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This month we wanted to try something different. Our top five tips for time management and personal productivity are based on quotes from well-known characters, from Taoist thinkers to Nobel Prize winners.

These choice messages are designed to remind you of the obvious, and get you thinking about how to make more out of your working days. If you find them valuable, stick them on your wall for those moments when your productivity wanes.

“Out of clutter find simplicity” . Albert Einstein
- ORGANISE

The problem with organising is it can become nothing more than a distraction from the act of doing. Everyone has different approaches to organising themselves, and there’s no right or wrong. But whatever your approach, remember: organisation is about minimising disorder and freeing yourself from clutter. It’s about knowing what’s next and what’s important. It should make the doing easier.

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” . Cyril Northcote Parkinson
- SCHEDULE

Parkinson’s law states that if you give yourself a day to do a task, it will take a day to do - even if it might be done in half the time. It is of course not always true, but it makes a valuable point. It’s often wise to give yourself leeway in case things take longer than expected, but such flexibility can rule your productivity. Too much time can lead to distraction and procrastination. Remember: the time it should take to do something is not always the same as the time you make available to do it.

“You may delay, but time will not” . Benjamin Franklin
- START

We waste time for different reasons, but procrastination always begins in the mind. That makes it a difficult beast to beat. It happens when a task is difficult, daunting, undesirable or seemingly unachievable. The tragedy is that when something must be done, procrastination just makes things worse. The obvious solution is to just begin. But that’s easier said than done. Being conscious of when you are procrastinating at least gives you a chance to beat it. Keep an eye on yourself, and if you find yourself procrastinating, find a way to stop.

“Concentration is the secret of strength” . Ralph Waldo Emerson
- FOCUS

Sometimes we look for reasons not to focus, other times distractions smack us in the face. And there are many: email, the web, the coffee machine, early lunch, office banter. Such distractions detract from our productivity one minute at a time. As far as you can, you need to minimise them. Switch off email, or find a quiet space free from the phone or chatty colleagues. As with procrastination, it’s about making a conscious effort to maintain focus upon the task in hand.

“Action without action” / “Wei wu wei” . Terence Gray
- STOP

Sometimes, the best action is inaction. Or to be less dramatic: take a break. As the legend of Archimedes teaches us: a break can provide the rest and inspiration the mind needs to solve problems, reach those ‘eureka’ moments, or just work more productively. It’s when we are under pressure and during our busiest times that we forget the value of taking a break. If you find your productivity is waning don’t battle on: take action through a little inaction.