Tag Productive

Being More Productive as We Begin 2026

Steve Keating Leave a comment

A new year has a way of resetting our perspective. As 2026 begins, productivity isn’t about doing more for the sake of busyness—it’s about doing what matters with clarity, intention, and sustainability. The past few years have taught many of us that burnout is easy to reach and hard to recover from. This year, productivity should feel supportive, not exhausting.

Here are practical, realistic ways to be more productive as we step into 2026—without losing ourselves in the process.

Redefine What “Productive” Means

Productivity is often mistaken for constant motion. In reality, it’s about progress. Being productive might mean completing one meaningful task instead of ten shallow ones. It could mean resting so you can show up stronger tomorrow.

As you begin the year, ask yourself:

What outcomes actually matter to me this year?

What activities move me closer to those outcomes?

What can I let go of?

When productivity is tied to purpose, it becomes easier to focus—and easier to say no. So never allow yourself to think that being busy is the same as being productive. I would submit to you that if you didn’t get closer to a goal on any particular day, then no matter how busy you were, you were not productive that day.

Start With Fewer Goals

There’s a temptation at the start of a new year to set ambitious, packed goal lists. The problem? Too many goals compete for your attention and dilute your energy.

Instead, choose:

One primary focus for the year

Two or three supporting goals

This creates direction without being overwhelmed. You can always add more later, but starting small increases your chances of follow through.

Build Systems, Not Just Motivation

Motivation is unreliable. Systems are dependable.

Rather than asking, “How can I stay motivated?” ask:

How can I make this easier?

What routine supports this habit?

What reminder or structure keeps me consistent?

For example, instead of relying on motivation to work out, place your workout time directly after an existing habit, like waking up or finishing work. Productivity grows when actions become automatic.

Plan Your Days the Night Before

One of the simplest productivity habits is planning for tomorrow today.

At the end of each day:

Write down your top three priorities for tomorrow

Identify the most important task and plan when you’ll do it

Clear mental clutter by writing everything else down

This allows you to start your day with intention instead of reaction. You’ll spend less time deciding what to do and more time actually doing it.

Focus on Energy, Not Just Time

Time management matters, but energy management matters more. Pay attention to when you feel most focused, creative, or alert.

Ask yourself:

When do I do my best thinking?

When do I feel drained?

What tasks require high energy vs. low energy?

Schedule demanding work during your peak energy hours and reserve lighter tasks for slower moments. Productivity improves when your schedule works with your body, not against it.

Reduce Digital Distractions

In 2026, distractions are more refined than ever. Notifications, endless content, and constant connectivity quietly drain attention.

Simple steps can make a big difference:

Turn off non-essential notifications

Set specific times to check email or social media

Create “focus blocks” with your phone out of reach

You don’t need more willpower—you need fewer interruptions.

Leave Room for Rest

Rest is not the enemy of productivity; it’s the foundation of it.

If your schedule is packed with no margin, productivity will eventually collapse. Build in:

Breaks throughout the day

Days without heavy commitments

Time to reflect and reset

Rest allows your mind to process, your creativity to recharge, and your motivation to return naturally.

Reflect Regularly

Productivity isn’t something you set once in January and forget. It’s something you refine.

At the end of each week or month, reflect:

What worked well?

What felt draining or unnecessary?

What needs adjusting?

Small course corrections throughout the year lead to big improvements over time.

Move Forward With Intention

As 2026 begins, remember that productivity isn’t about perfection. You will have slow days, off weeks, and moments when plans fall apart. That doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re human.

Choose progress over pressure. Choose clarity over chaos. And most importantly, choose a version of productivity that supports the life you want to live—not one that consumes it.

Here’s to a more focused, balanced, and intentional 2026.

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Understanding the Consequences of Procrastination

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Sooner or later, (pun intended) we all procrastinate. We put off that important task for tomorrow, convincing ourselves there’s still plenty of time. A little delay never hurt anyone, right? Unfortunately, procrastination is more than just a bad habit. Over time, it can quietly erode our productivity, damage our reputation, and rob us of peace of mind.

