and such the path to finding balance in all areas of our lives.

Your feelings are the gauge of the balance in your life. When something feels good and right and we are enjoying it, that it is our feelings telling us that this is right and to continue doing more of it. When something feels forced and uncomfortable, that is time to move your focus in another direction. The thing is that if we enjoy something and we continue to do it we bring more of what we enjoy into our lives and the lives of the people around us.

This does not mean if you enjoy watching TV, you just sit on the couch and watch TV. Sooner or later our feelings will let us know that it is time to move to something else. If you disregard that feeling you will notice that sitting around is not so much fun anymore and eventually for most of us we will get off our duff and go do something.

If we can trust our feelings and come from a place of seeking balance and joy in all areas of our life our internal guidance system will work as long as we trust in it. That guidance system is accurate, we just need to listen and go with the flow!

Think of it as a GPS, many of us may have used a GPS and we trust the directions it gives and we find our destination. If you tell yourself you want balance in your life, trust the directions of your feelings and you will reach your destination.

Some tips for learning to listen to your feelings:

1. Ask yourself in the moment what you are feeling, joyful, happy, excited or mad, angry, frustrated. If it is the first feelings of a good and joyful state keep doing more of that, have fun and go for it. When you feel that you are not having fun anymore and you notice that things are forced, it is time to take a break and move to something else.
2. Take time to be in the moment, the only way you can listen to your feelings is to be in-tune with the current moment you are in. If you are thinking of the past or the future your mind is so focused elsewhere you will be late on picking up your feelings until your body is overwhelmed. This leads to stress, frustration, and sometimes illness. Live now, in the moment, it is truly where everything happens.

Balance, how do you find it in your life? Share your tips for our readers!