Most of us have room to improve our productivity and avoid time vampires lurking around every corner, says Dawn Rasmussen, Path­­finder Writing and Career Ser­­vices. She lists the nine worst time-­suckers threatening your productivity.

If you’re still tracking your time for projects or clients with a spreadsheet, it’s time to transition to a modern tool, program or application such as one of these suggested by columnist Lindsay Olson.

If you plan on knocking out a task quickly and then discover there’s far more to it than you expected, it’s going to wreak havoc on your schedule and could easily torpedo a ton of your free time. Here are some steps to ensure you won’t be surprised by a to-do list iceberg.

Stephen Covey, author of the landmark self-help book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, passed away July 16. Scott Eblin, a leadership coach, shared his reflections on his favorites of those habits.