table of contentssearch+of+time.pdf · the hidden potential of a morning routine ... the perk of...

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TableofContentsBuyTimeorBuyStuff?

MakeTimeorMakeMoney?

SectionI:SmartcutandTime

TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutine

TheSecretPlaceWhereAllGreatIdeasAreBorn

JottingDownIdeasMakesYouSmarter

StartLookingforProblems,NotGreatIdeas

CreativityIsNotInborn

TheDecreasingValueofCreativity

TheAnatomyofProcrastination

YourWorkstationMightBeMakingYouUnproductive

DeadlinesPushYoutoWorkHarder,butNotSmarter

StopWaiting,GoAskForYourDreamJob

Re-learnHowtoLearnintheInformationAge

ProgramYourMindtoKicktheBadHabit

RememberMorewiththeSecondBrain

TheOnlyWaytoRememberEverythingYouHaveRead

StopOffensiveCriticismFromReachingYou

Don'tFocusonImprovingYourFaults

ControlYourMind,SettheRightGoal

TheTop10%PracticeDeliberately

WhyBotherLearningNewStuff?

TakingClassesIsn'tLearning

TheRelationshipBetweenDecisionFatigueandBadDecisions

MakeRightDecisionsFastLikeaFighterPilot

DoomLoopingaMistakeIsDumb

YouDon'tNeedMuch,KeepLessStuff

SectionII:SocialAnimalandTime

TheHiddenPowerofEverySinglePersonAroundYou

TheOnly4TypesOfFriendsYouNeedInLife

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TheFriendshipFormula

TheHarshButTrueMeaningBehindEvery"IDon'tHaveTime"

WeAreSpendingTooLittleTimeonTooManyPeople

FriendshipDecluttering

MakingMoreFriendsOnlyMakesYouEvenMoreLonely

ThePingPongWaytoConnectDeeper

TheOneRuletoKeepEveryConversationGoingNaturally

WhenYouHaveNothingToSay,LetOthersTalk

TheRealReasonWhyAPersonIsBoring

ThePerkofHavingaSenseofHumor

It'sDifficulttoUndoaFirstImpression,butIt'sPossible

DealingWithEmbarrassmentinLife

EmpathyvsSympathy

MeetingtheRightPersonattheWrongTime

FindingYourAttachmentStyle

SpeakingtheDifferentLoveLanguage

ALotofRelationshipExperienceDoesn'tEquatetoaGreatMarriage

StayinginanUnhappyRelationshipIsNotLove

NegotiationDoesn'tNeedtoBeHurting

SectionIII:MentalStrengthandTime

TheOnlyTimeThatChangeDoesn'tMakeYouBetter

WillpowerHasBeenOverrated

TheTasteofEverything'sTrueValue

PursuingDreamsisLikeanIceberg

TheMissingGapBetweenPassionAndSuccess

WeSayWhatWeWon'tDobutSayItAnyway

DismissingSadnessWillEndupMakingYouSadder

WhenYouCan'tSeeYourselfMovingForward,KeepMoving

TheMagicofMarkingdownYourMoodEveryDay

TheFearofMissingOutvsTheJoyofMissingOut

TheUglyTruthAboutCommentsandReviews

OurMindsCan'tBeTrusted

TheCostofEnvy

TheSurefireWaytoFeelUnloved

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NobodyIsSpecial,andThat'sGreat

TheBeautyofPain

RealAloneTimeMakesYouSmarter

PerfectionismSecretlyScrewsYouUp

HighAchieversMaketheMostMistakes

TheConscientiousMindIsaSuccessfulMind

PeopleWhoSucceedAtSchoolDon'tAlwaysSucceedInLife

TheMysteryofWorkLifeBalance

MinimalLivingIstheSecrettoaHappyLife

SectionIV:PhysicalStrengthandTime

TheSittingEpidemic

PoorHeadPostureMakesYourBodyCollapse

IfYouExercisebutSitaLot,You'reStillUnhealthy

SleepDebtCanNeverBeSettled

You'reNotIncapable,You'reJustBurningOut

TheQuickestPathtoExhaustion

AWeeklyResetforYourBody

HackingYourSleepCycle

Ageisn'taRestrictionToExercising

FightingOurCommonEnemy—Stress

EarlyBirdsHaveBetterMentalHealthThanNightOwls

CoffeeNapsAreBetterThanCoffeeOrNapAlone

ReversingAging

DrinkWaterWhileYouWork

HighFiberIntakeIsn'tEnoughtoSolveOurToiletProblems

TheDigitalAgeisImpactingourFitnessGoals

TheMagicofFoodJournal

YourHormonesAreWhatYouEat

TheShockingPowerofPreppingYourMeals

TheProblemwithMilk

AddingVarietyToYourDiet

SleepOnYourLeftSideforBetterDigestion

The4RsthatSaveYourDigestion

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Disclaimer

Acknowledgement

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BuyTimeorBuyStuff?Thinkofthelasttimeyouboughtsomethingyoureallywanted.Howdidyoufeelafterwards?Itfeltgood.

Now,istheresomethingelseyoureallywant?Maybeanewlaptop,smartphone,orsomeniceclothes.Buyingthatthing,whateveritis,willbringyouhappiness.Whenyoufinallyhaveit,youwillbeexcitedtotryitout.

BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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Asclicheasitsays"moneycan'tbuyyouhappiness",wefeelhappywhenwebuythethings

BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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wewant.

Sorry,ThisHappinessIsFake

Humanbeingsarehardwiredtoseekinstantgratification.You'veprobablyheardthephraseinstantgratificationhundredsoftimes.Togetthatthingwewant,themomentwewantit.Thisdesireforinstantgratificationcametousasasurvivalmechanism.I'mnotgoingtotalkaboutinstantgratificationindetailshere,ifyouwanttofindoutmoreaboutit,takealookat5WaystoGetOverApprovalAddictionandInstantGratification.

Whileinstantgratificationisinhuman'snature,weliveinasocietydrivenbydelayedgratification.Delayedgratificationisthedesireforsomethingbuttheinabilitytogetitwhenyouwant.Inoursociety,youhavetowaitforyourpayday,yourmealatarestaurant,yourcoffeeatStarbucks.Whenthethingyouwantfinallyarrives,yougetexcited.

Yourexcitementforthisthing,thedelayedgratificationoftenelicitsstrongeremotionalresponsesinyouthanwhenyougetit.Thisfeelingcomesfromdopamineachemicalthatinfluencesthepleasurecentersinourbrains.((PsychologyToday:Shopping,Dopamine,andAnticipation))Whenyoubecomeexcitedforsomething,youareactuallyenjoyingareleaseofdopamineintooursystem.Thethingyouareactuallyexcitedforisalmostsecondarytoit.

BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-ways-get-over-approval-addiction-and-instant-gratification.htmlhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201510/shopping-dopamine-and-anticipation

Thinkaboutit,howdidyoufeelacouplehoursafterbuyingsomethingyouwaitedalongtimefor?Itwasprobablynotnearlyasgoodaswhenyoufirstgotit,orwhenyou'rewaitingtogetit.It'snatural,it'sapartofhumannature.

Inthiswaythehappinessyoufeelisn'ttruehappiness.Infact,biologicallyspeaking,you'rejustenjoyingablastofdopamine.Whenthisblastofdopamineisgone,youwantsomethingnewagain,whichissecretly,moredopamine.Thisiswhatthatoldsaying"moneycan'tbuyyouhappiness"reallymeans.

Thereis,however,awayinwhichmoneycanbuyyouhappiness.It'sjustnotinawayyouthink.

IfYouWantHappiness,BuyTime

RecentlyProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesoftheUSAconductedastudywheretwogroupsofpeopleweregiven$40each.((PNAS:Buyingtimepromoteshappiness))Onegroupwastoldtospenditinbuyingapossession,anobject,somethingtheywanted.Theothergroupwastoldtospenditinwaysthatwouldenablethemtohavemorefreetime,forexample,havingfooddeliveredtosavethemfromcooking,orhiringacleaner,insteadofcleaningtheirhousethemselves.Wheneachparticipantinthestudy

BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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http://www.pnas.org/content/114/32/8523.full

weretomeasuretheirhappinesstoa10pointscale,thosewhospenttheirmoneyonmorefreetimewerealmostalwaysonewholepointaheadofthosewhospenttheirmoneyonstuff.

Inasense,theywerehappierbecausetheybroughtthemselvesoutofdoingsomethingtheydidn'twanttodo.Justbuyingmorestuff,inthelongrundidn'thavemuchofanaffectontheirhappiness,whenthosewhospentmoneyontimefoundanincreaseinlifesatisfaction.

Itwasthefreetimethatmadepeoplehappy.

