Be More Effective

4 Reasons To Make A To Do List

2012-01-12T20:38:00.001+05:30

Making a To-Do-List is often considered one of the most basic principles of Time Management. I am sure you must have also tried doing it a number of times, but probably gave up in a few days' time. Let me tell you why should you make and follow your To-Do-List. Perhaps these reasons shall motivate you to religiously start following a To Do.

Sense of Satisfaction and Achievement.
Do you remember that feeling you got when you managed to accomplish a particularly difficult goal you had set for yourself - when you did well in a difficult examination, or when you successfully completed a client's project, or when for the first time you exceeded the expectations of your peers and superiors? Remember that sense of exhilaration, contentment and jubilation?
Crossing out every item on your To Do at the end of the day gives one a similar feeling.
Now, you might ask how can one get the same feel of achievement by just doing 4-5 tasks in a day. Well, as you have already found out by your own experience, following a To Do is not as simple as just doing 4-5 tasks a day.
Regularly following a To Do makes you feel that you achieved something worthwhile during the day. And don't we all aspire to accomplish and achieve in live? Go get your daily dose of achievement through your To Do.

You Don't Have To Remember Things.
I always find myself being able to concentrate better on my work when my mind is untroubled by other issues. When you have made a To Do in the beginning of your day, you do not have to worry about forgetting any tasks. You need not ask yourself in the middle of the day - "Okay. Now what else did I have to do today?". Your To Do keeps track of your tasks and lets you concentrate on your tasks only. Thus your To Do is actually reducing your burden by ensuring that you do not forgot anything.

Keeps Your Life On Track.
A To Do does not only mean a daily To Do List. We have other To Do Lists like the Weekly To Do and the Monthly To Do List. Once you make a Weekly or Monthly To Do, you always have the big picture in mind. You can plan your Daily To Do in such a way that ensures that you keep in line with your bigger plans. You can now be the pilot of your own life.
Let's take an example:
You have set a target this week to renovate your room.
Now your daily To Do List should look something like this.
Day 1 - Clean room and throw away all trash.
Day 3 - Paint your room with a new color.
Day 5 - Buy new posters, paintings or furniture for your room.
Day 7 - Enjoy your new room.
"Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves."

First Step Of Planning.
It looks simple; it sounds simple; but we all know it is not that simple. A To Do is one of the first steps to disciplining yourself. It lets you set out on your day with a planned approach and makes you work according to the plan.
Successful men are not just aware of their goals but also know what route to take to reach their goal. Your To Do is a road map that shall take you to your destination. Without a map you shall find it very difficult to reach your destination. Map your path to success with a To Do.

Hope you find more reason now to stick to your To Do for a longer period of time.

9 Goals You Should Set In Life

2012-01-07T21:14:00.000+05:30

People spend years looking for their aim in life. Often decades pass before man finds his reason to live. Make sure you find your reasons to live before its too late.

All successful people from all walks of life - sports, music, movies, politics, business - have had goals they fought and struggled for. To be successful, you must first find your goal.

Here I have listed down nine goals which every man should set for himself.

Career Goal
Set yourself clear career goals. What position do you wish to rise to in 5 years? How large do you want your company to become? How much annual turnover do you wish to see? Which projects do you want to specifically handle? What responsibilities you want to take up? Profits? Salary? etc. Answers to these questions shall help you set your career goals.

Family and Relationship
Do you want to get married? Do you want to start a family? When do wish to take your relationship to the next level? These are very important and delicate issues. You want to spend a good amount of time thinking about it before you decide upon family and relationship goals. Often we tend to not think too much about these issues and just let them go on the way they are, but its time to take control of these very important matters of your life.

Hobby and Art
Do you have any artistic interest you wish to pursue one day? Do you want to learn to play an instrument or learn a foreign language or even develop a new hobby like gardening or photography? Do you want to revive your childhood hobby?

Financial Assets Goal
Savings and investments are a very important part of a stable financial life. Set yourself a target of how much do you want to accumulate by the end of say, 10 years. Always wanted to invest in real estate or gold? Set yourself a detailed and specific target to build a comfortable financial reservoir you can fall back upon in case of emergencies.

Educational
How much more do you wish to learn through the formal education system? Plans of further studies or any other additional courses that you might wish to pursue fall under this category.

Enjoyment
Something that you have been wanting to do for a long time - something that will make you chill out and have fun. Is it the childhood dream of visiting Disneyland which has not yet been fulfilled? Trip to Vegas or a stay at an exotic island with your partner? Could even be any particular sport/activity you have been dying to try out (deep sea diving and bungee jumping - personal favorite). Set yourself a timeline and plan in advance as unfortunately, these pleasures of life are often the hardest to come by.

Habits
Not being able to kick the butt after years of futile attempts? Set yourself a time-bound goal. Is it the childhood habit of biting nails or picking your nose that you wish to get rid of? Set goals to remove these attributes which decay and spoil your personality. Or do you want to inculcate good habits like getting up early or reading novels - set yourself goals for the same.

Attitude and Mindset
Is there something you want to change about your mindset? Change a part of you that you despise - could be your introvert nature, or the impulse to jump to conclusions, or something to do with improving your self-confidence. These soft goals are sometimes far more important and critical than the hard goals of professional success and wealth.

