Increase your productivity

Does your productivity ever get hampered by your desire to find the best possible solution? As you seek the easiest or fastest route to your goal, you may find yourself stopped entirely. Sometimes you may even do this on purpose, to keep from having to make a decision.

However, there’s a work-around. Maybe you’ve heard of the term, “heuristic.” Heuristics are rules that allow a solution to be found more quickly. With a heuristic, a resolution can be found even when the entire path isn’t clear from the onset.

For example, if there were no roads, but you lived in New York and wanted to make your way to California, a heuristic might be:

1. Walk west as far as you can.
2. Walk around any obstacle, if possible.
3. If faced with a mountain range, walk toward the space between 2 small peaks.
4. Repeat until reaching California.

Does this heuristic give you the most efficient solution? No; however, it will get you where you want to go, and you won’t waste a lot of time trying to make up your mind.

Try these behavioral heuristics to increase your productivity:

1. Choose the right time. Nearly everyone has times of the day when they are most effective and times when they tend to drag. It’s smart to schedule the most critical tasks for your most effective time of the day.

2. Toss it. If a task doesn’t really need to be done, just get rid of it altogether.

3. Get the bad stuff out of the way. Do the unpleasant items quickly and as early in the day as possible.

4. Set a goal each day (or night). In the morning, decide what you want to accomplish that day. This can be even more effective when planned the night before. Once you have a sense of direction, you can spend all your time getting things done!

5. Eliminate all communication. While you’re working, turn off the phone / cell phone, and don’t check your email. Hang a sign that says, “Do not disturb,” if necessary. You don’t have to do this for all your tasks, but at least do it during the more difficult items.

6. Batch similar tasks together. Do all your emailing at one time. Make all your phone calls at another. Open your snail mail during a set block of time. You’ll waste less time by doing your work in this fashion.

7. Set a timer. Even if a task might take hours, starting will seem easier if you simply give yourself 30 minutes to get as much done as you can. A time limit seems to help many people concentrate and work better, too.

8. Set targets. For example, if you have to make cold-calls for your sales job, tell yourself that you’re not getting up for any reason until you’ve made at least 100 calls. Regardless of what happens, refuse to stop until you hit your target.

9. Use the Pareto Principle. This principle states that 20% of the actions you could take will provide you with 80% of the benefits. So focus on the tasks that will accomplish the most. Unfortunately, these are frequently the tasks that are not enjoyable. You might be surprised how little you really have to do if you focus on the critical 20%.

10. Delegate some of your work. Is there anyone else who can help you? The people around you are resources. When appropriate, use their time and talents wisely to get things done more quickly.

11. Set a deadline. Having a specific endpoint will really help to focus your time and energy. If a task doesn’t feel necessary, chances are that it won’t get done.

12. Increase your speed. It sounds silly, but this can really help. Try doing everything a little faster. Walk faster, talk faster, type faster, and read faster.

Implement these heuristics into your life and you’ll find yourself getting more done in less time. The ultimate secret is to stay on task and not waste any time. These rules will help you do just that.

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In the preface to the new editon of Conversations With God Neal Donald Walsch has this to say: “…lets move past your present moment into what is the Future for both of us.

How do we want to feel?  Any ideas?  I hope you have some ideas … because, you see, it’s the two of us who are going to create that…  Now we are right this minute in the process of creating tomorrow.”

With that, Walsch sums up reality, that you create and are responsible for your own tomorrow.

On his website, here is how Neal Donald Walsch descibes himself:

Neale Donald Walsch

Neale Donald Walsch is a modern day spiritual messenger whose words continue to touch the world in profound ways. With an early interest in religion and a deeply felt connection to spirituality, Neale spent the majority of his life thriving professionally, yet searching for spiritual meaning before beginning his now famous conversation with God.

His With God series of books has been translated into 37 languages, touching millions of lives and inspiring important changes in their day-to-day lives.In addition to authoring the renowned With God series, Neale has published 16 other works, as well as a number of video and audio programs. Available throughout the world, each of the CwG dialogue books has made the New York Times Bestseller list, Conversations with God-Book 1 occupying that list for over two and half years.