Itwasthequalitytimethatcontributedmoretotheirhappiness,themoneywasjustatooltheyusedtogetmoretime.Butthemoneyultimatelyisunnecessary.Allthatisrequiredisare-adjustmentofhowyoumeasuretime.

Everyonehas24hoursaday.Thelifeexpectancyforfemalesis81.2years;formales,it's76.4years.Mostpeoplehavemoreorlessthesametimeofliving.Tomakeeveryhour,orminutecountisthewaytocreateyourownhappytime.Ifyouarealwaysfeelingbusyanddon'tthinkyouhaveenoughqualitytimeforyourself,youneedtomakeachangetoturnthingsaround.

BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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BuyTimeorBuyStuff?

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MakeTimeorMakeMoney?Timeisfinite.Eachofusonthisplanetarehereonlytemporarily.It'simportanttousetimewisely,yetitiseasytogetcaughtupspendingyourtimedoingthingsthatdon'treallymatter.Mostpeopleactinwaysthatareonlysustainableifwehadaninfiniteamountoftime.Butwedon't.

Imagineyouwereabletosave$10perday,andletitbuild.Afterayearyouwillhaveaccumulated$3,650.Equally,ifyouwereabletosave10minutesofadaytobereusedlater,bytheendoftheyear,youwouldhavesaved60hours.

Whatwouldyouchoose?

Mostwouldgowiththemoney.It'sunderstandable.Humansliketangiblerewards.

However,moneybyitsnatureissalvageable.Ifyoulosemoney,youmayhavetheopportunitytomakeitbackagain.Buttimeisdifferent.Onceanhourpasses,youlosethathourforever.Whatmanypeopleoftenforgetisthatthoseaccumulated60hourscanbecomesomethingfarmorevaluablethan$3,650.Totrulyvalueourtime,wemustconvertitintosomethingtangibleinourminds.

MoneyIsTangiblebutTimeIsNot?Ourlivesareaseriesofexperiences.Everythingwepursueis,attheendoftheday,aimedatcreatingpositivemeaningoutoftheseexperiences.Everyonewantstohavemoreenjoyableexperiencesthanunenjoyableones,andwantthesameforthosetheycareabout.

Butwhatisthecurrencythatyoumusttradetohavetheseexperiences?

Thatcurrencyistime.Everythingisjustameanstothisend.Withouttimetospend,everythingelseismeaningless.Youcanbeabillionaire,butifyouhadonly1hourtoexperienceitsvalue,thosebillionsaresuddenlynotworthsomuch.

Wearegenerallymuchmoreconsciousofhowwegainandlosemoney.Forexample,ifyoudropped$100onthefloor,I'mprettysureyouwouldimmediatelyturnaroundandpickitup.Ontheotherhand,ifyouwasted100minutesdoingnothing,itmightbarelyregister.


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Althoughweknowthattimeislimited,weoftenthinkandactasifitisnot.It'sobviousthattreatingyourfinancesinthisway,likehavinga$100budgetbutspendingasifitwas$10,000,wouldsoongetyoubankrupt.Treatingtimelikethisisfarmoredamaging.

"Lifeiswhathappenstoyouwhileyouarebusymakingotherplans"-JohnLennon

Thereasonthatmoneyseemssotangibleisbecausedollarfiguresareattachedtoeverythingaroundus.Ithelpsustoassignrelativevaluebetweenthings.Butitcanbethesamefortime.

TheProperWaytoMeasureTimeAdaywillalwaysbe24hours.Therewillalwaysbe60minutesinanhour,andtherewillalwaysbe60secondstoaminute.Somelivesarelonger,someareshorter,butlet'sassumeyou'reluckyandgetaround70-80years.Howmanyoftheseyearsaretheprimeofyouryouth,oringoodhealth?Howmanyoftheseyearsarejustshortwindowsintimethatyouhavewithyourlovedones?

Insteadofjustconsideringtimeasaquantityspentinminutesorhours,howwespenditismoreimportant.Yourqualityoflifeisbasicallydefinedbythequalityofyourtime.Andyoushouldalsolookatitfrommorethanonedimension.


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Forexample,askyourselfthesequestions.

Howmanyhoursinadaydoyouspendbeingangry,anxious,dissatisfied,orunhappy?Howmuchtimedoyouspendactuallyconnectingwithalovedoneasopposedtojustbeinginthesameroomasthem?Howmuchtimedoyouplanforimprovingyourselfeachday,oreachweek?Howmanyhoursofyourlifedoyouspenddoingthingsyoudon'tenjoyforreasonsthatyoudon'treallyunderstand?Wesleeponaverage6-8hoursanight,buthowmanyhoursarequalityrest?Howmany,then..arejustwastedlyinginbed?

Ifthesearetypicalquestionsthatyouregularlytakeactionstoaddress,thenyou'rewellonyourwaytobeinginchargeofthequalityofyourlife.Ifyoudon't,thenit'sagreattimetogetstarted.

I'mnotsuggestingtoquityourjob,andspendeverydayhoweveryoulike.Thatisunreasonableandunrealistic.However,therearecountlesschoicesthatyoumakeeverydayabouthowyouthinkaboutthingsandwhatyoudecidetofocuson.You'reconstantlymakingthesechoiceswhetheryou'reawareofthemornot.Ifyoutakechargebybeingconsciously


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awareofthesechoices,youcangaincountlesshours,days,andevenyearsofmeaningfultimespent.Everyonehasthesame24hoursaday,butyoucantakecontrolovermoreofthistimethanyouthink.

Thefirststepistomakequalitytimeatruevalueinyourlife,andnotjustacliche.

Yourqualityoflifeisbasicallydefinedbythequalityofyourtime.

Whatifyoucouldtakesmallactionsduringthedaythatvastlyimprovedthequalityofyoursleep?Orboostyourproductivityandenergythroughthedaybyinvestingina20minutenap.Howaboutspendingtimeconnectingmoredeeplywithfriendsandlovedonesintheshorttimeyouhavewiththem?Theseareonlythetipoftheiceberginanencyclopaediaofwaystoincreasethequalityofyourtime,whichisoneofourcorevaluesatLifehack.

Someofthegreatestregretswehaveinlifearethosevaluablemomentslostbecauseofhowwechosetospendourtime.Imaginethemillionswewouldpaytobeabletogobackintimetorespendthosemoments,ortomakedifferentchoices.Somakethechoicetotrulyvalueyourtime.Whileyou'restillaliveandbreathing,it'snevertoolate!


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http://www.lifehack.org/609479/poor-sleep-quality-comes-from-all-the-things-you-do-since-morning?ref=header-menu-dropdown-essential-read-cornerstone-healthhttps://www.lifehack.org/632127/a-20-minute-nap-at-work-makes-you-awake-and-productive-for-the-entire-dayhttps://www.lifehack.org/633027/why-your-lover-doesnt-want-your-advice-but-your-validation

SectionI:Smartcut&TimeForindividuals,productivityisabouthowwellyouutilizetimeandresourcestoperformthebest.Forteamsandorganization,it'saboutcreatingandimprovingresourcessuchasrawmaterials,laborforce,skills,capitalandmanagerialcapabilitiestoachievegreatergoals.Thissectionwillprovideyouwithallthenecessarytrickstogetmorethingsdonefasterandbetter.

SectionI:SmartcutandTime

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TheHiddenPotentialofaMorningRoutineHavingasolidmorningroutineisoneofthebestwaystoincreaseyourproductivityandimproveyouroverallwell-being.

Mymorningroutinewasinneedofaseriousoverhaul.IwentthroughaphasewhereIrolledoverandcheckedmyphonebeforeIgotoutofbed.IjusthadtoknowwhatIhadmissedwhileIslept.Youmaybeabletorelate.Manyofusstartourdaysbycheckingouremailsandsocialmedia,butthismightnotbethebestthingforus.((Fortune:WhyYouShouldNeverStartYourDayReadingEmails))

Startingourmorningoffincorrectlycandrainourproductivity.Thetypicalworkdaylastsforeighthours,butweallknowthatourenergyfluctuatesduringtheday.((ThePath:Howyourenergylevelsfluctuatethroughouttheday))Youmaystartyourdayfeelingperky,butasthedaywearson,youmightfindyourselfinneedofanap.Youhavetomakethemostofperiodsofhighenergy.

LearntoworkwhenyourmindisatitssharpestBenjaminHardy's"ThisMorningRoutinewillSaveYou20+HoursPerWeek"offershelpfulinsightsaboutthebestwaystomakethemostofourtime.Thebasicpremiseisthatyouareatyoursharpestandmostenergeticfirstthinginthemorning.Manypeopledonotmakefulluseofthisproductivitywindow.

