Are You Managing Your Time Effectively?

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. ~
 Nelson Mandela

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~ Alan Lakein

1. Never spend time to manage time: If you don’t organize your day, you may get nothing done or busy doing something but nothing important gets done. Plan ahead and prepare a to-do list for the following day so that it will be a productive and meaningful day every day,

2. Refuse to get up in the morning: It is a sign that there are no goals in your life and there is nothing for the day to get you started early and working towards your objectives. Set goals and be enthusiastic to live life.   

3. Delay: You are not motivated and there is no willpower to get things done. Do things that mean a lot to you or develop an interest in what you do so that you may take prompt action to get things done quickly.

4. Busy but not effectively: You are not getting the most important tasks or high-priority items for the day done. You may be just attending to urgent but unimportant issues and do something as it crops up.

If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got. ~ Lee Iacocca

5. Not delegating: Don’t waste your time doing it all by yourself when you can delegate some of your work to others.

6. Not taking advantage of your peak performance period: You are effective when you allocate your peak energy period to tackle your most difficult and important tasks. You do it when you are energetic and your mind is fresh and alert.  

7. Spending too much time watching TV: Instead of watching TV, there are so many productive things to do. You can exercise to keep fit, do the washing up or learn something new. Even if you are not doing anything, it is still better to go to bed early and get up early the next day full of zest.

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. ~   Groucho Marx

8. Not spending time to keep fit: You are also wasting time when you don’t spend time to be fit and healthy. You need to spend energy to get energy, to act fast and to be alert and, most of all, to avoid getting unwell and not doing what you like to do.

9. Too many interruptions and distractions: Things don’t get done when you are interrupted by too many telephone calls or distracted by online activities. Get offline when you want to do work and arrange for a block of time to work with full attention.   

10. Multitasking: It’s a waste of time to do more than one thing at a time. It is taxing the mind and you are prone to errors.  Worse still, you need to spend more time doing it all over again.

To do two things at once is to do neither. ~ Publius Syrus

11. Clutter: You are disorganized and there is no orderly filing in the office. You waste valuable time looking for things. At home, you don’t keep your keys and other items at the usual place and more time is wasted looking for them.

12. Unproductive during downtime: Be prepared when you know you need to wait in order to get things done. Take along some reading materials and catch up in your learning while waiting. When your energy is low you still can get things done by doing simple tasks instead of doing nothing.    

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.
Michael Altshuler

Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. ~ Peter F. Drucker

Smart Career Planning

  

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~ Confucius

To find a career to which you are adapted by nature, and then to work hard at it, is about as near to a formula for success and happiness as the world provides. One of the fortunate aspects of this formula is that granted the right career has been found, the hard work takes care of itself. Then hard work is not hard work at all. ~ Mark Sullivan

It is never too early to plan for your career and the business application of SWOT is equally useful in planning your career. Doing a personal analysis of your strengths and weaknesses and looking at external opportunities and threats ahead of you is the best way to plan your career effectively and successfully.  

Personal SWOT analysis

INTERNAL

Strengths: Find out more about your personal values. What is more important in your life?  Is it freedom, monetary rewards, or something else? What are you good at? What do you usually do when you are free? Do you draw or do you dismantle your PC and look inside?  What technical skills do you possess? Are you friendly and outgoing? What are your passions and interests?

Mary Kay Ash
Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.

Weaknesses: Look for your bad habits and other negative personal characteristics to avoid.   

EXTERNAL

Opportunities:  In the next five years what are the most required skills. Which are the growth industries?

Threats: Are your skills still marketable in the next five years? Are there technology changes threatening your position? Are you facing obstacles? Do not go into an industry that the outlook is gloom and doom. 

Career goals: When you get to know yourself better and have a good grip of the external factors that affecting your career choice, it is time to decide the skills to acquire in order to embark on a meaningful career. It is better to study a variety of subjects in the beginning before going into a specialized field.

      

Action plan: Gain practical experience in your chosen field of study as soon as possible. Get more information about those companies that you wish to seek employment for. Find out what other skills you need to possess as an added advantage. 

Mahatma Gandhi
The future depends on what we do in the present.

Live Productively Live Happily

Life is a gift and we must make the best of it, every day of our lives.

How do you feel at the end of each day? Do you have a great day? Are you disappointed? How do you live every day so that you are happy and satisfied at the end of the day? There are easy ways to live each day meaningfully and be contented.

1.      The night before: To have a wonderful day is to plan ahead the night before. A to-do list is a great tool to live a day in an orderly manner without stress. An effective to-do list is a shortlist with a focus on maybe just one important task for the day. You will sleep soundly knowing that the next day is going to be a productive day.