The With God Series has redefined God and shifted spiritual paradigms around the globe. In order to deal with the enormous response to his writings, Neale created the Conversations with God Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to inspiring the world to help itself move from violence to peace, from confusion to clarity, and from anger to love.

At Amazon.com I found this about Conversations With God.

Flying Saucers Serious Business

Flying Saucers Serious Business by Frank Edwards was a book that I read when it came out in 1966, I had just started high school. The Drugest across the street from where I lived, Brooks Carver, had known Frank Edwards and had a number of signed paper backs for sale in his store. I got one. A few days later Frank Edwards was on the Metz program which was called: Juniper-5-2385.  This was also the dial in number.

I stood out in a phone booth near where we lived with a transistor radio to call in and I did get through. I’m certain my question was amazing but I don’t recall what it was but I did speak to Milton Metz and Frank Edwards that night in 1966 and I was very serious about Flying Saucers.

Self reliance or enslavement…

Author and leading voice for economic and social change, David Korten joins Thom for “Conversations with Great Minds”. Later, Thom debates the issue of Occupy Wall Street, the latest developments in the GOP presidential race and the Republicans refusal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans in the Weekly Rumble.

I noticed that it has been a year since Jim Rohn died.

Denis Waitly, who was one of Jim’s friends and one of several, delivered a great tribute to him.

Les Brown’s Tribute to Jim Rohn

Brian Tracy Tribute

Tony Robins Tribute

Joseph McClendon pays tribute

Vic Conant’s tribute to Jim Rohn

Chris Widner Remembers Jim Rohn

Darren Hardy Remembers Jim Rohn

Ideas and Imagination – A Sample of Jim Rohn’s Legacy

I’ve listened to Jim Rohn’s audios and videos for many years after a friend introduced me. Through these materials Jim will live on. Through these materials he continues to have a positive impact on the world.

Learn more about Jim Rohn Here.

Doris Kearns Goodwin has been studying and writing about our Presidents her whole life.  The Kennedy’s, Lincolon, Roosevelt, and Johnson.  Each of these men, regardless of your politics, regardless of wheter you belive they were good or bad Presidents, has great insights into life to offer you. 

In this video Goodwin shares those insights and you will get a lot from watching.

Other information from around the web by and about Doris Kearns Goodwin

• Fourth Lincoln Douglas Debate – House Divided is a great place to learn more about the Lincoln Douglas Debates. Through the Lincoln Douglas Major Topic Page, you can search by different events, such as by individual debates. One such debate was the fourth, …

• Teddy’s Goodbye – Swampland – TIME.com – “He would’ve adored it,” said historian Dorris Kearns Goodwin. “You would have heard him bellowing at the end, ‘YAY’” she added pumping her small fist. John Podesta cried during Ted Kennedy Jr.’s remembrance.
• TEDTalk – Doris Kerns Goodwin on Two Presidents – No wonder Obama is so drawn to Kerns Goodwin’s Lincoln. This talk really made me think about whether or not I am heading down Lincoln’s path or LBJ’s.
• The Book List – … A Portrait of An Artist (Georgia O’Keefe) by Laurie Lisle; The Women’s Room Marilyn French; Sarum by Edward Rutherford; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys by Doris Kerns Goodwin;
• Historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin – Goodwin, an expert on presidential politics, is the author of several books including the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The American Homefront During World War II.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is an award-winning author and historian.

Goodwin went to Washington, D.C., as a White House Fellow in 1967 during the Johnson administration, working as his assistant and with his memoirs. In 1975 she married Richard N. Goodwin, who had worked in the Johnson and Kennedy administration as an adviser and a speechwriter. Goodwin taught government at Harvard for ten years, including a course on the American Presidency.

Goodwin won the Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The American Homefront During World War II”. Goodwin received an honorary L.H.D. from Bates College in 1998. Goodwin won the 2005 Lincoln Prize (for best book about the American Civil War) for “Team of Rivals”, a book about Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential Cabinet.

Source -Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Kearns_Goodwin

The Walmart Effect

Walmart’s success affects the country and the entire world.  Walmart has put many things within the reach of all of us but it’s operation has sent ripples around the world – changing the way business is run, causing us to look at how imported products are made and asking ourselves if we should care?