Howmuchworkyoudidactuallymeansnothing.Whatyoudidiskey

Itcanbetemptingtostartyourdaybytickinganumberofitemsofminorimportanceoryourchecklist.Theproblemisthatbythetimeyoudigyourselfoutfromunderamountainofsmalltasks,you'llprobablybetired.Thismakesitsomuchhardertodothebiggerandmoreimportantthingsonyourlist.

Forexample,checking100emailsmightfeellikeyouarebeingproductive,butthey'rejustkeepingyoubusy.Trydoingonehigh-valueactionitemfirstthinginthemorning,andsavethoseemailsforlater.


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http://fortune.com/2017/04/11/leadership-career-advice-morning-routine-reading-email/http://www.thepathmag.com/how-your-energy-levels-fluctuate-throughout-the-day-infographic/https://medium.com/the-mission/this-morning-routine-will-save-you-20-hours-per-week-a05c68b8e73c

Planyourfirstthreehourscarefullybecauseyouareatyourproductivitypeak

Providedthatwe'vehadenoughsleep,ourmindsareattheirfreshestwithinthefirstthreehoursofwaking.Whenyoutakefulladvantageofthisproductivitywindow,you'llbeabletodobetterqualityworkinlesstime.

Ifyousaveyourmostimportantworkfortheafternoon,youputyourselfatadisadvantage.Bythen,youarealreadytired,anditwilltakemoreeffortforyoutogetthesameresultsthatyoucouldeasilygetinthemorning.

Ithelpstostartoutbyplottingoutthetasksthatyouhavetodoandprioritizingyourschedule.DavidAllen'sGettingThingsDonemethodisoneofthebestproductivitymodelsforhelpingyouprioritizeandorganize.((SamuelThomasDavies:GettingThingsDonebyDavidAllen))

Allen'smethodissimple.Writedowntheitemsthatneedyourattention,decidewhichpiecesyouneedtoworkonyourself,whichonescanbedelegated,andwhichonesarenotactionable.Afteryou'vedeterminedwhatyouneedtodo,breakbigprojectsintosmallersteps,setdeadlinestoprioritizeactionitems,andexecute.

AtLifehack,weloveusingtheGettingThingsDonemethod.Youcanreadmoreabouthowwe'veimplementeditfromBrianLee((Lifehack.org:ThinkLessandGetMoreDoneByUsingThe"GettingThingsDone"Model))andCMSmith.((Lifehack.org:WhyGettingThingsDoneistheBestProductivitySystem))

Neverunderestimatethepowerofyourrestandrecovery,theydeterminelargepartofyourproductivitytomorrow

Somanyofushavebeenbroughtuptobelievethattirelessworkandconstantavailabilityarethehallmarksofagreatemployee.Infact,failingtounplugfromworkcanbedetrimentaltoyourhealth,happiness,andwork.

Hardystates:

"Whenyou’reatwork,befullyabsorbed.Whenit’stimetocallitaday,completelydetachyourselffromworkandbecomeabsorbedintheotherareasofyourlife."

Whenyouareworking,engagecompletelyinwhateveryouaredoing.Whenit'stimetocomehome,refrainfromcheckingyouremailortakinglatecalls.Youneedthetimetounwindsothatyoudon'tburnout.


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http://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/business/getting-things-done/http://www.lifehack.org/636681/think-less-and-get-more-done-by-using-the-getting-things-done-modelhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-getting-things-done-is-the-best-productivity-system.html

Whenyoucomebacktoworkafterkeepingyourfreetimesacred,you'llbebetterequippedtotacklechallenges.Youwon'tdreadyourjob,you'llbelesslikelytoprocrastinate,andyou'llbemoreeffective.

It'stimetoadoptanewmorningroutineIfyou'resquanderingyourmostproductivetimesbyplayingwithyourphonelikeIwas,it'stimeforamorningroutineoverhaul.BeforeIread"ThisMorningRoutinewillSaveYou20+HoursPerWeek"Ididn'trealizehowmuchtimeIwaswasting.

InsteadofspendingmyfirstthreehoursscrollingthroughmyFacebookandclearingmyinbox,Istartmydaywithmindfulness.Ihaveahealthybreakfast,takemydogfora20-minutewalk,whereIthinkaboutandprioritizemyschedule,andthenIgettoworkrightaway.

I'venoticedthatIcanworkforasolidthreetofivehoursbyputtingasidemenialtaskuntillaterintheday.WhenIdostoptotakeabreak,Idisconnectcompletelyforafewminutes.Evenifmydaystoppedhere,IcanalreadysaythatIaccomplishedagreatdeal.

IworryaboutmyemailsandsocialmediaafterI'veworkedsolidlyonahigh-priorityprojectforatleastthreehours.Sincethosetasksdon'trequiretoomuchcreativityordeep-thinking,Icandothemwhenmyenergyislowerwithoutmakinganysacrifices.

ChangingmyroutinehasmadeiteasiertogetmoredoneRethinkingmymorningroutinehasenabledmetogetmoreoutofshortperiodsofintensefocusthanIusedtogetoutofworkingafulleighthours.SinceIendmyworkdaysfeelinglikeIhaveaccomplishedalot,Idon'tfeelanyguiltovertakingthetimetorecoverwhenIgohome.IcommittorestandrelaxationwiththesamezealthatIpursuemyprioritiesatwork.

Hardy'smethodhasrestoredbalancetomyschedule.IfeelagreatersenseofsatisfactionfromtheworkthatIdo,andI'mpresentineverysituationinawaythatIsimplywasn'tbefore.


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https://medium.com/the-mission/this-morning-routine-will-save-you-20-hours-per-week-a05c68b8e73c

TheSecretPlaceWhereAllGreatIdeasAreBornWheredogreatideascomefrom?Theclichedviewisthattheycomefullyformedinaflashofinspiration.You'veprobablyseenthisinfilmsoronTV,acharactermightbeworkingovernighttryingtocomeupwithabigidea,andsuddenlytheirideahitsthem.

However,therealityisactuallyfarmorecomplicated.Thetrulygreatideas,aretheproductofprocesses.Theyaretheproductofwhatapersonseesandgetsintouchwitheverydaythatcombinetoinfluenceathought.Arandomthoughtturnsintoanidea,thentheideaisworkedon.

Considertwitter,twitterwasoriginallynotconceivedasasasocialnetwork,butinsteadasanalternativetoSMSmessaging.Theoriginal140wasn'tacreativegimmick,butwasinsteadreflectedthetechnologicallimitationsofthemobilephoneformat(atthetime).((Lifewire:TheRealHistoryofTwitter,InBrief))

Ubercamefromaconversationbetweenfriendswheretheywerecomplainingabouthowharditwastofindadecenttaxi.((GulfElite:StartupFromTheBottom:HereIsHowUberStartedOut))

TheideaforAirbnbcamewhenthefounderswerestrugglingtopayrent,andneededawaytoearnsomeextramoney.Mostofthehotelroomsinthecitywerebookedupthankstoalocalconference,sotheythoughtthattheycouldexploitthisbyprovidingextraspaceintheirapartmentforovernightguests.((GetPaidforYourPad:TheAirbnbFounderStory:FromSellingCerealsToA$25BCompany))

Alloftheseideascametorevolutionizetheirrespectivefields,andnoneofthemcamefullyformedattheverybeginning.Ourviewofhowgreatideasarebornisthusinaccurateandisevenpotentiallyharmful.

WemurdergoodideasthatareincubatingUsuallywhenwehearabouttheseideas,itiswhentheyareattheirmostsuccessful.Wedon'tseetheweeks,months,andyearswheretheinitialideawasdeveloped,orthesuccessesandearlyfailuresofthebusiness.Asaresultwenaturallyassumetheideaswerefantasticandfullyformedfromthestart.


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https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854http://gulfelitemag.com/startup-bottom-uber-started/https://getpaidforyourpad.com/blog/the-airbnb-founder-story/

Weassumethatiswheregoodideascomefrom.Astudyhasshownthatthehumanbrainfavorsanyactionoroptionwhichusestheleastamountofenergy.((TheGlobeandMail:Humansarehard-wiredforlaziness,studyfinds))Sowhereitmightbemoreusefultocomeupwithtendifferentideasforustoworkon,westruggletocomeupwithonetosaveupenergy.Sowetryveryhardtocomeupwithafantasticidea.

Butevenifwedocomeupwithanidea,wehavenoideawhetheritisgoodornotbecauseitdoesn'thaveconcretedetailsonhowit'sgoingtowork.Withoutthedetailsandaplantotakeactionontheidea,wejudgeitsfailureearlybeforeitcanincubateintosomethinggreat.Unlessanideaisexecuted,ourbrainsareunabletodeterminewhetheranideaisgoingtobegreatornot.

