The Skinny On

The Importance of Routine

 

Great success in any endeavor is for most people a long, hard slog.  My observation of success over many years is that very few people just get lucky … or find a shortcut … or are so talented or bright that success just comes easy.  Haven't seen it.

Instead what I have seen is that great success is the intersection of very hard work over an extended period of time in an endeavor about which the pursuer is passionate.  Just that simple.

One way to maximize your chances of success - and to strengthen yourself for the long uphill climb - is to build a routine into your day.  I am not talking about the usual stuff - eat well, exercise, get a lot of sleep.  In fact, I think there are no rules as to what the routine should be.  Rather, I am speaking to developing a consistent program into your days - any consistent program (that is not detrimental to your well being) - the existence of which will stabilize you, and temper the highs and lows of any quest for success.

In my case, I try to exercise every morning for 30 - 45 minutes between the hours of 7 AM - 9 AM.  The exercise can and does vary.  But, I always try to do something.  While the exercise is healthful, of course, what is really important is that I know where my head is going to be every single morning.  I use this time to remind myself that the highs and lows of the previous day are only temporary.  That I just have to keep doing the right things day after day after day in order to achieve my long-term goals.  I find comfort in my routine… it buffers me for the winds of the day ahead.

Your routine can be of course whatever works for you.  But structure some regular program into your life and you will find that you are better prepared for the marathon that is the path to great success in your field of choice.

No. 54 - The Importance of Punctuality

In business, time is money.

If you have a meeting with someone and keep them waiting, you may be wasting his/her money.

We recommend you be very punctual with others. For some people, this comes naturally. For others, adherence to a clock/watch is not easy.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Always wear a watch.

2. Set an alarm to remind you when you need to leave for an important meeting.

3. Overestimate the time it will take you to get from Point A to Point B. Remember Murphy's Law and consider traffic or other possible delays.

4. Always have something to do if you arrive early. That's pretty easy today with the number of digital devices we are connected to. Even if you arrive quite a bit early, you're not wasting time (i.e. losing money).

5. If you arrive early and you're at a person's place of business, don't announce yourself until about five minutes before the meeting.

6. Don't indicate your displeasure if the other person isn't on time - there is no point to it.

7. Keep your eye on your watch during meetings, conference calls or whatever. One late meeting can trip you up for the rest of the day. Keep on schedule.

8. When you are one of several joining a meeting or call, being late can work to your disadvantage. You may miss something important.

9. If you called the meeting, don't wait for late arrivals. Send a message that your meetings start on time.

10. If you have to leave a meeting before it ends in order to be on time for another one, this is totally acceptable. People respect those who keep to a schedule. Of course, try not to schedule meetings too close together so you have ample time for them all.

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Read more about time management, or check out the work-in-progress book ''

You can also find out more about the book The Skinny On Time Management.

No. 61 - Priorities: Urgent vs. Important

Most of us are under constant pressure to accomplish a lot in a limited period of time.

As a result, we must make critical choices: not only what tasks we will tackle, but when. In other words, we need to prioritize.

In his very popular book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey addressed prioritization with the chart you see below:

Every task falls into one of these four quadrants. Of course, items in Quadrant I – urgent and important - should be done first. But what should you do next?

Covey suggests, and we agree, that Quadrant III should come next – important but not urgent items. So skip Quadrant II – the urgent but not important items.

The chart illustrates a very critical point about prioritization: you should consider what will move your life forward (important matters) before whatever happens to be pulling at you right now (urgent matters).

The objective is to assess what you should do to move you closer to your goals. Tackle these tasks even if there are other items demanding your time and attention. If the items screaming for your time won't bring you closer to your goals, then delay until you address all the important items first.

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Read more about time management, or check out the work-in-progress book 'Street Smarts 101: Lessons Textbooks Miss.'

Click here to learn more about the book The Skinny On Time Management.

No. 66 - To-Do Lists

We can't emphasize enough how important TO-DO LISTS are.

