Showing posts with label efficiency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label efficiency. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Simplify to Multiply

I don't know why you want to improve your mind.

I don't know whether you want to perform better in business, studies or on the field.

Or if you want to supercharge your career, as an employee or entrepreneur.

Or you simply want to live your full potential.

In any case, you can improve yourself in counterintuitive ways.

I got to thinking about this when my mind dug up something I haven't thought about in ages:

Many years ago, I read an article from someone who had just upgraded their mobile phone.

Before the upgrade, they could make calls and send texts. And they'd text maybe twice a day, and call twice a week.

Then they got their new, fancy phone with (gasp) internet capabilities.

Now, they were on their phone all the time.

What confused and even troubled them was what this meant for their telco of choice.

Back when they barely used it, they paid (say) $30 a month.

Now they're glued to it, they were paying around $40 or $50 bucks a month.

The economics of that can't hold! Every phone provider has gone mad and is teetering on the brink of financial ruin!

... right?

Well, history shows it wasn't so. That was a very good time to sell mobile phone plans.

So, what gives?

Were the older phone plans so overpriced, there was enough slack to handle this shift?

That's likely, sure.

Were they making most of their profits from elsewhere - say, business plans as opposed to individuals?

Probably, but they weren't making a loss on plans for individuals.

Was it simply economies of scale? More users, so they could make it up in volume?

That was probably a factor.

But one thing that really helped - at least, by my limited understanding of telecommunications - was what they did in the core networks.

Or what businesses would call the back-end.

The earliest mobile phones could make calls - barely.

Then engineers tweaked the signals to carry more data, which let them provide text messages and limited data. Enough for, say, basic news and weather apps.

But then the mobile internet started becoming a thing, so they had to build two networks - one for calls and texts, the other for their laughably rudimentary internet. Plus they had to get these two networks to talk to each other.

It was, I'm sure, a real hassle.

So when the next generation of technology came around, they integrated it all into one network. Calls, texts, data - all going through the same system.

The end user enjoyed faster, more reliable and better integrated services.

The telco enjoyed having one system to maintain, not two.

This, I would guess, helped them keep the price down while revolutionising what they offered.

Which brings me to your call-to-action:

There are places in your life and in your mind that could use a little of this.

Simplifying a process to create a more sophisticated output.

Consolidation, integration and streamlining, to remove the friction points in your thinking and actions. Some of it might involve your external circumstances - say, outsourcing your chores to free up your time.

And some of it will come from thinking hard about your own thinking.

This is your challenge: where in life can you simplify to multiply your results?

So that's one way to enhance your life.

But if self-improvement really interests you, what would you do with more techniques than you can use?

Like, say, 60 of them?

Get your hands on Three-Score Navike - the comprehensive and easy way to grow and evolve - right here:

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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/William_T_Batten/2522089



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Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Top Tips to Manage Your Time in Social Isolation

We're living in unprecedented times. From our health, income, education, ability to travel, no one has been exempt from the impact of this global pandemic. So excuse yourself if you have an occasional melt down. It's understandable under the circumstances. We don't know how long it will last, what the outcome will be. All we can manage is how we react and learn to take each day as it comes.

Practise daily gratitude. A positive, thankful approach is the key to improving unfortunate circumstances. Start each day by being thankful; for waking up, for having a roof over your head, running water, electricity, your health, your family and friends. Times like this often bring out the best in people, so be thankful for the people who check to ask if you're okay, the opportunities you have to walk each day, to slow right down, spend time with your family. Okay, this situation is tough, but you can improve it by appreciating the good in your life.

Take care of yourself. That way others don't have to worry about you and you're in a better position to take care of those who need your attention. Self-care requires both mental and physical stimulus, so reading, games, work, study and physical exercise are an important part of your commitment to yourself. Getting enough sleep and not staying up all hours or over-sleeping are also important.

Explore available options. Might this be a good opportunity to learn another language, refresh an existing skill, diversify? If you've free time you could turn it to your advantage by investigating and even training in a new interest or skill.