2.      In the morning: Are you an early riser? Those who get up early are those who have planned ahead and they are enthusiastic to get things done. What are your morning rituals? The right thing you do, such as meditation, in the morning, will vibrate a good feeling in you throughout the whole day. Start a new day early with a pleasant feeling.

3.      Your thinking: Your thoughts in the morning determine your mood, your attitude, and the way you spend the whole day. Think of what you have achieved, your hopefulness about the future, and the things you can do today to reach your goals. 

4.      Your mood: Thinking right will trigger a cheerful and happy mood in you. When you are feeling good you are ready to take on the world. 

Once we recognize what it is we are feeling, once we recognize we can feel deeply, love deeply, can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy. - Audre Lorde

5.      Your attitude: When your thinking is right and your mood is right, so is your attitude.  Your attitude will be positive and you will be optimistic about the things that you do.

 Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. ~ Anon

6.      The way you spend the day: With the right frame of mind, you live the day enthusiastically, mindfully, and energetically. You are upbeat and happy throughout the whole day.

7.      End the day well:  I usually go jogging after a hard day’s work to release stress, calm my mind, and to feel good again. I record in my daily important issues of the day and I review how successful the day is and how I can live a better day tomorrow. It is also a delightful way to spend the evening with family members to talk about anything and everything. Of course, a good day ends well by getting ready a to-do list for the following day. 

 The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. ~ Thomas Jefferson

How well you will live tomorrow is determined by how well you have prepared yourself to live today because tomorrow begins today.

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. ~ Barbara de Angelis

Be Noticed Be a Successful Brand

Personal branding isn’t optional. Brand yourself is vital to your personal success and survival.  ~ Rachel Quilty

1.    Promote yourself: To promote yourself is to get noticed and to let the world know you exist. It is good for your career and employment opportunities. It is an effective way to differentiate yourself and stand out in the competitive marketplace.  

Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves... Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field. ~ Accelepoint Webzine

2.      Build your brand: Your brand is the manifestation of your vision, passion, and purpose in life. It is your goals and what you stand for. Your brand should be your unique selling point. It is in an area of expertise that you are very competent in.  

The best positioning of your personal brand you can have among your prospects and clients is that of an expert; the authority in your area of expertise. ~  Rachel Quilty,

3.      Your profile: Your profile is more than about who you are. It is more important to talk about what you can do for others and what solutions you can offer to solve their problems. It is about what you can give to others.

4.      Create values: It is important to build a trusted brand right from the very beginning. Making a promise to deliver and deliver what you have promised is the way to build trust. Sincerity and honesty are important attributes of your brand.  

Your personal brand is a promise to your clients... a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability. ~ Jason Hartman

5.   Blogging: One great way to promote and market your brand and get noticed is to start a blog and write articles on a niche subject that you are good at. Showcase your expertise and attract the attention of others.

6   Social networking: Are you on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook? Upload your profile and get connected with like-minded people. Get to know others so that others will get to know you. 

Branding gives you an exceptionally effective way to broadcast who you are to your target market quickly and efficiently. ~ MultiChannel News

     Be connected offline: Your business cards are vital tools to promote your brand. Show your full name, address, website, email address, and contact numbers. Write articles for newspapers and magazines to spread your brand around.

If you don’t get noticed, you don’t have anything. You just have to be noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or without tricks.
Leo Burnett

7 Ways to Deal With Adversity Effectively

John Maxwell
A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose - a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.

Napoleon Hill:
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit

.

There are 7 ways to cope with difficulties. However, the most important thing is your positive mental attitude when life is not tuning out the way you expected.   

1.  Optimistic: Looking at the bright side of things and be hopeful of the future are the ways to deal with setbacks in life. Keep your goals in view and do not deviate from what you should be doing in order to realize your objectives.  The thing is that, when you face difficulties, you must not give up.

Sir Winston Churchill

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

2.  Believe in yourself: Build self-confidence to boost your energy in the face of adversity. Be appreciative of your strengths to overcome obstacles in life.

3.  Think of your achievements: Think of what you have achieved instead of what has failed. The point is to reinforce your belief system that you can achieve what you have set out to do.

4.  Be prepared: Be clear about what you want in life and be prepared with the right tools to do the job. When you encounter a problem, think of a solution to clear the hurdle so that you can move on without hindrance

5.  Learn to cope under stress: Be fit and healthy so that you are able to withstand stressful and unfavorable situations. Living a healthy lifestyle is the way to go.