Some people make them at the end of a day – listing what they need to get done tomorrow. Some say they do this because their list percolates in their subconscious while they sleep. Others make them first thing in the morning.

There are four reasons why TO-DO LISTS are so important:

1. Your mind can never remember all that you need to get done within a given period. Your list is a way to make sure you don't miss something important.

2. Making a list helps you prioritize. Some people construct their list with the most important items at the top, or in capitals, or in red.... Just create a system that works for you to identify what you need to do first.

3. Creating a list reduces stress. You become anxious if you feel out of control - that you can never accomplish all your necessary tasks. When you take the time to make a list, you regain a little bit of control.

Some people assign times to their lists – they indicate when they are going to do what or how long an item should take. They still have a lot to do in a limited time – but now they have a better sense of how to do it.

4. TO-DO LISTS are all about choices. Force yourself to decide what has to get done every day and rank your priorities, and you must make choices (a good thing). You remind yourself of your goals and visions. Making lists can even be fun – in a way you construct a little mini-novel about how your life will play out.

"Every effective executive works from a daily list. It is the most powerful tool ever discovered for maximum productivity.

[You] will increase your efficiency by 25 percent the very first day that you start using a list. This means that you will get two extra hours of prodctive time in an eight-hour day.... You can bring order out of chaos faster with a list than with any other time management tool." - Brian Tracy, Time Power: A Proven System for Getting More Done

Read more about time management, or check out the work-in-progress book 'Street Smarts 101: Lessons Textbooks Miss.'

Click here to learn more about the book The Skinny On Time Management.

No. 93 - Time Management Awareness

Time management is a group of strategies and techniques designed to help you make the most effective use of your time.

Like anyone else, you only have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Good time managers can get a lot accomplished in those hours.

The first step to become an effective time manager is to develop an awareness for how you presently use your time.

Time is a funny thing. Whatever you're doing, time keeps passing. When you are sleeping, on Facebook, hanging out with friends, texting...whatever. Time keeps moving.

Some time management experts recommend that you keep a time journal for a week or so. Keep a written record of what you did during the previous 24 hours. Every night before you go to sleep, write down: 'X hours sleeping, Y hours on Facebook, Z hours with friends, etc.' Then at the end of a week, you can look back and see where you may be spending too much time.

If you are like most people, you may be surprised by how much time you spend in various activities. If you're spending a large percentage of your waking day on one activity, you need to ask yourself whether it's really productive. Awareness is the first step.

In later posts, I'll have specific suggestions for making good use of the hours in your days and weeks.

'The reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen all at once...lately it doesn't seem to be working so well.' - Anonymous

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Read more about time management, or check out the work-in-progress book 'Street Smarts 101: Lessons Textbooks Miss.'

Click here to learn more about the book The Skinny On Time Management.

Cyrus Webb and The Skinny On

I'm happy to announce that Cyrus Webb has chosen The Skinny On book series as this month's featured selection on Conversations LIVE!.

Cyrus has been called the Male Oprah by some for his inspiring attitude and commitment to knowledge. He is driven to help others find "their own artistic voices to make a difference."

We had wonderful discussions (he is a great interviewer) spanning various topics, such as time management, the art of persuasion, willpower and success. (Click the links to download the podcasts.)

Thanks again, Cyrus.

10 Steps to Improve Your Memory

(image via howstuffworks.com)

1. Stretch your mind.

I do a crossword puzzle everyday. It forces me to push myself mentally, to see words and phrases in different ways.

It also works my skills of recollection. I am convinced this helps my memory. There are tons of puzzles and games you can do. If you don’t like crosswords, try word searches, sudoku or kenken.

Some people even believe video games improve memory.

"Scientists are increasingly examining the potential benefits of video games. Their studies are revealing that a wide variety of games can boost mental function, improving everything from vision to memory." - Emily Anthes, The Boston Globe

2. Spread out your food and drink intake.

When you overload yourself with food and/or drink, your sugar level spikes. Then shortly thereafter, it drops dramatically. This causes an energy loss that reduces your mental recall. Consuming calories in moderation throughout the day increases (and stabilizes) your mental aptitude.