Help others. Those little gestures, the phone call, bunch of flowers on the doorstep, the 'thinking of you' greeting card can make all the difference to someone's day. And when you shop for essentials or go online for support remember your local small traders are relying on your custom to survive.

Keep to a regular routine. It's tough when your normal life has been thrown into disarray and added unexpected worries and concerns. But it helps when you re-establish some order in your life. Get up at the same time, shower, put fresh clothes on, designate certain times for work. Some people even have their children wear their school uniforms, which helps them appreciate that this is not an extended school holiday and that they have to do some actual school work!

Don't allow the children to dominate your life and run you ragged. Start as you mean to go on and introduce one of the great online exercise classes to burn off some energy, but also have quiet time too where they read, paint, do some chores or crafts and give you a little space.

Stay hydrated and eat healthily. Keeping your fluid intake up is important. Virus's thrive in your mouth and throat so drinking hot/warm water regularly, perhaps adding fresh lemon, ginger and honey, can help to keep your airways clear. Maintain a good diet, including fresh fruit and vegetables. The supermarkets are doing a sterling job of frequently restocking.

And manage your alcohol intake. When we're feeling fed up it's tempting to go down the wine'o'clock route, but it doesn't help and you'll feel worse afterwards, as you will if you stock up on treats like cakes, biscuits and chocolates and then binge eat the lot in an afternoon!

Manage your time on social media and the news sites. There's plenty of fake news, naysayers and doom merchants out there, feeding us gloomy prophecies, images and statistics. Yes, check in once or twice a day but don't allow depressing information to be drip-fed into your home and life on a regular basis. Remember, you're in control!

Stay connected. There are plenty of groups using skype, zoom, what's app, Facebook to stay connected and be supportive of each other. Keep in touch with the people who are important in your life. Many businesses are finding effective, alternative ways to contact their clients and hold meetings, run training sessions and still work.

If you've a partner give each other space. It can be challenging to spend 24/7 in each other's company, especially if you've only ever done that on holidays or at Christmas. Post-holiday and post-Christmas anyway are the busiest times for divorce lawyers! So if you don't want to fall into that category ensure that you agree to not do everything together. Maybe one shops for food, walks the dog, works in the study, goes for a quiet read, potters in the garden, has a leisurely bath. Make allowances for each other's low mood at times. Give each other personal time.

Stay positive. A good perspective and sense of humour are lifesavers, especially at the moment. Social media, used well, can help lighten the mood. When you dip in and see the fun, imaginative ways people respond to daily themes or news stories it can brighten the day. Or laughing at some of your unfortunate attempts at baking, DIY or making something work can keep a pleasant light-hearted atmosphere.

If you find you're struggling maybe keep a journal and write down how you're feeling. It can help to get things down on paper, and writing is more effective than using your laptop. Avoid running 'what-if' and worst case scenarios in your mind. Intercept those by distracting yourself; move, dance, sing, phone a positive friend for an upbeat chat. Aim to accomplish one positive task each day, from tidying your sock drawer, cleaning the windows or even sorting your emails. Then you have a regular achievement to feel good about.

We're all trying our best to get through these exceptional times. Let's support each other and do it together.

Susan Leigh, counsellor, hypnotherapist, relationship counsellor, writer & media contributor offers help with relationship issues, stress management, assertiveness and confidence. She works with individual clients, couples and provides corporate workshops and support.

She's author of 3 books, 'Dealing with Stress, Managing its Impact', '101 Days of Inspiration #tipoftheday' and 'Dealing with Death, Coping with the Pain', all on Amazon & with easy to read sections, tips and ideas to help you feel more positive about your life.

To order a copy or for more information, help and free articles visit http://www.lifestyletherapy.net

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Leigh/399535



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Monday, 18 May 2020

Don't Put Off Beating Procrastination

If you want to write something - whether that's a novel, a self-help book or an email autoresponder campaign - there's one thing you have to do.

You have to put pen to paper, so to speak.

Because all the best writing skills and ideas won't get you very far. At some point, you have to create something.

But, for many folk, something inside blocks them.

They procrastinate.

The hypnotists among you will know this isn't always a big deal. Often I've procrastinated on something because my unconscious mind was telling me I wasn't ready yet. In fact, I'm procrastinating on a project like that right now.

