MARK STRUCZEWSKI

Did you know that water is the second most popular drink? I tell what #1 is in the show. And that our bodies are made up of around 60% (our blood 90%)? So, yeah. Water is kind of important. That's the subject of this episode.

Remember when email first came out?

You were so excited.

You didn't care what email you received. You just wanted email.

Boy...the world has come a long way, hasn't it?

180 degrees.

Now you don't want any more email.

First of all, I don't see email going away anytime soon. I write that despite the increased use of iMessage/text messaging, Slack, and countless other ways we can communicate with each other.

But if you don't get control of your email inbox, you're setting yourself up for a lot of stress (the bad kind of stress).

Before I give you three solid ways to regain control of your inbox, let me point out three things you should not do.

• Don't ignore the problem. As much as you would like it to, it won't go away on its own.
• Don't resort to archiving and deleting every message in your inbox.
• Don't get a new email address. Sure, that will solve your immediate problem but unless you change your habits, you'll likely fall into the same pit again.

Now you know what not to do, here...

On this episode with Todd Westra, we talk how to be productive at home with 8 kids, reactive/proactive blends, the first hour of the day and discovery time.

toddwestra.com

Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Instagram. YouTube. SnapChat.

What words or phrases popped into your mind when you read those words?

• Pointless
• Black hole
• Necessary evil
• Part of life
• How I stay in touch with family/friends
• Fun
• Keeps me informed
• How I grow
• The future

I promise you that if I asked 100 people this question, I would get 100 different answers.

Some would say they love social media. That it does so much for them.

Others would say meh.

And still others would react as if I swore in church.

I know this because I’ve asked people along my journey what they thought and they told me. And I want you to tell me in the comments!

I've always said and still maintain: social media is both a blessing and a curse.

Here's the thing: it doesn't matter what you think it is so much as it matters that YOU are the one who is in charge of social media in your life.

What do I mean by that?

You don't have to be on any other social media platform. No one is holding a gun to your head and...

If you're listening to a podcast about productivity and optimum performance, you probably want to be more productive. So why aren't you? In this incredibly powerful episode with Dr. Tracy Thomas, we explore this topic and give you solid strategies that you can implement immediately.

...

Morning is a very sacred time of your day.

You have just awoken from a (hopefully) good night sleep and you’re presented with a brand new day. A brand new opportunity.

What do you normally do when you first open your eyes? Or when your alarm goes off?

Do you linger under the covers in the comfort of your sheets avoiding the inevitable?

Do you press the snooze button repeatedly?

Instead of that, do this: immediately get up, put your feet on the floor and make your bed. This serves two purposes: 1) it puts a barrier between you and getting back under the covers and going back to sleep and 2) you’ve already accomplished something today! YAY!

Now that you’re up…here are some ways to make the beginning of your day the most productive it can be.

DON’T RUSH

Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to transition from sleeping to your day. This means not hitting that snooze button or laying in bed contemplating your day and what you need to do.

Avoid rushing...

Meetings.

What emotions do you feel when you hear that word?

Or when you’re invited to one?

Anger?

Frustration?

Overwhelm?

Or maybe you experience physical issues like pain in your neck, head or elsewhere?

You’re not alone.

We’ve all been to meetings that we felt were a waste of time. And that’s because the meeting planner didn’t know what they were doing. Maybe they weren’t trained correctly.

Here are 10 ideas to consider if you want to make your meetings more productive.

WHO NEEDS TO BE AT THE MEETING?

I remember reading Walter Isaacson’s biography about Steve Jobs. In it, he shared the story about a meeting Steve held in which there was someone that he wasn’t expecting. He asked her rather bluntly, “who are you?” When she told him, he replied, “we won’t be needing you here.”

I’m not saying do what Steve Jobs did…but do take a look at who REALLY needs to be at your meeting.

DON’T...

Time is the great equalizer.

It doesn’t care who you are, what color your skin, gender, education level is, whether you’re rich or poor or anything else.

Everyone gets 24 hours to spend every day however they choose.

So it’s on you to spend your time wisely.

Here are FIVE ways to do that.

Determine what you need to do.

Set aside time either at the end of your day, before you go to sleep or, at the very latest, in the morning before you begin your day to think about your day.

Don’t rush this. But do be very intentional about it.

What needs to be done? Do you even know?

I highly encourage you to do your initial planning by writing in a planner or in a notebook.

Determine how long each task will take you.

As you are jotting down what needs to be done, estimate how long each task you have/want to do will take you. Don’t keep this in your head…actually write it down.

Now, begin to plan your day.

It may seem odd but the actually...

Do you happen to your time...or do you let others happen to your time for you?

If you answered the former, then you are operating in REactive mode. In this article, I am going to tell you why it is critical you begin to operate in PROactive mode and how you can start.

WHY REACTIVE MODE IS BAD FOR YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

When you operate in REactive mode, you spend your precious 24 hours by reacting to other people, things or events.

This means you have next to no control of your time.

At home, your spouse or kids (!) are very demanding of you and you just do whatever they ask. Why? Maybe to keep the peace. Or perhaps it's just easier that way.

At work, your boss(es) or co-workers are pulling you in a multitude of directions. You help them do what they should be doing while your work suffers and you pay the consequences (arriving to work early, working through lunch, staying late, bringing your work home with you - taking away time from your loved ones - or, eventually, you are written up...

There is a lot to becoming more productive. So much so that you may be paralyzed by the thought of learning how to do what you need to do in order to get more things done.

In this article, I am going to go back to the very beginning. I believe that without a solid foundation, your chances of succeeding at being more productive are greatly reduced.

STEP 1: Where are you now?

If you were going to take a road trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, you would put the address of the hotel you were going to stay at into your smart phone.

However, if you do not enable GPS on your phone (like some people do for whatever reason), your phone could not help you get from where you are to Disney World.

Before you can improve your productivity, you have to evaluate where you are now in terms of getting things done.

Imagine a scale of zero to ten.

Zero indicates that you are the world's best procrastinator - never getting anything done, ever.

Ten indicates that you are the world's most...