Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips

My first step in writing this companion post to yesterday's, defining productivity, was to look on Google for a definition of the word “goal.” When I did that for “productivity,” all the sites that came up were fairly relevant. This time, I got sites about soccer (goal!), an international charity for the poor and the Gun Owner's Action League. Huh.

I did find a short, sort of romantic definition in Wikipedia: “A goal is a desired state of affairs...” I like that one because of the word “desired.” A goal needs to be something you really want, not just something that makes sense or seems like a good idea.

At work, it can be more challenging to set goals that way, unless you have created yourself a dream job. At work, you usually don't have the freedom to decide what you'll do and when and how you'll do it.