Action Archives - Page 96 of 121

Allocating Time

Posted on April 25, 2021

Time is amazing and challenging. There are so many interesting things to do and yet not enough minutes to do them all. Allocating time is the ultimate challenge in life.

Reconsider how you parcel out your time. Is it hyper-methodical? Or is it free flowing? Perhaps you are generally somewhere in between but vacillate from one end of the continuum to the other.

There is an amount of time for work matters, family, play, friends, sleep, eating and relaxing. How much to apportion to each area on any given day is the challenge.

I try to get my work done while the kids are at school or out with friends. Sometimes you radically change the allocation by choice, such as for a holiday. At other times, the change may happen to you. This could be the case if you come down with an illness or if someone close to you is unwell.

The other challenge is that it is hard to tell ahead of time, which combination is the best one. Working 100 hours a week can take its toll on your health and relationships. Of course, even working 60 hours a week can have an adverse effect on many things.

So it may be quite helpful doing a monthly review of how you are allocating time.

Action Reframe your thoughts

Treat People Appropriately

Posted on April 24, 2021

Equality sounds good. However, does equality mean treat people the same? Possibly, but maybe not. Try to treat people appropriately rather than the same. And yes there is some nuance in there but if you thought about it, you already know what I mean.

I like the idea of appropriateness. It allows for some differences in situation. For example, I don’t treat my young children exactly the same as I do my wife. Conversation topics are a little different, expectations are a little different and the comfort around their independence is not identical.

Another thought is, if we treated everyone equally, or the same, in the toilet category, women would have urinals. Or switching it the other way, men’s rooms might have (unnecessary for them) sanitary items available. It seems more appropriate that these differences exist. Making them the same would be a stretch on resources, and they would very rarely get used.

One question I know you’re thinking about is, “who decides what appropriate means?” For what era are we defining it? And once defined for the current world, know that things will shift in a year or five too.

Perhaps we really already know what appropriate would look like. Or at least we would know our current best idea of appropriate. Many people would be happy with that and it might make them aware, or at least curious about, other best practices.

Treat people appropriately.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Check Your Highest Thoughts

Posted on April 23, 2021

What filters do you use to see the world? Are you in favour of rose-tinted glasses? Or are you a hardened sceptic? Check your highest thoughts carefully as they are the ones you filter the world through. This in turn creates your reality.

Remember, it is not the reality. It is simply your interpretation of reality. If you think people are inherently good, you will see the positive in people’s actions. If you deem people to be evil, then that is how you will generally see people’s actions. And of course you can take sub-categories of people too.

For example, let’s say you think that wealthy people are evil, corrupt and morally bankrupt. Then, even when a multi-billionaire donates a billion dollars to a charity or hospital, you’ll find the negative. You might ask why they are so greedy and why didn’t they donate more? Or you could reference how they are just using it as a tax write-off and publicity stunt.

Your thoughts can betray you as you create stories in your head based on how you want to believe the world is. Though, often enough, the world is not as we create it in our heads with our preferred filter.

Check your highest thoughts. Enlightenment is closer than you think.

Action Observe Think About It

How Are Jobs Created?

Posted on April 21, 2021

You want a job. They help with your income, self-esteem and confidence. However, they can be elusive. How are jobs created? If we know how, why and where jobs are created, we can better position ourselves to be chosen for them.

Jobs tend to appear wherever someone needs a person to do some work. Sometimes a job is to fill an immediate vacancy because somebody died or suddenly left. Other times there is some lead time due to the circumstances of the current job holder. For example, they may have been promoted or fired or even given in their notice of resignation.

A job could also be created in a new company or a growing company looking to expand. Positions are also created during reorganisations due to a new strategy or new leaders looking at building in a different direction.

If you like to be involved in a turnaround situation, look to companies with a recent earnings slump or a new CEO. If you like good efficient cultures, join a firm that is in a growth mode in a growth industry. Joining Netflix in 2007 would have been better than joining Blockbuster. Netflix pivoted into streaming while Blockbuster kept closing stores.

How are jobs created? It is usually by someone assessing a need in a company or division. They believe they need, and can afford, more help.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Creating Your Own Prison

Posted on April 19, 2021

Have you ever felt trapped? It could be because of your circumstances, your choices or your thoughts. Creating your own prison is not what most of us set out to do.

Yet, many of us do it at some point in our lives. We may get into a great relationship but then things turn and we feel trapped. We also dive into things like a job or our own business and then feel we can’t escape. Lastly, we develop a way of thinking, patterns, that are unhelpful. We set up a guard to keep us stuck where we are.

Become aware of such things before you set off down a certain path. Ask yourself what the end of this path might look like in several years. Sometimes we can see clues to our future. We need to consider these signs, clues and intuition moments.

If we don’t see these when we set off, keep an eye out for signposts and side roads. If we are paying attention, we can recognise patterns of behaviour before they negatively impact us. These can be our own or the actions of others.

If you feel trapped in a situation, consider what you are grateful for. Also, consider what the many options are that you have. Think of the easy ones and the hard ones. Don’t just swap a tough situation for another one.

Certainly don’t make creating your own prison a habit.

