table of contentssearch+of+time.pdf · the hidden potential of a morning routine ... the perk of...
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1.1
1.2
1.3
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
1.3.4
1.3.5
1.3.6
1.3.7
1.3.8
1.3.9
1.3.10
1.3.11
1.3.12
1.3.13
1.3.14
1.3.15
1.3.16
1.3.17
1.3.18
1.3.19
1.3.20
1.3.21
1.3.22
1.3.23
1.3.24
1.4
1.4.1
1.4.2
TableofContentsBuyTimeorBuyStuff?
MakeTimeorMakeMoney?
SectionI:SmartcutandTime
TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutine
TheSecretPlaceWhereAllGreatIdeasAreBorn
JottingDownIdeasMakesYouSmarter
StartLookingforProblems,NotGreatIdeas
CreativityIsNotInborn
TheDecreasingValueofCreativity
TheAnatomyofProcrastination
YourWorkstationMightBeMakingYouUnproductive
DeadlinesPushYoutoWorkHarder,butNotSmarter
StopWaiting,GoAskForYourDreamJob
Re-learnHowtoLearnintheInformationAge
ProgramYourMindtoKicktheBadHabit
RememberMorewiththeSecondBrain
TheOnlyWaytoRememberEverythingYouHaveRead
StopOffensiveCriticismFromReachingYou
Don'tFocusonImprovingYourFaults
ControlYourMind,SettheRightGoal
TheTop10%PracticeDeliberately
WhyBotherLearningNewStuff?
TakingClassesIsn'tLearning
TheRelationshipBetweenDecisionFatigueandBadDecisions
MakeRightDecisionsFastLikeaFighterPilot
DoomLoopingaMistakeIsDumb
YouDon'tNeedMuch,KeepLessStuff
SectionII:SocialAnimalandTime
TheHiddenPowerofEverySinglePersonAroundYou
TheOnly4TypesOfFriendsYouNeedInLife
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1.4.3
1.4.4
1.4.5
1.4.6
1.4.7
1.4.8
1.4.9
1.4.10
1.4.11
1.4.12
1.4.13
1.4.14
1.4.15
1.4.16
1.4.17
1.4.18
1.4.19
1.4.20
1.4.21
1.5
1.5.1
1.5.2
1.5.3
1.5.4
1.5.5
1.5.6
1.5.7
1.5.8
1.5.9
1.5.10
1.5.11
1.5.12
1.5.13
1.5.14
TheFriendshipFormula
TheHarshButTrueMeaningBehindEvery"IDon'tHaveTime"
WeAreSpendingTooLittleTimeonTooManyPeople
FriendshipDecluttering
MakingMoreFriendsOnlyMakesYouEvenMoreLonely
ThePingPongWaytoConnectDeeper
TheOneRuletoKeepEveryConversationGoingNaturally
WhenYouHaveNothingToSay,LetOthersTalk
TheRealReasonWhyAPersonIsBoring
ThePerkofHavingaSenseofHumor
It'sDifficulttoUndoaFirstImpression,butIt'sPossible
DealingWithEmbarrassmentinLife
EmpathyvsSympathy
MeetingtheRightPersonattheWrongTime
FindingYourAttachmentStyle
SpeakingtheDifferentLoveLanguage
ALotofRelationshipExperienceDoesn'tEquatetoaGreatMarriage
StayinginanUnhappyRelationshipIsNotLove
NegotiationDoesn'tNeedtoBeHurting
SectionIII:MentalStrengthandTime
TheOnlyTimeThatChangeDoesn'tMakeYouBetter
WillpowerHasBeenOverrated
TheTasteofEverything'sTrueValue
PursuingDreamsisLikeanIceberg
TheMissingGapBetweenPassionAndSuccess
WeSayWhatWeWon'tDobutSayItAnyway
DismissingSadnessWillEndupMakingYouSadder
WhenYouCan'tSeeYourselfMovingForward,KeepMoving
TheMagicofMarkingdownYourMoodEveryDay
TheFearofMissingOutvsTheJoyofMissingOut
TheUglyTruthAboutCommentsandReviews
OurMindsCan'tBeTrusted
TheCostofEnvy
TheSurefireWaytoFeelUnloved
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1.5.15
1.5.16
1.5.17
1.5.18
1.5.19
1.5.20
1.5.21
1.5.22
1.5.23
1.6
1.6.1
1.6.2
1.6.3
1.6.4
1.6.5
1.6.6
1.6.7
1.6.8
1.6.9
1.6.10
1.6.11
1.6.12
1.6.13
1.6.14
1.6.15
1.6.16
1.6.17
1.6.18
1.6.19
1.6.20
1.6.21
1.6.22
1.6.23
NobodyIsSpecial,andThat'sGreat
TheBeautyofPain
RealAloneTimeMakesYouSmarter
PerfectionismSecretlyScrewsYouUp
HighAchieversMaketheMostMistakes
TheConscientiousMindIsaSuccessfulMind
PeopleWhoSucceedAtSchoolDon'tAlwaysSucceedInLife
TheMysteryofWorkLifeBalance
MinimalLivingIstheSecrettoaHappyLife
SectionIV:PhysicalStrengthandTime
TheSittingEpidemic
PoorHeadPostureMakesYourBodyCollapse
IfYouExercisebutSitaLot,You'reStillUnhealthy
SleepDebtCanNeverBeSettled
You'reNotIncapable,You'reJustBurningOut
TheQuickestPathtoExhaustion
AWeeklyResetforYourBody
HackingYourSleepCycle
Ageisn'taRestrictionToExercising
FightingOurCommonEnemy—Stress
EarlyBirdsHaveBetterMentalHealthThanNightOwls
CoffeeNapsAreBetterThanCoffeeOrNapAlone
ReversingAging
DrinkWaterWhileYouWork
HighFiberIntakeIsn'tEnoughtoSolveOurToiletProblems
TheDigitalAgeisImpactingourFitnessGoals
TheMagicofFoodJournal
YourHormonesAreWhatYouEat
TheShockingPowerofPreppingYourMeals
TheProblemwithMilk
AddingVarietyToYourDiet
SleepOnYourLeftSideforBetterDigestion
The4RsthatSaveYourDigestion
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1.7
1.8
Disclaimer
Acknowledgement
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BuyTimeorBuyStuff?Thinkofthelasttimeyouboughtsomethingyoureallywanted.Howdidyoufeelafterwards?Itfeltgood.
Now,istheresomethingelseyoureallywant?Maybeanewlaptop,smartphone,orsomeniceclothes.Buyingthatthing,whateveritis,willbringyouhappiness.Whenyoufinallyhaveit,youwillbeexcitedtotryitout.
BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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Asclicheasitsays"moneycan'tbuyyouhappiness",wefeelhappywhenwebuythethings
BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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wewant.
Sorry,ThisHappinessIsFake
Humanbeingsarehardwiredtoseekinstantgratification.You'veprobablyheardthephraseinstantgratificationhundredsoftimes.Togetthatthingwewant,themomentwewantit.Thisdesireforinstantgratificationcametousasasurvivalmechanism.I'mnotgoingtotalkaboutinstantgratificationindetailshere,ifyouwanttofindoutmoreaboutit,takealookat5WaystoGetOverApprovalAddictionandInstantGratification.
Whileinstantgratificationisinhuman'snature,weliveinasocietydrivenbydelayedgratification.Delayedgratificationisthedesireforsomethingbuttheinabilitytogetitwhenyouwant.Inoursociety,youhavetowaitforyourpayday,yourmealatarestaurant,yourcoffeeatStarbucks.Whenthethingyouwantfinallyarrives,yougetexcited.
Yourexcitementforthisthing,thedelayedgratificationoftenelicitsstrongeremotionalresponsesinyouthanwhenyougetit.Thisfeelingcomesfromdopamineachemicalthatinfluencesthepleasurecentersinourbrains.((PsychologyToday:Shopping,Dopamine,andAnticipation))Whenyoubecomeexcitedforsomething,youareactuallyenjoyingareleaseofdopamineintooursystem.Thethingyouareactuallyexcitedforisalmostsecondarytoit.
BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-ways-get-over-approval-addiction-and-instant-gratification.htmlhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201510/shopping-dopamine-and-anticipation
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Thinkaboutit,howdidyoufeelacouplehoursafterbuyingsomethingyouwaitedalongtimefor?Itwasprobablynotnearlyasgoodaswhenyoufirstgotit,orwhenyou'rewaitingtogetit.It'snatural,it'sapartofhumannature.
Inthiswaythehappinessyoufeelisn'ttruehappiness.Infact,biologicallyspeaking,you'rejustenjoyingablastofdopamine.Whenthisblastofdopamineisgone,youwantsomethingnewagain,whichissecretly,moredopamine.Thisiswhatthatoldsaying"moneycan'tbuyyouhappiness"reallymeans.
Thereis,however,awayinwhichmoneycanbuyyouhappiness.It'sjustnotinawayyouthink.
IfYouWantHappiness,BuyTime
RecentlyProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesoftheUSAconductedastudywheretwogroupsofpeopleweregiven$40each.((PNAS:Buyingtimepromoteshappiness))Onegroupwastoldtospenditinbuyingapossession,anobject,somethingtheywanted.Theothergroupwastoldtospenditinwaysthatwouldenablethemtohavemorefreetime,forexample,havingfooddeliveredtosavethemfromcooking,orhiringacleaner,insteadofcleaningtheirhousethemselves.Wheneachparticipantinthestudy
BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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http://www.pnas.org/content/114/32/8523.full
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weretomeasuretheirhappinesstoa10pointscale,thosewhospenttheirmoneyonmorefreetimewerealmostalwaysonewholepointaheadofthosewhospenttheirmoneyonstuff.
Inasense,theywerehappierbecausetheybroughtthemselvesoutofdoingsomethingtheydidn'twanttodo.Justbuyingmorestuff,inthelongrundidn'thavemuchofanaffectontheirhappiness,whenthosewhospentmoneyontimefoundanincreaseinlifesatisfaction.
Itwasthefreetimethatmadepeoplehappy.
Itwasthequalitytimethatcontributedmoretotheirhappiness,themoneywasjustatooltheyusedtogetmoretime.Butthemoneyultimatelyisunnecessary.Allthatisrequiredisare-adjustmentofhowyoumeasuretime.
Everyonehas24hoursaday.Thelifeexpectancyforfemalesis81.2years;formales,it's76.4years.Mostpeoplehavemoreorlessthesametimeofliving.Tomakeeveryhour,orminutecountisthewaytocreateyourownhappytime.Ifyouarealwaysfeelingbusyanddon'tthinkyouhaveenoughqualitytimeforyourself,youneedtomakeachangetoturnthingsaround.
BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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BuyTimeorBuyStuff?
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MakeTimeorMakeMoney?Timeisfinite.Eachofusonthisplanetarehereonlytemporarily.It'simportanttousetimewisely,yetitiseasytogetcaughtupspendingyourtimedoingthingsthatdon'treallymatter.Mostpeopleactinwaysthatareonlysustainableifwehadaninfiniteamountoftime.Butwedon't.
Imagineyouwereabletosave$10perday,andletitbuild.Afterayearyouwillhaveaccumulated$3,650.Equally,ifyouwereabletosave10minutesofadaytobereusedlater,bytheendoftheyear,youwouldhavesaved60hours.
Whatwouldyouchoose?
Mostwouldgowiththemoney.It'sunderstandable.Humansliketangiblerewards.
However,moneybyitsnatureissalvageable.Ifyoulosemoney,youmayhavetheopportunitytomakeitbackagain.Buttimeisdifferent.Onceanhourpasses,youlosethathourforever.Whatmanypeopleoftenforgetisthatthoseaccumulated60hourscanbecomesomethingfarmorevaluablethan$3,650.Totrulyvalueourtime,wemustconvertitintosomethingtangibleinourminds.
MoneyIsTangiblebutTimeIsNot?Ourlivesareaseriesofexperiences.Everythingwepursueis,attheendoftheday,aimedatcreatingpositivemeaningoutoftheseexperiences.Everyonewantstohavemoreenjoyableexperiencesthanunenjoyableones,andwantthesameforthosetheycareabout.
Butwhatisthecurrencythatyoumusttradetohavetheseexperiences?
Thatcurrencyistime.Everythingisjustameanstothisend.Withouttimetospend,everythingelseismeaningless.Youcanbeabillionaire,butifyouhadonly1hourtoexperienceitsvalue,thosebillionsaresuddenlynotworthsomuch.
Wearegenerallymuchmoreconsciousofhowwegainandlosemoney.Forexample,ifyoudropped$100onthefloor,I'mprettysureyouwouldimmediatelyturnaroundandpickitup.Ontheotherhand,ifyouwasted100minutesdoingnothing,itmightbarelyregister.
MakeTimeorMakeMoney?
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Althoughweknowthattimeislimited,weoftenthinkandactasifitisnot.It'sobviousthattreatingyourfinancesinthisway,likehavinga$100budgetbutspendingasifitwas$10,000,wouldsoongetyoubankrupt.Treatingtimelikethisisfarmoredamaging.
