Page 16 of 18

Slice up your time and get more done

Jason Alba has an interesting post, Living Life 16 Minutes At A Time, where he describes how he managed more in less time since he for a while had to work in 16 minutes sessions.

I find this really interesting, it is sometimes far too easy to lose focus and do something else. With a limited time available for a certain task you have to stay focused.

Since life is not work alone I prefer a mix. Take three serious sessions doing important things and then reward yourself using every forth session for leisure, whatever you feel like doing.

Another thing to remember, work with your email in sessions too. While doing something else, close down your email (all of them). Email is a major distraction, limit it as much as possible.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

BeCause – The Power of Purpose

BECAUSE had some great quotes on their front page.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo

“Be the change you seek in the world.” Gandhi.

The Michelango-quote is terrific, a good guide when it comes to setting ones goal.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Sail away from the safe harbor

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)

This quote turned up in a LinkedIn-group today and the quote, as it was meant to, did make me think. Why is it so hard to sail away for the safe harbor?

The feeling of safety makes us hesitate and take the easy way out (stay in harbor) and not the exciting way (leave for the high sea).

Read more: Catch the trade winds in your sails

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Vision, Commitment and Action

The first step in The Hunger Project’s strategies worldwide is to awaken people to a new possibility. This is achieved through the Vision, Commitment and Action Workshop. These three steps are crucial in any process to achieve something.

Vision is “the long-term desired future state of an organization (or person)”. Visions should inspire and motivate.

Commitment is “a pledge, promise or affirmation of agreement”. Tell others about your vision and above all, commit to it yourself.

Action, well we all know what that is. Without action nothing will happen.

Visualizing without commitment and action is usually called dreaming.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Guy Kawasaki has a very interesting post about The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. The rule says that a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.

Guy writes that this rule is applicable for any presentation to reach agreement: for example, raising capital, making a sale, forming a partnership, etc. But I think few slides and large font is a rule that goes for any presentation. The slides are supposed to support your presentation, they are not intended to contain your presentation.

Suggested reading: How to Present and Pitch – A Guide to the Perfect Pitch

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Zen Habits

Zen Habits is one of my favourite blogs. The topics covered are mostly things I am interested in, writing is great and often personal. The About-text says:

Zen Habits will cover: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

Some interesting posts are How NOT to Multitask – Work Simpler and Saner, Are Your Days Crazy? Take Control and a series that starts with Edit Your Life, Part 1: Commitments.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Beyond this Point There Be Dragons

The other day I found this interesting note on the internet:

In the time of the great explorers Columbus, Magellan, and Drake many areas of the earth’s surface, especially the oceans, were uncharted. Most of the people still believed that the earth was flat. Legend among seaman held that sea monsters and other creatures lived in these uncharted regions. As a result, the map makers of this era commonly place the words “beyond this point there be dragons” on uncharted areas.

That is the way we feel when we get outside our personal comfort zones, beyond this point there will be dragons. But if we want to grow outside our current comfort zone then we have to challenge these dragons now and then.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

The Brand Called You

Fast Company had an interesting article titled “The Brand Called You”. It is some years old but still valid. Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here’s what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.

The article covers these:
+ What makes You different?
+ What’s the pitch for You?
+ What’s the real power of You?
+ What’s loyalty to You?
+ What’s the future of You?

A quote from the article:
It’s this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

Snap decisions sometimes the best

BBC has an article titled Snap decisions sometimes the best that suggests that trusting your instincts may help you to make better decisions than thinking hard. University College London found making subconscious snap decisions is more reliable in certain situations than using rational thought processes.

Dr Li Zhaoping, of UCL’s Department of Psychology said: “The conscious or top-level function of the brain, when active, vetoes our initial subconscious decision – even when it is correct – leaving us unaware or distrustful of our instincts and at an immediate disadvantage.

“Falling back on our inbuilt, involuntary subconscious processes for certain tasks is actually more effective than using our higher-level cognitive functions.”

Dr Li also said: “The trick is knowing when this applicable or not. Trusting your instincts is only useful in some situations.”

I think we should trust our first instinct or hunch much more than we do. If we do not decide based on it, then at least use it as input in our decision making process.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