6.  Learn from failures but look for opportunities: There is a lesson to be learnt from every failure. You gain knowledge and you are wiser to get things done. When written in Chinese the word (危机 weiji) "crisis" is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.  The key is to turn a problem into an opportunity.

7.  Seek support: Asking for help is not a sign of weaknesses. It is a way of learning. Find out from others how they deal with a similar problem. 

Horace

Success in the affairs of life often serves to hide one's abilities, whereas adversity frequently gives one an opportunity to discover them.

How to Get Motivated in Blogging

Blogging is a challenging thing to do because you will know instantly where you stand among all other bloggers. It is a level playing field. The more useful your site is to others the more popular you will be. The deciding factor of your success is your content. You have to write about what others are looking for. The other thing is that your have to promote your site and let others know you exist. The best part is that motivation comes in many ways for bloggers. Here are the things that motivate bloggers like you.

1. Article writing:  Articles are the life and soul of your site. You will know it when you are happy with an article you have just written. It is because at the time of writing   there is a free flow of ideas from the heart and you feel good about the content. You are motivated to write more and better articles

2. Subscribers: You are encouraged when you see more subscribers. The number is increasing day after day as shown by the FeedBurner counter at your site.

3. Technorati Authority: When more links are coming to your site and your Authority Ranking keeps going up, your confidence is boosted. More links to your site  mean approval and acceptance of your site by others  

4. Google PageRank & Alexa Traffic Rank: You will feel more energetic as the ranking for the site goes up. It means more and more traffic are coming to your site and they like what you do.

5. Comments: Kind words of readers offer great encouragement for you   to carry on writing quality articles for the readers.

6. Support from a particular country: When there is a surge of traffic from one particular country which is dormant previously, it is a sign that your site has been discovered. It is worthwhile to hang around your site and viral effect is taking place. It is an indication that your articles are what they are looking for to solve their problems or offer solutions to their problems. It is also likely that they like the way you present your ideas. : You will get to know the traffic from all the countries around the world by looking at statistics from Statcounter.

7. More site followers: It is an indication that you are doing something right and they want to keep posted of  what you do

8. More social media followers: When more people like your articles at Facebook and you are getting more followers at Twitter, you know they enjoy what you do. You are, of course, delighted and upbeat.

The secret to get motivated is to motivate others in the first place. Do what you can do to others for good and in turn they will support you and motivate you to do more of the same.  When there is no deposit there is no withdrawal.

Blogging is a long term commitment. You need to be passionate, persistent, consistent and the determination to go on despite the fact that nothing is happening after a couple of months. Have you got what it takes to be a blogger? 

Blogging is like riding a bicycle. You have to keep peddling; the moment you stop,

you fall. 

Be Effective Be Successful At Work

To me, success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world -- that I am able to change it in positive ways. ~ - Maxine Hong Kingston

To be successful at work you need to be competent in what you do and enjoy doing it. Your performance needs to be noticed so that you can move up the ladder. In addition, you need to project a positive image of yourself, be positive in your thinking, energetic and friendly.

1.       Expertise: Be good at what you do and be interested in doing it. As a competent worker, you are followed by others to get advice and guidance. 

2.       Be noticed: Keep your boss posted about what you do.  You need to broadcast your contribution to get noticed. An appreciation of what you do is an important factor to motivate you at work. 

3.       Create value: The ability to create positive changes and make improvement is a way to create value for the company and for you.  Be innovative and contribute to the productivity of the company.  

4.       Under promise and over deliver: When you over-promise, you are under pressure to perform. Just promise as expected and over-deliver to surprise others and make them happy.

5.       Attitude: A positive attitude means you are confident of getting things done and able to look at things from a wider perspective. It means you are flexible and adaptable to changes.

6.       Energy:  When you are able to act promptly and you are enthusiastic at the workplace, you are full of energy. Keeping fit and healthy is one effective way to boost your energy.

7.       Friendly:  Be cheerful, be polite, and always wear a smile. Look for the good in others and pay a compliment.  Be interested in others so that people will, in turn, pay attention to you.

8.       Grooming: The First impression is important, but it is necessary to maintain a positive image consistently. People are impressed by how you take care of yourself and judge you for the way you handle your work.

9.       Communicate effectively: Be clear about the message to convey and speak clearly. Be interested in others and listen attentively, Talk and behave with confidence to gain a positive impression from others.

10.   Learning; Reading is to gain knowledge, expand your mind and be up-to-date. Learning new skills is to be more valuable in the workplace and work more resourcefully.