Goals of Others
Sometimes the goals of another person become our own goals too. A father may wish to fulfill his son's dream of studying in a good university. A husband may wish to fulfill his wife's wish of once acting in a theater. A son may want to fulfill his old father's wish of visiting his long-forgotten homeland. Sometimes, the goals of our loved ones become our own - do not forget to take this into account when you sit down to set your life goals.

So sit down, write down your goals and start working towards them...

5 Steps To Get Maximum Out Of Your To-Do-List

2012-01-04T22:11:00.000+05:30

On six different occasions within last three years, I promised myself that I will make and follow my To-Do religiously. Every single time I started off spectacularly, accomplishing most of what I wrote down in my list. But every single time, this newly-found efficiency of mine lasted only a handful of days. Repeated mistakes and reflections on these mistakes taught me my lessons and I came up with 5 ways to ensure that I get the maximum out of my daily To-Do-List.

1. Prioritizing
A big roadblock in the way of getting more out of your To-Do-List is the failure to Prioritize tasks. Its good to write down your daily list of tasks but its equally important to prioritize these tasks in order of importance.
You may prioritize tasks through 'A' to 'D' - with 'A' being most important and 'D' being the least or unimportant task (or you could use numbers). Start by doing the 'A' tasks first, then get on to 'B', then 'C' and finally 'D'.

2. Referring to the List
A To-Do-List is prepared to get all your tasks together in one place so that you do not forgot or leave out any task. Its useless preparing a To-Do if you going to forget about it after making it. Refer to your list atleast two-three times in the day to cross out completed tasks and see which ones remain to be done.
It is also important to add to your list as more tasks come up during the day. Prioritize these new tasks as well else you may end up spending more time on relatively unimportant tasks and struggle with the important ones later.

3. Deadlining
A goal without a time frame is doomed to remain just a dream. Every task must have a time limit. Assign time limit to your tasks along with priorities when you are preparing your To-Do and try to adhere to them. While crossing out each task, also mention the time you took to complete the task so that you may realize which tasks took the bulk of your time. At the end of the day it will be easy for you to analyze your To-Do and see which tasks took more time than they ought to have.

4. Softwares
Lately, To-Do softwares have been in vogue. Many To-Do softwares are available free or at little cost which let you not just write down your tasks for the day but also tell you which tasks are overdue, or going to be overdue or which tasks have you been putting off for some time now. A great advantage of these softwares is that you can sync then with your phone or email account. You may lose your To-Do-List if made on pieces of paper, but you will not lose these softwares. These softwares are convenient to use as it very easy and hassle-free to rewrite, delete, carry forward etc. You may use softwares like Todoist, Ta-Da List, Remember the Milk.

5. Supplementing To-Do-List
This is a technique I use that further increases the productivity of my To-Dos. I use alarms and reminder notes in my cell phone to remind me of tasks to be done at a particular time. For eg, if a client has asked me to call him up at 4 pm, I not only write it down on my To-Do-List but also put a reminder alarm on my cell phone which goes off at 4 pm and ensures that I do not forget to call even if I might be busy doing other work.

Good luck!

4 Time Management Myths Busted

2011-12-31T03:28:00.000+05:30

Time Management is an often misunderstood concept. People form their own prejudices about it without knowing the facts. Here is an attempt to set straight some common misconceptions.

#1 You can manage time.
Time will keep flowing the way it has been for millennia – unstoppable and consistent. Only if you create a Time Machine (don’t we all wish we had one!) will you be able to manage time. You have to manage yourself, not time. Time Management actually means Self-management. Period.

#2 Sleeping less and spending lesser time on leisure is effective time management.
When you have work overload, you tend to cut down on your sleep and leisure time in order to finish your work. Though sometimes we have no other option but to do so, this is NOT time management. Time Management involves cutting down on idle and unproductive time; sleeping and refreshing yourself can by no stretch of imagination be called unproductive. In fact, one of the benefits of effective Time management is that you have a lot of free time to do things that you love to do. Spending sleepless nights is just a sign of poor Time Management.

#3 Routines and schedules are a must for Time Management.

Most people believe that Time Management means strictly following routines, schedules and appointments. Bull crap! You can be good at Time Management without these things as well.
A major portion of time management requires improving productivity, cutting down on unproductive activities and meeting deadlines. This can be done without following rigorous drills, routines and schedules.

#4 A busy man is good at Time Management.

A man who is constantly running around doing one thing after another may look busy but he probably sucks at Time Management. A man who appears busy, appears so because he is under stress and frantically going around trying to finish his work. A man who is good at Time Management generally does his work without being panic-stricken and does not give the impression of being terribly busy.

Effective Goal Setting

2011-12-27T18:24:00.001+05:30

Success is often measured by the attainment of goals. Goals are the targets you set. It is something you work very hard for, something for which you give up your money, sleep, comforts, and even health. Which is why is it vitally important that before you start sacrificing for your goals, you make sure that your have set your goals properly.
Read on to know more about how to go about it.

