Monday Headlines: Fighting Workplace Distractions, Productivity Habits and Tips to Build Resilience

Marissa Brassfield -

Happy Monday! I've got an array of excellent productivity and motivation articles to kick off the workweek.

  • What separates effective individuals from busy individuals? Kentin Waits discusses 6 Habits of Highly Productive People. My favorite bit is this: "In the end, productivity is one part old-fashioned discipline and one part smart strategy. Organizing our lives so that we optimize our chances of being productive is half the battle." [American Express OPEN Forum]
  • It isn't easy to be creative when you've hit the proverbial wall. Micah Smith shares 20 Ways to Get Your Swagger Back. I love that she recommends exercise and silence -- I do many of these without thinking about it! [Proof Branding]
  • The weekend may have come and gone, but this LifeHacker mini-project will help you establish a professional Web presence anytime you have a few hours to set aside. [LifeHacker]
  • Leo Babauta is a huge inspiration for my personal productivity, and this post shares how he changed his life with just four lines. It's an algorithm applicable for just about everyone. [zenhabits]
  • Some people have an indomitable spirit by nature, but for many, resilience is a learned trait. Robert Pagliarini outlines 10 ways to recover from a crisis and get back on your feet. [Huffington Post]
  • Amy Gallo inspires readers to stop procrastinating with five simple principles. (Can't shake your urge to procrastinate? Check out my five tips to procrastinate productively.) [Harvard Business Review]
  • Distraction at work is inevitable, but it's essential to bounce back quickly to maintain momentum. Learn six strategies to deal with workplace distractions courtesy of David Lavenda. [Fast Company]
  • Writers need only remember a simple acronym, courtesy of Chris Birk, to boost productivity: MAP, which stands for medium, audience and purpose. [Copyblogger]

I'll leave you all with a Steve Jobs quote from a 1998 Business Week interview in which he discussed his return to Apple:

That's been one of my mantras -- focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.