Calm Achiever - Blog
Actionable Advice to Help You Get Things Done®
A Fresh Look at Productivity for Knowledge Workers
In my work as a productivity coach and consultant, I'm seeing a shift in how people are thinking about productivity. Yes, organizations are seeking to become more productive, but they also realize there's more to being productive than just working harder and producing...
20 Things GTD Is Not (And What It Really Is!)
What is GTD? I've been practicing GTD for over a decade, but it can still be challenging for me to explain what GTD is, and how it benefits. It's very easy for new practitioners to mistaken it for something else like time-management, or a way to get more work done....
How You Can Build Perspective – Your Most Valuable Resource
Evolution is all about competitive advantage. Through the ages, different currencies of influence have allowed people to emerge stronger than others. Once upon a time, it was land. Those who had lots of it never starved. They could grow their own food. Fast forward to...
How to Work Less And Do More With GTD
What is our first reaction... … when we see someone putting in long hours, burning the midnight oil & always in a rush to “get things done”? “Wow - he is so busy. Is there something important he’s doing. If I’m not this busy, I’ll be left behind.” On the other hand,...
The Art of Saying NO For Startups
“Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.” ~ Greg McKeown The word’s out. 90% of startups in India will fail within the first five years. Entrepreneurial India, a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value and Oxford Economics has...
A Key Habit To Enable Trusted Decisions
Does this Sound Familiar? It’s Monday morning and you enter office exhausted. Partly because you are dreading the avalanche of emails, memos and instant messages that will be coming your way. And partly because your mind has refused to unwind over the weekend. It has...
How Leaders Can Use Checklists for Reliable Success
Don’t confuse checklists with ordinary to-do lists. In their basic form to-do lists are haphazard lists of unclear commitments which cause needless anxiety. Checklists are completely different. They break complex procedures into discrete steps which are then...
Why You Need to Stop Managing Time
Getting Things Done® is often confused with “Getting More Done.” But if you know even a little bit about GTD® you know that it is not just about “getting things done.” GTD® is about getting the right things done so that you lead a full life and grow into the best...
How to Excel as a Knowledge Worker with GTD
We’re different. Quite a bit so. Where just decades ago “work” was considered to be rote - cut and dried, today constant creative thinking and brainstorming, are the essence of our professional lives. Look in the Mirror & Say “Hello” to a Knowledge Worker Do you...
How to Achieve Big Goals Using a Someday/Maybe List
I love taking online courses. Just show me a well put together program about drawing, marketing or productivity - and I tend to have my credit card out. In a jiffy. But after binge buying everything I could lay my hands on, eventually my wallet - and my schedule -...
How Rajiv Got Compounded Returns from his Investment in GTD®
The GTD® India family includes professionals, house wives, creatives and entrepreneurs. People from all walks of life embrace its productivity mantras. But when Rajiv walked into a workshop, he wasn't going to be satisfied with testimonials and promises. The wealth...
How to Use Your Natural Rhythms To Maximize Productivity
Recall a time you were super energetic. There’s a spring in your step and you can take on the world. But as fate would have it, there is nothing urgent calling your attention. No last minute deadline. No blinking voice messages. No annoyed boss. So you go on ahead and...
One Reason Why You Shouldn’t Practice GTD®
Yes. You read that right. Even though I’ve been practicing GTD for 10+ years, I’ve come to think that there’s a good reason why GTD may not be right for you. The thing is, GTD will not work for you if you’re addicted to Stress. And you'll not get any of the fabled...
How to Align Everyday Actions with Your Life’s Purpose
Have you ever had the feeling of being lost & left wondering “Why am I doing what I’m doing?”, “Why am I in this job?”, “What does all this mean?”, “Who am I, and what is my purpose?”. In spite of all the achievements, there is a feeling of emptiness. This usually...
How to Find Clarity & Joy In Your Work
Have you heard the story of the three stonecutters? It goes like this… “There once were three stonecutters. The first, when asked by a stranger about what he is doing, says, “Can’t you see I’m cutting stones?” The stranger quickly moves off. He comes upon a second...
The Practical Way To Guilt-Free Relaxation
I need an honest answer to this one! When was the last time you had a completely relaxing vacation? One where you played ball with your child, went on a long walk with your spouse and genuinely felt like you were doing the right thing? If the answer is kind of...
5 Key Shifts to Game-Changing Meetings
"I love my team meetings!" Said no CEO or manager - ever. However, To do anything great and wonderful, you have to interact with people. And when you deal with groups of people, there is no way to avoid meetings. There are questions to be answered. Progress updates to...
How to Use Evernote as your External Brain
The data stored every day grows at a rate that is four times faster than the global economy! I will let that sink for a second. Our appetite for information is far greater than our need for food and even our desire to progress! And thanks to the digital revolution it...