Why set goals?
Goals are our destinations. Whenever you set out on any journey, you must know what your destination is. You must know where you want to reach. The goal or the destination is more important than the path taken itself. If you don't know your destination, you will have no idea which path to take, but if you are aware of your destination you can always find paths to reach there.
A goal gives your life meaning, it gives your life a purpose, an end to strive for. Without goals a man is a like rudderless boat which will eventually capsize in the violent storms of life. Goals make you use your talents and develop newer talents. And most importantly, goals give you a sense of achievement!

How to set goals?
Here are few tips that will help you.

The Big Picture
To set goals, you must begin with the big picture in mind. Imagine yourself 15 or 20 years down the line. Where you would you ideally like to see yourself? What things/people would you want with you? What do you want accomplished? You can read my article 9 Goals You Should Set In Life for more knowledge on the different types of goals.
After looking at big picture, break it down into smaller goals that will help you reach your ultimate goals.

Realistic Goals
Set achievable goals. If you set over-ambitious goals, there is a great chance that you may not be able to reach them and remember, nothing discourages a person more than the inability to reach his own goals. Setting low goals will not force you to stretch yourself, therefore it shall not let you realize your true potential.
One way to get out of this catch 22 situation is to set goals at two levels.

Set one at a conservative level - a level, the attainment of which shall make you moderately happy and well-off. Let's call this level the 'Rational Level'.
Set level two at a higher, more ambitious level. Let this be the position dreams are made of. This is the place where you shall be at the crescendo of happiness and success. Call this 'Level Zenith'.

This way, even if you do not achieve your highest ambitions, you will atleast be satisfied if you attain the Rational Level. The key here is to first reach the Rational Level and then strive for Level Zenith and not start with aims of reaching Level Zenith; that would just intimidate and discourage you.

More coming up on Goals Setting and achieving! Keep watching this space.

25 Ways To Waste Time

2011-12-26T02:54:00.001+05:30

I have listed down 25 ways through which we go around wasting our time. There are many more.

1. Thinking of "If" Situations - We often waste time wondering,"If only I had got that promotion", "If only I had made the right investment that time" etc. Reality has no place for "If only"s and "What if"s; the earlier you understand this, the better.

2. Browsing Social Networking Sites/YouTube etc.

3. Sleeping - a normal man can live with 6 hours of sleep. But, often we find it impossible to get out of our cozy, warm bed.

4. Going ahead without prior planning. You are bound to hit unexpected roadblocks and will have to start again from scratch.

5. Watching Inspirational Movies/ Videos and feeling motivated for a day but going back to being your normal lazy self the next day.

6. Trying to save money - for eg. taking the bus, while hiring a cab would have saved a lot of time (though, sometimes we have no option).

7. PlayStation/ X Box/ Computer Games - I don't know many who have become rich or successful by playing Counter Strike and FIFA.

8. Checking your email 10 times a day. Its becomes a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for some people.

9. Thinking about decisions - Should I? Shouldn't I? After a period of time we just keep repeating the same thoughts in our mind without adding any value to the thought process.

10. Thinking about past conversations/arguments - what you should have said/done instead of what you did. WAKE UP! Its over! You can't change what you have already said now. Move on.

11. Choosing what dress to wear and getting ready - ladies, you are the famous culprits here.

12. Working without giving in your best - to know more about the same, click here.

13. Watching Television Series and Movies.

14. Bitching - it might make you feel a little better, but it only ruins your reputation and serves no real purpose.

15. Browsing unnecessary websites while searching/researching for something else.

16. Adult websites.

17. Forcing yourself to fall asleep - specially when you are nervous, anxious or excited. Sometimes its better to realize that sleep ain't gonna come to you anytime soon.

18. Getting up late and therefore being forced to commute during rush hours. A twenty minute journey might take one and a half hours.

19. Chatting through SMS while working - you do not pay complete attention to your task and end up not doing it properly.

20. Watching Television - the Idiot Box has become a master instead of slave.

21. Window shopping.

22. Not sleeping properly at night and having a sluggish and drowsy day - makes your day totally unproductive.

23. Watching repeats telecast/ highlights of matches/soaps/serials already seen.

24. Being dishonest to self - telling yourself that you will do it tomorrow, but not doing it.
25. Envying others - you can't control what happens in someone else's life. You can just take care of your own.

Time Management For Beginners

2011-12-23T17:09:00.000+05:30

Its not easy to suddenly start making and following To-Do-Lists 'to the T'. Nor is it a piece of cake to get rid of your time wasting habits in a day or two. I know because I myself started out like this and trust me, it never works that way. Which is why I have come up with this post to help people start managing their time in a more comfortable manner.

Tip #1 - Review your day.
This is a simple but very effective trick. All you need to do is spend five minutes reviewing your day before you fall asleep. Rewind and play back your day in your mind. Right from the time you got out of bed in the morning to the time you got back in it - for eg. I got up at 8 am. Made breakfast , got ready and left for work at 9 am. Reached office at 9 :30 etc etc. Just recall what you did, one after the other. I do not care if you spent three hours on Twitter or two hours gossiping on the phone, what I care is that you should know exactly what you did in the day.

How does it help you?
Recalling your day will help you realize exactly where you waste time, so come tomorrow, you will think twice before repeating the same mistake.

