Productivity Prompt: Choose Pretty, Quality Tools

This is the sixth and last of this series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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Choose tools that make you happy when you work. The more they make you happy, the more you'll want to work with them.

Are your paintbrushes constantly shedding?

Would you prefer extra fine coloured pens to the blue BIC ball points you've been working with since kindergarten? (Not dissin' BIC here, blue ball points have a purpose I'm sure.)

How about your daily planner? Are you using the plain black one they give you for free at the office or would you prefer to have something that reflects your creative style amidst your fellow cube-mates?

Supplies are available for me at the office, but in some cases I choose to splurge on my own to have pens, notebooks and paper clips that bring me pleasure. Though it's subtle, they DO make a difference.

"The aesthetics of the tools you use to make ideas happen matter."

~ Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen

Try it. With just one small thing. You'll see.

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Credits, references & inspiration:

• Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen, Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality.
• Cirque du Soleil - In 2007 I attended a presentation by the Corporate Sales Manager at Cirque du Soleil and one of the things that stuck with me is their commitment to giving performers quality materials to work with. I remember him saying that we may not know that a jacket is made from good quality leather, but the performer who's wearing it does, and that will be reflected in his or her performance. This summer I saw their show Totem in Montreal and the main character's costume contained over 4,000 pieces of Swarovski crystal and mirrors. Now that's aesthetics!

Productivity Prompt: Setting a Temporary Focus

This is the fifth in a series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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Last week I talked about setting a daily focus by identifying three Most Important Tasks (MITs) that would make you a happy camper if completed.

This week is kind of the same, but different.

Instead of identifying tasks for a day or a week, I suggest identifying areas of focus for a longer period of time. For example:

"For the next three months I will focus my energy on hearth & home, finances, and photography."

Or, you may want to make it a little more specific:

"For the next three months I will focus on setting up the family room, reining in the food budget, and revitalizing my Flickr account."

The time frame may vary; I tend to work well with one or three-month periods. I did this while on a work sabbatical and it helped give structure and guidance to my time while leaving things pleasantly flexible.

For someone who wants to do everything (ahem) setting a temporary focus area can help harness energy so something actually gets done. It also helps us I-want-to-do-everything-now people practice patience by delaying tasks to the next chosen time frame and letting that be OK.

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Credits, references & inspiration:

• Word for the Year - A close cousin, choosing a word or theme for the year is excellent for guidance, but not quite as effective to get specific things done.