19 Charts That Will Help You Be An Actual Adult. Why You Need a Daily Prioritization Meeting. We live in a culture of urgency, constantly throwing our emotional energy into the latest public scandal, emergency, or cat video. Most of us work in always-switched-on companies where everything feels urgent. Call backs, emails, and meetings are wrought with peak energy. How quickly do you expect a response to an email or changes to a report? Because of this, I believe that prioritizing is the most essential skill a creative can possess. The constant influx of information from social media, emails, clients, advertising, etc., makes it difficult to decipher what’s important, what to abandon and what to work on now. The media theorist and writer Douglas Rushkoff describes his concept of “present shock” as “one big now… where everything is happening so fast it may as well be simultaneous.” “The Principle of Priority states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what’s important first.”― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art.
5 Ways to Do Nothing and Become More Productive. I got an email at 5 in the morning that made me angry. It pressed every button. It accused. It threatened. It cc-ed people. I started to type a response and then I stopped. But I’m trying to get better. Sometimes the best thing to do is: nothing. Many productivity books tell you what you can do MORE of in order to achieve goals, purpose, success money, etc. You need to eliminate first. Here’s a checklist I use for when to do nothing: Do nothing when you’re angry. Time is the morphine drip that soothes the anger. Do nothing when you’re paranoid. Do nothing when you’re anxious. Do nothing when you’re tired. There is nothing that is ever so important it can’t wait. Do nothing when you want to be liked. That’s my checklist. Think about when you’ve been happiest with your life (and if that’s not a reasonable goal then what is?). It’s when we are in touch with the magic of our silence that we find our inner creators and can change the universe.
10 Creative Rituals You Should Steal. Benjamin Franklin made sure to end every day by asking “What good have I done today?” Maya Angelou only wrote in tiny hotel rooms. Jack Kerouac made sure to touch the ground nine times before writing. Sustained creativity doesn’t come from a flash of brilliance or a single afternoon of inspiration. It comes from a consistent routine that serves as the bedrock for getting things done.
Venture capitalist Brad Feld takes a week off every three months: The most impactful thing I’ve done is to take a week off the grid every quarter. Read the entire interview here. Former Obama campaign CTO Harper Reed the importance of the daily “retrospective”: [The presidential campaign] had a really good team dynamic that relied quite a bit on the “retrospective” meeting at the end of a project that allowed us to stop and say: “What was it like to launch? Read the entire interview here. Best-selling author Cheryl Strayed on the importance of writing daily: Read the entire interview here. How about you? Top five regrets of the dying.
There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps. A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom.
Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware: 1. "This was the most common regret of all. 2. "This came from every male patient that I nursed. 3. "Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. 4. 5. 7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People. While happiness is defined by the individual, I’ve always felt it foolish to declare that nothing can be learned from observing the happiness of others.
In our day-to-day lives it is easy to miss the forest for the trees and look over some of the smaller, simpler things that can disproportionally affect our happiness levels. Luckily, we can go off more than just our intuition; there are lots of studies that aim for finding the right behavior that leads to a happier life. Below, we take a look at some of the more actionable advice. 1. Be Busy, But Not Rushed Research shows that being “rushed” puts you on the fast track to being miserable. The porridge is just right when you’re living a productive life at a comfortable pace.
Feeling like you’re doing busywork is often the result of saying “Yes” to things you are not absolutely excited about. You should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed. 2. 3. Self-esteem is a tricky beast. 4. 5. 6. 7. A Master Plan for Taking Back Control of Your Life. Here’s the problem we face, every day of our lives. Nearly everything that generates enduring value requires effort, focus, and even some discomfort along the way. At the same time, we’re deeply wired to avoid pain, which the body reads as mortally dangerous, and to move toward pleasure, the more immediate the better. 1.