Having said that, the hypnotists among you also know sometimes your unconscious mind "protects" you from failure by never letting you try.

I leave it to you to decide whether you're procrastinating for the right reasons or the wrong ones.

If it's the wrong ones, and you want to get down to work, then here's what's worked for me...

But before I get into that, why should you care what works for me?

Because I'm a natural procrastinator, easily distracted by shiny new ideas. It used to be so bad I could never do much I wasn't forced to. It's a lot better now, though that spectre isn't off my back. I still find myself goofing off, even when I have a deadline.

Even so, I've learned to sit down and churn out a lot of great content.

I'm not a naturally productive person, if there even is such a thing. I train my mind to create by facing the causes of procrastination head on:

Clarity
One of the causes of "good" procrastination can be one of the more frustrating:

A lack of clarity.

This is a strange thing. Often our ideas seem so clear to us. When you close your eyes, you can see it. Then, when you go to create it, you realise what you have in mind is just a phantom. What you had in mind was closer to a felt sense than a blueprint.

If you're procrastinating, this might be why. Your unconscious doesn't have a firm grasp of what you need to do yet, so it doesn't motivate you into taking action.

Even if it wanted to, it couldn't.

Solution: map out what you want to create. Explain it aloud to someone or at least yourself. You'll quickly notice any areas that need fleshing out.

Priority
Let's say you're now clear on what you need to do.

When you have a lot to do, it can be hard to know where to start.

You start thinking about designing your website... but maybe you should write the sales letter first so you know what it'll look like... hang on, have you done enough market research yet?

After clarity comes priority - you know what the end result will look like, but that doesn't mean you know how to get there.

When you have a hundred tasks that all need doing, where do you start? You could pick on at random... only to have your mind constantly interrupt.

"What about X?"

"Don't forget to do Y before you publish!"

With a head that noisy, no wonder you don't get much done.

Solution: you don't want to ignore these interruptions - they tell you vital things. Write them down. Make a note of what needs doing before what, and what has a deadline. Sort your tasks by priority and work your way through them.

Overwhelm
You're clear on what needs doing and when. But when you look at your list of tasks, you get this sinking feeling inside you.

It's common to procrastinate when there's just so much to do.

You might find the big picture overwhelming, thinking ahead to all that you need to accomplish.

Or you might look at today's list of tasks and think there's no way to get through them all.

If failure is inevitable, why fight it?

I won't indulge a broken premise. You haven't failed until you've quit.

Maybe your list of tasks needs tweaking. Or maybe you really do have to get through all this. Either way, you'll be surprised what you can accomplish once you get typing.

Solution: the best approach I've ever come across is the Pomodoro technique. Set a timer and work without distractions for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, take a quick break. Stretch your legs, have a cup of tea. Then get back into it.

That's not all there is to teach you about your victory over procrastination. There are other causes of it, so there are other techniques for resolving it.

And there's more to learning to write like a demon than even all that.

You can learn everything you need right here, at no cost when you use my affiliate link:

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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/William_T_Batten/2522089


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Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Successful Thinking Tipping Points


Successful Thinking Tipping Points
By
Bill Cottringer

“Successful people are just those with more successful habits than others.”  ~Brian Tracy.

Success today requires more than just raw IQ points in pure brain power. To achieve success today, you must develop and practice successful thinking and the emotional and social intelligence that goes along with it. To maintain success, you must exercise even more of these things at a higher level. This holds true whether you are trying to lead a sports team to victory, have a better relationship with your spouse or family, get good grades in school, teach others how to learn, run a business, practice a profession, or do any other kind of job.

There are certain tipping points that pave the way for these new software skills to take hold and get results. Here are ten of the more important tell-tale ones that will let you know you are making progress at developing your successful thinking and emotional and social quotients. My challenge is for you to make your own reality-check list, because successful thinking has no ceiling or boundary.