"Lifeiswhathappenstoyouwhileyouarebusymakingotherplans"-JohnLennon
Thereasonthatmoneyseemssotangibleisbecausedollarfiguresareattachedtoeverythingaroundus.Ithelpsustoassignrelativevaluebetweenthings.Butitcanbethesamefortime.
TheProperWaytoMeasureTimeAdaywillalwaysbe24hours.Therewillalwaysbe60minutesinanhour,andtherewillalwaysbe60secondstoaminute.Somelivesarelonger,someareshorter,butlet'sassumeyou'reluckyandgetaround70-80years.Howmanyoftheseyearsaretheprimeofyouryouth,oringoodhealth?Howmanyoftheseyearsarejustshortwindowsintimethatyouhavewithyourlovedones?
Insteadofjustconsideringtimeasaquantityspentinminutesorhours,howwespenditismoreimportant.Yourqualityoflifeisbasicallydefinedbythequalityofyourtime.Andyoushouldalsolookatitfrommorethanonedimension.
MakeTimeorMakeMoney?
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Forexample,askyourselfthesequestions.
Howmanyhoursinadaydoyouspendbeingangry,anxious,dissatisfied,orunhappy?Howmuchtimedoyouspendactuallyconnectingwithalovedoneasopposedtojustbeinginthesameroomasthem?Howmuchtimedoyouplanforimprovingyourselfeachday,oreachweek?Howmanyhoursofyourlifedoyouspenddoingthingsyoudon'tenjoyforreasonsthatyoudon'treallyunderstand?Wesleeponaverage6-8hoursanight,buthowmanyhoursarequalityrest?Howmany,then..arejustwastedlyinginbed?
Ifthesearetypicalquestionsthatyouregularlytakeactionstoaddress,thenyou'rewellonyourwaytobeinginchargeofthequalityofyourlife.Ifyoudon't,thenit'sagreattimetogetstarted.
I'mnotsuggestingtoquityourjob,andspendeverydayhoweveryoulike.Thatisunreasonableandunrealistic.However,therearecountlesschoicesthatyoumakeeverydayabouthowyouthinkaboutthingsandwhatyoudecidetofocuson.You'reconstantlymakingthesechoiceswhetheryou'reawareofthemornot.Ifyoutakechargebybeingconsciously
MakeTimeorMakeMoney?
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awareofthesechoices,youcangaincountlesshours,days,andevenyearsofmeaningfultimespent.Everyonehasthesame24hoursaday,butyoucantakecontrolovermoreofthistimethanyouthink.
Thefirststepistomakequalitytimeatruevalueinyourlife,andnotjustacliche.
Yourqualityoflifeisbasicallydefinedbythequalityofyourtime.
Whatifyoucouldtakesmallactionsduringthedaythatvastlyimprovedthequalityofyoursleep?Orboostyourproductivityandenergythroughthedaybyinvestingina20minutenap.Howaboutspendingtimeconnectingmoredeeplywithfriendsandlovedonesintheshorttimeyouhavewiththem?Theseareonlythetipoftheiceberginanencyclopaediaofwaystoincreasethequalityofyourtime,whichisoneofourcorevaluesatLifehack.
Someofthegreatestregretswehaveinlifearethosevaluablemomentslostbecauseofhowwechosetospendourtime.Imaginethemillionswewouldpaytobeabletogobackintimetorespendthosemoments,ortomakedifferentchoices.Somakethechoicetotrulyvalueyourtime.Whileyou'restillaliveandbreathing,it'snevertoolate!
MakeTimeorMakeMoney?
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http://www.lifehack.org/609479/poor-sleep-quality-comes-from-all-the-things-you-do-since-morning?ref=header-menu-dropdown-essential-read-cornerstone-healthhttps://www.lifehack.org/632127/a-20-minute-nap-at-work-makes-you-awake-and-productive-for-the-entire-dayhttps://www.lifehack.org/633027/why-your-lover-doesnt-want-your-advice-but-your-validation
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SectionI:Smartcut&TimeForindividuals,productivityisabouthowwellyouutilizetimeandresourcestoperformthebest.Forteamsandorganization,it'saboutcreatingandimprovingresourcessuchasrawmaterials,laborforce,skills,capitalandmanagerialcapabilitiestoachievegreatergoals.Thissectionwillprovideyouwithallthenecessarytrickstogetmorethingsdonefasterandbetter.
SectionI:SmartcutandTime
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TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutineHavingasolidmorningroutineisoneofthebestwaystoincreaseyourproductivityandimproveyouroverallwell-being.
Mymorningroutinewasinneedofaseriousoverhaul.IwentthroughaphasewhereIrolledoverandcheckedmyphonebeforeIgotoutofbed.IjusthadtoknowwhatIhadmissedwhileIslept.Youmaybeabletorelate.Manyofusstartourdaysbycheckingouremailsandsocialmedia,butthismightnotbethebestthingforus.((Fortune:WhyYouShouldNeverStartYourDayReadingEmails))
Startingourmorningoffincorrectlycandrainourproductivity.Thetypicalworkdaylastsforeighthours,butweallknowthatourenergyfluctuatesduringtheday.((ThePath:Howyourenergylevelsfluctuatethroughouttheday))Youmaystartyourdayfeelingperky,butasthedaywearson,youmightfindyourselfinneedofanap.Youhavetomakethemostofperiodsofhighenergy.
LearntoworkwhenyourmindisatitssharpestBenjaminHardy's"ThisMorningRoutinewillSaveYou20+HoursPerWeek"offershelpfulinsightsaboutthebestwaystomakethemostofourtime.Thebasicpremiseisthatyouareatyoursharpestandmostenergeticfirstthinginthemorning.Manypeopledonotmakefulluseofthisproductivitywindow.
Howmuchworkyoudidactuallymeansnothing.Whatyoudidiskey
Itcanbetemptingtostartyourdaybytickinganumberofitemsofminorimportanceoryourchecklist.Theproblemisthatbythetimeyoudigyourselfoutfromunderamountainofsmalltasks,you'llprobablybetired.Thismakesitsomuchhardertodothebiggerandmoreimportantthingsonyourlist.
Forexample,checking100emailsmightfeellikeyouarebeingproductive,butthey'rejustkeepingyoubusy.Trydoingonehigh-valueactionitemfirstthinginthemorning,andsavethoseemailsforlater.
TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutine
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http://fortune.com/2017/04/11/leadership-career-advice-morning-routine-reading-email/http://www.thepathmag.com/how-your-energy-levels-fluctuate-throughout-the-day-infographic/https://medium.com/the-mission/this-morning-routine-will-save-you-20-hours-per-week-a05c68b8e73c
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Planyourfirstthreehourscarefullybecauseyouareatyourproductivitypeak
Providedthatwe'vehadenoughsleep,ourmindsareattheirfreshestwithinthefirstthreehoursofwaking.Whenyoutakefulladvantageofthisproductivitywindow,you'llbeabletodobetterqualityworkinlesstime.
Ifyousaveyourmostimportantworkfortheafternoon,youputyourselfatadisadvantage.Bythen,youarealreadytired,anditwilltakemoreeffortforyoutogetthesameresultsthatyoucouldeasilygetinthemorning.
Ithelpstostartoutbyplottingoutthetasksthatyouhavetodoandprioritizingyourschedule.DavidAllen'sGettingThingsDonemethodisoneofthebestproductivitymodelsforhelpingyouprioritizeandorganize.((SamuelThomasDavies:GettingThingsDonebyDavidAllen))
Allen'smethodissimple.Writedowntheitemsthatneedyourattention,decidewhichpiecesyouneedtoworkonyourself,whichonescanbedelegated,andwhichonesarenotactionable.Afteryou'vedeterminedwhatyouneedtodo,breakbigprojectsintosmallersteps,setdeadlinestoprioritizeactionitems,andexecute.
AtLifehack,weloveusingtheGettingThingsDonemethod.Youcanreadmoreabouthowwe'veimplementeditfromBrianLee((Lifehack.org:ThinkLessandGetMoreDoneByUsingThe"GettingThingsDone"Model))andCMSmith.((Lifehack.org:WhyGettingThingsDoneistheBestProductivitySystem))
Neverunderestimatethepowerofyourrestandrecovery,theydeterminelargepartofyourproductivitytomorrow
Somanyofushavebeenbroughtuptobelievethattirelessworkandconstantavailabilityarethehallmarksofagreatemployee.Infact,failingtounplugfromworkcanbedetrimentaltoyourhealth,happiness,andwork.
Hardystates:
"Whenyou’reatwork,befullyabsorbed.Whenit’stimetocallitaday,completelydetachyourselffromworkandbecomeabsorbedintheotherareasofyourlife."
Whenyouareworking,engagecompletelyinwhateveryouaredoing.Whenit'stimetocomehome,refrainfromcheckingyouremailortakinglatecalls.Youneedthetimetounwindsothatyoudon'tburnout.
TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutine
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http://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/business/getting-things-done/http://www.lifehack.org/636681/think-less-and-get-more-done-by-using-the-getting-things-done-modelhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-getting-things-done-is-the-best-productivity-system.html
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Whenyoucomebacktoworkafterkeepingyourfreetimesacred,you'llbebetterequippedtotacklechallenges.Youwon'tdreadyourjob,you'llbelesslikelytoprocrastinate,andyou'llbemoreeffective.
It'stimetoadoptanewmorningroutineIfyou'resquanderingyourmostproductivetimesbyplayingwithyourphonelikeIwas,it'stimeforamorningroutineoverhaul.BeforeIread"ThisMorningRoutinewillSaveYou20+HoursPerWeek"Ididn'trealizehowmuchtimeIwaswasting.
InsteadofspendingmyfirstthreehoursscrollingthroughmyFacebookandclearingmyinbox,Istartmydaywithmindfulness.Ihaveahealthybreakfast,takemydogfora20-minutewalk,whereIthinkaboutandprioritizemyschedule,andthenIgettoworkrightaway.
I'venoticedthatIcanworkforasolidthreetofivehoursbyputtingasidemenialtaskuntillaterintheday.WhenIdostoptotakeabreak,Idisconnectcompletelyforafewminutes.Evenifmydaystoppedhere,IcanalreadysaythatIaccomplishedagreatdeal.
IworryaboutmyemailsandsocialmediaafterI'veworkedsolidlyonahigh-priorityprojectforatleastthreehours.Sincethosetasksdon'trequiretoomuchcreativityordeep-thinking,Icandothemwhenmyenergyislowerwithoutmakinganysacrifices.
ChangingmyroutinehasmadeiteasiertogetmoredoneRethinkingmymorningroutinehasenabledmetogetmoreoutofshortperiodsofintensefocusthanIusedtogetoutofworkingafulleighthours.SinceIendmyworkdaysfeelinglikeIhaveaccomplishedalot,Idon'tfeelanyguiltovertakingthetimetorecoverwhenIgohome.IcommittorestandrelaxationwiththesamezealthatIpursuemyprioritiesatwork.
Hardy'smethodhasrestoredbalancetomyschedule.IfeelagreatersenseofsatisfactionfromtheworkthatIdo,andI'mpresentineverysituationinawaythatIsimplywasn'tbefore.
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https://medium.com/the-mission/this-morning-routine-will-save-you-20-hours-per-week-a05c68b8e73c
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TheSecretPlaceWhereAllGreatIdeasAreBornWheredogreatideascomefrom?Theclichedviewisthattheycomefullyformedinaflashofinspiration.You'veprobablyseenthisinfilmsoronTV,acharactermightbeworkingovernighttryingtocomeupwithabigidea,andsuddenlytheirideahitsthem.
However,therealityisactuallyfarmorecomplicated.Thetrulygreatideas,aretheproductofprocesses.Theyaretheproductofwhatapersonseesandgetsintouchwitheverydaythatcombinetoinfluenceathought.Arandomthoughtturnsintoanidea,thentheideaisworkedon.
Considertwitter,twitterwasoriginallynotconceivedasasasocialnetwork,butinsteadasanalternativetoSMSmessaging.Theoriginal140wasn'tacreativegimmick,butwasinsteadreflectedthetechnologicallimitationsofthemobilephoneformat(atthetime).((Lifewire:TheRealHistoryofTwitter,InBrief))
Ubercamefromaconversationbetweenfriendswheretheywerecomplainingabouthowharditwastofindadecenttaxi.((GulfElite:StartupFromTheBottom:HereIsHowUberStartedOut))
TheideaforAirbnbcamewhenthefounderswerestrugglingtopayrent,andneededawaytoearnsomeextramoney.Mostofthehotelroomsinthecitywerebookedupthankstoalocalconference,sotheythoughtthattheycouldexploitthisbyprovidingextraspaceintheirapartmentforovernightguests.((GetPaidforYourPad:TheAirbnbFounderStory:FromSellingCerealsToA$25BCompany))
Alloftheseideascametorevolutionizetheirrespectivefields,andnoneofthemcamefullyformedattheverybeginning.Ourviewofhowgreatideasarebornisthusinaccurateandisevenpotentiallyharmful.
