The simple behaviour change that transformed Suzanne’s VERY messy office
17 July 2019At the conclusion of a day’s time management training for Suzanne and her staff, she admitted that she had a blockage about her paperwork and office. She asked for help to sort it out. Her assistant laughed when she heard the discussion. ‘She’s impossible to help,’ was her reaction. However, we ignored the scoffer and […]
Does a 4-day week really work?
11 October 2018Have you seen some of the media about the 4-day week that Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand financial services company, experimented with earlier this year? Their CEO Andrew Barnes and his partner Charlotte Lockhart are personal friends, so it’s been a great chance to get an insider view of the company’s learnings, observations and next […]
A Completely New Edition of my First Book – At a Ridiculously Cheap Price!
2 September 2018I know I’m not supposed to say this, but where have the months gone! Actually, I do know where mine have disappeared to. Since returning in the latter end of June from a wonderful six weeks with friends and family in England and France, I’ve been head up/ bum down writing and publishing. (As well […]
How to Set-up a Distraction Free Workspace at Home
11 July 2018This week my blog is a guest post courtesy of Cloe Matheson from Dunedin. She has some great ideas on how to optimize a workspace at home and ensure that you maintain productivity and efficiency as well as the very important work-life balance. by Cloe Matheson Working at home is not as easy as […]
Clear Your Clutter with Swedish Death Cleaning
13 May 2018Overwhelm from clutter is far more common than a lot of people realise. It can take many forms and affect people in different ways, so read on if you want a few quick tips on clutter-busting. A delightful little book came to my attention last week – ‘The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’ by […]
74% of Digital Task List Users Revert to Paper
17 April 2018We all know that technology has sped up and simplified the way we learn, shop, navigate and communicate with people. Few of us would want to go back to pre-digital days. But – there is a downside. Digital methods, even commonly used ones, are sometimes false friends. Let’s look at two commonly used tools: Beware […]
Busy? Wish You Could Get More Done? Try This 101-Minute Cycle
3 April 2018A guest article for you today from my lovely daughter-in-law Lauren Parsons, well-being and productivity specialist, living in Canada until December. From the beginning of 2019 she’ll be back home and working closely with me and the Getting A Grip business: by Lauren Parsons If you’ve been on this planet for a while, chances […]
Can We Really Work Less Yet Achieve More?
13 March 2018Perpetual Guardian’s decision to try a shorter working week http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11990560 has created some interesting discussion. I congratulate Andrew Barnes for his bold experiment. From my 26 years of global experience on the topic of productivity, I believe they’re onto something really good. Perhaps you’re wondering whether to follow their example? Or, maybe you’d keep a […]
Celebrations, National Pride, And Time-Saving Systems Recognised Internationally
28 November 2017You Don’t Have To Win To Celebrate In New Zealand this last week we’ve seen a wonderful demonstration of national pride, with waves of red flags supporting the Tongan rugby league team. They were pipped at the post for the finals (somewhat contentiously), but rightfully proud Tongans all round Auckland have cheered, waved and celebrated […]
What To Do About The Non-Urgent But Useful Emails
2 October 2017My Melbourne friend Nigel sent me a great question about email. Because it’s an issue for many, I decided to share it in this week’s blog. Nigel: Here’s a dilemma that I face frequently with email and workflow. I stare at my email feed. It stares back at me, blankly. “So what are you going […]