3. Exercise.

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain. Studies have shown that exercise reduces the prospect of Alzheimer’s. Exercise also has a calming effect that reduces stress and settles the mind.

4. Increase your antioxidant consumption.

Foods containing antioxidants – such as berries, broccoli and spinach – have been shown to improve mental function. Ditto for Omega-3 fatty acids (fish!). I can't say for sure this diet tip will help improve your memory, but it will make you healthier. So no loss there!

5. Learn memory skills. It can be fun!

I'm not great with names, so I developed a little game to help me recall a person's name. Whenever I meet a person for the first time, I immediately try to picture a Post-It note with her name stuck to her forehead. For some reason, imagining the name in writing helps me. Hey, it worked for FDR, too!

6. Develop mnemonics or rhymes.

The combination on my bike lock is 42-32-10. I had trouble remembering it until I made up a goofy statement: "Hey Jim, you don't look 42. You don't even look 32. You're a 10!"

Ok, silly. I admit it. But it helps me remember!

7. Get some sleep.

There's an expression that "fatigue makes cowards of us all." We're never at our best when running on empty. That goes for mental productivity as well.

8. Concentrate.

People often forget things simply because they don't concentrate enough at the outset. When you're about to read or learn something important, something worth remembering, take note and focus. That act alone will improve your powers of recall.

9. Convert important facts into a format that assists your recall.

I am always working to improve my vocabulary, which requires a healthy memory. After all, there's really no point in learning new words without that ability to pull up words to use as and when you want them. I try to write down new words and definitions as I encounter them. Then I write it in a sentence. This always helps me remember it later.

10. Don't stress too much.

Sometimes memory problems occur when we stress about our memory problems. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. We think we don't have a good memory, so we stress ourselves into not having a good memory. You have a better memory than you think. With these tips, though, you will be able to make it a little better.

How To Defeat Procrastination

Seems about right... (by Gemma :D on Flickr)

"When all is said and done, more is said than done." - Anonymous

Procrastination is the result of a very powerful law of physics known as inertia.

Inertia states that a body at rest will remain at rest until acted on by some outside force. In other words, things - including people - tend to stay put. In order to achieve forward motion, people need to push themselves. Inertia tends to keep us all in place.

I used to be a procrastinator until one day it hit me. No one really cares how my life plays out...except me!

I realized that if I wanted to make something of my life, I had to stop making excuses.

Procrastination is a dream killer. To overcome it, you must make inertia your ally, as the law also states that an object in motion will stay in motion. To defeat it, you must take that first step.

These tips are a good start:

1. Keep a piece of paper or index card in your pocket with your goals written in bold ink.

People who are adept at warding off procrastination are able to connect the result of their action (or inaction) with the achievement of their goals. Keep reminders of your goals handy and you're less likely to delay steps that can bring you closer to your personal dreamscape.

2. Break big projects up into manageable pieces.

Most of us are overwhelmed when contemplating a huge project. We look at the height of the mountain in front of us and we think, 'What's the use?'

Divide the project up into smaller piece and enable yourself to take baby steps forward, and suddenly the mountain doesn't seem so tall and steep.

3. Train your mind (awareness) to snap into action at the onset of laziness.

We can all feel ourselves get tired or lazy. We know we should do something, but just don't feel like it....

As soon as this feeling begins to creep in and take over, jump right up and get going. Make this your anti-procrastination reflex.

4. Always carry a note-taking device.

Whether an old-fashion notepad or a high-tech smartphone, you must be able to memorialize your thoughts and ideas at all times. Creative bursts are not polite and often crop up when we're least prepared to capture them (like in the shower!)

You may not be able to start into a new project or idea right then and there, but you can at least write an outline, jot down a to-do list or scribble some notes. Put your ideas in writing and you'll be more likely to act on them when you've got a chance.

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Read more about willpower, or click here to learn more about the book The Skinny On Willpower.