WemurdergoodideasthatareincubatingUsuallywhenwehearabouttheseideas,itiswhentheyareattheirmostsuccessful.Wedon'tseetheweeks,months,andyearswheretheinitialideawasdeveloped,orthesuccessesandearlyfailuresofthebusiness.Asaresultwenaturallyassumetheideaswerefantasticandfullyformedfromthestart.
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https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854http://gulfelitemag.com/startup-bottom-uber-started/https://getpaidforyourpad.com/blog/the-airbnb-founder-story/
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Weassumethatiswheregoodideascomefrom.Astudyhasshownthatthehumanbrainfavorsanyactionoroptionwhichusestheleastamountofenergy.((TheGlobeandMail:Humansarehard-wiredforlaziness,studyfinds))Sowhereitmightbemoreusefultocomeupwithtendifferentideasforustoworkon,westruggletocomeupwithonetosaveupenergy.Sowetryveryhardtocomeupwithafantasticidea.
Butevenifwedocomeupwithanidea,wehavenoideawhetheritisgoodornotbecauseitdoesn'thaveconcretedetailsonhowit'sgoingtowork.Withoutthedetailsandaplantotakeactionontheidea,wejudgeitsfailureearlybeforeitcanincubateintosomethinggreat.Unlessanideaisexecuted,ourbrainsareunabletodeterminewhetheranideaisgoingtobegreatornot.
Thinkaboutthecompaniesmentionedatthebeginningofthisarticle.Theideaforeachoneofthemcamefromthecreatorstryingfulfillaneed,theyfoundthemselvesfacedwithaparticularproblem(likefailingtofindagoodtaxiasinthecasewithUber),andasaresulttheycameupwitharandomideadirectlyrelatedtoit,thatrandomideabecamethesolutiontoit.
Butifwethinkwewillcomeupwiththenextbigideawithoutplacingourselvesintherightcontext,anddon'tallowforideastocometousnaturally,thenitisguaranteedthattheywon'tcometousatall.Insteadwegetstuck.
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/humans-are-hard-wired-to-expend-as-little-energy-as-possible-study-finds-health/article26334952/http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20061706/brain-connection.jpg
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Thetruthis,goodideasarerandomOnedayyoumightcomeupwithtenideas,ofthoseten,onemightbeanokayidea.Wemightofteninstinctivelyrejectanideathatwejudgetomerelybe"okay".However,anokayideacanbecomeafantasticideawithwork,andideasthataretrulygreatfromthestartaresorarethattheymightaswellnotexist.
It'slikewithnovelwriting.Atrulybrilliantbooktendstobetheproductofmonthsifnotyearsofhardwork,ofendlessre-writes.Butaswereadthenovelatthetimeitisfinished,weassumeitwasgreatfromthestart.
ThereisafamousstoryaboutJackKerouac,anAmericannovelist,whowrotehisfamousnovelOntheRoadoverathreeweekperiod,almostwithoutstoppingforabreak.Forthistohavebeenpossible,surelytheideamusthavebeenbrilliantfromthestartright?Well,thisfamousstoryisn'ttrue.
Sure,heoncetypedupadraftofitinthreeweeks.Butfromhimcomingupwiththeidea,tofinishingthebooktookoversevenyears.Theideasforthestorycametohimnaturallywhilehewastravelling,orattimeshewroteaboutthingsthatactuallyhappenedtohim.There
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http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20061926/empty-brain.jpg
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wasneverapointwherehesuddenlyhadthisbrilliantideathathewasabletoquicklyturnintoamasterpieceofliterature.
AllthatisneededistherightstimulationGreatideasthencomefromwhatwesee,whatwehear,thepeoplewespeakto,andmostimportantly,agreatideacancomeasthesolutiontoaproblem,(likewhatwesawwithTwitter,Uber,andAirbnb).Thiscanbetricky,itcanoftenbeeasytobedisheartenedwhenfacedwithaproblem.
Butthat'swhatinnovationis,trueinnovationcomesfromeitherresolvingaproblemorfindingagapinthemarketwhichcanbefilledbyagreatidea.Sonexttimeyouarefacedwithaproblem,seethisasanopportunity.Evenifasolutionexists,youmightbeabletothinkofabetterone.
Yournextgreatideamightnotseemgreatatfirst.Itmightjustseemlikeanokayidea,amediocreone,orevenabadone,allideasneedwork.Sodon'tjudgeanyatfirst,letideascomenaturallyandwritethemdown.Itdoesn'tmatterhowbadtheyseem,justwritethemdown.
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http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20062430/daily-stimulation.jpg
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Don'tworryaboutorganizingthemeither,infactit'sgoodnotto.Youmightmissagoodideawhileyou'reworkingontheorganization.Organizingatthisstagewilljustmeanthatyou'regivingyourselfanextrajobtodowhichmayslowyoudownorevenmakeyoulosemotivation.
Remember,greatideasdon'tcomefullyformed,sodon'ttrytoforcethem.
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JottingDownIdeasMakesYouSmarterAnadulthasanaverageof50,000thoughtseveryday.Nowtrytorecall100ofthosethoughtsfromearliertoday.Prettyhard,right?
It’snormaltoforgetmostofthemasourbrainshavetofilteroutunnecessaryinformationsothatwedon’tgoinsane.((io9:Ourbrainsdeliberatelymakeusforgetthings,topreventinsanity))Theproblemisthatweforgetalotofgreatideasalongtheway.
GreatideasoftencomewhenapersonisunpreparedMostofthetimegreatideascomewhenyourbrainisin"diffusedmode":Thoughtscometoyouinthisstatewhenyou’renotintentlyfocused,likewhenyou'redaydreamingorzoningoutintheshower.Creativeideascometousduringthisstateofmindbecausethisiswhenourmindsarethemostrelaxed.Thisiswhenourbrainsconnectdifferentneuralpathwaystocomeupwithbrandnewideas(thesameashowcreativityallowsustoconnectthedots,ourbrainsdothisnaturallyinthisstate).Theproblemisthatbecauseourbrainsaresorelaxed,there'snointentiontomarkdownideasthatcomealong.
Nevertrustyourbrain:it'sbadatmemoryVeryoftentheideasthatcometousduringdiffusemodecanbeabitabstract.Outoftheboxthinking,ifyouwill.Thisisyourbestcontent.Thehighlevel,creative,newideasthataregoingtotaketheworldbystorm.
Rememberthegenius,ground-breakingideayoucameupwithintheshower?Theonethatwasgoingtorevolutionizetheworldasweknowit?Ofcourseyoucan’tremember.Yourmonumentalideaslippedthroughthecracksofyourmemory,nevertobeheardfromagainbecauseyoudidn’ttakethetimetowriteitdown.
Intoday’sraceagainsttime,wejustcan’tspareanextramomenttojotdowntheideasthatconstantlypassthroughourheads.Somepeoplemaythinkthatit’sevenawasteoftime.Wethinkthatifthethoughtisthatimportant,wewillrememberitlaterandputitintoaction.Butwedon’t.Andwe’rejustleftwiththatemptyvagueness-“IknowIwasontosomething,whatwasitagain?”
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https://io9.gizmodo.com/our-brains-deliberately-make-us-forget-things-to-preve-1543846375
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Don'tbelazy,jotdownthegreatideanomatterhowconfidentyouarethatyou'llrememberitKeeprecordingtoolswithinreach,butnotdirectlyinsight.Ifyousetoutanotebookandpendirectlyinfrontofyou,youarenolongerindiffusemodeandthoughtsarenotfreeflowing.Butyouwantthenotebooktobecloseenough,sothatwhenthethoughtsdocometoyou,ittakesverylittlementalandphysicalefforttoquicklyjotthemdown.
SmartphoneappssuchasEvernoteareagreatoptionforthis.Someothersarerecordingapps,awaterproofnotebookfortheshower,yourlaptop,orsimplyanotebookandpen(thisismypersonalfavorite,moreauthentic.)
ResisttheurgetoorganizeIt’ssoeasytofallintothetrapofimmediatelyorganizingyourthoughtsastheycometoyou.Don’tdoit.Organizingisaseparatetaskforlater,whenyouswitchintofocusmode(theoppositeofdiffusemode).
Sticktotheprocessoffreethinkingandwritingdownideasandleavingthemaloneuntillater.Ifyoutrytoorganizethemastheycome,you'lllosemanyideasbecauseyouaretoofocusedonasingleidea.You'llalsolosemotivationbecauseyou’reloadingyourselfupwithworkandcomplicatingtheprocess.
ReviewyourideasfromtimetotimeNowthatyouhavetheideaswrittendown,youneedtoreinforcetheideastoturnthemintosomethingbigger.Youshouldreviewyourideasaround3timesaweek.
Whilereviewingyoucanfilteroutsomeofthelessusefulideas,organizethem,andstartdevelopingthepotentiallysuccessfulones.
Remember,mostpeoplehaveplentyofgreatideas,justveryfewofthembothertojotthemdown.Andthosewhodoaretheoneswhosucceed.
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https://evernote.com/
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StartLookingforProblems,NotGreatIdeasWhenaskedhowhewouldspendhistimeifhewasgivenanhourtosolveathornyproblem,Einsteinsaidhe’dspend55minutesdefiningtheproblemandalternativesand5minutessolvingit.
You'veprobablyusedahandyinventioncalled"coffeesleeves"ifyou'veevervisitedacoffeeshop.Theseinsulatorsmakeitbearabletoholdthatsuper-hotcupofcoffee.JaySorensenistheinventorofthecoffeesleeve.Hecameupwiththisideawhenhewasdrivinghisdaughtertoschoolwhenhespilledacupofcoffeeinhislap,becausethecoffeewastoohottohold.
It'scommonwisdomthatinnovativeideasmustbeoriginal,new,andaflashofcreativityoutoftheblue.Butthisbeliefisarealobstacletocreativity.
JaySorensendidn'tcreatethecoffeesleevebecausehewassettingouttoinnovative.Heneededtosolveaproblem.
Innovationisnotaboutcreatingsomethingfromnothing.
Thereareproblemseverywhere,aslongasyoupayattentiontothem.Lotsofgreatinventionscomefromthedailyproblemspeopleencounter.
Whenit'srainingandyoudon'twanttowearclunky,unfashionablerainboots-butyoudon'twanttogetyourfeetwet?TheregotheDrySteppers.Youwanttobringawaterbottletowork,buttheshapeofnormalwaterbottlesdon'tworkwithyourbriefcase?SomeonecameupwiththeideaofLetterpapershapedbottles.
Truebreakthroughshappenwhenyounoticeproblemsandcreatesolutions.Problemsstimulateyoutoreallythinkaboutwhatcanbeimproved.Observingproblemsisagoodstart.
DifferentLevelsofProblemsTherearedifferenttypesofproblems.Someareeasiertostimulateinnovativeideas,somearemoredifficult.Findingoutthetypeofproblemyouhaveidentifiedhelpsyoutoknowyoureffortneededtocreatenewideas.
Type1:ProblemswithGoodSolutionsAvailable
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http://www.lifehack.org/614918/why-creativity-is-hard-an-underdeveloped-right-brain
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DifficultyLevel:★★★
Someproblemsalreadyhavegoodsolutionsavailable.Forexample,inhotandhumidclimates,peoplehaveadjustedtotheuseoffansandairconditioning.Itwouldtakeahugebreakthroughinordertothinkofasolutionsuperiortowhat'salreadyavailable.
So,abrand-newinventiontoaddresshotclimateswouldbeaverydifficultinnovationtoaccomplish.Thereisnoclearneedforanewsolution.
Type2:LongExistingProblemswithNoSolutionsYetFound
DifficultyLevel:★★
Amoreintermediatescenarioiswhenaproblemhasexistedforalongtime,andnosolutionshaveyetemerged.
Theseintermediateproblemsareoftenveryhardtofixbecauseoftheirscaleorcomplexity.Forexample,povertyisahugeproblem,andeveryoneknowsthat.Butnobodyhas"fixed"itprobablybecauseit'shardtofix,andtherearelimitationsontheresourcestofixit.
Whenanythingispossible,it'sdifficulttoknowwhenandhowtokickitoff.Butthissituationcanalsobepositive.Withintermediateproblems,youhavenorestrictions,andsoyou'refreetotryoutcreativeideas.Takethisasasourceofinspiration.Youmightnothavetheresourcestoapplyyoursolutionrightnow,butthatshouldn'tholdyouback.Thinkofasolutionandtryitoutwhenthetimingisright.
Type3:ProblemsThatHaveFlawedSolutionsAvailable
DifficultyLevel:★
Finally,thereareeasyinnovations.Theseincludeproblemsthatdohaveavailablesolutions,butthosesolutionsareflawed.Youcantakewhat'salreadythereandimproveonit.Forexample,thesmartphoneisinmanywaysanimprovementoftheoriginalcellphone;ithasaddedalotofnewfunctionalitytoanoldtechnology.
