Lists, lists, and lists of lists

p 5 daily priorities. The mother of all lists is your daily to-do list. Remember, it has to be realistic and achievable, otherwise, you'll never get through it and it will transfer into a new day. Unforeseen emergencies are the most common reason for not completing task items. Set a reasonable time frame and know that your chances of completing your to-do item are greatest if you set a deadline date sooner rather than later. Most importantly, when you prioritize your top five items and actually get them done, there is a feeling of accomplishment. Did you know you are most productive at 10:26 a.m., according to a LondonOffices.com study? Plan your activities accordingly.

Productivity Pointers

Never confuse activity with accomplishment. Checking items off your list doesn't mean you are actually accomplishing anything. Stay focused on how these items will benefit you in the short- and long-term. To help add value to your list-building efforts, keep these top productivity tips, adapted from Forbes, in mind:

    Get more done by adding more hours to your week. Wake up an hour earlier.
    Maximize your time at work and use Sunday evening for planning the week.
    Learn how to say no. Focus first on what you need to achieve and stick to your guns.
    Work in 30-minute intervals focusing on one activity, then take a one-minute break to refocus.
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/07/31/4-lists-that-cement-your-future?s_cid=rss:outside-voices-careers:4-lists-that-cement-your-future

Orwell and Writing

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”

― George Orwell

I don't pretend to be Orwell, but working on this poster presentation for the ISAMS, I must say, it does NOT feel good.  This quote gives me perspective as does the "War of Art."  It is a struggle against the sniper voices that come from inside telling you that you're full of it for even trying.

Make great stuff

Needs repeating.
Lesson learned: The BEST way to get famous is make amazing stuff. That’s it. Not blogging, networking, etc.

Read more: http://blog.bufferapp.com/failure-entrepreneur-12-successful-entrepreneurs-tell-us-the-biggest-lessons-theyve-learned#more-6321#ixzz2e9dERT2u

From Secret of the Ages

Much of this is echoed in today's productivity press, yet this book was written many decades ago.
From Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier, a classic.   (You just have to ignore is constant use of "men" and "man.")
1. Know what you want
2. Analyze what you must do to get it.
3. Plan ahead
4. Do one thing at a time
5. Finish and send that thing on its way
6. Once started KEEP GOING
7. If meet with a tough problem, sleep on it.

More Productivity Hacks

I especially like the "Airplane Days."  I have also found that I really look forward to time in the air and at the airport.  I read magazines I wouldn't normally read, get a different perspective, and find myself to be more creative and able to plan.  That's not productive in the "work" sense of the word, but it is quite valuable.
From Business Insider, as usual.

10 Habits and Books to go with them

List of attributes and books

The Seinfeld strategy for procrastination

I like this idea a lot.  His system charts progess instead of the interminable list of topics to research and write about (my usual tracking system.)