Tip # 2 - Do one single thing at the same time, everyday.
It could be anything - From getting up at 7 am everyday to having dinner at 9 pm or it could even be tidying up your room daily at 10:30 pm. But do it everyday! No excuses, no days-off. When I say every single day, I mean every goddamn day, no matter what important task comes up (unless of course its an emergency).

How does it help you?
It shall help you keep a routine, even if its just for a tiny part of your day. It will help you become more determined towards your cause.

Get started, then!

How Taking Pictures Improves Productivity

2011-12-20T18:11:00.003+05:30

They say 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. But is a picture worth a thousand seconds of your time too? Let us see how taking pictures can save your time and improve productivity. Today, almost everyone uses camera-equipped cell-phones, so clicking pictures as and when we want to is not a hassle.

Instead of Jotting Down Notes
At a meeting when something is being discussed on the whiteboard, people tend to juggle their concentration between hearing what is being said and jotting down points in their notebook. Thus they end up paying incomplete attention to what is being said which harms their chances of displaying their true potential to the seniors. It might be a better option to actively listen to and participate in the discussion rather than writing. After the meeting is over, click a couple of pictures of the whiteboard for your own retention.

Names and Faces
For someone like me who is really bad at recollecting faces and names, photographing people is a great way to remember them. Just ask them to pose, click their pic and save yourself the embarrassment of trying to remember the other person's name when he suddenly struts across to greet you.

Details
Instead of remembering certain intricate details (say, a contact detail, railway registration number or a flowchart etc) it is better to click a photograph. We anyway remember a lot more by seeing than we do by reading or writing.

To-Do List
Instead of carrying your To-Do List on scraps of paper, it may be a better idea to write it down somewhere and then photograph it. You may lose bits of paper but not your phone.

Let loose the shutterbug in you! It might even make you artistic ;-)

Four Ways To Improve Your Online Productivity

2011-12-17T16:15:00.000+05:30

Often when I sit down to write or design my blog, I find myself aimlessly wasting my time on Facebook and YouTube instead of actually working. There was a point in time when I had gotten so hooked onto these websites that I would end up spending hours on it at a stretch.

If something similar happens with you and you find yourself browsing unnecessary websites when you ought to be working, then read on...

Some really basic but very effective ways to keep your focus on work while you are online:

1) Block "time-waster" websites
I am talking about Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and the like. Whichever website you waste most of your time on, simply block it. There are some basic tricks that can block websites, depending on your web browser. You can read more about these methods here. Once your work is done, unblock them.

2) Time yourself
Before you sit down to work on your computer, give yourself a time limit. If you are working on a large project, break it into smaller tasks and set deadlines for these smaller tasks. It helps keep your focus and discourages idle time wasting. Download an app that lets you set a countdown timer and use it every time you sit down to work online.

3) Set alarms
Similarly, you could also set alarms at short intervals so that you do not involuntarily lose yourself in the fascinatingly addictive and alluring world of online browsing.

4) Make time for "time-waster" websites
When the mind is not relaxed, there is a greater tendency to let loose and chat, browse and watch videos. Social networking is not a curse. However, it should be used sparingly. So allow yourself time after work to indulge in these pleasures and thereby help keep your mind more at peace :-)

If none of these work, stick a big picture of your boss right next to your screen. That will surely work wonders.

Things To Do Before 2012

2011-12-14T21:16:00.011+05:30

17 days to go before 2011 ends.

In 18 days we shall set foot in 2012.

But are you ready for it?

Here are some things that you need to do before we get into 2012.

Recap 2011
Revisit your resolutions for 2011. Revisit your goals, your aims for the year. Then reflect on how the year has been - How much of what you planned did you actually achieve? What were the gains and losses for the year? What good and what bad did you do during the past year? Search yourself for these answers and note down these things on paper.

WRITE IT DOWN. Because often we reflect about our life and have fleeting thoughts about what right we did and what we didn't, but we rarely take action. Writing down gives you a more complete picture of yourself and helps you take corrective action.

Finish pending work

If you actually did take the trouble to plan out the year 2011, you would most certainly have a list of tasks still to be completed. Get on to doing it. Do it before Christmas and before the festive mood kicks in. Start today. Start now! Some work might be required to be carried over to the next year. Plan it out in such a manner that you get over with it at the earliest in the new year.

Resolutions 2012

Now if you are the kind of guy who starts each new year with a lot of resolutions(whether or not you follow them), then start making your resolutions. Do not wait for 1st of January to kick in. "He who plans to work from tomorrow, never finds his morrow".

Mapping 2012

This is critical! Take some time out and go to a place where you can be at peace. Make your goals for 2012. Refer to the past year and plan your new year in a way that you do not repeat the mistakes committed in the previous year. Make both short term and long term goals. And give these goals a deadline! A goal without deadline is nothing but wishful thinking.

Organize yourself

Tidy your house. Throw away unwanted articles. De-clutter your home. Let there be enough space for the new, beautiful memories that you shall create in 2012. Hang an encouraging, motivational quotation or picture on your wall for the new year. It shall help you start off the new year with vigor and zeal.

Alright guys, get going! There is not much time left and you still have a lot to do :-)

Good Luck!

