Kinda reminds me of the time I met with an executive and, upon realizing a mistake she’d made, she smacked herself on the head and said, “Duh! Should’ve had a V8.”  I think you and I could use a little forehead smacking right about now.

One day it hit Andrea Emerson that all her “helping” was actually hurting everyone involved by sucking up big chunks of time and energy, hindering other commitments and keeping co-workers dependent on her to complete their projects. Oops.

Andrea Emerson got an interesting (and useful) bit of insight from a seasoned marketer and business strategist: "On a scale of 0 to 10, let's say you were born a 5 in one talent area. You work hard at it, and over time, you climb up to a 7. The problem is that the world only pays for a 10." Sound familiar?

InsideWork contributor Andrea Emerson highlights four time-tested practices to increase and sustain productivity.

Andrea Emerson has been thinking about the importance people give to what others think, and how that relates to cultivating a reputation as competent business professionals...and how easily that can get upside down