Whileyoumightfeelinspiredtotacklea3-starproblem,youmighttrytokickstartyourinnovationwithan2-staror1-starproblemfirst.
StartwithaProblemWithinYourReach
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Therearetonsofproblemsoutthere,ineveryconceivableareaoflife.Lookforonethatiswithinyourownfieldofexpertise-whereyoucanexcelbyusingyourknowledgeandskills.Bynarrowingthescopeoftheproblem,youalsowon'tgetdistractedbyproblemsthatyoucan'tcontrol.
Inyourownfieldofwork,youseerecurringproblemsallthetime.Findonethatbothersyouanddigdeepintotherootcauses.Askyourself,whydoesthishappenallthetime?Aretherelayersofcauses?Understandingtheproblemdeeplyhelpsyouthinkofmoreandbetterapproachestoit.
Onceyouhaveidentifiedthecauses,turntosolutions.
First,arethereanyexistingworkarounds?Iftherearesome,whyaren'ttheyeffective?Perhapstheydon'treallyaddresstherootcauses,oronlyaddresssomeofthem.Considerhowyoumightimprovetheavailablesolution.Ifit'spossibletoimproveanexistingsolution,itcouldbeeasiertoimplementthansomethingbrand-new.
Iftherearenoavailablesolutions,thenstartbrainstormingnewsolutions.Inthisscenario,itcouldbeprettytoughtofixtheproblemoutright.Soinsteadofaimingtofixtherootcauseimmediately,trytotargetindividuallayersofcausesoneatatime.Thispiecemealkindofapproachcanhelpyouworkyourwayuptoacompletesolution.
StopThinkingofNewIdeas,FindProblemsDon'tlookforagreatidea.Lookforagoodproblem.Observethetroublesthatyoucomeacrossinyoureverydaylife.
It'sbyaddressingtheseproblemsthatyoucanmakethemostpositiveimpactontheworld.
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CreativityIsNotInbornWhatifItoldyoucreativepeoplearefoundtobemoreattractivebyothers?AccordingtoastudydonebyChristopherWatkins,
"Creativitycanenhanceyourattractivenessbothasapotentialdateandasapotentialsocialpartner"((LIVESCIENCE:WhySomeCreativePeopleareMoreAttractive)).
Thismaysoundgreat,butthereismoretothestudythanjustthis.Otherfactorsthatcomeintoplayincludegenderandphysicalappearance.Surprisingly,theeffectsofcreativityarestrongerforaveragelookingpeoplethanpeoplewhoaregeneticallygifted.Creativityisalsothoughttobemorebeneficialformen((LIVESCIENCE:WhySomeCreativePeopleareMoreAttractive)).
Atthispointyoumaybethinking,"HOWDOIMAKEMYSELFMORECREATIVE!"
Beforewegetaheadofourselves,letusfirstdefinewhatcreativityactuallyis.
CreativityIsIntelligenceHavingFun.Whatiscreativity?RolloMay,theauthorofTheCouragetoCreatesaid,
Creativityis"theprocessofbringingsomethingnewintobeing.Creativityrequirespassionandcommitment.Itbringstoourawarenesswhatwaspreviouslyhiddenandpointstonewlife,"
Asamatteroffact,creativitydoesnotonlymakeonemoreattractive;creativityalsoaccompanieswithmanybenefits.Belowyoushallseesomeofthem:
Becomeabetterproblemsolver:creativityallowsonetoovercomechallengewithinnovativemethods.SaveMoney:creativityyieldsinnerfulfilment,whichreducestheurgetoconsume.EmbraceFreedom:creativityhelpsonefullyengagewithhimorherself,surpassingalldetrimentalself-judgement.RelieveStress:creativityinvitesustofullyutiliseourmind,ourhand,andourenergy,whichawardsuscontentedhappiness((Lillstreet:7WAYSWEBENEFITFROMCREATIVITY)).
ThereIsaBigCommonMisconceptionaboutCreativity.
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http://www.livescience.com/58759-creativity-attractiveness.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/58759-creativity-attractiveness.htmlhttp://lillstreet.com/7benefitsofcreativity
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Manypeoplehaveamisconceptionaboutcreativity—itissomethinginborn.Ifwearen'tborncreative,thereisnohope.Thisisnottrue.DemianFarnworth,aSeniorContentWriteratLutheranChurchExtensionFund,saysthisisnotonlyamyth,butalsoanexcuse.
Thetruthisanyonecanlearntobecreative,includingyou!
Nowthatweknowwhatcreativityis,it'stimetolearnhowtobecomecreative.
WhatSeparatesCreativePeoplefromtheMajorityisthatTheyThinkOutsidetheNorms.Achangeinmindsetisthefirststeptobecomingcreative.Thinkoutsideofthebox!Ifyourunintoaproblemandcan'tsolvetheproblem,thentheproblemusuallyisn'ttheproblem,theproblemisthewayyouarelookingattheproblem."Divergentthinkingisessentialforacreativemind,"saysEddieOpera,aneuroscientistwhohasspentyearsstudyingthebrainandcreativity((TheAtlantic:SecretsofaCreativeBrain)).
Therearebothprosandconstothinkingoutsidethebox.Theprosarethatyouwillbecomeabetterproblemsolver.Switchingthewayyouthinkisessential.Itcanmakeanalmostimpossibleproblembecomeseeminglysimple.Thinkingoutsidetheboxisalsogoodforinnovationandcommunication.
Theconsarefewandfarbetween.Themajorcontothinkingoutsidetheboxisthatitcanbeextremelyfrustrating.Ifyou'renotfeelingcreativeatthemoment,thenstop.Don'treturndoingwhateveritisyou'redoinguntilyou'reinthepropermindset.
Moreover,CreativePeopleDoNotLetOthers'OpinionsBotherThem.Self-consciousnessisanassassinofcreativity.Howcanyoubecreativeifyou'reconstantlyworryingaboutwhatotherpeoplethink?
Putotherpeople'sopinionstothesideandjustbeyou.Letyourmindgotowork.Creativityisoftensparkedwhenwearealone.Findyourselfaquiet,judgment-freezoneinordertoboostcreativity.
CreativePeopleUnderstandtheImportanceofHarboringaClearGoal.
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Creativityisinnovation.Innovationisprogress.Andprogressleadstosomewheredifferentthanthestartingpoint.
Tobecomemorecreative,startwithanendvision.Thiswillallowyoutodevelopapath;however,thisisnotasetpath.Thinkofallthedifferentwaysyoucanreachtheendpoint.Thiswillgetyourcreativejuicesflowingandallowyoutothinkinmoreinnovativeways.Ifyougetstuckdon'tworry.Everyonegetsstuck,evensomeofthebestmindsintheworld((CharlesChu:IsaacAsimov:HowtoNeverRunOutofIdeasAgain)).
CreativePeopleAlsoExciteTheirBrainswithNewEventsConsistently.Switchupyourdailyroutine.Gotodifferentplacesandmeetnewpeople.Theseplacesandpeoplecanprovideyouwithnewinsightsandideasthatyou'veneverhadbefore.Therehavebeenstudiesthatshowhownewexperiencesaffecttheneuronsinthebraintohelpboostcreativity((TheStartup:CreateMorethanyouConsume)).
"Whenyoumeetnewpeopleortryunexpectedevents,itcreatesanideacocktailinyourbrain,"saysMikaelCho,founderofUnsplashandCrewlabs.
YourLifeWillBeMoreColourfulOnceYouIntroduceCreativityintoYourLifeLifeismorefunwhenwearecreative!You'llbecomeamoreinterestingpersonwithcoolerideas.Youmayevenfindyourselfoutandaboutwithsomehotdates(winkwink).Pickupthesecommoncharacteristicsofcreativepeopletohelpyourselfbecomemorecreative!
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https://medium.com/personal-growth/isaac-asimov-how-to-never-run-out-of-ideas-again-b7bf8e09cc91https://medium.com/swlh/create-more-than-you-consume-9c1bc89dc71d
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TheDecreasingValueofCreativityThemodernworldprovidesseeminglyendlessopportunitiesforentertainment,distractionandtheautomationofsomeofthemoremindlesstasksthatourforebearswouldhavespenttheirtimeon.Intheory,21st-centurylifeshouldbepackedwithoutputfrompeoplewhosemindshavebeenfreedtothink,imagineandcreate,butisthatwhatweareseeing?Well,no,it’snot.
Weoftenseeattemptsofminimisingrisksincreativeindustriesthesedays.Whatweareseeingisendlessre-hashingofthesameideas:sequels,prequels,remakesandre-imaginingsabound,andthemainstreamartshavenarrowedtothepointwherefilmstudiosandrecordlabelsseemtobeputtingoutveryslightlyalteredversionsofthesamefilmsandsongsoverandoveragain.Booksthatareparticularlypopulararemadeintofilms,andHollywoodcaststried-and-testedA-listersintoleadingroleswhetherornottheyfitthepart,simplyinanattempttoguaranteeagoodturnoutattheboxoffice.
Thefilmindustrywillonlyinvestinscriptswhichfollowanestablishedformat;recordlabelswantbandstohaveaprovenaudiencebeforeofferingthemarecorddeal,andpublisherswantauthorswithatrack-recordofmakingthebest-sellerlists.Creativetalentissecondarytotheabilitytomarketoneselfandartisticabilityisdwarfedbytheoverwhelmingdesireofbigbusinesstominimisetheirrisksandstickwiththefamiliar.((DanSchawbel:HowOurRiskAverseSocietyKillsCreativity))
Themostimportantthingtoindividualshasbeenchanged.Wherebigcorporationsfeartotread,however,theindividualapparentlyrushesin.Withmorethan60%ofworkersstating((Wildgoose:FriendsintheWorkplaceSurvey))thattheyvaluehappinessoverfinancialgainwhenitcomestotheirjobs,itappearsthatapleasantworkingenvironmenthasavaluethatapay-packetsimplycan’tmatch.Alloverthecountry,peopleareplacinggoodfriendshipsaheadoftheirincomesandaremoremotivatedbytheideaofgoingoutfordrinksandspendingtimewithcolleaguesthattheygetalongwiththantheyarebyearningmore.
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http://danschawbel.com/blog/how-our-risk-averse-society-kills-creativity/https://wearewildgoose.com/team-events/friends-in-the-workplace-survey-2017/
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Ironically,weareoftentiedtoourphonesandnotfreeingourmindstothinkandponder.However,thosesameindividualsarestrugglingtofreethemselvesfromthetyrannyofthehand-helddeviceswhicharepackedwithdistractionsanddiversionswhichpulltheirattentionawayfromconnectingwiththepeoplewhosecompanytheycrave.Withtheabilitytodoalmostanythingonapieceoftechnologywhichyouhaveinyourpocketallday,comestheinabilitytoenjoygenuineexperiences,toallowourmindstowander,toexperiencethemomentsthatinevitablypassyoubywhenyouaregluedtothelatestgameonyourphone.
TheBigBrother’simpactisalsolimitingourcreativity.Alongsideriskaversiononthepartofthemajorplayersinthecreativeindustries,theincreasingavailabilityofappsprovidingconstantdistractionfromreality,andtheinternalconflictsinherentinhumaninteractions,wealsohavetocontendwithattemptsbythegovernmenttolimitourfreedom.Withmanybelievingthatcommonsenseisbeingerodedandreplacedbyincreasinglyrestrictivelegislation,theimpactontheindividual’sabilitytoactautonomouslyispotentiallydevastating.
Buttheponderouslyslowspeedatwhichthelegislaturemoveshas,timeandtimeagain,provedthatlegalsolutionstosocialproblemsareaninefficientwayofdealingwiththeissuesthatmodernlifethrowsinourpath.Taketheexampleofvaping–manybelievethate-cigarettesshouldbeclassifiedinthesamewayastobacco,andthereforeshouldbebannedwhereversmokingis.However,thosewhohavechosene-cigarettesasahealthieralternativetotraditionalsmokingbelieve((VapeClub:Vapingvs.Smoking:TheSafetyDebate))thatpromotingasmokingalternativewhichdoesn’thaveadamagingeffectontheirhealthshouldbeapriority.Waitingforgovernmenttocollectthedata,takeadviceandmakeadecisiononwhethertointroducelawswhichclassifyvapingcouldtakesolongthatbythetimetheyareintroduced,abalancehasbeenfoundthatthemajorityarehappywith.
Althoughsocietyiskillingcreativity,therearestillopportunitiestoretainit.Modernsocietyismadeupofindividualswhorarelyhaveaquietmomenttoexaminetheirownthoughtsandfeelings,butwhoprioritisefriendshipovermoney,operatinginanenvironmentinwhichbillion-poundorganisationsattempttomanipulatetheminto
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http://www.vapeclub.co.uk/how-to-vape-guide/vaping-vs-smoking/
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conforming.Creativitymaystruggletopenetratethecynicalprofiteeringthatwehaveallbecomeaccustomedto,butaslongasindividualscanappreciatethevalueoforiginalityandauthenticity,thereishopethatthosequalitieswillretaintheirvalue.