If you don’t think that’s true, then it’s likely you’re in denial about what your delays are costing you. Understanding the real consequences of procrastination is the first step toward breaking free from its grip.

Missed Opportunities

Procrastination often causes us to miss out on valuable opportunities. Whether it’s applying for a job, submitting a proposal, or starting a business idea, delays can close doors that might never open again. Time-sensitive opportunities don’t wait, and when we postpone action, we often lose out by default.

Increased Stress and Anxiety

Putting things off rarely makes them go away. In fact, the longer a task is delayed, the more it weighs on our minds. What starts as a small to-do item can quickly grow into a source of overwhelming stress. Deadlines loom larger, responsibilities pile up, and the mental burden becomes harder to bear. Chronic procrastination leads to a constant state of anxiety that affects both work and personal life.

Lower Quality of Work

When tasks are rushed at the last minute, quality suffers. We don’t give ourselves enough time to plan, think critically, or make necessary revisions. The result is often subpar work that doesn’t reflect our true potential. Over time, this can damage our credibility and limit growth opportunities. Now, some of you will say that you work better under pressure—there is no research to support that assertion. You might just be kidding yourself.

Damaged Relationships

Procrastination doesn’t just affect us—it affects the people around us. When we delay tasks that others are depending on, we let them down. Missed commitments and broken promises can strain relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. Trust is easy to lose and hard to rebuild.

Reduced Self-Confidence

Every time we procrastinate, we reinforce a cycle of avoidance and regret. This can lead to a negative self-image, where we begin to see ourselves as unreliable or incapable. Over time, this undermines our self-confidence and motivation, making it even harder to take action in the future.

Stunted Personal and Professional Growth

Progress requires consistent effort. When we procrastinate, we stall our development. Goals take longer to reach—if they’re reached at all. Skills go unrefined, and potential remains untapped. Procrastination is a silent thief of time and growth.

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is that procrastination isn’t a permanent trait—it’s a habit that can be changed. Start with small steps:

Break large tasks into manageable parts.

Set clear deadlines—even self-imposed ones.

Remove distractions from your environment.

Reward yourself for progress.

Practice self-compassion and don’t let past procrastination define you.

The sooner you act, the more control you regain over your time, energy, and future.

Procrastination might feel harmless in the moment, but over time, its consequences compound. Recognizing the cost is the first step toward reclaiming your momentum—and your life.

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Is Your Cell Phone Controlling You?

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I am old enough to vaguely remember a time before cell phones. I cannot for the life of me remember how I used all the time I now spend on my phone. I do, however, absolutely remember not being annoyed by people holding up a checkout line while talking to someone about some mind-numbing nonsense.

Research shows that the average person in the United States today checks their phone every 12 minutes, that’s approximately 80 times a day. This number, of course, varies by person but some people check their phones more often, a lot more often.

That means the average American spends 4 hours and 37 minutes looking at their phone every day. That quickly adds up over time to about 1 day every week, 6 days every month, and 70 days every year. The average American will spend 12 years staring at their phone screens over their lifespan.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers give me cause for concern. I’m pretty sure I might be above average on this.

At the very least, my cell phone use is a bad habit. It’s mindless, and it wastes a ton of time. Yes, it can add all kinds of productivity to my life, but if I’m honest, my cell phone use is a net negative productivity-wise. I refuse to say I’m addicted to a phone, but it does seem to have a level of control over my life I’m not comfortable with. So I’m going to take control back… now.

I know it won’t be easy, but I’ve done a bunch of research on this, and I think I’ve found some ideas to help me make my phone work for me instead of perhaps the other way around. Here’s my plan.

1. Identify the “Why”

Recognize what leads to excessive use: boredom, stress, or notifications. Once your’re consciously aware of that, you can take steps to minimize them.

