Having no goals

One of the trickier things about productivity is setting goals.  Often I've found myself in a situation where my goal was to simply keep going.  What do you do when you have no particular goals?  The zen habits blog explores the question in this post. 

Reducing your commitments

People often ask me how to be better at saying no...I wish I had more to tell them!  Saying no is hard.  Saying no after you've already said yes is even harder.  The Unclutterer blog has some tips on how to untangle yourself from unwanted commitments.  Check them out!

Shut up and write

Today I'd like to share part two of the Inside Higher Ed's summer writing column, cleverly titled Shut Up and Write.  Although a terse title, the post contains excellent tips on how to boost writing productivity and find support for your writing projects--a must for us academics in the off-season.  I'm going to take its advice and get back to the article I'm working on this month!

The Procrastination Test

Given that it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted (sorry!  ALA took a lot out of me!) I thought I'd offer to you the Procrastination Test from Psychology Today.  Although it's derided by actual psychologists, the magazine has interesting information and practical self help ideas. 

This test won't solve procrastination problems but it can help you explore why you procrastinate, which can help you figure out a way to stop or lessen procrastinating.  There are some helpful hints and suggestions on the second and third page of the article after the test.  And taking the test can also help you put things off a bit longer :-)