Thinkaboutthecompaniesmentionedatthebeginningofthisarticle.Theideaforeachoneofthemcamefromthecreatorstryingfulfillaneed,theyfoundthemselvesfacedwithaparticularproblem(likefailingtofindagoodtaxiasinthecasewithUber),andasaresulttheycameupwitharandomideadirectlyrelatedtoit,thatrandomideabecamethesolutiontoit.

Butifwethinkwewillcomeupwiththenextbigideawithoutplacingourselvesintherightcontext,anddon'tallowforideastocometousnaturally,thenitisguaranteedthattheywon'tcometousatall.Insteadwegetstuck.


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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/humans-are-hard-wired-to-expend-as-little-energy-as-possible-study-finds-health/article26334952/http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20061706/brain-connection.jpg

Thetruthis,goodideasarerandomOnedayyoumightcomeupwithtenideas,ofthoseten,onemightbeanokayidea.Wemightofteninstinctivelyrejectanideathatwejudgetomerelybe"okay".However,anokayideacanbecomeafantasticideawithwork,andideasthataretrulygreatfromthestartaresorarethattheymightaswellnotexist.

It'slikewithnovelwriting.Atrulybrilliantbooktendstobetheproductofmonthsifnotyearsofhardwork,ofendlessre-writes.Butaswereadthenovelatthetimeitisfinished,weassumeitwasgreatfromthestart.

ThereisafamousstoryaboutJackKerouac,anAmericannovelist,whowrotehisfamousnovelOntheRoadoverathreeweekperiod,almostwithoutstoppingforabreak.Forthistohavebeenpossible,surelytheideamusthavebeenbrilliantfromthestartright?Well,thisfamousstoryisn'ttrue.

Sure,heoncetypedupadraftofitinthreeweeks.Butfromhimcomingupwiththeidea,tofinishingthebooktookoversevenyears.Theideasforthestorycametohimnaturallywhilehewastravelling,orattimeshewroteaboutthingsthatactuallyhappenedtohim.There


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http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20061926/empty-brain.jpg

wasneverapointwherehesuddenlyhadthisbrilliantideathathewasabletoquicklyturnintoamasterpieceofliterature.

AllthatisneededistherightstimulationGreatideasthencomefromwhatwesee,whatwehear,thepeoplewespeakto,andmostimportantly,agreatideacancomeasthesolutiontoaproblem,(likewhatwesawwithTwitter,Uber,andAirbnb).Thiscanbetricky,itcanoftenbeeasytobedisheartenedwhenfacedwithaproblem.

Butthat'swhatinnovationis,trueinnovationcomesfromeitherresolvingaproblemorfindingagapinthemarketwhichcanbefilledbyagreatidea.Sonexttimeyouarefacedwithaproblem,seethisasanopportunity.Evenifasolutionexists,youmightbeabletothinkofabetterone.

Yournextgreatideamightnotseemgreatatfirst.Itmightjustseemlikeanokayidea,amediocreone,orevenabadone,allideasneedwork.Sodon'tjudgeanyatfirst,letideascomenaturallyandwritethemdown.Itdoesn'tmatterhowbadtheyseem,justwritethemdown.


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http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/20062430/daily-stimulation.jpg

Don'tworryaboutorganizingthemeither,infactit'sgoodnotto.Youmightmissagoodideawhileyou'reworkingontheorganization.Organizingatthisstagewilljustmeanthatyou'regivingyourselfanextrajobtodowhichmayslowyoudownorevenmakeyoulosemotivation.

Remember,greatideasdon'tcomefullyformed,sodon'ttrytoforcethem.


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JottingDownIdeasMakesYouSmarterAnadulthasanaverageof50,000thoughtseveryday.Nowtrytorecall100ofthosethoughtsfromearliertoday.Prettyhard,right?

It’snormaltoforgetmostofthemasourbrainshavetofilteroutunnecessaryinformationsothatwedon’tgoinsane.((io9:Ourbrainsdeliberatelymakeusforgetthings,topreventinsanity))Theproblemisthatweforgetalotofgreatideasalongtheway.

GreatideasoftencomewhenapersonisunpreparedMostofthetimegreatideascomewhenyourbrainisin"diffusedmode":Thoughtscometoyouinthisstatewhenyou’renotintentlyfocused,likewhenyou'redaydreamingorzoningoutintheshower.Creativeideascometousduringthisstateofmindbecausethisiswhenourmindsarethemostrelaxed.Thisiswhenourbrainsconnectdifferentneuralpathwaystocomeupwithbrandnewideas(thesameashowcreativityallowsustoconnectthedots,ourbrainsdothisnaturallyinthisstate).Theproblemisthatbecauseourbrainsaresorelaxed,there'snointentiontomarkdownideasthatcomealong.

Nevertrustyourbrain:it'sbadatmemoryVeryoftentheideasthatcometousduringdiffusemodecanbeabitabstract.Outoftheboxthinking,ifyouwill.Thisisyourbestcontent.Thehighlevel,creative,newideasthataregoingtotaketheworldbystorm.

Rememberthegenius,ground-breakingideayoucameupwithintheshower?Theonethatwasgoingtorevolutionizetheworldasweknowit?Ofcourseyoucan’tremember.Yourmonumentalideaslippedthroughthecracksofyourmemory,nevertobeheardfromagainbecauseyoudidn’ttakethetimetowriteitdown.

Intoday’sraceagainsttime,wejustcan’tspareanextramomenttojotdowntheideasthatconstantlypassthroughourheads.Somepeoplemaythinkthatit’sevenawasteoftime.Wethinkthatifthethoughtisthatimportant,wewillrememberitlaterandputitintoaction.Butwedon’t.Andwe’rejustleftwiththatemptyvagueness-“IknowIwasontosomething,whatwasitagain?”


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https://io9.gizmodo.com/our-brains-deliberately-make-us-forget-things-to-preve-1543846375

Don'tbelazy,jotdownthegreatideanomatterhowconfidentyouarethatyou'llrememberitKeeprecordingtoolswithinreach,butnotdirectlyinsight.Ifyousetoutanotebookandpendirectlyinfrontofyou,youarenolongerindiffusemodeandthoughtsarenotfreeflowing.Butyouwantthenotebooktobecloseenough,sothatwhenthethoughtsdocometoyou,ittakesverylittlementalandphysicalefforttoquicklyjotthemdown.

SmartphoneappssuchasEvernoteareagreatoptionforthis.Someothersarerecordingapps,awaterproofnotebookfortheshower,yourlaptop,orsimplyanotebookandpen(thisismypersonalfavorite,moreauthentic.)

ResisttheurgetoorganizeIt’ssoeasytofallintothetrapofimmediatelyorganizingyourthoughtsastheycometoyou.Don’tdoit.Organizingisaseparatetaskforlater,whenyouswitchintofocusmode(theoppositeofdiffusemode).

Sticktotheprocessoffreethinkingandwritingdownideasandleavingthemaloneuntillater.Ifyoutrytoorganizethemastheycome,you'lllosemanyideasbecauseyouaretoofocusedonasingleidea.You'llalsolosemotivationbecauseyou’reloadingyourselfupwithworkandcomplicatingtheprocess.

ReviewyourideasfromtimetotimeNowthatyouhavetheideaswrittendown,youneedtoreinforcetheideastoturnthemintosomethingbigger.Youshouldreviewyourideasaround3timesaweek.

Whilereviewingyoucanfilteroutsomeofthelessusefulideas,organizethem,andstartdevelopingthepotentiallysuccessfulones.

Remember,mostpeoplehaveplentyofgreatideas,justveryfewofthembothertojotthemdown.Andthosewhodoaretheoneswhosucceed.


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https://evernote.com/

StartLookingforProblems,NotGreatIdeasWhenaskedhowhewouldspendhistimeifhewasgivenanhourtosolveathornyproblem,Einsteinsaidhe’dspend55minutesdefiningtheproblemandalternativesand5minutessolvingit.

You'veprobablyusedahandyinventioncalled"coffeesleeves"ifyou'veevervisitedacoffeeshop.Theseinsulatorsmakeitbearabletoholdthatsuper-hotcupofcoffee.JaySorensenistheinventorofthecoffeesleeve.Hecameupwiththisideawhenhewasdrivinghisdaughtertoschoolwhenhespilledacupofcoffeeinhislap,becausethecoffeewastoohottohold.

It'scommonwisdomthatinnovativeideasmustbeoriginal,new,andaflashofcreativityoutoftheblue.Butthisbeliefisarealobstacletocreativity.

JaySorensendidn'tcreatethecoffeesleevebecausehewassettingouttoinnovative.Heneededtosolveaproblem.

Innovationisnotaboutcreatingsomethingfromnothing.

