I’m something of a movie buff nerd, so I was thrilled to discover Reel Life Wisdom via The Occupational Adventure. The author combines quotes and scenes from movies into thought-provoking inspiration.
Discovery of the Day
Posted in Ideas That Work
Skimming the Cream
Ideas that are captured, then left to languish and starve on a dusty Someday/Maybe list, buried under piles or filed away and forgotten are wasted.
Continually review and evaluate ideas to choose the best ones to act on.
- Why is this a good idea? Does it fit my goals?
- Which ideas provide the best return on investment?
- What resources would be needed?
Imagine your idea list like a Netflix Queue where you can rearrange the priority levels with a flick of the wrist. What’s at the top?
Skim the cream: concentrate on the top ideas, projects, and goals.
Plant ideas, but don’t bury them: give them enough time to germinate, but not so much that they turn into compost.
Don’t plan ideas to death: How to Grow Your Ideas at LifeDev.
Posted in goals, productivity
Positive Prescription
Take two (or more) of Scott H Young’s 29 Happiness Hacks to Feel Better Now.
Posted in Ideas That Work
Tools for the Four Step Plan
Tools for a Four Step Plan for Goal Setting
How much of your time is spent in: daily definites, daily distractions, or goal oriented actions?
1. Use the Matrix Time Chart based on Stephen R Covey’s Time Management Matrix to track activities. Routine tasks (daily definites) fit in quadrant I, goals in quadrant II, time wasters (daily distractions) in quadrant IV. Use the Printable CEO Emergent Task Timer or another timer to track what quadrant you are spending your time in.
2. Write down daily definites, everything you do routinely: See repeating tasks
3. Write down goals: See goal ideas
4. List favorite daily distractions: See time wasters
This exercise provides a picture that will show if you’re walking your talk, living your plan.
Posted in goals, productivity
Delegation
Sometimes delegating tasks is not an option. However, in situations where a project can and should be done by someone else, invest the time to do it well. When possible, share assignments that provide opportunities for growth. Choose a person with the skills, knowledge, and experience that will be needed for the job. Be sure they have the needed resources. Be clear about the purpose and importance of the task. Then agree on a date to follow-up on progress and schedule it in your calendar. Remember to express your appreciation when the task has been completed, and review what was learned.
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro has more ideas for ways to manage low-priority items.
Further reading: Mindtools & Businessballs
Posted in productivity
Discovery of the Day
Steve Pavlina published 33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity volume one and volume two. That’s 66 great ideas!
Posted in productivity
An Idea That Stuck
Reverend Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity of Kansas City had an idea. The goal was to be complaint free for 21 days. Purple bracelets to wear until the goal is accomplished was the idea that made it concrete. It’s simple, unexpected, and has generated tons of interest and stories. The number of bracelets that have been requested world-wide so far?
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4, |
6 |
5 |
1, |
9 |
6 |
0 |
It’s about focusing on what you want, not what you don’t want.
Posted in personal development
Discovery of the Day
Six More Reasons to Use a Paper To-Do List at Web Worker Daily.
Posted in productivity
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com
Want to know how to communicate ideas effectively? In “Made to Stick” authors Chip and Dan Heath practice what they preach by providing concrete examples of successful messages that are understood, remembered and have a lasting impact. To design one, simply follow their SUCCESs checklist.
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
Simplicity gets right to the core idea and packages it in compact form. If there was time to communicate only one thing, what would it be? The curse of knowledge is that once we know something, we forget what it was like not to know it. We arrive at answers by reading data and arriving at conclusions, but sharing this information is not the effective way to tell others.
Gain attention and interest with the unexpected. Arouse curiosity by posing a question which points out a gap in knowledge. Then reveal one clue leading to another down a path to an answer we now want to know.
Get concrete by converting abstract ideas into clear images of tangible, specific things.
Boost credibility with authorities, demonstrations, and details that symbolize the core idea.
Inspire emotions with imagination. Appeal to interests by spelling out the benefit of the benefit with why, not what. Identify on an individual level to create an emotional response.
Stories involve us in the idea and invite participation. Stories reach our hearts and remain in our memories. Be alert for stories with the potential to inspire, entertain, illustrate and teach.
Make ideas stick with these ideas!
See also
Separate and/or one
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Planet Earth series on the Discovery channel, as the fascinating beauty of nature and the animals that live in our world is revealed with amazing photography. We truly can see how we are connected to nature and life, how we are one. We can empathize with the struggle for survival as a predator seeks food, and the prey attempts to escape and live.
I have been puzzling over the word “ego” and what it means. It seems that a certain amount of ego is an element of human survival. At one end of a spectrum, ego is about the individual self that is concerned with it’s wants and needs. At the other end is the authentic self that is interested in awareness and serving others.
Sometimes we react to being at one end of a spectrum by swinging like a pendulum too far to the other extreme, when what is needed is a balance. I’ve also been reading a book called “Perfectly Yourself: Nine Lessons for Enduring Happiness” by Matthew Kelly. Number eight is “focus on what you are here to give.” And so it is that I ask to become a person with the ability to share the gift I am here to give.
I subscribe to Nic Askew’s film of the week at monday9am.tv-short films that do something. This week’s film is about “the absurd notion of one.” Interesting, isn’t it, that the universe brought this together?
Posted in personal development
Daily PlanIt 