Love or hate Walmart there is no question that Sam Walton’s success story has affected everyone.  Have a look, consider what it means to you, and leave a comment.

Other Walmart Stories From Around The Web

Wal-Mart Responds To My Sustainability Questions

For this one, only time can tell. I’ll do my best to keep my eye on the progress of the index. I certainly hope it turns out to be a success. If everything works out the way Wal-Mart hopes, it sounds like it could be great.

Wal-Mart Hints At Future ‘Green Rating’ Labeling For Products

Though Wal-Mart has had quantitative success at lowering its stores’ operational energy consumption since embracing its new self-imposed ‘sustainability measures’, the company’s overall carbon footprint continues to grow due to it’s massive size

Wal-Mart Foundation Awards $3 Million for Youth With Disabilities

The Arc of the United States in Silver Spring, Maryland, has announced a $3 million grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation to establish a nationwide initiative designed to improve outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Could Walmart taste success in India

Could Walmart taste success in India. Posted by Praveen at 7:21 AM . Thursday, June 11, 2009. Labels: general. Wal-mart Inc.,the World’s largest retailer has opened it’s first store in India.

Gun Woo – Sam Walton and Walmart

 This looks like a school project, Gun Woo has captured the key points in Walmarts history-great job.

I like these things in life where you meet someone or see something and you get an impression. This is going to be really stupid. And then something happens and you connect on a new and higher level.

This is law of attraction stuff.  A person with nothing to distinguish himself dreams and takes action, after awhile something develops in him – something invisible to the world … until … until the universe conspires with him or her to bring opportunity.  Then it’s courage … does she or he have the courage to catch hold of the dream?

This has been happening recently on shows like Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent. These kinds of shows are not my favorites, in fact I don’t watch them at all – happily the very best from them makes it to YouTube and the blogs and I get to enjoy some real gems like Susan Boyle and Paul Potts and get moved and get to think about what it means.

And so we come to Kevin Skinner from Mayfield Kentucky, an unemployed farmer and former “chicken catcher.” See what you think and write something in the comments.

Kevin Skinner – America’s Got Talent

Self esteem (do you value and love yourself?) is a component of success.  You don’t have to have self esteem to succeed but it helps you have faith in yourself and will help you keep moving forward when you have set a goal.  Self esteem controls to some extent how you feel and if you are using visualization, whether for it’s own sake, or for the law of attraction, self esteem will help you create richer visualizations, visualizations that you can believe because you believe you are worthy of them.

How you value others affects your self esteem.  You can’t just sit in front of a mirror like Stuart Smalley and say over and over, “I like me.”  That’s not it, rather it is more holistic, it involves an appreciation for others, for pets, for the things that you have in your life now as well as for yourself.  It’s been said that you need to love what you have in order to get what you love.  That’s a strange statement but it is true and goes to the judge that sits in everyone’s head.  More on the “judge” in a moment.

Always speak words that show that you care for yourself as well as others.  The words coming from your mouth have great power in your mind and in the minds of others.  The words are suggestions that plant themselves and are responsible for feelings and responses that you have no idea about.  Just a thought there and something can trigger it.  Sure you have a lot of control but sometimes these things come in under the radar.  Your self-esteem will help you deal with these thoughts and emotions so be sure to speak words that always builds it.

As to speaking to others, your own ears hear these words as well.  And while the speech may be directed towards someone else it goes into your mind as well.  There is a great scripture that I believe has everything to do with this: “Judge not lest ye be judged” (Mathew 7:1) .  Your own little judge is sitting in your head and if you apply harsh standards to those around you, your judge is listening and will apply the same standard to you.  This can kill your self esteem so listen to your words and the thoughts in your head and seek moderation, seek to find the good, learn to look for how to make things better and what is already good about them.

So give yourself and everyone a break and don’t be so judgemental.  Learn to build up with your words, learn to inspire, everyone deserves that and you deserve it too.

If this has made some sense to you leave a comment below and send the link off to your friends.

In the last post I told you I was done with the podcast for the year. There will be no podcast on this post so I almost didn’t lie. Daniel Brenton has a great Christmas remembrance that if you like the space program even a little you will enjoy. Head on over to www.DanielBrenton.com and have a look.

I hadn’t thought of those events in years, thanks Daniel.