2. Set Clear Goals

Determine why you want to cut back: Improved productivity? Better relationships? Clear goals make it easier to stay motivated.

Limit daily screen time: Set a target for phone usage through apps or your phone’s built-in settings. I’ve already started using this; it’s like magic. Truth be told, it can also be frustrating to have an app shut down on you because you’ve hit your limit. But, if you’re serious about controlling your phone, you’ll deal with it.

Try third-party apps: Use apps like Moment, Freedom, or Forest to block distractions or gamify staying off your phone.

3. Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications

Disable unnecessary notifications: Alerts from social media or other apps create constant distractions. Only keep important ones like texts or calls. So here’s the challenge with this one. You have to be honest with yourself about what’s important. A text from your kids or your spouse is, to me anyway, almost always important. A text from one of your fantasy football pals…not so much. That might sound sacrilegious to some of you, but come on, are you serious about this or not?

4. Create Phone-Free Zones

Establish no-phone zones in areas like the bedroom, dining room, or during social events. This helps build boundaries around when and where you use your phone. It may seem odd, but you DO NOT need your phone at the dinner table. Unless you live alone, there may be another human there who you could actually speak to, face-to-face. Like the olden days.

5. Replace Phone Time with Other Activities

Find alternatives to replace idle phone time: reading, exercising, journaling, or picking up a hobby. Engaging in these activities makes it easier to stay away from your phone. Find things and people to do them with that make you forget to check your phone. That’s like a double win.

6. Designate Phone-Free Times

Set specific hours when you won’t use your phone, like during meals, before bed, or in the morning. Creating structured breaks reduces mindless scrolling. There is all kinds of research that indicates that playing with your phone before bed messes with your sleep. Ditch the phone early in the evening and have a healthier sleep.

7. Establish Accountability

Involve friends or family: Share your goals and progress with someone who can help keep you accountable. Don’t get defensive when you’re “caught” breaking your own rules. You asked for accountability, so be accountable.

8. Keep Your Phone Out of Reach

Physically distance yourself from your phone: Keep it in another room or on the other side of the room to resist the urge to check it constantly. This is going to work better for you if you have notifications turned off. Or you can use the focus settings on an iPhone to turn them off temporarily or during certain times of the day.

I’m not saying any of these will be easy. I do think it will be easier if you stop and reflect on what your phone usage is causing you to miss. Great conversations with the love of your life. Quality time and real conversations with your kids. The time you miss with your kids is time you’ll wish you had back one day. I’m pretty sure you would tell anyone that your kids are more important than anything you’re doing on your phone. Remind yourself of that from time to time.

I’m looking forward to checking my phone only 40 times a day. That sounds ridiculous, but when you consider the averages, 40 times a day would be awesome.

So… who is going to join me in taking charge of your phone? And in a kind of weird twist, the more you take charge of your phone, the less you’ll have to charge it. 😎

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How to Get More Done

Steve Keating 2 Comments

I’ll frequently ask someone how their day went. If I had a dollar for every time that they answered “busy,” I’d have a whole lot of dollars. For many people, having a “busy” day is the measure of a good day. Some even consider a busy day to be a successful day.

But I’ve seen many very busy people who are busy getting nothing of substance done. They are merely busy being busy. Sometimes, they are even busy doing things that shouldn’t be done at all. In essence, they are counterproductive.

To make progress toward a goal, or simply get something done, you must understand the difference between being busy and actually being productive. If, at the end of the day, you can’t point to something concrete that you accomplished, then you likely didn’t have a very productive day. Even if you’re exhausted at the end of that day.

The key to being productive is not simply getting more done. It’s getting more of the things that matter done. More of the things that will make a difference, for you or for someone else. That’s going to require a combination of effective time management, prioritization, and personal productivity strategies. Here’s what you need to do to make it happen.

