It is a little late, but February 11 - 17 was “Random Acts of Kindness” week in the US. Still, kindness never goes out of fashion no matter what week it is. For some good ideas on how…

Think of someone you know who is not working at full potential.  Why isn't their productivity what it should be?  Reasons might include illness, family health issues, depression, an unreasonable workload, burnout, etc. 

Or, there might be another…

This past week, I threw in the towel on a technology problem I've been frustrated by and called in a consultant.  The headache in question was related to my Catholic Moments Podcast, a weekly thirty minute talkfest related…

This week, there's been much discussion about a recent study involving sugar substitutes.   Time Magazine references the study in its article entitled Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat?   The article seems to point to weight gain in animal…

Have you struggled to get organized but still feel burdened by your clutter? Is there one room that just drives you crazy or do you have a hard time finding things when you want them? If so, it…

Over the years, I have subscribed to various e-mailings. In addition, some folks have taken it upon themselves to also send me lots of e-mail. For every important piece of email I was getting, there must have been…

I'm not like your typical 40-something year old suburban mom.  I have no desire to spend long afternoons shoe shopping and the thought of spending money on a designer purse makes me a little sick to my stomach. …

Everyone knows what a time-waster meetings can be. Here is a good idea for making that time more beneficial - Assign tasks before the meeting! With everyone on email, it is possible to send out tasks to people…

Right before Thanksgiving I began GTD’s organizing methodology. I did a pretty good job of purging most of my office and getting all my things, both personal and business, into the “system.”

The only thing I didn’t do…

When it comes to the art of social network, I am a slow learner and a late bloomer.  It normally takes me fifteen times being invited to the latest and greatest before I'll dip my big toe in…

CNN Money has an interesting article today entitled Don't Spend Your Rebate Just Yet.  With all the talk of recession and the craziness of the market this week, it's hard to imagine that anyone in their right mind…

If you've noticed a decided lack of CEOT blog posts from me in the past week, it's due to the fact that I've been deeply involved in a home renovation project with my husband.  The impetus is an…

As today marks the national holiday in memoriam of Martin Luther King Jr., it's good to get philosophical.  Life, as MLK, pointed out, is often about paradox.  It is only when I forgive that I can move on…

Do you reach the end of your day and wonder where the time went? Is there some activity that you want to make a priority in your life but you aren't sure where you would ever find the…

A while back I posted that I was upgrading my smartphone and considering some options. The time has come like many gadget aficionados (’geek’ after all is no longer in vogue) I have invested far too much time in…

My slow evolution into one of the world's geekiest moms will take a giant step forward tomorrow when I attend my first MacWorld Expo.  My bargain basement "Exhibits Only" pass will not afford me a seat to the…

When I "retired" from full time work after the birth of my eldest, I became the CFO of my family.  I felt it ironic that suddenly I, who brought no income to the table for many years, had…

This week, I will be writing on the topic of New Year's Resolutions. Today, I discuss resolutions related to Learning and Professional Development. 

Today, I took my first baby steps towards learning to hand-knit a sock.  As of…

I just finished reading "Raising Children on Purpose" by Wesley Fleming. It was a very good book with many practical parenting sections. One of the topics Fleming takes on is spending more time with our children. He offers…

Image by Amanda Woodward

There are several resources that I consider a must when it comes to articles that are on-topic and BNET is one of them.  As a follow up to an earlier post on ending meetings on time, here…

It feels especially fitting that I rang in this New Year tightly lined up with my "men" and 750,000 new friends near Trafalgar Square along the banks of the Thames in London.  My primary goal for 2008 is…

One of the most powerful productivity weapons at your disposal is rest. If you want to be super productive you must also be super disciplined about scheduling and taking time off. Today, I want to talk about taking…

This week, I will be writing on the topic of New Year's resolutions, looking at my resolution subsets each day. Today, I discuss resolutions related to Working @ Home.

I'm a big believer in resolutions. So big, in…

My New Year's Resolution for this year is to try to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me a bit more. I know I tend to rush through my days, often not taking notice of those wonderful "moments of…

I've been trying to get better organized since the week before Thanksgiving using David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology. I like how he stesses doing things according to your energy levels. At night, I often find myself sitting…

Here is a great blog post on how to have — and keep – a clean desk.

