Weekly Round-Up #53: Most Popular Posts Of 2015 And My Favourite Articles
Happy New Year! Here’s a round-up of the most popular posts on the blog in 2015 and a few of my favourite articles I think you should check out.
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first Weekly Round-Up of 2016. I thought I’d take the opportunity to go back through my stats and list the most read posts of 2015 – for comparison you can view 2014’s top 10 here – and list a few of my favourite posts that you may have missed over the last 12 months.
Top 10 Posts of 2015
Some things are still the same as last year – people seem very interested in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People which makes the top 10 list more than once, and GTD still makes an appearance so let’s check out the Top Ten Posts of 2015:
10. My “Killer” GTD setup
Even though this post was written in 2007, it’s still a firm favourite amongst readers – even though my phone pictured in the post looks like something out of the steam-driven era! I don’t really use the GTD technique any more but I am thinking of taking another look at it now that David Allen has revised the book to take more technology into account (affiliate link). Watch this space to see my review!
9. 7 Habits: Habit 2 – Start with the end in mind
The first of the 7 habits post to make the list, this article from 2008 looks at how we need to visualise our desired outcomes in order to be able to achieve them – you can view the 2015 look at this habit here.
8. Review: Coach.me Instant Coaching
Online teaching, coaching and accountability is becoming really important. Coach.me is a website and app that allows you to set and manage goals, keep track of your progress and get a “pat on the back” from others. This is a great app to use if you’re looking at setting some goals for 2016.
7. FlipPlan – Printable Planner
If you need a simple pocket-sized planner, look not further than the FlipPlan. You can print out a variety of formats and even link your Google Calendar to it to print your calendar items out!
6. Writing Meeting Minutes – Meeting Mate v3
It would still appear that 7 years after I originally posted my free download we’re still struggling with managing meetings! If you’re interested in running meetings properly, sign-up for my newsletter to get access to my free Managing Meetings e-book.
5. 7 Habits: Habit 7 – Sharpen The Saw : Principles of balanced Self-Renewal
If you’re going to build a sustainable habit you need to keep practising and working on it – to improve your technique and yourself. This post looks at Stephen Covey’s final habit and how you need to perform regular “self-maintenance” to keep yourself renewed. You can check out my 2015 take on habit 7 here.
4. TimeBoxing: What Is It And How To Use It
Timeboxing is a great technique to use if you have a lot of tasks to get through and tend to get bogged down on a single item, or procrastinate. I also devised a free printable Timeboxing sheet so you can manage your time and your tasks.
3. Review: iBody Activity and Sleep Tracker
It would seem that people are look](ing for a simple fitness tracker that doesn’t cost the Earth like a FitBit, JawBone or Apple Watch. My review of the iBody fitness tracker is a pretty fair one I think and covers most of the pros and cons. It was written in 2014 and I’m still using mine which isn’t bad for the £21 I paid for it!
2. 7 Habits: Habit 4 – Think Win/Win
The third entry from my review of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (affiliate link). This article looks at how we can have a mutually beneficial outcome if we work at it and you can view my 2015 take on Habit 4 here.
1. 7 Habits – Habit 5: Seek first to understand then to be understood
This is the most popular post on the blog for the second year in a row. I guess people are struggling to find a way to achieve common ground with people in order to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome – perhaps this is something I should explore further in the coming year. You can read my 2015 take on Stephen Covey’s Habit 5 here.
My Favourite Posts Of 2015
There were a couple of posts I was surprise that didn’t make the list that seemed to be quite popular when they came out – but I guess as they were released later in the year they didn’t have a chance to catch up with the others so here’s my personal pick for 2015
1. Getting Ready For Resolutions: How to form habits and set goals
One of my most recent posts, this takes a detailed look in how you can form a habit that lasts a lifetime which is especially relevant if you’re making New Year’s resolutions.
2. Autumn Cleaning Challenge: What Needs Cleaning When [Infographic]
You may be surprised how little – or often – some items around your house need cleaning. As part of my Autumn Cleaning Challenge Series I put together this infographic that lets you know how often you need to clean things like your bedding, face towels, microwaves and even a bra!
3. The Ultimate Guide To Student Life: Productivity, Health, Finance and Food Hacks
If you’re a student then make sure you check out this massive post of productivity, health, finance and cooking hacks – you’re bound to be able to save time and money with these tips!
4. Free Download: FlipMealPlan Free Printable Meal Planner
This planner has become an invaluable tool for me on two fronts. Firstly it allows me to work out what I’m cooking on what day based on when I’m working, that way I can schedule more complicated food when I finish early and something simple when I’m working late. Secondly, because I know exactly what I’m cooking I know what I need to buy. This means I’m only buying what I need and it cuts down on cost – and food waste – massively.
5. Body Language Basics
In this series I covered a variety of body language techniques from being open, how to communicate and how to spot a liar – check it out to see if you’re giving away bad “vibes” or signals!
Over To You
What articles have you found this year to be really helpful in your attempt to achieve productivity nirvana? Let us know in the comments – and they don’t just have to be from this site, they can be from anywhere!
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