1. Set Clear Goals

• SMART Goals: Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

• Daily Planning: Start each day by outlining your key tasks and objectives.

2. Prioritize Tasks

• Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance.

• ABC Method: Label tasks as A (most important), B (important but not urgent), and C (neither urgent nor important).

3. Use Time Management Techniques

• Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused intervals (usually 25 minutes) followed by short breaks.

• Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time to different tasks or activities.

4. Minimize Distractions

• Turn Off Notifications: Silence your phone and computer notifications while working.

• Create a Productive Workspace: Ensure your workspace is organized and free from distractions.

5. Leverage Technology

• Productivity Apps: Use tools like Trello, Asana, or Todoist to keep track of tasks and deadlines.

• Automation: Automate repetitive tasks where possible, using tools like Zapier or IFTTT.

6. Delegate and Outsource

• Identify Tasks to Delegate: Delegate tasks that others can do, allowing you to focus on higher-priority items.

• Outsource When Necessary: Consider hiring freelancers or using services for tasks outside your expertise.

7. Continuous Improvement

• Reflect and Adjust: Regularly review your productivity strategies and make adjustments as needed.

• Learn New Skills: Continuously seek to improve your skills and knowledge.

8. Stay Motivated

• Reward Yourself: Set up a reward system for completing tasks.

• Stay Positive: Maintain a positive mindset and keep motivated through challenging tasks.

9. Effective Communication

• Clear Communication: Ensure clear and effective communication with your team to avoid misunderstandings and delays.

• Regular Updates: Keep stakeholders updated on your progress to maintain alignment and accountability.

Years ago I was the General Sales Manager for a Soft Drink Company. Our delivery drivers went on strike and I found myself on a delivery truck working harder than I ever had before. The thing is, my day job didn’t stop. So at the end of my delivery day I would head into my office to get as much done as I could. The next day started at 4:00am and by sleeping in my office I could save myself an hour of commuting each day. But it was a losing battle and by the end of the first month I had piles of paperwork everywhere.

One night I went into the warehouse and grabbed one of those big dumpsters on wheels. I pushed it into my office and threw everything on my desk straight into that dumpster. It was a very freeing experience. I had no idea what the heck I was throwing away but at that point I didn’t really care.

Here’s the most interesting part. I barely heard a word from anyone asking about what happened to this paperwork or what happened to that document. It was then that I learned a lesson that has stayed with me to this day.

The lesson is this: Never underestimate the absolute unimportance of almost everything you do.

Most, not some, most of the things I stressed over and worked all hours to complete were not having any impact at all. They just didn’t matter. There’s a lesson in that for many of us.

By using the ideas I’ve listed above, you’ll understand your priorities and why they are priorities. Once you accomplish that, you’ll be well on your way to getting more done. More importantly, the things you get done will have a positive impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

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Engaging Your Team

Steve Keating Leave a comment

If you ask most leaders who their most expensive employee is their mind usually goes straight to the person they pay the most. But that’s frequently not true. The most expensive employees in any organization are the ones who are least engaged. 

They “earn” their paycheck by doing the absolute least work possible. They provide little return for the investment the organization pays. They also tend to negatively impact the attitude and productivity of their co-workers. 

Labor shortages abound these days. Finding and keeping talented people is a top priority for any business hoping to be around in five or ten years. Keeping employees engaged is crucial to the effort to retain them. Engaged employees are more satisfied with their workplace. They are more productive than disengaged employees and they are the best recruiters of new talent that company has. 

Here are some strategies that may help you foster employee engagement.