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TheAnatomyofProcrastinationByprocrastinating,apersondoesn'tknowwhattheyhavedoneforaround218minutesaday.Inotherwords,morethan3hoursgomissingeverysingleday,andabout55days—almost2monthsarelosteveryyear.Imagineeverynightyouput100bucksinyourwallet,andthenextmorningwhenyouopenit,30bucksaremissingandyoudon'tknowwherethemoneyhasgone.Thisiswhatprocrastinationdoes.
Weallprocrastinate,andweprocrastinatealot.
Evenifyoudomakeanefforttofightprocrastination,thetideisagainstyou.
ModernLivingHasMadeItEvenEasiertoProcrastinateNotonlyisprocrastinationtoughtobeat-butit'sgettingeventougher.Thepercentageofchronicprocrastinatorshasgrownfromabout5percentin1978,to26percentin2007,asshowninastudybyUniversityofCalgary.((GazetteTimes:Professor’sstudygivesprocrastinationabadname))
Intoday'salways-connectedage,thereareconstanttemptationstochooseprocrastinationoveraction.Checkingthelatestnews,updatingsocialmediaaccounts,andchattingdigitallywithfriendsfromaroundtheworld.It'sliterallyanon-stopcycleofnews,notificationsandquirkyYouTubevideos.
Now,pleasedon'tgetmewrong.Theinternetisagreatthing,andhasbroughtaboutacommunicationsrevolution.Theproblemisthatwithoutcontrolonyourpart,theinternetcansuckyourlifeandenergy-justlikeanelectronicvampire.
Andyoudon'tneedtotakemywordforiteither.ArecentstudybyWebtrateshowedthatemailandsocialmediastoleanhourofproductivityperworkdayforabout36percentofpeople,while16percentlostmorethananhour.((TheWeek:Whywecan'tstopprocrastinating,accordingtoscience))
Thetrendtowardsprocrastinationisapowerfulone-buttechnologyisnotthetheonlythingtoblame.
AtItsCore,ProcrastinationIsAboutOurEmotions
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http://www.lifehack.org/565818/why-procrastinate-and-how-stop-procrastinationhttp://www.gazettetimes.com/news/opinion/professor-s-study-gives-procrastination-a-bad-name/article_87b9478c-22b8-509a-87cd-a2c25974716a.htmlhttp://theweek.com/articles/447789/why-cant-stop-procrastinating-according-science
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Itturnsoutthatprocrastinationisatthecoreofeachofus.
Procrastinationisstronglylinkedtoouremotions.Let'sbrieflytalkaboutbiology—thelimbicsystem.Thissystemactsasthebrain'semotionalcenter.It'sdevelopedtomanagecircuitryattributedtothefight-or-flightresponse.((Boundless:TheLimbicSystem))Inotherwords,thelimbicsystemprimesusto'feel'first.
Whenourfeelingsarenegative(e.g.,whenwehearbadnews),welookforwaystodistractourselves.Usually,thisinvolvesgivingintoinstantpleasuressuchas:chocolate,socialmediaandTVmarathons.
Thesamethingappliestoprocrastination.Sayyouneedtocompleteaprojectatworkthatinvolvestonsofresearch.Unfortunatelyforyou,researchissomethingthatyoudon'tenjoy,soyoufindyourselfconstantlylookingforwaystoavoidstarting(letalonefinishing)theproject.Thismightinvolvemakinglotsofcoffeeortea,chattingwithcolleagues,orworkingonanythingotherthantheproject.
Procrastinationandemotionsareeternallylinked,andunlessyoudiscoverhowtostepoutofthisunion,you'llbeforeverdestinedtobeweakandhesitant.Fortunately,therearewaystobreakfree.
The5ProcrastinationPersonalitiesOurinstincttonavigatetoinstantpleasurefirsthasledtofivedistinct'procrastinatorpersonalities.'Let'stakealookateachofthesepersonalities-andseeifyoucanidentifyyourselfintheprocess.
1.ThePerfectionist
Beingperfectisthepleasureperfectionistswant.Butoftenthisleadstothembeingtooscaredtoshowanyimperfections.Becauseofthis,theyfrequentlyfailtocompletethings,asthey'reforeverseekingtheperfecttimingorapproach.Tasksendupneverbeingcompleted,becauseintheeyesoftheperfectionist,thingsareneverperfectenough.
You'venodoubtencounteredthesetypes(andyoumayevenbeoneofthem)inyourday-to-daylife.Intheoffice,perfectionistscanbefoundstaringintentlyattheirscreens,astheycontinuallymakeminorchangestotheirspreadsheets,documentsandpresentations.Insteadoffinishingsomething,theygetcaughtupinanever-endingcycleofadditions,edits,anddeletions.Someoneneedstotellthemthatperfectionisrarelyrealized.
2.TheDreamer
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https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/biological-foundations-of-psychology-3/structure-and-function-of-the-brain-35/the-limbic-system-154-12689/
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Dreamingisfunwhencomparedtoreallife-whichinvolveslotsofchallengesanddifficulties.It'snowonderthatadreamerpreferstostayinthedreamingstage.Thatway,theydon'thavetoworkforreal,ordealwithanynegativityorstress.
Dreaminggivesthistypeofpeopleafalsesenseofachievement,asintheirminds,theyenvisionbig,ambitiousplans.Unfortunatelyforthem,theseplanswillmostlikelystayasdreams,andthey'llneveraccomplishanythingtrulyworthwhile.
Youprobablyknowsomeonelikethis.Everytimeyoumeetthem,theytellyouoftheirgrandioseideasandgoals,butnotoncedotheystatewhatthey'redoingtobringthesedreamsintoreality.Afteryearsofhearingtheirstories,youcometoavalidconclusion:they'rejustdreamers.
3.TheAvoider
Avoidershaveboughtintothelinethat'bydoingnothing,badthingswon'thappen.'
Inreality,avoidershavedevelopedafearofmakingmistakesordoinganythingwrong.Theirwaytoavoidthesemishaps,istodonothingatall.Intheend,theymaymakefewmistakes-buttheyalsoseefewaccomplishments.
Intheworkplace,avoidersareeasytospot.Theyseldomspeak,preferringtokeepthemselvestothemselves.Theyalsolackproactivity,instead,theyfavorthemotto:'I'lljustdothebareminimum.'Theymayregardthemselvesassolidandreliableworkers,butinreality,theylackdrive,ambitionandthesparkoflife.
4.TheCrisis-maker
Crisis-makersarethosewhobelievethatdeadlinescanpushthemtodobetter.Insteadofhavingascheduletocompletetheirwork-theyprefertoenjoytimedoingtheirownthingbeforethedeadlinecomesaround.
It'smostlikelyanunconsciousthing,butcrisis-makersevidentlybelievethatstartingearlywillsacrificetheirtimeforpleasure.Thisisreinforcedintheirmindsandfeelings,bythemanytimestheymanagetogetawaywithburningthemidnightoil.Oftentheysacrificethequalityoftheirworkbecauseofrushingit.
Withoutnamingtheindividual,letmetellyouthestoryofacrisis-makerIusedtoworkwith.Hewasapartylover,andfrequentlycametoworklate-andnotinthebeststateeither.Hewasblessedwithcharisma,andsowasabletocomeacrossinmeetingsasfocused,organizedanddetermined.Therealstorywasthathisworkwouldbeleftuntiltheverylastminute,whenhewouldthenmakeamassiveefforttofinishit.Sometimesthiswentwell,othertimeshisworkwaslitteredwithcarelessandcostlymistakes.
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5.TheBusyProcrastinator
Abusyprocrastinatoriscertainlybusy-buttheylacktheabilitytoprioritizetheirwork.Theydowhattheyfeelliketheyshoulddo,ratherthanthinkingthroughwhattheyreallyneedtodo.
Prioritizingtasksisastepthattakesextratime,soabusyprocrastinatorwillfeelit'snotworthit.Inthesecases,theydelaydoingwhat'sreallyimportant,becausetheydon'tactuallyrecognizeitasbeingimportant.Becauseofthis,theyusuallyendupdoingalotofeffortlesstasksthatdon'tcontributemuchtoaproject.
Icomeacrossbusyprocrastinatorsallthetime.Theylooksuperbusy,buttheiroutputandresultsrevealtheirlackoforganizationalskills.They'reincessantlybusyonlow-impacttasks,butseemoblivioustourgent,high-impacttasks.It'stheequivalenttoathirstycatlickingtheoutsideofabowlfilledwithmilk-itseffortsarefocusedonthewrongplace!
Ifyousufferfromprocrastination,identifywhichoftheabovepersonalitytypesyoumostcloselymatch.Onceyou'vedonethat,takesometimetoreflectonhowyoubecamelikethat,andthenthinkofwaystostepoutsideofyourconditionedbehavior.Forexample,ifyou'readreamer,lookforwaystoturnyourdreamsintoreality.Inmostcases,you'llneedanendgoal-andaplantogetthere.You'llalsomakeiteasyonyourselfifyoutakesmall,butcertain,stepsatatime.
UnderstandIttoBeatItEveryonehasadifferentreasontoprocrastinate,buteveryreasonpointstoourprimetofeelfirst.Byunderstandinghowyouremotionsmakeprocrastinationhappen,youcanfigureouttheexactactiontoturnaroundthenegativity.
I'vewrittenanotherarticleabouthowtocontrolyouremotionsbettertobeatprocrastination,readitandfindouthowtoadjustyourtaskstoavoidthenegativeemotions.
Don'tletprocrastinationstealyourlife.Beactive,beconfident,andbecomeapersonofaccomplishment.
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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/11-differences-between-busy-people-and-productive-people.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/617459/procrastination-is-a-matter-of-emotion-heres-how-to-stop-it
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YourWorkstationMightBeMakingYouUnproductiveAsapersonalcoachwithover100employees,oneofthemostcommonquestionsIreceivefromtimetotimeis“howcanIbemoreproductive?”Theonlywaytoreallygetaheadisbyincreasingyourproductivity.It’saprettystraightforwardconcept.Whenwegetmoredone,wereachourgoalmorequickly.Weallhavethesameamountoftimeintheday,butsomepeoplejustmanagetogetmoredone.Surely,theremustbesomesecretstothissuper-humanlevelofefficiency.Butwhat?
Throughouttheyears,Ihavepasseddowndifferenttechniquesandhackstoboostproductivitytomycollegaueswithreasonablesuccess.Butonedayitdawnedonme.Ihadbeenoverlookingthemostimportantelementofaproductiveworkspace;theworkspaceitself.
Don’tjustorganize,organizewithpurposeAsIobservedtheLifehackoffice,Inoticedthattherewasonedistinctivevariable.AllofmycolleaugeshadbeenintegratingthesameproductivitytechniquesthatIhadtaughtthem,butstillforsomereasonsomehadmoresuccessthanothers.
Inoticedthattherewasdefinitelyadirectconnectionbetweenthosewhohadorganizedworkstationsandtheirlevelofproductivity.Iaskedeachindividualwhatthethoughtprocesswhatbehindtheirdeskset-ups.Notatalltomysurprise,thosewhoadmittedtoorganizingtheirworkstationswithpurposeweremoreproductivethanthosewhodidn’t.
Why?Becausenotonlydotheytakethetimetoorganize,buttheyorganizetactfullytoincreaseproductivity.(Iamevende-clutteringmydeskasIwritethis!)Thismakesawholelotofsensebecauseyourenvironmentcontributeslargelytoyoursuccess.
Thinkaboutitlikethis:ifyouwereonadiet,youwouldn’tsurroundyourselfwithjunk-food,right?Well,ifyouwanttothinkclearly,youshouldn’tsurroundyourselfwithdistractions.
Createtheidealenvironmenttoenhanceyourproductivity
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Idecidedtopickthebrainsofthemoreproductiveindividualsintheoffice.ThiswayIcouldharnesssomeoftheirwisdomforhelpfultipsfororganizationandincreasedefficiency.Ifoundthattheyallhadthesehabitsincommon:
1.Keepdistractionsonyourunfamiliarside
Byyourunfamiliarside,Imeanyourlessdominanthand.Ifyouarerighthanded,keepyourphoneontheleftsideofthedesksoarelesslikelytoreachforit.Understandably,youwanttokeepyourphonearoundincaseofemergencies.Butcheckingyourphoneisprobablysohabitualthatit’sbecomemusclememoryatthispoint.Sometimesyougrabyourphonewithoutevenrealizingit.Constantlydoingthiswillbreakyourfocusanddisruptyourworkflow.Toavoidthis,makeitinconvenienttoreach.
2.Thelargeryourtrashcan,thebetter
Thismayseemslightlytrivial,butit’sactuallyimperativeforimprovingefficiency.Thegoalhereisclarity.Soyouwanttohaveanearbyreceptacletodumpallofyourunwantedandunneededclutterbeforeittakesoveryourlife.