Action Observe Time

Just In Time Solutions

Posted on April 18, 2021

Why do we wait until the last minute to complete things? If we know three months in advance, why wait until there are 3 days to go? Just in time solutions are fine for supply chains. However, they are not ideal for getting items off your to do list.

When assignments at work, at school, accounting, tax or financial matters often seem to be done at the last minute and not weeks in advance.

My ideal situation for these things is to do the work when it is available to be done. This means when the assignment is handed to you, get going on it. It does not mean throw it on top of a pile of papers or in a drawer and forget about it. Receiving multiple red font alert-type letters is not a sign of a well organised operation.

I understand it can be challenging. I know other things come up and take your focus away. And it can be difficult to juggle many balls at once. However, start making it a habit to deal with things as they come up. Make plans and put the time required in your diary.

Just in time solutions can work but ahead of time is usually even better.

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

Pure Joy

Posted on April 17, 2021

Birthdays are awesome when you are young. They tend to have new elements each year. In addition you enjoy getting older. They’re pure joy to watch too. I just had that feeling again with my son turning 12.

It was great to see his enthusiasm for the day ahead. Then throughout the day, he was smiling, laughing, energised, and fully enjoying himself. Despite the lockdown limitations, and this being his second lockdown birthday, he seemed to love it. And it was pure joy to see him embrace it and enjoy the day.

We will celebrate across the weekend as he opens gifts and cards and receives lovely messages from friends and family near and far.

As you get older, the enthusiasm can switch from looking forward to a birthday to being thankful to have reached it. Either way, we should try to remember that every one is an event to cherish. In addition to every day in between them.

Looking at the smile on my sons face today reminds me how fortunate we are. Count those blessings. Enjoy even the troubling times together. But most of all, be grateful for those sounds of laughter, energy and enthusiasm. It is amazing how quickly 12 years can swoosh past.

Savour it. It’s pure joy.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Ask These Two Questions

Posted on April 16, 2021

What do you hope the outcome of your actions will be? What might be the outcome of your actions? Ask these two questions of yourself each time you post on any social media. In addition, you can reflect on these questions after any conversation or physical action you undertake.

Assess the outcome of your actions from your supporters perspective and also your critics. Get the actual outcome. Do not only use your biased or ego-driven opinion.

I felt this concept was timely to address today. In part due to yesterday’s blog post and also due to a tweet I saw earlier today. Finally, it fits in with Section 6, Review, of my forthcoming book, Achieve Anything.

The tweet was from a woman who was not pleased that, and how, someone on the set asked what her role was. The question seemed to be a benign set of words but tone and context would have been helpful to more fully understand.

I didn’t question or comment on the tweet as I only like to add positive comments. This one didn’t feel like there was one available. Or it might not have been seen as such, and that is not my intent either.

I did wonder, for far too many minutes, what her intent was. So many potential ideas, yet few of them positive. Apart from what seemed like some self-indulgence and a viral tweet (80k likes on a 2k account).

Before her, or your, next communication to the world, perhaps one could ask these two questions.

Action Think About It

You Don’t Have To Think But It Helps

Posted on April 15, 2021

Reacting is easy. It rarely requires thought. A person says or does something and you weigh in with your comments. You don’t have to think but it helps.

Why does it help if you pause and reflect on things before engaging your mouth? First of all, you probably only know the tip of the iceberg. Secondly, what you do know is likely biased by the provider of the information. Thirdly, your immediate opinion will be biased by your own experience and philosophy. Finally, you may not truly believe what you say. You may instead be giving an emotional response without clear balance.

In our fast paced society, many people have a tendency to see from one angle and comment from one perspective. It has also become more common to side with the purported underdog. We must take the time to improve this. Otherwise, we will find more people shouting and arguing over biased headlines without any substance.

Slow things down. Assess how everything progressed to where it is now. Acknowledge what you feel is the right answer. But then, take some time to explore alternative viewpoints. Remember, just because you don’t want gravity to exist doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

If you want a calmer, more enjoyable life, try this out. You don’t have to think but it helps.

Action Observe Think About It

Too Many Options

Posted on April 13, 2021

Baskin-Robbins ice cream serves 31 flavours. They’ve introduced 1,300 flavours since inception in 1945. Too many options can slow down your thought process and ultimately your success.

It can be helpful for a consumer to have just one option. At best, you could offer them two or three options. A bit like Apple does with its iPhone offering, its laptops and its computers.

Once people have more options than that, they start to be paralysed by indecision. Often, they start to questions their choices and review their short list of options.

One thing I learned growing up in the countryside was that if you had only one option nearby, that was the best one. Moreover, no second guessing was involved. Finally, if people wanted to eat, skate or play tennis, there were only a couple of places to do that.

I love exploring and trying new things. Just ask my kids about the variety of flavours I bring home. Pineapple covered in yogurt and popping candy comes to mind.

There is a lot to say about the simplicity of one or two choices. Restaurants with 75 items on the menu seem a bit crazy. This is not just endlessly challenging for the consumer. In addition, the kitchen has to keep enough of each item in case it is ordered. And it can’t have gone off when it is selected.

Too many options is an unnecessary indulgence.