  1. Establish clear and transparent communication channels. Regularly update your people about organizational goals, achievements, and challenges. Encourage two-way communication. For people to feel engaged they must also feel comfortable providing feedback, asking questions, and sharing ideas.
  1. Consistently recognize and appreciate your people’s efforts and achievements. Celebrate milestones, acknowledge exceptional performance, and provide constructive feedback. This recognition can be in the form of verbal praise, written appreciation, or rewards such as bonuses, certificates, or additional responsibilities.
  1. Support your people’s professional growth by offering training programs, workshops, conferences, or access to online courses. Encourage them to develop new skills. Provide opportunities for advancement within the organization. Discuss individual development plans and align them with employees’ career and life goals.
  1. Promote a healthy work-life balance to avoid burnout and foster overall well-being. Encourage your people to take breaks, use vacation time, and manage their workload effectively. These days implementing flexible work arrangements such as remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks are not “perks” as much as they are requirements…if you what engaged people.
  1. Encourage teamwork and collaboration by organizing team-building activities, retreats, or social events. Foster a positive work environment where team members feel comfortable interacting with their colleagues and building strong relationships.
  1. Provide your people with as much autonomy as possible. Give them the freedom to make decisions related to their work. Give them ownership over their projects and encourage them to take initiative and be innovative. This empowers them, boosts their confidence, and increases their sense of belonging.
  1. Conduct regular performance evaluations to provide constructive feedback on employees’ strengths, areas for improvement, and progress towards goals. Offer ongoing feedback throughout the year to help employees stay on track and continuously improve. Don’t hold on to coaching comments and “dump” them on your people once a year. Coaching should be frequent and as positive as possible.
  1. Connect your people’s work to the larger purpose and mission of the organization. Communicate how their contributions make a difference and positively impact the organization, customers, or society. When people understand the significance of their work, they feel more engaged and committed.
  1. Conduct surveys to gather feedback on your people’s engagement levels, satisfaction, and suggestions for improvement. Use this feedback to identify areas of concern and take appropriate action to address them. And for heavens sake, never never ever punish one of your people for their feedback. That’s the surest way to disengage not just the person who was punished but every other person in your organization as well.

Remember, every employee is unique. It’s important to tailor engagement strategies to individual needs and preferences. Regularly assess the effectiveness of your initiatives and be open to adjusting and experimenting with different approaches to keep your people engaged and motivated.

When Slowing Down is the Fastest Way Forward

Steve Keating 2 Comments

Steve Jobs said, “Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right.”

Everyone I know is busy. Some of them are even productive. The most successful people understand that those two things, busy and productive are far from being the same. 

Surprisingly many busy people are huge procrastinators. Productive people rarely delay doing what needs to be done. Busy people are frequently masters of becoming very proficient at doing things that don’t need to be done. Productive people can tell you exactly what needs to be done and why. They specifically know the return on their investment of time for almost any activity they undertake. 

Busy people also tend to get things done faster than productive people. They are even faster the second or third time they redo something because their imagined “efficiency” causes mistakes. Busy people are the rabbits in the race. 

Productive people know that they can often finish first by coming in second. Their first effort may take longer than a busy person’s but their first effort is their only effort. They are not afraid to sacrifice a bit of efficiency for effectiveness. Productive people are the tortoises in the race and they are not a bit embarrassed by it.

John Wooden, the Hall of Fame Basketball coach from UCLA asked, “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” 

It’s a question that busy people should ask themselves before they rush to complete a task solely for the purpose of completing it. They may find that slowing down is the fastest way to actually complete anything. They will find that doing something right the first time is alway faster then doing it two or threes times and still not doing it as well as the productive person did it. 

So which type of person are you? Busy or productive? If you’re the busy type then when you’re short on time you tend to speed up even more. That’s counterproductive. If you’re a productive type then you know that when you’re most busy it’s best to take a breath. It’s best to plan your course of action and make sure that whatever you’re trying to accomplish you can complete it on your first attempt. 

The pace of the world has never been faster. It’s perfectly okay to let some things, like busy people, wiz past you as you’re being productive. Don’t worry about the people running past you, you’ll see them again when they finally reach the finish line where you’ve been waiting for what seems like forever. 

Don’t Let Waiting be a Waste

Steve Keating 4 Comments

People around the world are waiting. We wait for meetings, we wait for appointments, we wait at airports, we wait for people who are late, we wait and we wait some more. 