Thereareproblemseverywhere,aslongasyoupayattentiontothem.Lotsofgreatinventionscomefromthedailyproblemspeopleencounter.

Whenit'srainingandyoudon'twanttowearclunky,unfashionablerainboots-butyoudon'twanttogetyourfeetwet?TheregotheDrySteppers.Youwanttobringawaterbottletowork,buttheshapeofnormalwaterbottlesdon'tworkwithyourbriefcase?SomeonecameupwiththeideaofLetterpapershapedbottles.

Truebreakthroughshappenwhenyounoticeproblemsandcreatesolutions.Problemsstimulateyoutoreallythinkaboutwhatcanbeimproved.Observingproblemsisagoodstart.

DifferentLevelsofProblemsTherearedifferenttypesofproblems.Someareeasiertostimulateinnovativeideas,somearemoredifficult.Findingoutthetypeofproblemyouhaveidentifiedhelpsyoutoknowyoureffortneededtocreatenewideas.

Type1:ProblemswithGoodSolutionsAvailable


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http://www.lifehack.org/614918/why-creativity-is-hard-an-underdeveloped-right-brain

DifficultyLevel:★★★

Someproblemsalreadyhavegoodsolutionsavailable.Forexample,inhotandhumidclimates,peoplehaveadjustedtotheuseoffansandairconditioning.Itwouldtakeahugebreakthroughinordertothinkofasolutionsuperiortowhat'salreadyavailable.

So,abrand-newinventiontoaddresshotclimateswouldbeaverydifficultinnovationtoaccomplish.Thereisnoclearneedforanewsolution.

Type2:LongExistingProblemswithNoSolutionsYetFound

DifficultyLevel:★★

Amoreintermediatescenarioiswhenaproblemhasexistedforalongtime,andnosolutionshaveyetemerged.

Theseintermediateproblemsareoftenveryhardtofixbecauseoftheirscaleorcomplexity.Forexample,povertyisahugeproblem,andeveryoneknowsthat.Butnobodyhas"fixed"itprobablybecauseit'shardtofix,andtherearelimitationsontheresourcestofixit.

Whenanythingispossible,it'sdifficulttoknowwhenandhowtokickitoff.Butthissituationcanalsobepositive.Withintermediateproblems,youhavenorestrictions,andsoyou'refreetotryoutcreativeideas.Takethisasasourceofinspiration.Youmightnothavetheresourcestoapplyyoursolutionrightnow,butthatshouldn'tholdyouback.Thinkofasolutionandtryitoutwhenthetimingisright.

Type3:ProblemsThatHaveFlawedSolutionsAvailable

DifficultyLevel:★

Finally,thereareeasyinnovations.Theseincludeproblemsthatdohaveavailablesolutions,butthosesolutionsareflawed.Youcantakewhat'salreadythereandimproveonit.Forexample,thesmartphoneisinmanywaysanimprovementoftheoriginalcellphone;ithasaddedalotofnewfunctionalitytoanoldtechnology.

Whileyoumightfeelinspiredtotacklea3-starproblem,youmighttrytokickstartyourinnovationwithan2-staror1-starproblemfirst.

StartwithaProblemWithinYourReach


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Therearetonsofproblemsoutthere,ineveryconceivableareaoflife.Lookforonethatiswithinyourownfieldofexpertise-whereyoucanexcelbyusingyourknowledgeandskills.Bynarrowingthescopeoftheproblem,youalsowon'tgetdistractedbyproblemsthatyoucan'tcontrol.

Inyourownfieldofwork,youseerecurringproblemsallthetime.Findonethatbothersyouanddigdeepintotherootcauses.Askyourself,whydoesthishappenallthetime?Aretherelayersofcauses?Understandingtheproblemdeeplyhelpsyouthinkofmoreandbetterapproachestoit.

Onceyouhaveidentifiedthecauses,turntosolutions.

First,arethereanyexistingworkarounds?Iftherearesome,whyaren'ttheyeffective?Perhapstheydon'treallyaddresstherootcauses,oronlyaddresssomeofthem.Considerhowyoumightimprovetheavailablesolution.Ifit'spossibletoimproveanexistingsolution,itcouldbeeasiertoimplementthansomethingbrand-new.

Iftherearenoavailablesolutions,thenstartbrainstormingnewsolutions.Inthisscenario,itcouldbeprettytoughtofixtheproblemoutright.Soinsteadofaimingtofixtherootcauseimmediately,trytotargetindividuallayersofcausesoneatatime.Thispiecemealkindofapproachcanhelpyouworkyourwayuptoacompletesolution.

StopThinkingofNewIdeas,FindProblemsDon'tlookforagreatidea.Lookforagoodproblem.Observethetroublesthatyoucomeacrossinyoureverydaylife.

It'sbyaddressingtheseproblemsthatyoucanmakethemostpositiveimpactontheworld.


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CreativityIsNotInbornWhatifItoldyoucreativepeoplearefoundtobemoreattractivebyothers?AccordingtoastudydonebyChristopherWatkins,

"Creativitycanenhanceyourattractivenessbothasapotentialdateandasapotentialsocialpartner"((LIVESCIENCE:WhySomeCreativePeopleareMoreAttractive)).

Thismaysoundgreat,butthereismoretothestudythanjustthis.Otherfactorsthatcomeintoplayincludegenderandphysicalappearance.Surprisingly,theeffectsofcreativityarestrongerforaveragelookingpeoplethanpeoplewhoaregeneticallygifted.Creativityisalsothoughttobemorebeneficialformen((LIVESCIENCE:WhySomeCreativePeopleareMoreAttractive)).

Atthispointyoumaybethinking,"HOWDOIMAKEMYSELFMORECREATIVE!"

Beforewegetaheadofourselves,letusfirstdefinewhatcreativityactuallyis.

CreativityIsIntelligenceHavingFun.Whatiscreativity?RolloMay,theauthorofTheCouragetoCreatesaid,

Creativityis"theprocessofbringingsomethingnewintobeing.Creativityrequirespassionandcommitment.Itbringstoourawarenesswhatwaspreviouslyhiddenandpointstonewlife,"

Asamatteroffact,creativitydoesnotonlymakeonemoreattractive;creativityalsoaccompanieswithmanybenefits.Belowyoushallseesomeofthem:

Becomeabetterproblemsolver:creativityallowsonetoovercomechallengewithinnovativemethods.SaveMoney:creativityyieldsinnerfulfilment,whichreducestheurgetoconsume.EmbraceFreedom:creativityhelpsonefullyengagewithhimorherself,surpassingalldetrimentalself-judgement.RelieveStress:creativityinvitesustofullyutiliseourmind,ourhand,andourenergy,whichawardsuscontentedhappiness((Lillstreet:7WAYSWEBENEFITFROMCREATIVITY)).

ThereIsaBigCommonMisconceptionaboutCreativity.


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http://www.livescience.com/58759-creativity-attractiveness.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/58759-creativity-attractiveness.htmlhttp://lillstreet.com/7benefitsofcreativity

Manypeoplehaveamisconceptionaboutcreativity—itissomethinginborn.Ifwearen'tborncreative,thereisnohope.Thisisnottrue.DemianFarnworth,aSeniorContentWriteratLutheranChurchExtensionFund,saysthisisnotonlyamyth,butalsoanexcuse.

Thetruthisanyonecanlearntobecreative,includingyou!

Nowthatweknowwhatcreativityis,it'stimetolearnhowtobecomecreative.

WhatSeparatesCreativePeoplefromtheMajorityisthatTheyThinkOutsidetheNorms.Achangeinmindsetisthefirststeptobecomingcreative.Thinkoutsideofthebox!Ifyourunintoaproblemandcan'tsolvetheproblem,thentheproblemusuallyisn'ttheproblem,theproblemisthewayyouarelookingattheproblem."Divergentthinkingisessentialforacreativemind,"saysEddieOpera,aneuroscientistwhohasspentyearsstudyingthebrainandcreativity((TheAtlantic:SecretsofaCreativeBrain)).

Therearebothprosandconstothinkingoutsidethebox.Theprosarethatyouwillbecomeabetterproblemsolver.Switchingthewayyouthinkisessential.Itcanmakeanalmostimpossibleproblembecomeseeminglysimple.Thinkingoutsidetheboxisalsogoodforinnovationandcommunication.

Theconsarefewandfarbetween.Themajorcontothinkingoutsidetheboxisthatitcanbeextremelyfrustrating.Ifyou'renotfeelingcreativeatthemoment,thenstop.Don'treturndoingwhateveritisyou'redoinguntilyou'reinthepropermindset.

Moreover,CreativePeopleDoNotLetOthers'OpinionsBotherThem.Self-consciousnessisanassassinofcreativity.Howcanyoubecreativeifyou'reconstantlyworryingaboutwhatotherpeoplethink?