 The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it. ~ Wilfred A. Peterson

Effective Ways to Solve Problems

How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself - so always think positively. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Life is challenging and you have to accept the fact that there will be problems, it is important to deal with them positively and effectively:

1.       State the problem clearly: Stating a problem clearly is like getting a problem half-solved. You look for the right solutions when you pinpoint a problem.

2.       Be direct: Don’t dwell on the problem. Take the bull by the horns and attack the problem head-on. Get the problem out of your mind and go on with life.

Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.  ~ Henry Ford

3.       Be cool, calm, and collected: Do not try to do a thing in haste. Act only when you can think rationally and calmly.

4.       Get help and obtain information: Ask and get ideas from others about how they deal with a similar problem.  Look for more information to guide you to reach an acceptable solution.

5.       Be creative and resourceful:  Look at a problem from different angles and think of a cost-effective solution.

No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking. ~ Voltaire

6.       Be decisive: When you have reached a decision, act on it quickly before the situation gets worse. Check and monitor the situation to see that you are getting the desired results.

7.       Be ready with alternative plans:  Do you have a plan B? When the one that you have implemented is not working, replace it with an alternative solution.  

Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will. ~     Norman Vincent Peale                 

Effective Ways of Successful People

You can always learn from the effective ways of successful people and be one of them.  It is a matter of adopting the right ways or habits of doing things in order to be successful.  You can do it when you make up your mind to make changes and follow in their footsteps   

1. Energetic: Successful people are energetic. They start every new day early and ready to take action. It is not difficult to wake up and get up early. The most important question is: Have you planned ahead to live a full day meaningfully? If there is nothing to look forward to, there is no incentive for you to get up early.  

2. Direction: Successful people capitalize on their strengths. They are motivated by what they are good at. They have their dreams, aspiration and goals. They are passionate. They possess determination, persistence and they are single-minded. It is their focused attention that brings them success. You can also be successful when you work on your strengths to excel in life.  

3. Creative: Successful people make things happen, they work hard and they take risks to make changes. They conceive unique ideas to do things easier and faster. You can also contribute original ideas in the area of your expertise and be ahead of others.   

4. Resilience: Successful people do not take failures at the end of the road. They learn from failures and bounce back. They move forward and much wiser. You can adopt the same attitude and not be discouraged by defeats.

5. Confidence: Successful people are hopeful and they have great expectations because they are doing something they like and good at. They are constantly developing their talents. You can also discover and develop your hidden talents to shine.

6. Efficient: Successful people are productive. They get the right things done at the right time. You can learn to be efficient by getting organized and getting the most important things done.  

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. ~ Peter F. Drucker

7. Prepared: Successful people are lucky too. They are in the right place and at the right time. However, they are prepared for the occasion. They know what they want and they are ready and alert to look for opportunities. One effective way to be successful is to be ready for what you are after in life. 

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Are you ready to follow the effective ways of successful people?   

Be Less Be Simple Be Happy

In life, less is more, simple is plentiful and happiness is about free and easy.

Here are the ways to be less and simple but getting more out of life

1. Fewer goals: Do not get overwhelmed by trying to be ambitious and achieve too much within a limited time. Select a few goals and be more focused to do quality work. It is also more likely for you to succeed.

2. Shorter to-do list:  Avoid getting into a stressful situation by having a long list of things to do. In fact, doing less  is getting  more done by working only on a few important tasks,

3. Less commitment: There is a limit to what you can do. Choose those activities that are important in your life such as health, work, family, relationship building, and personal money matters. The most important thing is to be free and easy.

4. Work less: Be an effective and productive worker in getting the right things done without working overtime. The key to success is a balanced life. Spending time with family will do good for you to work with peace of mind.  

5. Go slow: Do not hurry by. The only time to enjoy is in the present. The way to do it is to go slow. Reduce your speed in whatever you do to avoid stress and be more aware of what you are doing. Drive a little slower and pay a little bit more attention to the road.  Work at a slower pace to appreciate and enjoy the process of doing something. You feel good when you put your mind in the moment and not thinking of something else.

6. Want less: Looking for less material wants in life means getting more peace of mind and contentment. When there is no desire there is no feeling of discontentment. 

7. Watch less TV: Spending less time watching means more time to interact with family members and more time for exercise and reading. Just imagine the huge benefit of a healthy body and an enriched mind.

8. Less multitasking: Do just one thing at a time instead of multitasking. Your mind can only process one thing at a time. Switching from one job to another is stressful and tiring for the mind.  

9. Be less at home: Clear the clutter at home and get rid of all unwanted items.  More spacious living encourages a positive flow of energy.