 

Many people think “wait time” is wasted time. Well it’s only wasted if you allow it to be. There are a ton of productive things you can do when you’re waiting. That’s true no matter what you’re waiting for or how long you’re waiting. 

 

Most people waste waiting time because it’s “only” a few minutes. Well, a few minutes here and a few minutes there and pretty soon you’ve wasted more time than successful people can afford to waste. Let’s look at the numbers, these are accurate for those of us in the United States but they are representative for anyone. 

 

According to a Timex survey, Americans wait:

  • on average of 20 minutes a day for the bus or train
  • 32 minutes whenever they visit a doctor
  • 28 minutes in security lines whenever they travel
  • 21 minutes for a significant other to get ready to go out
  • 13 hours annually waiting on hold for a customer service
  • 38 hours each year waiting in traffic
  • those living in big cities wait in traffic more than 50 hours annually

People spend approximately 6 months of their lives waiting in line for things, it means like 3 days a year of lining up. The average person spends about 43 days on hold with automated customer service in a lifetime. Those who take the bus or train will wait about 27 days of their lives waiting around on the platform or at the bus stop.

 

And what about our Phones?

  • We spend 23 days a year on our phones
  • 90 minutes a day
  • 9 years of the average person’s life

By the way “Phone” means to call somebody but that is now the sixth most used feature on a smartphone.

 

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to waste hours and hours of every year waiting. So let’s see if we can make waiting time a little more useful. Here’s a few ideas on how we might do that. 

 

Do Nothing. Doing nothing is one of the things I’m best at. I’ll put my “doing nothing” skills up against anyone. Doing nothing is also one of my most productive activities. While doing nothing I’m thinking about all kinds of generally worthless stuff but mostly I’m in my own world, recharging my batteries so I’m more productive when my wait is over. It’s okay, better than okay actually, to do nothing from time to time. We need to shut down once in a while in order to have peak performance time during the day. If you never shut down it’s likely you also never have truly peak performance either. 

 

Call Someone. A whole bunch of the time we spend on our smartphones is unproductive time. You can change that by increasing the time you’re using your phone to call someone. Perhaps it’s someone you’ve been meaning to call for a long time. Maybe it’s a customer you’ve been putting off calling because your relationship is a bit strained. Maybe, just maybe it’s a call to someone you care about to tell them you’re thinking of them. (you might make their day and to me, that’s a very productive thing)

 

Read. The most successful people I know always have a good book with them for those unexpected waiting times. It might be a paper book or it might be on a Kindle but they have something to read to help them learn. If you’re a road warrior then this could make a world a difference for you. Check out audio books you can listen to in the car on on your phone when you find yourself “stuck” someplace you didn’t intend to be. 

 

Meet someone new. By definition if you’re in line there is someone either in front of you or behind you, likely both. That person may have an idea that could change your life, or better yet, you may have an idea that could change theirs. Get out of that success limiting comfort zone of yours and be that strange person who will talk to anyone. It’s uncommon to find people with enough confidence to talk to anyone anywhere but you will never have uncommon results by doing common things. 

 

Adjust your plan. You had a 10:00am doctors appointment and upon arriving a few minutes early you’re told the doctor is running a few minutes late. In “doctor speak” that likely means 30 minutes or even more. Use that precious time to adjust your plan for the day. Reprioritize what you’re going to accomplish with the rest of your day. Instead of stressing over what won’t get done decide what doesn’t NEED to be done and take a bit of stress out of your waiting time. The one problem that most people have with adjusting their plan during waiting time is that they didn’t have a plan to begin with. If you’re most people then do yourself a favor and make a plan before you leave home every day. Even if your day doesn’t go according to plan that planning time will be the most productive time of your day. 


“Waste not want not” is a very common saying. I prefer “wait not want not.” It’s far less common and far more productive.