Putotherpeople'sopinionstothesideandjustbeyou.Letyourmindgotowork.Creativityisoftensparkedwhenwearealone.Findyourselfaquiet,judgment-freezoneinordertoboostcreativity.

CreativePeopleUnderstandtheImportanceofHarboringaClearGoal.


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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/07/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

Creativityisinnovation.Innovationisprogress.Andprogressleadstosomewheredifferentthanthestartingpoint.

Tobecomemorecreative,startwithanendvision.Thiswillallowyoutodevelopapath;however,thisisnotasetpath.Thinkofallthedifferentwaysyoucanreachtheendpoint.Thiswillgetyourcreativejuicesflowingandallowyoutothinkinmoreinnovativeways.Ifyougetstuckdon'tworry.Everyonegetsstuck,evensomeofthebestmindsintheworld((CharlesChu:IsaacAsimov:HowtoNeverRunOutofIdeasAgain)).

CreativePeopleAlsoExciteTheirBrainswithNewEventsConsistently.Switchupyourdailyroutine.Gotodifferentplacesandmeetnewpeople.Theseplacesandpeoplecanprovideyouwithnewinsightsandideasthatyou'veneverhadbefore.Therehavebeenstudiesthatshowhownewexperiencesaffecttheneuronsinthebraintohelpboostcreativity((TheStartup:CreateMorethanyouConsume)).

"Whenyoumeetnewpeopleortryunexpectedevents,itcreatesanideacocktailinyourbrain,"saysMikaelCho,founderofUnsplashandCrewlabs.

YourLifeWillBeMoreColourfulOnceYouIntroduceCreativityintoYourLifeLifeismorefunwhenwearecreative!You'llbecomeamoreinterestingpersonwithcoolerideas.Youmayevenfindyourselfoutandaboutwithsomehotdates(winkwink).Pickupthesecommoncharacteristicsofcreativepeopletohelpyourselfbecomemorecreative!


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https://medium.com/personal-growth/isaac-asimov-how-to-never-run-out-of-ideas-again-b7bf8e09cc91https://medium.com/swlh/create-more-than-you-consume-9c1bc89dc71d

TheDecreasingValueofCreativityThemodernworldprovidesseeminglyendlessopportunitiesforentertainment,distractionandtheautomationofsomeofthemoremindlesstasksthatourforebearswouldhavespenttheirtimeon.Intheory,21st-centurylifeshouldbepackedwithoutputfrompeoplewhosemindshavebeenfreedtothink,imagineandcreate,butisthatwhatweareseeing?Well,no,it’snot.

Weoftenseeattemptsofminimisingrisksincreativeindustriesthesedays.Whatweareseeingisendlessre-hashingofthesameideas:sequels,prequels,remakesandre-imaginingsabound,andthemainstreamartshavenarrowedtothepointwherefilmstudiosandrecordlabelsseemtobeputtingoutveryslightlyalteredversionsofthesamefilmsandsongsoverandoveragain.Booksthatareparticularlypopulararemadeintofilms,andHollywoodcaststried-and-testedA-listersintoleadingroleswhetherornottheyfitthepart,simplyinanattempttoguaranteeagoodturnoutattheboxoffice.

Thefilmindustrywillonlyinvestinscriptswhichfollowanestablishedformat;recordlabelswantbandstohaveaprovenaudiencebeforeofferingthemarecorddeal,andpublisherswantauthorswithatrack-recordofmakingthebest-sellerlists.Creativetalentissecondarytotheabilitytomarketoneselfandartisticabilityisdwarfedbytheoverwhelmingdesireofbigbusinesstominimisetheirrisksandstickwiththefamiliar.((DanSchawbel:HowOurRiskAverseSocietyKillsCreativity))

Themostimportantthingtoindividualshasbeenchanged.Wherebigcorporationsfeartotread,however,theindividualapparentlyrushesin.Withmorethan60%ofworkersstating((Wildgoose:FriendsintheWorkplaceSurvey))thattheyvaluehappinessoverfinancialgainwhenitcomestotheirjobs,itappearsthatapleasantworkingenvironmenthasavaluethatapay-packetsimplycan’tmatch.Alloverthecountry,peopleareplacinggoodfriendshipsaheadoftheirincomesandaremoremotivatedbytheideaofgoingoutfordrinksandspendingtimewithcolleaguesthattheygetalongwiththantheyarebyearningmore.


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http://danschawbel.com/blog/how-our-risk-averse-society-kills-creativity/https://wearewildgoose.com/team-events/friends-in-the-workplace-survey-2017/

Ironically,weareoftentiedtoourphonesandnotfreeingourmindstothinkandponder.However,thosesameindividualsarestrugglingtofreethemselvesfromthetyrannyofthehand-helddeviceswhicharepackedwithdistractionsanddiversionswhichpulltheirattentionawayfromconnectingwiththepeoplewhosecompanytheycrave.Withtheabilitytodoalmostanythingonapieceoftechnologywhichyouhaveinyourpocketallday,comestheinabilitytoenjoygenuineexperiences,toallowourmindstowander,toexperiencethemomentsthatinevitablypassyoubywhenyouaregluedtothelatestgameonyourphone.

TheBigBrother’simpactisalsolimitingourcreativity.Alongsideriskaversiononthepartofthemajorplayersinthecreativeindustries,theincreasingavailabilityofappsprovidingconstantdistractionfromreality,andtheinternalconflictsinherentinhumaninteractions,wealsohavetocontendwithattemptsbythegovernmenttolimitourfreedom.Withmanybelievingthatcommonsenseisbeingerodedandreplacedbyincreasinglyrestrictivelegislation,theimpactontheindividual’sabilitytoactautonomouslyispotentiallydevastating.

Buttheponderouslyslowspeedatwhichthelegislaturemoveshas,timeandtimeagain,provedthatlegalsolutionstosocialproblemsareaninefficientwayofdealingwiththeissuesthatmodernlifethrowsinourpath.Taketheexampleofvaping–manybelievethate-cigarettesshouldbeclassifiedinthesamewayastobacco,andthereforeshouldbebannedwhereversmokingis.However,thosewhohavechosene-cigarettesasahealthieralternativetotraditionalsmokingbelieve((VapeClub:Vapingvs.Smoking:TheSafetyDebate))thatpromotingasmokingalternativewhichdoesn’thaveadamagingeffectontheirhealthshouldbeapriority.Waitingforgovernmenttocollectthedata,takeadviceandmakeadecisiononwhethertointroducelawswhichclassifyvapingcouldtakesolongthatbythetimetheyareintroduced,abalancehasbeenfoundthatthemajorityarehappywith.

Althoughsocietyiskillingcreativity,therearestillopportunitiestoretainit.Modernsocietyismadeupofindividualswhorarelyhaveaquietmomenttoexaminetheirownthoughtsandfeelings,butwhoprioritisefriendshipovermoney,operatinginanenvironmentinwhichbillion-poundorganisationsattempttomanipulatetheminto


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http://www.vapeclub.co.uk/how-to-vape-guide/vaping-vs-smoking/

conforming.Creativitymaystruggletopenetratethecynicalprofiteeringthatwehaveallbecomeaccustomedto,butaslongasindividualscanappreciatethevalueoforiginalityandauthenticity,thereishopethatthosequalitieswillretaintheirvalue.


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TheAnatomyofProcrastinationByprocrastinating,apersondoesn'tknowwhattheyhavedoneforaround218minutesaday.Inotherwords,morethan3hoursgomissingeverysingleday,andabout55days—almost2monthsarelosteveryyear.Imagineeverynightyouput100bucksinyourwallet,andthenextmorningwhenyouopenit,30bucksaremissingandyoudon'tknowwherethemoneyhasgone.Thisiswhatprocrastinationdoes.

Weallprocrastinate,andweprocrastinatealot.

Evenifyoudomakeanefforttofightprocrastination,thetideisagainstyou.

ModernLivingHasMadeItEvenEasiertoProcrastinateNotonlyisprocrastinationtoughtobeat-butit'sgettingeventougher.Thepercentageofchronicprocrastinatorshasgrownfromabout5percentin1978,to26percentin2007,asshowninastudybyUniversityofCalgary.((GazetteTimes:Professor’sstudygivesprocrastinationabadname))

Intoday'salways-connectedage,thereareconstanttemptationstochooseprocrastinationoveraction.Checkingthelatestnews,updatingsocialmediaaccounts,andchattingdigitallywithfriendsfromaroundtheworld.It'sliterallyanon-stopcycleofnews,notificationsandquirkyYouTubevideos.