10. Simple and easy life: When you do less, you get more productive, less stressed, and more freedom out of life.

Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means.

- Dr. Koichi Kawana, Architect, designed the botanical gardens

Easy and Effective Ways to Be Happy

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. ~ Margaret Lee Runbeck

Happiness is the by-product of what you think, how you feel, and what you do. When you are thinking good, feeling good, and doing good for yourself and others, you will get more than just happiness. Here are the ways to go about getting happiness in your life:

1.       In the morning: Don’t get up from the wrong side of the bed. Get up with the right frame of mind. Get up early, think of cheerful thoughts and sing a motivational song to be upbeat and feel good about yourself inside out and all day long.

To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy… is to set our conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

2.       Create energy: Energy is about alertness, peace of mind, and ready to take action. To create the energy you exercise daily, sleep sufficiently, eat nutritional food, and drink plenty of water. Robust energy promotes good feelings and happiness in you.

3.       Stay connected: Home is the fortress of your solace, peace of mind, joy, and happiness. Share the ups and downs of life with loved ones. Preserve the harmony at home and let happiness vibrate to other areas of your life. Friends and relatives are your spiritual support. Express your care and concern and you will get more in return. Happiness is about meaningful relationships.

4.       Goals: Happiness is about knowing your direction in life and going boldly towards it. Your goals are your dreams, aspiration, vision, and passion. Goals give you hope in life. Hope is a powerful force to generate happiness in you. When the future is looking good, you are feeling good too.

Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

5.       Enjoy the process: Happiness is enjoying doing the task at hand. It is in a state of flow and mindfulness. There are no thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow. Living in the present is the greatest joy you can get.

6.       Mental health: To develop a positive mindset is to look at life with optimism. Find joy in what you do and be contented with what you have. Happiness is a positive attitude.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~ Frederick Keonig

7.       Do good and feel good: Think and express gratitude. Do random acts of kindness to warm the hearts of others. Forgiveness is a way to bring love and calmness to you. Be appreciative of what others have done to you. Thinking good, doing good, and feeling good are the genuine ways to be happy.

Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude. ~ Joseph W. Krutch

8.       Observe nature: Take time to appreciate nature and explore the awesomeness of the sun and the moon. Go to the mountain, down to the river and the sea. The only way to do it is to go slow and be lightened up. Nature opens up your heart, calms your mind, and creates a good feeling in you.

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. ~ Anne Frank

9.       About life: Life is about joy and sorrow, success and failure, good and bad, fairness and unfairness. The most important thing is to react to them positively. Accept and adopt changes in your life. Be delighted in solving problems to build your self-confidence and resourcefulness. Be able to laugh at yourself is a positive way to look at life on a bright note.  When you know what life is all about you will be able to enjoy happiness and more.

What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life. ~ Leo Buscaglia

There is no duty so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Be Lucky Be Successful

The day you decide to do it is your lucky day. ~ Japanese Proverb

On April 12, 2011, we took our son to Singapore to study at Nanyang Polytechnic. He has already been offered a place there and the purpose of the trip was to look for a place for him to stay.  Upon arrival, we called up friends, got online, and also telephoned agents. We were getting nowhere on the first day and we had to go back on April 14, so that we could go back to work on April 15. April 13 was the only day left for us to look for a twin–sharing room near the Polytechnic. In the morning, our son, as usual, went online to search the Net. He came across an ad looking for another male student to share a room close to Nanyang Polytechnic.  I immediately phoned the agent to arrange and inspect the place. The lodging was excellent because the landlady was friendly and the place was near the polytechnic and a food court. We promptly paid the deposit to confirm the tenancy. We were happy to settle the issue within such a short time. According to the agent the ad was only placed in the morning on the same day.

The moral of the story is that you need to be lucky in order to be successful.

However, you have to play your part actively to get what you want in life.

1.      Know clearly what you want: Be very focused on your goals and objectives. In our case, we were looking for a twin sharing room near the place of study.

2.      Using the right tools: To be efficient and effective you must use the right tools to look for the things you want. In our son’s case, he used a notebook with Internet access to hunting for accommodation. This was a very productive move.

3.      Be at the right place at the right time: Referring to our son’s case, the ad was posted in the morning on April 13 and our son was looking for similar ads. We were in Singapore and we were able to take immediate action.

4.      Actively looking for what you want:  The most important thing is that you must be putting in an effort to look for what you want in life.  There is no luck if you just sit still and wait for something to happen.  In our son’s case, he searched actively online to look for suitable accommodation.

Are you prepared to be lucky and successful?