Productivity Archives

The Alternative to Remembering

08/01/2026 / By Mike Hawkins / Productivity

The basic solution to not over relying on memory, being organized, getting things done, being productive, and being reliable is using systems. In the context of being organized, a system is a repeatable approach, usually facilitated with tools such as software, that provides structure to what is otherwise disordered or inconsistent. In the context of not forgetting, a system provides a consistent and reliable approach to recording information so it can be easily referenced and shared.

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What Would You Do If You Had the Time?

05/01/2020 / By Mike Hawkins / Change, Productivity

What would you do if you had more time to do whatever you wanted? What if you unexpectedly received two months of free time in the near future? Would you be intentional about how you used it?

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Dealing with Life’s Scope Creep

05/01/2019 / By Mike Hawkins / Efficiency, Productivity

“Do more with less. Work harder. Hurry up. Drop everything. We need this tomorrow. We’re reducing headcount so you’re receiving this extra responsibility. We’re starting a new initiative in which we need you to participate. You need to be at this meeting. And this one. And this one. By the way, why haven’t you responded

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The Issue with Heroes

11/01/2018 / By Mike Hawkins / Leadership, Operational Excellence, Productivity

Everyone likes heroes. They make for great movies, stories, and sporting events. They are responsible for successful startups. They give captivating publicity to cities, organizations, and even countries. They provide great endings to otherwise not-so-great circumstances. In the workplace, however, they are not always so great. The problem is when an organization becomes dependent on a

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The Debt You Don’t Report

09/01/2018 / By Mike Hawkins / Change, Operational Excellence, Productivity

The traditional approach to accounting and financial management doesn’t account for all of our assets such as the value of our knowledge, experience, network, and future earnings potential. Neither does it account for all of our liabilities such as our unknown and unresolved issues. Whether accounting for our individual issues or organizational ones, we can

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