Let’ssaythatyou’vejustfinishedbrainstormingandhaveutilizedalloftheideasyouhadwrittendown.Nowyouhavenoneedforthatpileofpapersholdingyouroldideas.Butyoursmalltrashcanisfull.Insteadofwalkingacrosstheofficetodumpthepapers,youjustsetthemofftotheside.Itstartsoutwithjustonepileofpapers,buttheitturnsintoahabitof,“I’lltakecareofthislater.”Andthenextthingyouknow,you’reburiedwithoutdatedandunneededitems.Isthatausedtissue?Gross!
Nowtheitemsyouactuallyneedaremixedupwithunnecessaryitems,whichwillgetfrustratingafterawhile.Saveyourselfthetrouble.Cleanasyougo.
3.Haveadesignated“dealwithlater”area
Asyourworkdaysdragon,you’llstarttorealizethatyou’renotgettingasmuchdoneasyou’dlike.Astasksandprojectspileup,youfindyourselfbattlingdistractionsandlosingyourfocus,nottomentionbecomingoverwhelmedbyyourworkload.
Lightentheloadabit.Createa“dealwithlater”area.Thiscouldbeafolderorshelfwhereyoustoreyourtasks.Bydoingthis,yourbrainwillregisterthatyouhavereceivedtheproject,butthenyoucanfileitawaysoitdoesnotdeteryoufromyourcurrenttask.Eachtimeyougetdistracted,ittakestwiceandlongtorefocus.Setasideatimetoclearoutyour“dealwithlater”area,andgettoitwhenyoucan.
4.Keeponlytheessentialsonyourdesk
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Thepresenceoforganizationaltoolsmaymakeyoufeellikeyouarebeingmoreproductive,butrememberlessismore.Youonlyneedonepentowritewith,onehighlightertohighlightwith,onenotebooktowriteonandonestackofpost-itsuntilyourunout.Anythingelseisunnecessary,andwilljustmakeyourworkspaceamess.Besides,youwanttospendyourprecioustimeworking,notdecidingonwhichpentouse.
Keeptheseitemstoyourdominantside,onyourotherwiseclutter-freedesk.Thatwayyouhaveallthatyouneedrightonhand.
5.Haveanorganizeddrawerforthealmost-essentials
Iknowyoulovethatpolkadotstaplerandmatchingtapedispenser.Butthey’renotvitalitemsforyourproductivity,arethey?Youwanttokeepthemclose,butnotoutintheopenwheretheymightdistractyou.Instead,keepalmost-essentialitemslikethesethatyouuseonadailybasisinawell-organizeddrawer.
Keepingitemsliketheseoutofsightgivesyourbrainlessofanopportunitytowander,helpingtokeepyouontrack.Youmightnotthinkthatastaplerisgoingtohinderyourworkflow,butyou’dbesurprisedwhereyourmindwilldrifttowhenyou’restuckonatask.
6.Alwayshavewateronhand
Andlotsofit.Itistheelixiroflifeandproductivity.Inoticedduringmyobservationsthatthemostproductivepeoplealwayshavealargecontainerofwaterontheirdeskatalltimes.Thisisbecausewhentheybecomefocusedandthrowthemselvesintotheirwork,theyoftenforgettodrinkwater.
Havingwateronhandsavesthemlesstripsofgettinguptogetit,thereforetheyhavelessdistractionsthroughouttheday.Nottomention,stayinghydratedhelpsthemtothinkclearlyandthereforebemoreproductive.Remember,claritycorrespondswithefficiency.
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DeadlinesPushYoutoWorkHarder,butNotSmarterWhenyoustartyourworkday,youmaywelcomethetasksthatarisetofillyourtime.Workcomestoyouwithnorhymeorreason,butyoudoit.Youtacklethingsastheycome,andyouturneverythinginbythedeadline.
Itmayseemthatyou'resuccessfulbecauseyouturninyourworkontime.Theproblemis,youdon'tknowhowtoeffectivelyplanforaday'swork.
MostpeopleliveanddiebydeadlinesTimeisanimportantfactortoconsiderwhenyou'recompletingtasks.Manyofuschasedeadlinesorknockouttheeasiesttasksfirsttofeelasenseofaccomplishment.Sometimes,wespendtoolongonsometasks,andscrambletodoeverythingelse.
Youmayhave10workinghoursinagivenday,andit'syourjobtodoasmuchworkaspossibleinthattime.It'seasytoworkalldayandaccomplishverylittle.
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Youhavetobeintentionalaboutpriorities.Ifyouonlyworryaboutfillingtimeslotsandmeetingdeadlines,youmayneglectmoreimportant,high-valuetasks.
ButlivingbydeadlinesgetsyouintotroubleHumansareterribleatguessinghowlongittakestocompleteprojects.Guessingisevenmorechallengingwhenwearedevelopingsomethingnew.We'renotmachines,andourday-to-dayoutputsdon'ttendtofitintoneatalgorithms.Whenweestimatecompletiondateonaproject,wedon'ttakeintoaccountthenon-projectrelatedworkthatcreepsintoourschedules.Thoseemails,meetings,andteammembercommitmentsthatcropupatthelastminutecosttime.
Weoftenassociatedatesanddayswithcertainemotions.Forexample,doyoufindyourselfasproductiveonFridayafternoonasyouareonTuesday?Relativeestimationofwhenyou'llcompleteataskdoesn'ttakeintoconsiderationhowfeelingsaffectwork.
Totopitoff,youcangiveseveralteamsthesametask,andthey'llallcompletetheminaslightlydifferenttimeframe.Theirvelocityonworkturnaround,calculatedinpoints,willvaryalongwiththeirtimeframe.Settingarbitrarytimesforfinishingworkmakesitimpossibletousevelocityasasellingpointinyourteam'seffectivenessunlessyourteamperformssignificantlybetterthanyourcompetitors.
HowtomakeguessesmoreaccurateInsteadofrelyingondeadlinesanddatestostayproductive,youcantakeamoreobjectiveapproach.Themanagementtechniqueknownasscrumcanhelpyouaccomplishthis.InthebookScrum:TheArtofDoingTwicetheWorkinHalftheTime,theScrumtechniqueallowsyoutoproducebetterestimatesforplanningtimelinesbyusingasystemofpointsinsteadofunitsoftime.
Whenyou'reworkingtosolvecomplexproblems,thereareusuallyseveralteamsinvolved.It'simpossibletoguesshowlongitwilltaketocompleteaprojectonyourownorcommunicateyourteam'sneedstoothergroups.Yourroleinaprojectmayrequirelittleeffort,buttheteamsaroundyoumayhavetoexpendconsiderableeffortfortheirpart.Youneedtheinputofeveryteaminvolvedtoarriveatareasonableestimation.
Usestorypoints
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/038534645X?tag=s7621-20
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Themostproductiveteamshaveswitchedfromsettingdeadlinestodecidinghowlongtaskswilltakebasedonaprocessknownasscrumoragileestimation.Theyusestorypoints(theinputofvariousteamsinvolved)tounderstandtherelativedifficultyofeachtask.((Atlassian:TheSecretsBehindStoryPointsandAgileEstimation))
WorkersratethedegreeofdifficultyusingaFibonacci-sequence:0,0.5,1,2,3,5,8,13,20.Thisabstractionpushestheteamtomaketougherdecisionsaroundthedifficultyofwork.
Theyassignnumericvaluetotheirrespectiveportion,andplay"planningpoker."Inplanningpoker,workersholdupanumberthattheythinkrepresentsthelevelofdifficultyforthatproject.
Makesureeveryone'sonthesamepage
Whenallpartiesagreeaboutthenumbersinplanningpoker,theyknowthattheyareallonthesamepageaboutthetimeline.Ifthenumbersdiffer,theteamsmustdiscusshoweveryonereachedtheirnumbers.
Sometimes,wehavenoideawhatobstaclesotherteamsface.Thismethodopensadialogueaboutwhatitwilltaketoactualizeaproject.Differingopinionsinthedifficultyofaprojectcanaddresswhethereveryoneisworkingonthesamescale.
Don'tcomplicatethepoints
It'sbesttosetanupperlimitof20storypointswhenyouaretryingtomakeaprojectlesscomplicated.Anythinggreaterthanthatneedstobebrokenintosmallerattainablesteps.Breakingtasksdownintosmallerstepskeepsteamsfrombecomingoverwhelmed.
Hindsightis20/20
Whenyou'retryingtogiveanaccurateestimationforhowlongaprojectwilltake,don'tforgettothinkaboutpastexperience.Ifyou'vedonesimilarjobs,considerhowlongtheytooktocompleteandwhatpitfallsyouexperienced.Thinkaboutthenumberofstorypointsthatparticularaspectscost.
Themoredatayoucanreferbackto,thecloseryou'llbetolandinganaccurateestimate.Besides,youmaybeabletoimproveonpreviousmethodssothatyoucancompleteyourworkmoreefficiently.
Stopbeingaslavefordeadline
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https://www.atlassian.com/agile/estimation
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Settingadeadlinebasedonhowlongyouthinkthetaskwilltakecanleaveyouscramblingorturninginsubstandardwork.There'snoreasonforyoutoworkharderwhenyoucouldbeworkingsmarter.
Bythinkingaboutyourworkintheabstractstorypointssysteminsteadoftime,you'llbeabletocommunicateyourneedsandunderstandtheneedsofothersmuchmoreclearly.You'llknowwhenyouneedtobreaktasksintosmallersteps,andyou'llhaveamoreefficientwayofthinkingaboutpastexperienceswithsimilarprojects.
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StopWaiting,GoAskForYourDreamJobIfyouwerelookingforanewjob,howwouldyougoaboutfindingone?Instinctivelyyou’dprobablystartoffbyfilteringthroughallofthecommonjobarchivewebsites;Craigslist,Indeed,Monster,etc.inordertofindsomethingrelatedtoyourfield.Whichisfine,ifyoudon’tmindsettling.
Wehavebeenprogrammedtoworkthisway,totakewhateverjobisconvenientinordertopaythebillsandsupportourlifestyle.Formanythissystemworkswellenough.Butthisishowpeoplefallintocomplacentjobsthatdon’ttrulysatisfythem.
Ifyouwanttolandthejobofyourdreams,you’regoingtohavetogooutthereandgetit
Thetruthis,thebestjobsaren’tlisted.Around80%ofopportunitiesinthemarketarenotopentothepublicandcanonlybeacquiredinternally.Soifyou’rebasingyoursearchonthe20%thathaveactuallybeenlisted,you’regoingtohaveaverydifficulttimelandingthat
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dreamjob.
Soinstead,you’llendupwithajobthat“worksfornow.”Eventuallyyou’llcomeacrossthejobyou’vebeenstrivingforandmaketheswitch.Butwhatifthatopportunitynevercomes?You’llmostlikelyfallintoaroutinewithyoursub-parjobandjustifyitbysayingthatmostpeoplenevergettohavetheirdreamjob.
Howcanyousolvethatissue?Bytakingtheinitiativeandcreatinganopportunity.Butbeforeyou’reabletofinagleyourwayintoyourdreamcompany,youmustfirstunderstandwhy80%ofjobsarenotavailabletothepublic,andhowtoworkthatfacttoyouradvantage.
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1.Businessesarenotsurewhatorwhotheyarelookingfor
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Thisisusuallytrueforstartupbusinessesthataretryingtoexpandintoanewmarket.It’suncommonground,soit’stoughtoprojectwhattheyreallyneed.
Iftheydon’tknowwhoorwhatthey’relookingforinordertomoveinanewdirection,thenit’snearlyimpossibletocreateajobadforapositionthatdoesnotyetexist.
Whattheyneedishumanresources.Afreshperspectivethatcangivethemanewedge.Thisistheperfectopportunityforyoutoup-sellyourselfandthevaluethatyoucanbringtothecompany.
Takealookattheirweaknessesandwhatcouldbeimproved.Youcouldbetheanswertoalloftheirproblems.Offeryourskillsinsuchawaythattheycan’taffordnottohaveyou.
2.Companiestendtotrain-upinternalstaffinsteadofhiringnewemployees.
Someemployersdon’twanttogothroughthegruelingtrialanderroroftheinterviewingprocess.Unsureifthey’llbeabletofindthepeoplewiththeskillsthey’relookingfor,theywilltraintheiralreadyexistingstafftodothejobinstead.
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Thementalityis,“themoreIinvestinmyemployees,theymorelikelytheyaretostayandcontribute.”Whileinsomecasesthismaybetrue,it’snotverycostefficientandmaynotworkoutastheyhoped.
Thereisnocertaintythattheemployeeswillstay,especiallyifthereisachangeintheirjobdescription.Manypeoplearecreaturesofhabitandwanttosticktowhattheyknow.
Itcanbedifficulttopredicthowmuchtimecouldbewastedtrainingemployeestolearnthesenewskills.Andinthattimeyou’retakingmanpowerawayfromalreadyexistingprojects.Inturn,thoseprojectscouldbeneglectedandenduphurtingthecompany.
Thisisyourgoldenopportunity.Showcasethefactthatyoualreadypossesstheskillstheyarelookingfor.Explaintheresourcestheycouldsavebysimplyhiringyouinsteadoftraininguptheirstaff.Yourdriveandpassionwillmakeyoustandoutasthebestcost-efficientchoice.