Make more of your behaviors automatic. Because our willpower is so limited, our best defense is to rely on it less. 2. You can’t easily lash yourself to a mast, but you can selectively avoid temptations. 3. The more powerfully driven you are to take instant action, the more likely you shouldn’t. 4. For nearly 98% of us, that means at least 7 hours a night. 5. That’s when the vast majority of us have the most energy and the fewest distractions. 6. Food – specifically glucose – literally fuels willpower. 7. 8. Human beings aren’t meant to operate like computers, at high speeds, continuously. Above all else, it’s critical to ground yourself in deeply held values. Creativity Tools for Developing Creative Solutions from MindTools.com. 10 Habits Of Highly Successful Students. Before I realized I wanted to be a scientist, I didn’t give a hoot about studying.
I went into college with no idea how to study. None. Zip. Zilch. I didn’t really believe in studying in high school, because I was under the delusion I was going to be a rock star. (I was not exactly what you might have called a “successful student. I didn’t fail out or anything, but I didn’t exactly have perfect attendance. 1. Resigning yourself to failure before you begin is not an option if you want to succeed. You have to keep yourself out of bad mindsets such as that. If you are doing well in some courses but not others, it is easy to become frustrated and start thinking negatively. Low test scores also foster negative thinking. Take a deep breath and re-evaluate. 2. This is really crucial. I take on far too many activities, I understand this about myself.
Think about how you spend your time now and design a new schedule. A critical part of time management for students is studying effectively. 3. Seth Godin! First, you have to know what it is Meatball Sundae is about the mismatch between traditional marketing and what you find online... Find all the details right here: Meatball Sundae A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas. The meatballs are the foundation, the things we need (and sometimes want). The sundae toppings (hot fudge and the like) are the New Marketing, the social networks, Google, blogs and fancy stuff that make people all excited. The challenge most organizations face: they try to mix them.
This book explores the 14 trends that are changing our world and how organizations can either embrace them or be punished by them. How to Build a Paper Research Database. October 1st, 2007 · 46 comments How a Pulitzer Prize Winner Writes A few years back, I watched a CSPAN2 interview that changed the way I write major papers. The program was Booknotes, and the guest was Pulitzer Prize winner, Taylor Branch. What I like about Booknotes is that they sometimes venture into the author’s office to get a feel for how he or she actually tackles the grimy business of research. Branch did not disappoint. In another table, he entered every quote from these sources that he thought provided insight. When Branch finished his research, he had over 18,000 quotes and hundreds of sources.
The key here is that the writing process had been simplified. From a Pulitzer Prize Winning Book to Your Term Paper This is how you win a Pulitzer Prize. When to Use a Paper Research Database A paper research database is an advanced tactic. If, on the other hand, the assignment is a major research paper, then this technique becomes relevant. Step 1: Construct a Source Table Step 4: Writing. House Cleaner Habits - Secrets of a Housekeeper. Gianna Lucci Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Anda Tanaka didn't set out to become a house cleaner — but after listening to her geek-out about cleaning tips, you realize its the sort of job that couldn't not find her.
Tanaka is actually an artist (check out her work here), but she needed a day job to keep the lights on. When her friends saw a job posting from the green house cleaning company Two Bettys in Minneapolis, they immediately sent her the listing. It had her name written all over it. "I grew up in a very clean house, and that totally affected the way I live," Tanaka says. "I thought, could this be real? Tanaka's been cleaning homes with Two Bettys for a few years, and she's improved her tidying game even more. 1. "I do this with small areas, like a mirror or countertop, or larger spaces, like an entire floor.
" 2. "If you're doing a major clean-up, do your floors last," Tanaka says. 3. "I often use washable cloth baby diapers as a buffing tool," says Tanaka. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. How to Know if You're Committing Financial Suicide. Being able to properly handle your finances is one of the things that proves that you are a mature person. This is easier said than done, and even if you are in possession of some extra cash at the end of each month, it’s still not proof that you’re being responsible. In other words, simply not being irresponsible does not necessarily make you a prudent individual. The act of financial suicide is not something that happens instantly, it is something you have plenty of time to back out from. Unfortunately, we can constantly see how people are either struggling with their finances, or how they ended up completely broke. When something like that happens, the blame is usually placed on the country’s economy, or on the tax system, etc.