When NOT to take a break

2011-12-11T00:57:00.002+05:30

Do you feel that when you get down to work, you work for 15 minutes at a time but take breaks for half an hour? Perhaps you are taking more breaks and doing less work. So how do you understand when is the time to NOT take the break, but continue working.

Is this your attitude too?

When the work is repetitive and boring.
Sometimes we have no option but to do monotonous work. It becomes very difficult in such a situation to keep up the concentration and there is a tendency to keep taking regular breaks. But one needs to understand that taking extra breaks will not change the task at hand nor make it more interesting when we get back to it after the break. Thus, it is more sensible to take lesser breaks and concentrate on finishing the work quicker.

When you cannot afford one.
When the work pressure is too much and the time available is too little, you simply cannot afford to take a break. There is no time to relax. In such a situation, you gotta keep going on. Come to terms with the fact that some more work load will not really kill you. So put your chin up and get on with it.

After successfully completing a task.
Its a very common human tendency to rest on your laurels. Once you have finished a difficult task, you want to take a break ,irrespective whether you are tired or not. It is one of the ways a man celebrates - by taking a break. However, sometimes when you are on a high ( and I don't mean alcohol), it is the best time to get on with your toughest tasks, something you have been postponing for a long time.

Rest is important. Even God rested on the 7th day after creating the world. But ensure that you do not inculcate the habit of resting before you are tired!

What to do in a Break? - The Do's and Dont's

2011-12-05T02:12:00.002+05:30

Guys, I am sure that many of few face a similar problem that I did earlier:
You are working fine. You decide to take a break but when you come back, you are not working as efficiently as you were before. Or even worse - you don't even return to work after that break.

Now a lot has to do with how you spend the break. Just like you need to plan your work efficiently, you have to do the same with your relaxing period. Here are do's and dont's of a break.

Do's

1. Spend time with your close ones. (One of the best things to do)

2. Dance/Sing (a physical way of reducing stress)

3. Revisit a photo album with memories of your good times!

4. Take a walk

5. Meditate

6. Pursue your hobby

7. Listen to music

8. Take a nap (provided its a long break)

9. Bathe (take a refreshing cold water shower)

10. Gossip (specially for the ladies, if that makes you happy)

Dont's

1. Watch TV/Movies

2. Go on social networking websites

3. Play outdoor sports (increase physical fatigue)

4. Play games like Chess, Minesweeper (increases mental fatigue)

5. Make work plans or To-Do-Lists (you are supposed to forget about work during your break)

6. Booze/ Get stoned (for obvious reasons)

7. Worry about the remaining part of the task.

Try not to do things during the break which are addictive (Facebook) or tiring (physical or mental). Remember, you take a break to recharge your mental batteries and feel fresh when you get back to the task. So try out a few of these methods and see which works best for you!

Delay Your Reaction

2011-10-05T00:45:00.000+05:30

"I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it" - Scipio Africanus

Our reactions determine whether we have a successful life or not. Life shall keep pouring down problems and opportunities; man's reactions to it determine the quality of man.

My sincere and heartfelt advice to you all would be to think before you react.

Give yourself one more second to think before you speak. Easier said than done, perhaps. One way to do that is to repeat what the other person said in your mind once before you react to it. It gives your mind precious seconds to re-analyze what has been said before speaking.

A delayed reaction increases logic and sense in your arguments. You are able to analyze the point from different angles before reacting. Hastily replying is not always the best option. This is the reason why interviewees are advised to take a second before they answer the interviewer's question. A delayed reaction makes for a measured, calculated and sensible response.

So the next time you reprimand your subordinate for an illogical argument or argue with your senior regarding any point, just take one second before you speak and watch people's respect for you increase.

Just try it out for one day. Make a conscious effort to delay your reaction when you speak. Just for one day and see the results for yourself. Hope you will try this out for your own betterment :-)

Sing Until It Rains

2011-09-28T00:13:00.001+05:30

Zomera was the King of a Somina, a small county in the heart of Asia in the 3rd century AD. Somina had not received any rainfall in a decade. No crop grew on their land and citizens were dying of starvation. All citizens came to their wise king Zomera and requested him to do something. Zomera had heard of a tribe, Usani, in central Africa which was famed for bringing rain by just singing to the Sky Gods.

So, Zomera decided to travel to Africa and learn their secret. After a long and difficult journey, King Zomera reached the Usani and asked them for their secret. The Chief of Usani said that their secret was that they "sing until it rains".

"Yes, I know you sing and it rains, but how do you do it?", asked Zomera.

The chief replied, "We keep singing until it rains. We do not give up until it rains and that is why we are famed that when we sing, it rains."

Disappointed, Zomera made his way back to Somina. On his way back, he thought about the secret of the Usani . The persistence of the Usanis' singing impressed him. He realized that if the Usani, a tribal group could persist till they reach their goal, then he too could persist till he brings rain to his land.

On reaching Somani, he proclaimed that he had learnt the Usani secret of bringing rain. He called his best engineers and decided to divert the course of the river that flowed a few hundred miles from Somania. He also encouraged every Somanian to plant trees all over the country. Though demoralised, hungry and thirsty, the Somanians still did as their King had asked. A year later, the first rain drop in a decade quenched the thirst of Somania's land!