Now,pleasedon'tgetmewrong.Theinternetisagreatthing,andhasbroughtaboutacommunicationsrevolution.Theproblemisthatwithoutcontrolonyourpart,theinternetcansuckyourlifeandenergy-justlikeanelectronicvampire.

Andyoudon'tneedtotakemywordforiteither.ArecentstudybyWebtrateshowedthatemailandsocialmediastoleanhourofproductivityperworkdayforabout36percentofpeople,while16percentlostmorethananhour.((TheWeek:Whywecan'tstopprocrastinating,accordingtoscience))

Thetrendtowardsprocrastinationisapowerfulone-buttechnologyisnotthetheonlythingtoblame.

AtItsCore,ProcrastinationIsAboutOurEmotions


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http://www.lifehack.org/565818/why-procrastinate-and-how-stop-procrastinationhttp://www.gazettetimes.com/news/opinion/professor-s-study-gives-procrastination-a-bad-name/article_87b9478c-22b8-509a-87cd-a2c25974716a.htmlhttp://theweek.com/articles/447789/why-cant-stop-procrastinating-according-science

Itturnsoutthatprocrastinationisatthecoreofeachofus.

Procrastinationisstronglylinkedtoouremotions.Let'sbrieflytalkaboutbiology—thelimbicsystem.Thissystemactsasthebrain'semotionalcenter.It'sdevelopedtomanagecircuitryattributedtothefight-or-flightresponse.((Boundless:TheLimbicSystem))Inotherwords,thelimbicsystemprimesusto'feel'first.

Whenourfeelingsarenegative(e.g.,whenwehearbadnews),welookforwaystodistractourselves.Usually,thisinvolvesgivingintoinstantpleasuressuchas:chocolate,socialmediaandTVmarathons.

Thesamethingappliestoprocrastination.Sayyouneedtocompleteaprojectatworkthatinvolvestonsofresearch.Unfortunatelyforyou,researchissomethingthatyoudon'tenjoy,soyoufindyourselfconstantlylookingforwaystoavoidstarting(letalonefinishing)theproject.Thismightinvolvemakinglotsofcoffeeortea,chattingwithcolleagues,orworkingonanythingotherthantheproject.

Procrastinationandemotionsareeternallylinked,andunlessyoudiscoverhowtostepoutofthisunion,you'llbeforeverdestinedtobeweakandhesitant.Fortunately,therearewaystobreakfree.

The5ProcrastinationPersonalitiesOurinstincttonavigatetoinstantpleasurefirsthasledtofivedistinct'procrastinatorpersonalities.'Let'stakealookateachofthesepersonalities-andseeifyoucanidentifyyourselfintheprocess.

1.ThePerfectionist

Beingperfectisthepleasureperfectionistswant.Butoftenthisleadstothembeingtooscaredtoshowanyimperfections.Becauseofthis,theyfrequentlyfailtocompletethings,asthey'reforeverseekingtheperfecttimingorapproach.Tasksendupneverbeingcompleted,becauseintheeyesoftheperfectionist,thingsareneverperfectenough.

You'venodoubtencounteredthesetypes(andyoumayevenbeoneofthem)inyourday-to-daylife.Intheoffice,perfectionistscanbefoundstaringintentlyattheirscreens,astheycontinuallymakeminorchangestotheirspreadsheets,documentsandpresentations.Insteadoffinishingsomething,theygetcaughtupinanever-endingcycleofadditions,edits,anddeletions.Someoneneedstotellthemthatperfectionisrarelyrealized.

2.TheDreamer


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https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/biological-foundations-of-psychology-3/structure-and-function-of-the-brain-35/the-limbic-system-154-12689/

Dreamingisfunwhencomparedtoreallife-whichinvolveslotsofchallengesanddifficulties.It'snowonderthatadreamerpreferstostayinthedreamingstage.Thatway,theydon'thavetoworkforreal,ordealwithanynegativityorstress.

Dreaminggivesthistypeofpeopleafalsesenseofachievement,asintheirminds,theyenvisionbig,ambitiousplans.Unfortunatelyforthem,theseplanswillmostlikelystayasdreams,andthey'llneveraccomplishanythingtrulyworthwhile.

Youprobablyknowsomeonelikethis.Everytimeyoumeetthem,theytellyouoftheirgrandioseideasandgoals,butnotoncedotheystatewhatthey'redoingtobringthesedreamsintoreality.Afteryearsofhearingtheirstories,youcometoavalidconclusion:they'rejustdreamers.

3.TheAvoider

Avoidershaveboughtintothelinethat'bydoingnothing,badthingswon'thappen.'

Inreality,avoidershavedevelopedafearofmakingmistakesordoinganythingwrong.Theirwaytoavoidthesemishaps,istodonothingatall.Intheend,theymaymakefewmistakes-buttheyalsoseefewaccomplishments.

Intheworkplace,avoidersareeasytospot.Theyseldomspeak,preferringtokeepthemselvestothemselves.Theyalsolackproactivity,instead,theyfavorthemotto:'I'lljustdothebareminimum.'Theymayregardthemselvesassolidandreliableworkers,butinreality,theylackdrive,ambitionandthesparkoflife.

4.TheCrisis-maker

Crisis-makersarethosewhobelievethatdeadlinescanpushthemtodobetter.Insteadofhavingascheduletocompletetheirwork-theyprefertoenjoytimedoingtheirownthingbeforethedeadlinecomesaround.

It'smostlikelyanunconsciousthing,butcrisis-makersevidentlybelievethatstartingearlywillsacrificetheirtimeforpleasure.Thisisreinforcedintheirmindsandfeelings,bythemanytimestheymanagetogetawaywithburningthemidnightoil.Oftentheysacrificethequalityoftheirworkbecauseofrushingit.

Withoutnamingtheindividual,letmetellyouthestoryofacrisis-makerIusedtoworkwith.Hewasapartylover,andfrequentlycametoworklate-andnotinthebeststateeither.Hewasblessedwithcharisma,andsowasabletocomeacrossinmeetingsasfocused,organizedanddetermined.Therealstorywasthathisworkwouldbeleftuntiltheverylastminute,whenhewouldthenmakeamassiveefforttofinishit.Sometimesthiswentwell,othertimeshisworkwaslitteredwithcarelessandcostlymistakes.


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5.TheBusyProcrastinator

Abusyprocrastinatoriscertainlybusy-buttheylacktheabilitytoprioritizetheirwork.Theydowhattheyfeelliketheyshoulddo,ratherthanthinkingthroughwhattheyreallyneedtodo.

Prioritizingtasksisastepthattakesextratime,soabusyprocrastinatorwillfeelit'snotworthit.Inthesecases,theydelaydoingwhat'sreallyimportant,becausetheydon'tactuallyrecognizeitasbeingimportant.Becauseofthis,theyusuallyendupdoingalotofeffortlesstasksthatdon'tcontributemuchtoaproject.

Icomeacrossbusyprocrastinatorsallthetime.Theylooksuperbusy,buttheiroutputandresultsrevealtheirlackoforganizationalskills.They'reincessantlybusyonlow-impacttasks,butseemoblivioustourgent,high-impacttasks.It'stheequivalenttoathirstycatlickingtheoutsideofabowlfilledwithmilk-itseffortsarefocusedonthewrongplace!

Ifyousufferfromprocrastination,identifywhichoftheabovepersonalitytypesyoumostcloselymatch.Onceyou'vedonethat,takesometimetoreflectonhowyoubecamelikethat,andthenthinkofwaystostepoutsideofyourconditionedbehavior.Forexample,ifyou'readreamer,lookforwaystoturnyourdreamsintoreality.Inmostcases,you'llneedanendgoal-andaplantogetthere.You'llalsomakeiteasyonyourselfifyoutakesmall,butcertain,stepsatatime.

UnderstandIttoBeatItEveryonehasadifferentreasontoprocrastinate,buteveryreasonpointstoourprimetofeelfirst.Byunderstandinghowyouremotionsmakeprocrastinationhappen,youcanfigureouttheexactactiontoturnaroundthenegativity.

I'vewrittenanotherarticleabouthowtocontrolyouremotionsbettertobeatprocrastination,readitandfindouthowtoadjustyourtaskstoavoidthenegativeemotions.

Don'tletprocrastinationstealyourlife.Beactive,beconfident,andbecomeapersonofaccomplishment.


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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/11-differences-between-busy-people-and-productive-people.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/617459/procrastination-is-a-matter-of-emotion-heres-how-to-stop-it

YourWorkstationMightBeMakingYouUnproductiveAsapersonalcoachwithover100employees,oneofthemostcommonquestionsIreceivefromtimetotimeis“howcanIbemoreproductive?”Theonlywaytoreallygetaheadisbyincreasingyourproductivity.It’saprettystraightforwardconcept.Whenwegetmoredone,wereachourgoalmorequickly.Weallhavethesameamountoftimeintheday,butsomepeoplejustmanagetogetmoredone.Surely,theremustbesomesecretstothissuper-humanlevelofefficiency.Butwhat?

