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Why Working Long, Hard Hours Gets You Behind (?)

I was at a dinner party the other day and observed the following fascinating exchange (names have been changed to protect the innocent ):
Cheryl is enjoying her wine and poking away at her Blackberry when she notices her acquantance Jude had just arrived. Cheryl gets up and walks over to Jude. They greet eachother with a hug’s and hello’s. Jude asks, “Hey! How [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

How to Help Great Productivity Blogs Get Discovered

It is my observation that writers of niche blogs have a fairly predictable shelf life.  Most non-news-telling bloggers that see some early successes last a good 2-3 years before they stop posting. Most of the time the value posts are made within the first 12 months and it goes downhill from there. (Side tip: whenever you discover a new blog [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

My Scandelous Confession and A Royal Rant About GTD

I have a confession to make. Actually, I’m pretty sure most lovers of GTD have a similar confession, but first I need to start by expressing some assumptions about most of us who are reading this right now (and feel free to challenge any of these via comments).
Most of Us…
Most of us have read Getting [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

On New Beginnings (And More About Your Host)

Now that Brett has officialy retired from productivity blogging, I’m sure long-time readers are wondering what will come of The Cranking Widgets Blog. The short answer is easy: CW is, and will continue to be, mainly about productivity. There is, however, a long answer.
What a blogger blogs about and the spin they put on topics will always be driven by their own experiences, [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

About two years ago, I first laid my hands on a copy of Getting Things Done by David Allen. I tore through it and feebly decided that I wanted to share my discoveries and ideas with the world, so this blog was born.
There have definitely been ups and downs. I went from posting like a [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

How to Use Basecamp and Backback In Perfect Harmony

I’ve read a lot of posts out there in the blogosphere trying to answer whether Basecamp or Backpack is the best solution for managing projects. The fact is that there is no reason that you should have to, or want to, choose one over the other. I have been using both for about a year [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

How to Chill Out

With all of this talk of accomplishing tasks, people like you and me can easily lose sight of one of the great pleasures of life. Freaking relaxing.I can tell you that I am usually finding myself consulting lists and checking inboxes when I should be enjoying the movie I’m watching or the book I’m reading. [...]

[ More ] September 5th, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Productivity |

9/3/09: Top Career Posts this Week

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about learning what you’re good at, bold [...]

[ More ] September 3rd, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Career & Mentoring |

More Irrational Behavior

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER
Title: Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
Competencies: marketing, sales, customer service, communication skills, judgment, decision-making, performance management, self-development
Who benefits: this book has a general appeal
Consultant Usage: excellent background for career counselors, financial consultants, executive coaches
What’s it about? This is the last book on my summer reading list.  Like the other [...]

[ More ] September 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Leadership & Wellness |

You could be management material if

Randstad’s World of Work Report for 2009 is titled: “Managers of Tomorrow.” It’s based on responses of over 2000 workers. Some of the findings have got HR folks all over sitting up, taking notice, and asking questions.
52 percent of those surveyed felt there were not enough qualified managers in their organizations.
45 percent felt there would [...]

[ More ] September 1st, 2009 | Comments Off | Posted in Career & Mentoring |