Somania never experienced a famine after that.

The Somanians thanked their wise King Zomera and their country soon became famous for its beautiful vegetation. The citizens learnt about the fruits of perseverance.

There is a lesson for all of us in this story. "Life ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." No success in life shall come easy. Ask any great man. It took Edison 2000 failed experiments to invent the electric bulb. Abraham Lincoln had a nervous breakdown and lost eight elections before he was elected President. It took Messi thousands of hours' practice to become what he is today.

Are you ready to put in your hours?
Perseverance shall pay you back one day manyfold!

People Who Waste Your Time

2011-09-20T15:18:00.000+05:30

You are not the only culprit for your poor Time Management. Often, other people can be the reason for your inefficiency.
There are two kinds of people who not only waste their own time but also yours.

"Hey, I'm your best buddy" Type
Those who forcibly engage you into boring and needless conversation and do not even allow you to excuse yourself and go.
These are the kinds of people who would generally come up to you and talk endlessly about themselves - either their problems or boast about themselves without caring whether you are interested or not.

Typically Heard saying: "Hi! You know what happened to me yesterday!!"

"Do me a favor" guy
This is the person who shall always say "get a photocopy of these documents on your way back from the lunch break, please" or "get me a coffee, shall you" or "can you finish this job for me? I have to leave urgently now.". This guy will always catch you to do his work.
Often its a sign of submissiveness/weakness on your own part and you invariably end up doing that guy's work. No matter how much you curse him behind his back, he always gets the better of you.

Typically Heard saying: "Man! You are a life-saver."

I will come up with a post on how to deal with such people soon.
Keep watching this space!

Quotes That Inspire Me

2011-09-18T23:10:00.000+05:30

Here is a list of quotations that have been my inspiration. I wish to share these with you.

Only those who are desperate to succeed, succeed.
I always found success when I did not give up on my task midway. This is the reason why I do not start any pursuit without proper inspection: not about the objective/method of the pursuit but my own mental readiness to follow my objective till its attainment. An obstacle is put in your path only for you to prove how much you long to achieve your goal. Be desperate guys!! Its the best recipe for success.

Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves. - Lord Chesterfield
The soft strokes make your personality, not the bold swipes. I was always told by my parents to take care of the smaller basics of life and larger successes shall follow me wherever I go. If you can keep track of those 5 - 10 minutes you spend idly everyday after your lunch break, or the half an hour spent every night watching videos on Facebook and YouTube, many of your time management problems shall be solved. Whenever you are stuck in big problems, concentrate on doing the basics right; break the problem into small pieces and move ahead.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. - Wayne Gretzky
You stand no a chance until you try. The problem with many of us is that we fear rejection far more than we crave success. If you start off with a negative mindset, you shall never come out with a positive result. Give it your best shot. Even if it doesn't work out at least you wont sit and regret it on your deathbed.

Here is what Michael Jordan said about himself:
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've almost lost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to
take the winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in life. And that is why I succeed.

Hope these words inspire you too.

Different Types of Time Managers

2011-09-13T21:13:00.002+05:30

Well, there are different people in the world and they manage their time differently. Some are very efficient, some aren't. I have tried to categorize them in 6 Different Personality Types. See which one is you.

The "I have almost reached" Guy
One of the most common and irritating types of Time Manager seen today. He is the kind who is always told by his peers that the meeting starts half an hour before it actually does. People are surprised when this guy turns up on time.

Typically Seen: Running to the bus-stand with breakfast in his hand.

The Phileas Fogg.
Much like the character from Jules Verne's 'Around The World In Eighty Days', these are the kinds normally found only in fiction books or movies. The eccentrically punctual guy is hard to find today. However, we see shades of this person sometimes in a few people in our surroundings.

Typically Seen: Well, never ever seen out of place.

The Tubelight guy
This is the kind of guy who works like a tubelight. Just like a tubelight flickers for a few seconds before burning with full force, similarly this guy is a lazy, late starter. He has a tendency to procrastinate and does not work until the deadline is right on to him.

Typically Heard saying, "I will start from tomorrow."

The "Always Early" guy
This is the kind of guy who is always waiting for his friends outside the movie hall. He can always be counted on to be present at the right time. He was the guy in school with the highest attendance and lowest late-comer remarks. He would rather wait than make others wait.

Typically Heard saying, "I have reached. Where are you?"

The Whims and Fancy guy
He is the unpredictable kind of guy. He moves as per his fancy. A moody fellow, sometimes he will be bang on time while at other times, he wont even bother informing you that he will be late. A difficult guy to handle, he is unpredictable and moody in other aspects of his life too.

Typically Seen: Strolling in the park when he is supposed to be present at a meeting.

The Gadget Freak
He is the one who sets all kinds of notes, reminders and alarms on his watch, phone, laptop, I-Pad etc. He is a technology freak. Knows all about the latest gizmos on the block.

Typically Seen: Frantically browsing the Internet after hearing the news of the launch of a new high-tech phone.

So, what kind are you?

How to Spend a Long Break/Vacation from work

2011-09-12T23:31:00.000+05:30

Sometimes we have the good fortune of getting an extended break from the daily hustle-bustle of work. In today's competitive world, such a vacation is like gold dust. But it shall help you refresh yourself only if you make proper use of it.

