How do you behave when you’re on a tight deadline?

Say you’ve got to submit grades by 5 pm, finish a paper by midnight, or make final arrangements for this weekend’s event with 1,000 attendees. You’re under the gun, and you need to produce. Not tomorrow, not tonight. Now.

What do you do?

• shut your door?
• move to an undisclosed location?
• turn on background music or white noise?
• close your email tab?
• turn off alerts on your smartphone?
• down a double espresso?
• hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your doornob (or tape one to the back of your shirt, like this guy?)

By now, you’ve probably got a vivid mental picture of yourself in a hyper-focused state. Now, compare that mental picture to how you usually work.

In your personal philosophy, what’s essential? What’s off-limits? What’s negotiable?

And when was the last time you thought about it?

We’re always in flux. With each new book we read and each new person we meet, our clean edges blur, then morph. We become a little wiser, a little smarter, a little more patient, and a little more accepting of others’ imperfections.

At the same time, we get to know ourselves better and better. As we’re exposed to more information, we become more certain of what we want (and don’t want) for our lives.

[caption id=“attachment_1971” align=“aligncenter” width=“780”] photo by John Mark Kuznietsov[/caption]

Most of the ideas in this post are borrowed or adapted from David Allen’s must-read book Getting Things Done. I use a modified version of GTD to run my entire life, and if you want the full story, check out my GTD tutorial posts.

Everybody loves a clean desk.

But without a system for managing paper, no desk stays pristine for long. Over time, our workspaces tend to fill up with stacks of loose paper, stressing us out and making our jobs harder.

[caption id=“attachment_1956” align=“aligncenter” width=“700”] photo by nike159[/caption]

All sunshine makes a desert. — Unknown

You’re going to have bad days. There’s no way around it. Something big will go wrong, a bunch of little things will go wrong, or you just won’t be able to summon any motivation.

When you’re having a bad day, it’s tempting to bail: “Well, I’m not going to get anything worthwhile done today. This day is shot.” Trust me, I’ve been there. But with a few strategies up your sleeve, you can salvage some productivity from a lousy day and feel a little better in the process.

[caption id=“attachment_1946” align=“aligncenter” width=“780”] photo by Lucy Chian[/caption]

The safest place to ride your bike is often the middle of the road. In the cycling world, this is called taking the lane.

Think about that for a second. Picture it in your mind. Does taking the lane sound safe? Probably not. It is safe, though, and here’s a common scenario to illustrate why.