3.Thecompanytrulydoesnothaveanyopenings.
Thereisstillroomforopportunityhere.Similartothepreviouspoints,youcanscalethecompanyfortheirweaknessesandneeds,andofferyourselfasthesolution.Youcouldbringideastolightthatprobablywouldhaveneverbeenconsidered.
Yourattentiontodetailandwillingnesstoimprovewillmakeyouavaluableasset.
WhatyoudoforworkisimportantbecauseitaffectsyourhappinesstooYourdreamjobisn’tgoingtofallintoyourlap.Youneedtobealittleaggressiveandcreatethatopportunity.Evenifthecompanyofyourdreamstrulyisn’tlookingfornewemployeesrightnow,theywillrememberyouifyoumakeagoodimpression.
Yourjobdoesn’thavetojustpaythebills.Withtherightcareer,youcanfindyourpurpose,devoteyourselftoyourwork,andliveameaningfullifethatbringsyousatisfaction.
Imeanthinkaboutit,youspendthemajorityofyourlifeworking.Ifyoudon’tenjoyyourjob,thenyou’releadingamiserablelife.Onaverage,youspend8hoursadayatwork.That’s22workingdaysoutofthemonth;2,112hoursayear!Wouldn’tyouratherspendallofthattimeworkingtowardssomethingyoutrulycareabout?
MentalNotesOnHowToManifestYourDestiny!
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AtthispointI’msureI’vegotyouconvinced.Youdeservethejobofyourdreams.Inordertoapproachtheseopportunitiesandmakethemareality,therearethreecomponentstokeepinmind:
1.Displayexpectationsforyourself,andthecompany
CheckoutresourcessuchasLinkedIntoresearchtheexpectationsforthejobyouarepitchingfor.Researchthejobdescriptionsforagradeortwoaboveyourskillset.Seewhatgoalsyouneedtoworktowardsandwhichskillsyouneedtoimprove.
Explaintheprogressionyouwouldliketoseeinyourself,andhowyourprogressionwillbenefitthefutureofthecompany.Self-reflectionisveryimportanttoemployers,sobetransparentaboutwhichskillsyouneedtoimproveuponthatcanalsoimprovethecompany.
2.Understandcompetitionsthecompanyisfacing
Inordertounderstandwhatthecompanyneeds,youneedtoknowwhatthey’recompetitionisdoing.Isitworkingforthem?Couldyouadvancethoseideasandmakethemyourown?
Showthemthatyouknowwhichissuestheyarefacing,andsuggeststrategiestosolvetheseissues.Offeryourskillsandexplainhowtheywillgivethemanewedgeinthisgrowingmarket.
3.Don’tjusttellthemwhatyoucando,showthem.
Prepareaportfolioofyourpreviousprojectstoshowoffyourcapabilitiesandexperience.Afterexplainingwhatyouhavedone,tellthemyourplansforthefuture.Whatareyoudoingtoenhanceyourskills?Whatcouldhavebeenimprovedinpreviousprojects?
Ifyoushowthatyouareactivelyimprovingyourskillset,prospectiveemployerscanexpectthatyourskillswillimprovetheirbusinessplan.
Soremember,don’twaitfortheperfectjob.Createit.
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Re-learnHowtoLearnintheInformationAgeWhenyouscrollthroughFacebook,youcanseepostsaboutsimplestretchestorelievebackpain,howtomakeas'mores,andhowtobesingleandhappy.OrifyougoonYoutube,youcanfindgurustalkaboutmakeuptips,orYoutubersteachplayingguitar.
Butthosestretchingexercises,thewaytomakeas'mores,howtobehappybeingsingle,howtodoagoodmakeup,andhowtoplayguitarbetterarethingsthatmostpeoplenevermasterdoingattheend.
Technologyhasbroughtasurplusofinformationtotheworld,butithasn'tmadepeoplesmarter.Themereexposuretodatadoesn'tmakepeoplebetterthinkersandlearners.
Thefactis,mostpeoplehaveneverlearnedhowtolearnproperly.
Onaverage,peoplespend50minutesperdayonFacebookalone.((NewYorkTimes:FacebookHas50MinutesofYourTimeEachDay.ItWantsMore.))Beingexposedtoinformationisnotthesameasinternalizingandadaptingtheknowledge.Evenduringformaleducation,studentsacquireknowledgequicklytowritepapersandtakeexams;turningwhattheylearnintowisdomthattheycanapplythroughouttheirlivesisuncommon.
Theconventionalsystemsofknowledgeacquisitionfailtomakeuseofthebrain'spotential.((ScientificAmerican:WhatistheMemoryCapacityoftheHumanBrain?))Unlessweusethatinformation,we'reboundtoforgetit.
TakinginKnowledge—ThenandNowHowtoapplyknowledgeisdifferenttodaybecauseit'seasytoexposetoalotofinformationeveryday.Traditionallearningstylesofteninvolvedapprenticeshiporimmediateactiveapplicationofskills.((TheAtlantic:WhyGermanyIsSoMuchBetteratTrainingItsWorkers))
IfyouweretryingtolearntoskibeforetheInformationAge,you'dlikelystartbyfindinganinstructor.Theexperiencedskierwouldhelpyouunderstandtheequipmentandactasaguidewhileyoulearnedthemechanicsoftheactivity.You'dconstantlyworktoapplywhatyoulearnedbypracticingonyourowntime,thebulkofyourlearningwasdoneontheslopes.Eventually,youwouldn'tneedyourinstructor,andyou'dconsideryourselfacompetentandconfidentskier.
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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-hacks-speed-the-learning-process.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/business/facebook-bends-the-rules-of-audience-engagement-to-its-advantage.htmlhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-memory-capacity/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/why-germany-is-so-much-better-at-training-its-workers/381550/
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Today,whenyoudecidethatyouwanttolearntoski,youspendhoursperusingtheinternetforeveryblogpostandarticleaboutskiing.Youwatchvideosofpeopleskiing,researchthebestgear,andjoinaFacebookgroupforwintersportsenthusiasts.Youmayfeellikeanexpertinallthingsski-relatedafteryoudigintotheseresources,buthaveyouactuallylearnedtoski?There'sabigdifferencebetweenreadingaboutputtingonskisandactuallyhittingtheslopes.
Today,thequalityoftheknowledgeissacrificedforquantity.
There'sanimbalancebetweentheknowledgewetakeinandtheinformationthatweuse.((Huffpost:TheInternetMayBeChangingYourBraininWaysYouNeverImagined))Humanbrainisworkingasquicklyasitcantosenddatafromtheworkingmemorytothelong-termmemory,butitcan'tretaineverything.((NationalBernsteinNetworkComputationalNeuroscience:HowisInformationTransferredIntoLong-TermMemory))
Thechaseformoreinformationisthrillingtoo.ThedesiretokeepupsendsmostpeoplescrollingthroughFacebookonafrequentbasis.Peopleareplaguedbythefearofmissingout(FOMO)tothedetrimentofauthenticlearning.((HuffPost:SocialMedia,FOMO,andthePerfectStormfortheQuarter-LifeCrisis))Mostareuptodateonsensationalstories,andaresharinglikemadonFacebookandWhatsApp,butconvenientaccesstoknowledgeisnoreplacementfordeeplearningthrougheffortandconcentration.Onlyverylittleoftheeasily-accessedinformationhavepeoplereallyappliedintheirlives.
HowtoRealisticallyAbsorbandApplyInformationWhileit'dbeperfecttoabsorbandapply100%oftheinformation,it'snotquitepossible.Perhapsthereareafewhyper-productiveindividualswhocanachievethislevelofsuccess.Butmostofusaren'tAlbertEinstein,andwe'repressedfortime.Wehavetobepragmaticabouthowweapproachinformationifwewantittostick.
Ifyouwanttohangontoinformationforthelong-haul,you'llneedtobeselectiveaboutwhatyouchoosetoabsorb.Withoutaplan,gettinginformationfromtheinternetisliketryingtoeattheentirebuffetinonesitting.Breaktheoverabundanceofresourcesintoeasilydigestiblepiecessothatyoucangivetheinformationtimetobecomemeaningfultoyou.
1.Getabrainfilter—filteroutinformationthatwon'timproveyou.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/internet-changing-brain-nicholas-carr_us_5614037de4b0368a1a613e96http://www.nncn.de/en/news/Forschungsergebnisse-en/langzeitgedaechtnisenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-strong/social-media-fomo-and-the_b_9880170.html
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Scrollingthroughtheinternetisapassiveformofknowledgeacquisition.Theamountofinformationthatwecanaccessisalwaysgoingtobemorethanwecanprocess.Tofiltertheinformationyoutakein,focusonwhatyouneedtoimprove.Whatmustyoulearntobesuccessful?Takingthissimplestepenablesyoutopassoverunrelatedandtangentially-relatedinformation.
Asyoucontinuetogrowyourknowledgeandskills,youcanupdatetheparametersofyourfilter.
Ifyoureturntotheskiingexample,youestablishyourfilterbydecidingwhatyouneedtolearnaboutskiingrightnow.Areyoutryingtofigureouthowtoputontheskisproperly?Doyouknowhowtostopwhenyou'reheadingdownaslope?Ifyouareworkingonthefundamentals,itwon'tbevaluabletospendtimelearningaboutadvancedtricks.Afteryou'reproficientinthebasics,modifyyourfiltersothatyoucontinuetogrowyourskills.
2.Takeinformationintotherealworld—dowhatyou'vereadtoconfirmyourlearning.
Knowledgeisn'tusefuluntilyoucanapplyit.Ifyouaretryingtolearnanewskill,you'llhavetodothethingsthatyou'vereadaboutinyourresearch.Untilyou'vemademultipleattemptstomastertheski-trickyousawonYoutube,youhaven'tinternalizedit.Whenyoucanlandthetrickwithoutthinkingorrecallinformationwithoutstruggling,itisyours.
Itisn'talwayseasytotakeinformationfromthecomputerscreenintotherealworld.There'safairchancethatyouaregoingtofailthefirsttimeyouattemptsomething.
Whenyouarelearningtoski,youaregoingtofall.You'llprobablyfailtoexecuteasmoothturn,andevenwhenyoudosucceed,you'llundoubtedlycompareyourselftoalltheotherskiersontheslopethatday.Givingupwhenyoufallorallowingyourbraintospinaself-defeatingnarrativekeepsyoufromlearning.Makingmistakesisapotentpartofthelearningprocess.((TeachThought:10WaystoHonorMistakesintheLearningProcess))
Practice,getfeedback;andpractice,andgetfeedback.
Gettingintothehabitofapplyingwhatyou'velearnedisexcellent,butthereisonlysomuchthatyoucandoonyourown.Youneedtheinputofotherstotakeyourskillstothenextlevel.
Youcaninitiateafeedbackloopbyperformingaself-assessmenttotakestockofwhereyouareinthelearningprocess,butifyouwanttomakemoregrowth,seekfeedbackfromothers.((FastCompany:WhyYouHateGettingFeedbackbutStillNeedMoreofIt))
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Itiseasytostopattheself-assessmentstageandconvinceyourselfthatyouaredoingeverythingwell,butyoudon'tknowwhatyoudon'tknow.Insightsfromotherscanhelpyoudeterminewhereyoushouldfocusyourlearningeffortsnextsothatyouarealwaysimproving.
Whenyoustarttobuildnewskills,youmaybeabletoprocessinstructionsinthemoment,butifyoudon'tcontinuetopractice,youwon'tinternalizetheknowledge.You'llhavetorepeatyouractionsorprocessuntilitbecomessecond-nature.
Forexample,whenyoulearnanewword,youhavetogothroughtheslowprocessoflookingitup,repeatingthedefinition,andusingitinasentenceseveraltimes.Ifyoudon'tusetheword,youwillforgetit,butifyouuseitenough,itcomestomindwithease.
3.Stayalerttowhattolearnnext—avoidwastingtimeonunnecessaryinformation.
Whenyoutargetyoursearchesasopposedtomindlesslyscrolling,you'llretainmoreinformation.
Takeopportunitiestoreflectonwhatyouhavelearnedalongtheway.You'llnotonlyfeelbetteraboutyourprogress,butbeabletomakeuseofwhatyoualreadyknowwhenyoutakeonadifferentchallenge.
Torefertoourskiingexampleforafinaltime,imaginethatyou'vemasteredthebasicsofmovement.Youcanturnsmoothlyandstopwhenyouneedto.Whatdoyouneedtolearnnext?Howwillthethingsthatyoualreadyknowaboutskiingimpactthewaythatyouapproachnewtechniquesandchallenges?
KnowledgeIsNotMeanttoBeKnown,buttoBeAppliedToknowsomethingdeeply,you'llhavetoengagewithitonaconsistentbasiswhilegivingyourselfplentyofopportunitiesforself-reflectionandobjectivefeedback.Knowledgeiscumulative.Thegreatestmindsandmostskilledathletesofourtimedidn'tbecomethatwaybyscouringsocialmediaorreadingbooks—theyputinthetimetomakemeaningoftheirthedatathatwasrelevanttotheirstudies.