Here are a few of my pointers on how to utilize the break apart from the usual "go to for a vacation to the sea side, countryside" that you must have already heard of.

Hook on to a TV series.
Lost, How I Met Your Mother, Heroes etc are all very popular TV series. And the thing with them is that they are very addictive. Once you get hooked on to it, it is very difficult to let go. So buy/download only as much as you have time. It would be really difficult for you if you spend your day at the office wondering what happens in the next episode of Prison Break. ;-)

Watch Movies.
I make a list of all good movies I want to see in my phone. Whenever I get a break, I watch all of them. You could do the same and watch 3-4 movies a day and feel better. The light-hearted comedies are a personal favorite.

Go back to your Play Station.
A younger me would play Fifa for 8 -10 hours a day during the summer breaks in school. I love to call over my friends whenever I have time and try to relive those days. Apart from the sheer bliss of controlling Messi's moves with my remote, playing video games always brings back memories of those days when the biggest worry of my life was my mother scolding me and telling me to leave the game and eat lunch.

Go for a hiking or adventure trip.
Call over some friends and make a plan to go hiking or exploring a new unknown, place - preferably a wilderness or a forest or a hilly terrain. The excitement of exploring a new place always makes me forget the tensions of my daily life.

Catch up on the games of your favorite team.
It must have been a while since you followed your favorite team like you did back in your college days. Pull out your old team jersey and root for your team like the earlier days.

Hope you enjoy your vacation!

Let Lose Your Emotions

2011-09-11T22:14:00.000+05:30

Work pressure, family troubles, financial problems, problems in love life etc can bog down a person. When these issues in life start taking a toll, man tends to buckle under pressure. It is very important to rise above these issues and have a clear mind to handle them.

With so many thoughts running in the head, it helps if you let your emotions loose. Do not always keep a lid on your emotions. Let go of the pent-up feelings. Here is one way you can do so.

Following is a scene from John Hamburg's movie, 'I Love You, Man' which shows one of the best ways to let go of the heaviness in your heart and feel better.

I do it numerous time myself and really feels light afterwards. Just make sure that you do not make your neighbors call in the police with all your shouting ;-)

5 Signs That You Need A Break.

2011-09-10T20:32:00.002+05:30

No man can keep working all the time. Forget 24*7, one cannot even work for 3 to 4 hours without a break.

So, when do you realize that you need to take a break?

1. When you find yourself stuck on the same page.
Often when the mind is not sufficiently rested, you find yourself reading the same page without anything being recorded by the brain, or writing a report but stuck at the same point for quite some time.

2. Facebook and Twitter start looking attractive.
After a long period of continuous work, you feel like logging on to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube (or nowadays Angry Birds) every few minutes. Almost unconsciously your hand starts typing out your FB username and password. This is the time to take a break. Its better meditate or go out for a walk than indulge in social networking sites.

3. You keep looking at the time.
To check how much time is left before you can leave. A man wanting to get out of office cannot do effective work. Either leave immediately (if your boss is a very nice man and lets you do so) or take a break, try to refresh yourself and come back for a short burst of work.

4. When you are unable to concentrate any more.
When after a long period of work, you are unable to keep going at the same pace, take a break. The mind suddenly starts thinking about a walk in the garden outside, or a coffee/washroom break.

5. When you are thinking about everything other than the work at hand.
Sometimes when you have other pressing things, or people, on your mind, it is not possible to concentrate on the task you are supposed to do. Either solve that problem first and put your mind to rest. If its not possible, tell yourself that you can do nothing about it, so its better to get on with your work. (Easier said than done though!)

Realize when your body is demanding a break and act accordingly.

The Value Of 60 Minutes

2011-08-05T18:51:00.005+05:30

Before you can embark on a journey to conserve and effectively use your time, you must realize the value of your time.
Unless you can correctly appreciate how valuable each hour of your time is, you will not understand the importance of saving it.

Now, one way to realize this value is through actual figures, by equating time with money. For this, you just have to divide your total monthly income by the number of hours you work each month.
Let us assume a person is earning $4500 a month and works 8 hours a day. 8 hours of work for 5 days a week is equal to 176 working hours a month.
Therefore, the value of his time is: 4500/176 which is equal to nearly $26.

Now you might say that $26 is not a huge amount and you can afford to not work for an hour and manage with $26 less in your account.
But an hour at work wasted daily will mean that you lose around $572 a month, which further means that you lose $6864 a year. And I am certain that you will agree with me that $6864 is no small figure!

Now often the case is such that for each hour wasted, you do not necessarily have $26 less transferred to your bank account, but you lose the potential of earning $26 more each day. If you could cut down on that hour wasted each day, you stand to potentially gain $6864 a year!

If you can improve your Time Management skills and learn to add an hour to your day, you give yourself a chance to earn way more than you do currently. Trust me folks, adding another productive hour to your day is not something achievable only through Time Travel, and this extra hour of work does not even leave you exhausted at the end of day.

So I would recommend you to first calculate the value of your Time in order to realize exactly what you lose every time you spend idle hours on Facebook or YouTube. And once when you have understood the importance of your own time, you can make an effort to use it more wisely!