1. When you realize a lot of what is in your head is (mostly) nonsense. This is hardly a normal thing we are ever taught or otherwise encouraged to do. After all, if all that you think you know isn’t really so, then what the heck is left? As one friend said though—an open mind isn’t necessarily an empty one. It is commonly known that we often argue the loudest over things we know the least about. Isn’t that a waste of valuable time? Wouldn’t it be more sensible to just accept the need for an occasional purging of questionable information so that it can be turned into knowledge and wisdom by actually setting out to learn what you don’t know and need to?

2. When you start noticing what you have failed to notice all along. This is a very powerful insight many of us miss because when are not noticing the phenomenon of being on autopilot most of the time and not contemplating things enough. It is the contemplation that helps you notice the connection between certain things you say or do and the outcomes you get from saying or doing those things. The behavior and outcomes are often so close that other things catch the blame, especially the ones we imagine causing bad outcomes. This tipping point in not a one time event.

3. When you become more sensitive to the point of no return. Perhaps this is one of the toughest points in time to be aware of because of experience and judgment and may other distractions. But knowing when to fish or cut bait as to whether something is a moment of opportunity or one of danger is the only way to increase opportunities and avoid danger. All that is required here is to become more sensitive to the moment of no return in a situation before it comes and goes. And if that doesn’t work for you, just heed Abraham Lincoln’s advice: Life usually gives you two opportunities for the important things and so it is a very good idea to know when the first one has already come and gone.

4. When you start questioning sacred paradigms. This is usually dangerous provocation, especially when you reveal the elephant in the room that no one dares to question. So many people believe a certain belief has to be true, that disproving it becomes impossible and usually very unpopular. Here, creative people must lead the way with their courage just to let others know the value of shifting your points of view to get a better view and eventually do a complete 360 and see or do something nobody else has ever seen or done. This is your unique contribution that we are all capable of.

5. When you stop judging things. We are natural judgers, putting just about everything into opposite categories like good or bad, truth or fiction, life or death, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable, win or lose, etc. The trouble is these categories are extremes and we know extremes are an artificial convenience for understanding and controlling them. When you think about it, very few things have any inherent goodness or badness in them, yet we are very quick to make a good vs. bad determination of just about everything that happens. Putting a hold on this judgment addiction opens many potential success doors ahead.

6. When you realize why you are who you are. Let me be blunt here. We are all about what we read and who we hang out with. Those two forces do the most shaping of who we grow into, starting with parents and peers and ending with heroes. If you want to be highly smart, successful and content, then read books that inspire you how to be that way and hang out with people who are already there or who are making more progress than you think you are.

7. When you start validating your intuition. Some say intuitions come from somewhere between the head and heart. Somehow, that location seems to make sense. We all get intuitive impressions that are not rational or easy to understand. Naturally we are hesitant in following hunches and gut feelings unless our particular jobs require that. The tipping point here is to listen to what the intuition is trying to tell you, follow it, track results and validate it for future use, keeping the good ones and tossing the rest.

8. When you see time in a different light. It is not unreasonable to say that time is something we invented to be able to have memories of the past, experiences in the now moment and predictions of the future. Actually, time was invented by monks to keep them on a praying schedule! We all have all the “time” there is, but it never seems to be enough. Too much to do and too little time to do it. Why is this? Mainly because we are obsessive of measuring time in terms of being a regulated, mechanical thing, easier to understand and manage; but there is enough scientific evidence that time is more variable than stable and maybe just forever without any need for frenzied hurrying. Just considering this possibility opens the door to some unimaginable things. All I can say is try it you might like it.

9. When you realize the folly of over-embracing half-truths. The normal evolution of thinking starts with simple explanations, moves to more complex ones, and then settles for the simple just on the other side of complexity. This is the creative process that repeats itself with each new topic that confronts us. Although half-truths can be very appealing and popular, sooner or later the other half becomes visible, as will the middle ground after that. This applies to everything from parenting to running a business and everywhere in between.

10. When you learn your unique purpose in life. Some people are fortunate in finding and living their special life’s purpose at an early age and enjoying life more for a longer period of time. Others wander wastelands and dead-ends for years looking for their purpose and suddenly bump into it on a road to their destiny that they chose to avoid earlier. And still others never find their purpose. We all have a general purpose for being here and that seems to involve the effort to become our best self. Just know that reaching higher levels of success and happiness requires using all these successful thinking tipping points to find you unique purpose.