Truelearningisnotalwayseasy.You'llexperiencestrugglesasyoutacklenewchallengesandwadethroughtheephemeraoftheDigitalAge.Ifyoucanfocusyoureffortsandmakedeliberatechoicesaboutyourlearning,youcannavigatetheabundanceofresourcestomakemeaningfulgainsinyourlife.
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HowtoProgramYourMindtoKicktheBadHabitAsyou'rereadingthis,youmaybecheckingyourphoneorFacebook,slouchinginyourchair,orsnackingwithoutthinking.Perhapsyou'rereadingthisrightbeforebedtimeeventhoughyouknowthatthelightfromyourelectronicscannegativelyimpactyoursleeppattern.((LiveScience:HowBlueLEDsAffectSleep))
Weareallguiltyofsomeofthesethingsfromtimetotime.
TheLove-HateRelationshipWithBadHabitsHavingbadhabitsdoesn'tmakesomeoneabadperson—evenifyouareawarethatyourbehaviorcouldhaveanegativeimpactonyourhealthorwell-being.Ifyouarehavingtroublemakingachange,you'relikelytellingyourselfoneoftwothings:
I'vebeen[insertyourhabithere]forsuchalongtime,anditdoesn'tseemtobeaffectingmylifethatmuch.Itwouldtaketoomuchefforttoquit,andIdon'tthinkit'snecessary.I'vebeendoingthisforsolongthatIdon'tknowanyotherwaytofunction.Idon'tthinkthatIcanquit.
Badhabitshavebecomesoingrainedineverydaybehaviorsthatitisboundtobetoughtochangethem.Theseroutinesaresuchapartoflifethatevenknowingthepotentialnegativeimpactsmightnotbeenoughtochangethem.((MedicalDaily:HowHabitsAreFormedandWhyThey'reSoHardtoChange))
Forexample,astressfulphonecallatworkcouldbeatriggerforyou.Thestressmightmakeyouwanttoeatanentirebagofchips.Thatbagofchipsgaveyousomelevelofsatisfaction.Therewardishappeningonachemicalandhormonallevelinyourbody.Eventhoughyouknowthatsnackingexcessivelyisunhealthy,yourbodymaycravejunkfoodwheneveryouareunderstress.((HarvardHealthPublications:Whystresscausespeopletoovereat))Beforeyouknowit,forgoodorforill,you'veinitiatedtheprocessofhabit-formation.((NPR:Habits:HowTheyFormandHowtoBreakThem))Oftentimes,thisversionofautopilotisaformofescape.
Maybeyousmokebecauseyoufeelthatithelpstorelieveyourstress.Perhapsyouslouchchronicallybecauseyouarefatigued,anditseemseasiertoslumpoverthansitupstraight.Badhabitsprovidewithsomeformofcomfortwhichcanmakethemtoughtobreak.
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https://www.livescience.com/53874-blue-light-sleep.htmlhttp://www.medicaldaily.com/how-habits-are-formed-and-why-theyre-so-hard-change-298372http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeathttp://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147192599/habits-how-they-form-and-how-to-break-them
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ImagineIhadtwooffersforyou,thefirstofferwasgivingyou100dollarstoday,andthesecondofferwasgivingyou1000dollarsbutonly7yearslater.Whichofferwouldyoutake?Eventhoughyouknowthatyoucangetmoremoneyifyouwait,you'relikelytotakethefirstofferbecauseyoudon'tliketodelaythereward.
Instantgratificationhasalwaysbeenthegreatestenemywhenitcomestobreakingbadhabits.Knowingsomethingcanhaveanegativeeffectisneverenoughtomakesomeonequit.Badhabitsexistbecausetheyareactuallymakingpeoplefeelgood.
HowtoBreakupWithBadHabitsHerearethreeprovenstepstogetoverbadhabitsonceandforall.
1.Takeyourmindaway.
Afteryou'vemadeupyourmindtoquit,andyou'vefoundyouralternative,committoquittingyourbadhabitsbygoingmindlesseverytimeabadhabittriggerappears.((Bustle:7TipsOnHowToBreakABadHabitAndReplaceItWithAGoodOne))Committingtochangemeansthatyoucan'tmakeexcusesandyoucan'tgiveyourselfanyroomtoconvinceyourselfwhyyoucanjustskipitonce.Don'tthinkwhetheryoushoulddothebadhabitornot,justdon'tdoitnomatterwhat.
Forexample,ifyouwanttoeliminateyourincessantslouchingatwork,youhavetotellyourselfthatyouaren'tgoingtoslouchwhileyou'reworkingnomatterwhat.Juststicktosittingupstraight,noexcusesonwhyyoucanslouchforawhile.
2.Besuperawarewhetheryouhavedonethebadhabiteveryday.
Writedownhowthingsaregoingwithyourcommitment.((HuffPost:5UnexpectedWaysToBreakABadHabit))It'seasytolosetrackofprogressifyoudon'tmakeanoteofyourbehaviors.
Youareboundtoslipupwhenyouareturningoveranewleaf.Writingdownyourbehaviorsmightrevealpatternsrelatedtothesemomentsofweakness.Ifyoucanspotthepattern,youmaybeabletodisruptit.
3.Haveastrictrewardandpunishmentsystem.
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http://www.lifehack.org/353923/instant-gratification-short-lived-you-should-aim-for-long-term-goalshttps://www.bustle.com/articles/139504-7-tips-on-how-to-break-a-bad-habit-replace-it-with-a-good-onehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/break-bad-habits_n_6438748.html
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Rewardyourselfwhenyoustickwithyourcommitment.Maybeyouwillallowyourselftotakeafive-minutedancebreakoreatacookiewithyourlunchinexchangefornotmindlesslychompingonsnacksatyourdesk.Yourrewarddoesn'thavetobecostly,butitshouldbevaluabletoyou.Theonlystipulationisthatyoucan'trewardyourgoodbehaviorwiththebadhabit.
Designateaconsequenceforengaginginthenegativehabit.Theconsequencedoesn'tneedtobeemotionallydamaging.Itjustneedstocauseenoughdiscomfortorinconveniencetomakeyouthinktwiceaboutfallingintooldpatterns.
Peoplehavebeendoingthisfordecadeswiththe"swearjar."((Lifehacker:TopTenWaysToBreakBadHabits))Everytimetheysayabadword,theyhavetosacrificemoneytothejar.Youcouldcomeupwithyourownversionoftheswearjarorfindsomeotherconsequencethatwillmotivateyoutostayontheproperpath.Maybeeverydaythatyousnackoncandyatyourdesk,youhavetotakeyourfriendouttoahealthylunch.Havingtoincurthisextracostandeffortwillkeepyouaccountable.
Yoursystemofrewardsandconsequencesaretransactionsthatcanhelpyoueliminateyourbadhabitsandautomatethegoodones.
TrainYourselfLikeaDog(foraGoodCause)Ultimately,you'llwanttotrainyourselftodotherightthingsthewaythatPavlov'sdogssalivatedautomaticallywhentheyheardabellring.((SimplyPsychology:Pavlov'sDogs))Thedogssalivated(theirroutine)withoutthinkingbecausetheyhadbeenclassicallyconditionedtoassociatethesoundofthebellringing(atrigger)withfood(theirreward).
Don'tletafearoffailurestandinyourway.Evenifyouhavebeenengagedinabadhabitforyears,itisstillpossibletoeliminatetheunhealthybehavior.Knowthatitmaynotbeeasyatfirst,buteventuallythegoodhabitwillbecomeyournaturalresponsetothetrigger.Thecommitmenttobreakbadhabitscouldleadyoutoahealthierandmoresuccessfulfuture.Thechangecanstarttoday.
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http://lifehacker.com/top-10-ways-to-break-bad-habits-1694247761https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html
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RememberMorewiththeSecondBrainYourwholelifedependsonyoubeingabletoretrievethingsfromyourmemory.
I'msureyouknowwhatImean..."Wherearemykeys?""WhatmajortasksdoIneedtocompletetoday?""WhattimeisthatmeetingIneedtoattend?"
Questionssuchasthesebombardourmindsdaily.Ifyou'reabletorecalltherelevantinformation,you'llkeepyourlifeontrack.However,ifyoufailtorecalltheinformation-yourlifewillstarttomoveinaconfusedandunproductivedirection.
We'dalllovetoboostourmemories,butoftenwegoaboutitinthewrongway.It'snotabouthowmuchinformationwecanabsorbintoourminds,buthoweasilywecanretrievethisinformation(whichmostpeoplearen'tgoodat).
InformationOverload=MemoryFailureWeliveinaninformationage,whereourmindsarebesieged24/7byfacts,figures,news,dramaandtrends.
Tomaintainourstandingamongourpeers,mostofusstriveinvaintokeepup-to-datewitheverythingfrommusictomoviestopolitics.
It'sanever-endingwhirlpoolofinformation.Andifyoutrytorememberallofthisinformation-you'relikelytofindthatyourmindbecomessofullthatyoubegintolosetheabilitytothinkclearly.
Informationoverloadisamodern-dayplague.Andyourmemoryislikelytobeoneoftheplague'svictims.
Forexample,whenyouwereyounger,youmayhavelovedtosingalongwithyourfavoritesongs.Sadly,asyou'vegrownolder,you'vestartedtoforgetthewordstothesongs.Themoreyoutrytorecallthewords-thefurtherfromyourmindtheyseemtobe.It'sfrustrating,andhasprobablyblightedapastimethatyouusedtolove.
Coulditbethatovertheyears,you'vetriedtorememberjusttoomanysongs?Perhaps.
Asyou'llseebelow,continuallyoverloadingyourmemory,canleadtorecallissuesandembarrassingsocialinteractions.
It'sontheTipofMyTongue,But...
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Itcanbedistressingwhentheflowofourconversationisblockedbyourinabilitytorecallinformation.Andthiscanbeespeciallytraumaticifittakesplaceduringaformalworkenvironment.
Forinstance,imaginethatyou'redoingapresentationatworktosomepotentialclients.You'vecreatedPowerPointslidestoguideyouthroughyourpresentation,butthebulkofthemessageyou'rehopingtoconveyisheldinthememorybanksofyourmind.Youstartyourpresentationpositively,butafterafewawkwardquestionsfromoneoftheclients,younoticeyourconfidenceslipping-andyourrecallabilityfallingtoo!Suddenly,factsandfiguresseemoutofyourgrasp.You'restuttering,andrapidlylosingtheattentionoftheaudience.Toputitanotherway:you'representationhasgonedownthepan!
Storingtonsofinformationinyourmemoryisworthlessifyou'reunabletorecallthepartsyouneed-atthetimeyouneedthem.Luckily,there'sawaytogiveyourphysicalmemorysomemuch-neededbreathingspace.
HowtoLeta'DigitalBrain'TaketheStrain
Ourphysicalbrainscanonlyofferusalimitedamountofmemorystorageandrecallabilities.Theselimitsusedtobesufficient,butasmentionedearlier,wenowliveinaninformationage,whereourabilitytoabsorbandrecallinformationhasbeenstretchedbeyondournormalcapabilities.
What'stheanswertothisproblem?Well,youcouldstartbygivingsomeofthisstoringandrecallingworktoadigitalbrain.
Bythis,Idon'tmeanyoushouldturnyourselfintoacyborg.Infact,theonlythingyou'llbeturningyourselfintoisasuper-efficientandproductiveversionofyourself!
I'vecalleditadigitalbrain,butyou'llknowitsimplyasdigitaloronlinestorage.Andyou'resuretorecognizesomeofthetools:
AirtableDropboxEvernoteGoogleDrivePocket
Theabovesoftware(andothersimilarones)allowsyoutostore,organize,andeasilyretrieveinformation.Forexample,Pocketletsyoucaptureblogs,newsandvideosintoadigitalpocketbook.Thisisachievedthroughaone-clickprocess.Oncethecontentiswithinyourpocketbook,youcanretrieveandviewitatanytime.Clearly,thisisfarmoreefficientthantryingtorememberwhichstoriesyou'veseenearlierintheday-buthadn'thadchancetoread/watch.
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Insteadoftryingtoremembereverythingwithyourphysicalbrain,beginmovingoversomeoftheinformationtoyourdigitalbrain.Whichevertool(ortools)youdecidetouse,you'llimmediatelybeabletotakeadvantageofthefollowingbenefits:
Youcanstoreasmuchinformationasyouwish.(Freeplansmayofferonlylimitedstorage.)Youcaneasilyorganizeandprioritizethestoredinformation.Thestoredinformationisavailableinaninstant,24/7,365daysayear.
Comparedtorelying100percentonyourphysicalbrain,theadditionofadigitalbrainwillhelpyouimmensely.You'llbeabletodeterminewhattostore,whatnottostore,andwhentoretrieveinformation.You'llalsobeabletouseadigitalbraintohelpyouwithyour