All the Best!

One of my Best Time Management Tips

2011-08-01T12:38:00.002+05:30

I am sharing with you one of the Best Tips I have ever received. I can state from my personal experience that it is indeed highly useful, if you do it properly!

Multitasking: Good or Not?

2011-07-26T15:39:00.002+05:30

Does this seem like you??

In one of my previous posts, I had emphasized upon the benefits of Multi-Tasking: Create Time For Yourself Every Day

Today however, I am going to tell you how, if not used properly, multi-tasking can spell doom.

If you had read my earlier post, you would remember I had recommended doing tasks which DO NOT require a lot of concentration as your 'Multi-Tasks'.

Its quite obvious that when you do more than one task at a time, you concentration powers and abilities get bifurcated between the two tasks. You do each task with just half of your normal concentration. Thus, it is very important to choose these tasks intelligently.

Multi-task only when the task at hand is simple and not a critical one for you.

You should not be working on an important presentation while watching the news on TV. You should also not try to study a difficult chapter while watching TV or talking on the phone. There is nothing to be gained by doing something so ineffectively that you know you will have to do it again. Better to do it only once when you are at peace with your surroundings, without anything to distract you.

How do you know how much concentration does a task require?
Quite simple, really. Just try multi-tasking. If you find yourself unable to concentrate or fumbling with your work, leave it, finish one task and then move on to the other.

So go on, multi-task but remember some important things in life require all the attention you can give it.

The Right Approach To Time Management

2011-07-19T17:00:00.001+05:30

Sometimes, even more important than the Techniques and Tips I share with you on this blog, is the correct approach to Time Management. The right attitude towards Time Management is half your time managed already.

By the time we are eighteen years old, we hear "No, you cant" 18,500 times and "Yes, you can" around 2,000 times. No doubt, we have the tendency to give up at the sight of the very first obstacle!

Before you start on any Time Management program, whether its a professional course that you are paying for, or as a result of a burning desire from within, the first step is to motivate yourself.
So, how can you do that?

Remind yourself why are you doing it.
If you have decided to improve your time management skills, it is quite obvious that you are presently not quite good at it. Tell yourself of all the benefits you stand to gain by religiously following the routine - you have a lot more free time, you do your tasks better, you earn respect, you win admiration from your colleagues and peers, you get more work done in lesser time,. There might be many other reasons for you wanting to start managing your time better. Remind yourself of those goals, whenever you are finding it difficult to resist temptations that make you want to ignore your schedules.
Even better, write out your goals and stick it up on your work-desk, or make it the wallpaper of your laptop or cell phone, so that unconsciously the visual image of your goal is floating always in your mind.

Take inspiration from others.
There might be others around you who are very efficient at managing time. Be inspired by them, even if you do not particularly like them. Notice these good qualities and try to imbibe them. Look at their success and remind yourself that you too can replicate it and even go one up by being more disciplined. Such people might be folks around you or even celebrities you admire.

Appreciate your progress.
Its no use following a proper schedule for a couple of weeks and then going back to your old habits.
Monitor your progress and let it your motivation. Be your own inspiration. If you spent even one hour less on Facebook this week, take heart from it and try to make it two or even four this week. Every time you look back and see your progress, you will be able to take heart that if having done well so far, you can get even better in the near future.

There is no greater insult to God's creation than a pessimist.
Have the right mind set whenever you embark on a Time Management journey and you would have won half the battle already. :-)

Good Luck.

Is Only Success Enough?

2011-07-14T21:14:00.006+05:30

Recently, I came across a pretty interesting article by Chetan Bhagat, a best-selling Indian author and motivational speaker.

He wrote that success alone is not enough. His take is that it’s more important to have a balanced life than a successful life.

By a balanced life, he implies having mental peace and happiness. He stresses that having a successful, yet unbalanced life is of no use to anyone. There is no happiness in getting a promotion if you are going through a nasty divorce. There is no joy in living in the most expensive house in the city, if you do not have a loved one to share it with. You may dine in the best of restaurants, but you can never enjoy it if you have no one willing to accompany you. There is no fun in going for a night-out if you haven't slept for two days.

Success - Happiness = Failure

I believe the case is the same with Time Management. There is no use of being the most efficient person in the world, if you are unable to keep yourself happy. What is the use of saving yourself an hour each day through multi-tasking, if you are unable to sleep at night? The time you save should be used to let you do things that you enjoy doing.
Use Time Management, not just to be more efficient, but to make your life happier.

It is important to realize that everything we do, every action we take, should be done with the ultimate intention of attaining happiness. Sometimes, in the humdrum of life's affairs, we forget this goal and become more involved in petty issues like ranking first in class, having more cars than our neighbours or being richer than our peers.

What is a successful life, if it is not balanced? What is a successful life if it fails to give us happiness?

Nothing.

So go on, leave your office early today, just to spend a little more time with your family. It’s alright to be a little late to work once in a while, if you are dropping your child to school. Sometimes these small things are cherished and are more heart-warming than promotions or pay-raises.

You can read the original article by Bhagat here: http://www.citehr.com/214513-wonderful-thoughts-chetan-bhagat.html