Update June 2020: I published this post many years ago, and my home office setup has changed since then. However, most of the main design principles are still the same, and I think you'll find them helpful (I also updated some of the links to the products I currently use). ********** I recently moved to a new apartment where I (finally!) got my own room to set up as a home office. I’ve been a hardcore follower of GTD for quite a while, so I wanted to make sure I take the lessons learned over ... Read More
Why Work from Home & The Perfect Home Office [INFOGRAPHIC]
The folks at TinyPrints released this cool infographic about why you should work from home, and how the perfect home office should look like. The infographic highlights some nice tips and statistics, including having a separate room for your home office and outlining what the business savings are for a company that allows its employees to work from home. Click on the infographic below for a larger version. Hope you found this helpful! Cheers, Hassan P.S. - If ... Read More
Please, Know When to Shut Up in Meetings
Here’s a common problem in teleconference meetings: some people just don’t know when to shut up to get a point across. This includes folks who keep making the same point over and over again, and do not understand the concept of “less is more.” Although this happens in face-to-face meetings as well, it is more common in virtual meetings because the presenter can’t read his or her audience’s visual cues to know whether they’re still actively listening. In the spirit of knowing when to shut up, ... Read More
My 1-sentence Summaries of the Best 6 Books I’ve Read on Productivity
I’m a voracious reader of non-fiction books, and I usually read the latest bestsellers in the business, psychology, and finance genres. Every once in a while, I come across one that leaves a remarkable impact on the way I think or act, and the list below includes six of those books (I’ve read each at least twice). Of course, not every one of them is about productivity, but I’ve boiled each to a single-sentence takeaway that generally increases my efficiency and reduces stress. I also included ... Read More
The 4 Types of Managers According to Abraham Lincoln’s Productivity Rule
Abraham Lincoln famously said: "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the axe" I'm a big fan of this quote, and I’ve used it over and over during my career – especially when planning large and complex initiatives. In essence, the quote refers to how much time you should spend planning versus executing a project. According to Lincoln, you should spend two-thirds of the time you have sharpening the axe (planning your project), and the remaining one-third of it ... Read More