A messy desk is a sign of creativity and imagination. This is the excuse I gave myself for the mountain of papers, knickknacks, and San…

As a writer, I make Writer’s Digest part of my required reading. In the February 2008 issue, they have a great article by Bill O’Hanlon on “Baby Steps.” The point of the article is that it is possible to…

We at CE on Time hope the tips and motivation we have shared with you this past year have helped you have a more productive and organized year in 2007.

With 2008 right around the corner you may be…

Hat tip to Tanja C. from CWO for sharing this:

First Corinthians 13 - Christmas Version

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strings of twinkling lights, and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family…

When I bring out my Christmas boxes from storage each winter, I anticipate opening them and treasuring their contents.  My advent wreath, our nativity sets, and gifted ornaments bring back memories of past holidays and warm traditions.  Among…

My family and I recently saw the movie Hairspray . I think the plot of the movie is a good one but I'm not much for musicals. On the other hand, a couple of days later a lyric…

This is probably the busiest week of the year for families. I know that it is in mine. Every day this week we have something going on. These are fun events which can bring a great deal of…

(photo by Two Travelers)

For folks who are into productivity, doing the weekly review is akin to Catholics who donate large sums of money- it rarely happens.  If a recent CARA study is accurate, then the latter only give .7% of…

This is a good weekend to pause before the holidays get too close and think about year end family finances. To avoid waking up in mid-January with a "Christmas budget hangover", focus on shopping for gifts with either…

With less than two weeks until Christmas, life sometimes feels like it's spinning out of control.  The calendar calls for a "yearly review", a chance to pause and shine a light on the year's accomplishments and challenges.  But…

(photo by blech)

If you could measure how much chit-chat goes into an average workday, would you then keep it up or cut down on it?  When four veteran employees were fired last May due to excessive gossip at work,…

When a task or project list gets too long, you go numb to it. You look at it and the very thought of trying to tackle it makes you turn away from it. On the other hand, when…

They're supposed to be about faith, family and fun, these weeks leading up to Christmas, right?! When a friend forwarded me this You Tube video today , I couldn't help but smile and hear a bit of my own…

Productive people look for opportunities to do things intelligently, to a high degree of quality and while minimizing effort and expense.  Family Christmas shopping can be done productively, with a plan in mind, or it can be done…

Every year it arrives like clockwork the day after Thanksgiving - the "annual first Christmas card".  It's uncanny how the sender, a friend who now lives a few states away from me, manages to time her card so…

Why is it that a single slice of cheesecake can make you gain 2 lbs? While that may be a slight exaggeration (although I swear it actually has happened to me), it is not an exaggeration to say…

When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? For me it was the Sunday night after Thanksgiving.

Who learns more, the blogger or the reader? I think one of my underlying reasons for writing this blog is my…

Did you hear the good news last week? According to the recent report entitled "State of the Future" issued by the UN, the world is becoming better for humans. Poverty is down and education and health are improving…

One of my favorite posts this week was Grandpa's Penny: If You Never Spend It, You'll Never Be Broke by Sara Baughman. Perhaps I'm just looking for a little justification for my recent miserly ways, but Sara's comments on…

Do you envision the perfect holiday, the kind featured in greeting card commercials and portrayed in home magazines, and then feel discouraged and disappointed when your Christmas fails to live up to the hype? Here are five ways…

Do you dread the morning?  Does the workday come at you and you find yourself scrambling to get things together and get out the door?  Do you wish that you could figure out a system for automating your…

Thanks to John Bishop of TeachingMoments.com for sharing today's post.  While it's addressed at teens, many of the questions in this quiz are relevant for any member of the family.  I was somewhat surprised by my own responses to some…

A little boredom can be a big stress reliever. In other words, finding a system that you like and sticking with it has big benefits.

Get bored with your software. I love new things but sometimes it's better…

Kudos and thanks to Amy Quinn of TruckingAccidentBlog.org for sharing a great article entitled The Mobile Productivity Toolbox: 100 Resources to Keep You Productive When on the Move.  This laundry list combines some tried and true resources with…

This is hard to admit, but it is hard for me to relax. I feel like I always need to be doing something in order to be productive and justify my existence on this planet. (Yes, I know…