Although there is truth in that statement, it still does not completely justify one’s recklessness. If you are aware of the conditions you are living in, you need to work towards solutions, not excuses. 1. 2. 3. 4. To avoid this, start living more modestly. Don’t Be “Nice.” Be Instrumental. Horses have always understood a great deal more than they let on. It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other creature, without forming an opinion about them. On the other hand, it is perfectly possibly to sit all day, every day, on top of another creature and not have the slightest thought about them whatsoever. – Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency The Power Lens is one way that distorts how we see and understand one another. Your perceiver is wearing it whenever he or she with has relatively more power than you do. And this lens has a straight-forward agenda: prove yourself useful to me, or get out of my way. When I talk about power, I don’t necessarily mean CEOs, government leaders, or the rich and influential – although those people undoubtedly wield power.
Thought about this way, it becomes clear that there are many different sources of power. Power is dependent on context and circumstance. But the powerful are not always less perceptive. Work Less, Play More, and Other Productivity Hacks From a Manchurian Emperor. If you’ve read our article “A Day in the Life of a Chinese Emperor,” it may have struck you just how little actual work Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty did on a daily basis in order to be effective.
Of his day, meetings made up only 1.5 hours. All other business was done over breakfast and lunch. The rest of the time was spent in his library reading, being entertained by song and dance, or in religious reflection. And yet he managed to expand and protect Chinese territories, foster trade with the West, compile a compendium of Tang Dynasty poetry, and catalog every word in the Chinese language. Of course, he had a whole army of personal assistants, but judging by the research, Emperor Kangxi apparently knew something about how to make the most of his time and energy. Know Your Best Hours Kangxi began and ended his day in meditation and worship—two hours upon waking, four before bed. Kangxi hacked that 3 p.m. get-coffee-or-pass-out feeling by avoiding doing any real work at that hour. The Best Leaders Are Insatiable Learners. Nearly a quarter century ago, at a gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, John W. Gardner delivered a speech that may be one of the most quietly influential speeches in the history of American business — a text that has been photocopied, passed along, underlined, and linked to by senior executives in some of the most important companies and organizations in the world.
I wonder, though, how many of these leaders (and the business world more broadly) have truly embraced the lessons he shared that day. Gardner, who died in 2002 at the age of 89, was a legendary public intellectual and civic reformer — a celebrated Stanford professor, an architect of the Great Society under Lyndon Johnson, founder of Common Cause and Independent Sector.
His speech on November 10, 1990, was delivered to a meeting of McKinsey & Co., the consulting firm whose advice has shaped the fortunes of the world’s richest and most powerful companies. But his focus that day was on neither money nor power. What was his message? Six Scientifically Supported Ways To Crush Procrastination. Procrastination is something that everyone deals with. It’s hard to place too much blame on ourselves though, as the internet offers an unlimited amount of alternatives to doing our work. Since that’s the case, what are some proven ways to combat procrastination? Let’s take a look! Learn To Pre-Commit What’s the deal with “cramming”? According to a study on procrastination, this last minute hoorah is inspired by the fact that there is no way out. One of the more extreme (and highly creative) alternatives is a web app called stickK, which allows you to pre-commit to a goal that you must complete by a certain deadline.
Two other less dramatic ways to achieve a similar effect are to do the following: Write down when and where you will complete a task (students who did this were far more likely to complete assignments).Make a public commitment by sharing your plan with a friend or simply emailing someone (“I will have that for you tomorrow by 5 PM”). Set Macro Goals And Micro Quotas Not good! The Science Behind Why Scheduling Improves Your Life. Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught In School. 12 Human Resources Blogs You Need to Start Following. Wealthy People Save Money Like This. How To Have The Most Productive Day Of Your Life. Secure Your Internet Privacy With This Guide.
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