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” ~Mark Twain.



Author's Bio:
William Cottringer, Ph.D., Certified Homeland Security (CHS) level III, is Executive Vice-president for Employee Relations for Puget Sound Security Patrol, Inc., in Bellevue, Washington, sport psychologist, and adjunct professor in criminal justice at Northwest University. He is author of several business and self-development books, including You Can Have Your Cheese & Eat It Too, The Bow-Wow Secrets, Do What Matters Most, ‘P’ Point Management, Reality Repair, Reality Repair RX, Thoughts on Happiness, Pearls of Wisdom: A Smart Dog’s Tale. He can be reached at 425-652-8067 or ckuretdoc@comcast.net

Tuesday, 5 May 2020

Working From Home Efficiently

Okay, I admit it. I do not transition very well. For years I have built my business providing face-to-face sessions in my office. Now, due to the COVID-19 I have had to mentally and physically operated my practice from my condo. It took a few days until I was psychologically ready to do this. Now, however, I have a system and am quite comfortable with the new ways of serving clients.
Here are some of the things for you consider so that you can successfully work from home:
  1. Attitude - Being at home does not mean that you are on holidays. You need to give your employer a day's work for a day's pay and, if you are self-employed, to honour your business goals.
  2. Schedule - Book your week for the same times you would if you were at the office. Your start and end times shouldn't be altered. You can still have meetings, telephone contact with clients and complete tasks even though you might need to have alternate ways of doing them. A forty-hour work week meanings forty hours of working.
  3. Routine - Get up and groom yourself for the day. Set and follow a pattern that you can use repeatedly to stay in the work mode. The other day, I heard a journalist talk about her friend who has worked at home for years. Each morning, he dresses, leaves his house, and walks to a deli where he picks up a cup of coffee. He immediately walks home and as soon as he enters the door of his house, he knows he is at work! The daily walk helps him to psychologically transition. I set the alarm on my phone to remind me of the start and end times for breaks and lunch throughout the day and honour these times.
  4. Setting - You need to set up private a place that is designated only for work and equipped to do your tasks. Years ago, a real estate agent told me that her work and domestic lives were inappropriately enmeshed until she had a door installed on one room in her house. The door separated the two parts of her life for her!
  5. Distractions - Turn off the television! Make sure that family members know the importance of respecting the fact that you are working. Teach children that a "Do Not Disturb Sign" means that you are busy. Save personal conversations with friends until after your workday is over.
  6. Adjustments - Ensure that you have all the "tools" you need to do your job. I don't see clients at my condo. My staff helped me to choose a secure software program so that I can do confidential therapy sessions with clients instead. We can see each other while we talk but can be miles apart at the same time
  7. Focus - Businesses succeed when they make or sell products and services. Your thoughts, time and efforts need to always keep this in mind. Sitting in a hen house doesn't make you a chicken and just stating that you are working doesn't make you a successful employee or business owner. You need to continually contribute to transactions and the bottom line.
  8. Timelines- If you have another physical office it is protected, insured and clean. You might be able to save some money while you are temporarily working from home (transportation, supplies, or even reduction in telephone/internet packages) but always keep in the mind that the office you will be returning to needs to be ready for you.
  9. Preparation - Think about the adjustments that you can and will make in order to improve the business in the future. Temporarily working from home does not mean that you are in a "time out" where you just sit and wait for things to change. Take new ideas and refine them. Consider changes that you can make for efficiency. Think about the needs of your clients and how you can better fill them. Be creative. For example, I have been using the time that I would normally use travelling back and forth to my office to write an "Anxiety" handout for clients.
  10. Hope - Life and business have both good and hard times. We all want to live on the mountaintop experiences, but the fruit actually grows in the valley! Learn to be content and give thanks no matter what is happening in the world! Mountaintop and valley.
And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to a complimentary list of 10 Steps to Making Your Life an Adventure when you visit http://lindahancock.com
From Dr. Linda Hancock, Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10288138