Throughouttheyears,Ihavepasseddowndifferenttechniquesandhackstoboostproductivitytomycollegaueswithreasonablesuccess.Butonedayitdawnedonme.Ihadbeenoverlookingthemostimportantelementofaproductiveworkspace;theworkspaceitself.

Don’tjustorganize,organizewithpurposeAsIobservedtheLifehackoffice,Inoticedthattherewasonedistinctivevariable.AllofmycolleaugeshadbeenintegratingthesameproductivitytechniquesthatIhadtaughtthem,butstillforsomereasonsomehadmoresuccessthanothers.

Inoticedthattherewasdefinitelyadirectconnectionbetweenthosewhohadorganizedworkstationsandtheirlevelofproductivity.Iaskedeachindividualwhatthethoughtprocesswhatbehindtheirdeskset-ups.Notatalltomysurprise,thosewhoadmittedtoorganizingtheirworkstationswithpurposeweremoreproductivethanthosewhodidn’t.

Why?Becausenotonlydotheytakethetimetoorganize,buttheyorganizetactfullytoincreaseproductivity.(Iamevende-clutteringmydeskasIwritethis!)Thismakesawholelotofsensebecauseyourenvironmentcontributeslargelytoyoursuccess.

Thinkaboutitlikethis:ifyouwereonadiet,youwouldn’tsurroundyourselfwithjunk-food,right?Well,ifyouwanttothinkclearly,youshouldn’tsurroundyourselfwithdistractions.

Createtheidealenvironmenttoenhanceyourproductivity


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Idecidedtopickthebrainsofthemoreproductiveindividualsintheoffice.ThiswayIcouldharnesssomeoftheirwisdomforhelpfultipsfororganizationandincreasedefficiency.Ifoundthattheyallhadthesehabitsincommon:

1.Keepdistractionsonyourunfamiliarside

Byyourunfamiliarside,Imeanyourlessdominanthand.Ifyouarerighthanded,keepyourphoneontheleftsideofthedesksoarelesslikelytoreachforit.Understandably,youwanttokeepyourphonearoundincaseofemergencies.Butcheckingyourphoneisprobablysohabitualthatit’sbecomemusclememoryatthispoint.Sometimesyougrabyourphonewithoutevenrealizingit.Constantlydoingthiswillbreakyourfocusanddisruptyourworkflow.Toavoidthis,makeitinconvenienttoreach.

2.Thelargeryourtrashcan,thebetter

Thismayseemslightlytrivial,butit’sactuallyimperativeforimprovingefficiency.Thegoalhereisclarity.Soyouwanttohaveanearbyreceptacletodumpallofyourunwantedandunneededclutterbeforeittakesoveryourlife.

Let’ssaythatyou’vejustfinishedbrainstormingandhaveutilizedalloftheideasyouhadwrittendown.Nowyouhavenoneedforthatpileofpapersholdingyouroldideas.Butyoursmalltrashcanisfull.Insteadofwalkingacrosstheofficetodumpthepapers,youjustsetthemofftotheside.Itstartsoutwithjustonepileofpapers,buttheitturnsintoahabitof,“I’lltakecareofthislater.”Andthenextthingyouknow,you’reburiedwithoutdatedandunneededitems.Isthatausedtissue?Gross!

Nowtheitemsyouactuallyneedaremixedupwithunnecessaryitems,whichwillgetfrustratingafterawhile.Saveyourselfthetrouble.Cleanasyougo.

3.Haveadesignated“dealwithlater”area

Asyourworkdaysdragon,you’llstarttorealizethatyou’renotgettingasmuchdoneasyou’dlike.Astasksandprojectspileup,youfindyourselfbattlingdistractionsandlosingyourfocus,nottomentionbecomingoverwhelmedbyyourworkload.

Lightentheloadabit.Createa“dealwithlater”area.Thiscouldbeafolderorshelfwhereyoustoreyourtasks.Bydoingthis,yourbrainwillregisterthatyouhavereceivedtheproject,butthenyoucanfileitawaysoitdoesnotdeteryoufromyourcurrenttask.Eachtimeyougetdistracted,ittakestwiceandlongtorefocus.Setasideatimetoclearoutyour“dealwithlater”area,andgettoitwhenyoucan.

4.Keeponlytheessentialsonyourdesk


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Thepresenceoforganizationaltoolsmaymakeyoufeellikeyouarebeingmoreproductive,butrememberlessismore.Youonlyneedonepentowritewith,onehighlightertohighlightwith,onenotebooktowriteonandonestackofpost-itsuntilyourunout.Anythingelseisunnecessary,andwilljustmakeyourworkspaceamess.Besides,youwanttospendyourprecioustimeworking,notdecidingonwhichpentouse.

Keeptheseitemstoyourdominantside,onyourotherwiseclutter-freedesk.Thatwayyouhaveallthatyouneedrightonhand.

5.Haveanorganizeddrawerforthealmost-essentials

Iknowyoulovethatpolkadotstaplerandmatchingtapedispenser.Butthey’renotvitalitemsforyourproductivity,arethey?Youwanttokeepthemclose,butnotoutintheopenwheretheymightdistractyou.Instead,keepalmost-essentialitemslikethesethatyouuseonadailybasisinawell-organizeddrawer.

Keepingitemsliketheseoutofsightgivesyourbrainlessofanopportunitytowander,helpingtokeepyouontrack.Youmightnotthinkthatastaplerisgoingtohinderyourworkflow,butyou’dbesurprisedwhereyourmindwilldrifttowhenyou’restuckonatask.

6.Alwayshavewateronhand

Andlotsofit.Itistheelixiroflifeandproductivity.Inoticedduringmyobservationsthatthemostproductivepeoplealwayshavealargecontainerofwaterontheirdeskatalltimes.Thisisbecausewhentheybecomefocusedandthrowthemselvesintotheirwork,theyoftenforgettodrinkwater.

Havingwateronhandsavesthemlesstripsofgettinguptogetit,thereforetheyhavelessdistractionsthroughouttheday.Nottomention,stayinghydratedhelpsthemtothinkclearlyandthereforebemoreproductive.Remember,claritycorrespondswithefficiency.


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DeadlinesPushYoutoWorkHarder,butNotSmarterWhenyoustartyourworkday,youmaywelcomethetasksthatarisetofillyourtime.Workcomestoyouwithnorhymeorreason,butyoudoit.Youtacklethingsastheycome,andyouturneverythinginbythedeadline.

Itmayseemthatyou'resuccessfulbecauseyouturninyourworkontime.Theproblemis,youdon'tknowhowtoeffectivelyplanforaday'swork.

MostpeopleliveanddiebydeadlinesTimeisanimportantfactortoconsiderwhenyou'recompletingtasks.Manyofuschasedeadlinesorknockouttheeasiesttasksfirsttofeelasenseofaccomplishment.Sometimes,wespendtoolongonsometasks,andscrambletodoeverythingelse.

Youmayhave10workinghoursinagivenday,andit'syourjobtodoasmuchworkaspossibleinthattime.It'seasytoworkalldayandaccomplishverylittle.


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http://media.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2017/11/10051501/Setting-Deadlines-Can-Push-You-to-Work-Harder-but-Not-Smarter.png

Youhavetobeintentionalaboutpriorities.Ifyouonlyworryaboutfillingtimeslotsandmeetingdeadlines,youmayneglectmoreimportant,high-valuetasks.

ButlivingbydeadlinesgetsyouintotroubleHumansareterribleatguessinghowlongittakestocompleteprojects.Guessingisevenmorechallengingwhenwearedevelopingsomethingnew.We'renotmachines,andourday-to-dayoutputsdon'ttendtofitintoneatalgorithms.Whenweestimatecompletiondateonaproject,wedon'ttakeintoaccountthenon-projectrelatedworkthatcreepsintoourschedules.Thoseemails,meetings,andteammembercommitmentsthatcropupatthelastminutecosttime.

Weoftenassociatedatesanddayswithcertainemotions.Forexample,doyoufindyourselfasproductiveonFridayafternoonasyouareonTuesday?Relativeestimationofwhenyou'llcompleteataskdoesn'ttakeintoconsiderationhowfeelingsaffectwork.

Totopitoff,youcangiveseveralteamsthesametask,andthey'llallcompletetheminaslightlydifferenttimeframe.Theirvelocityonworkturnaround,calculatedinpoints,willvaryalongwiththeirtimeframe.Settingarbitrarytimesforfinishingworkmakesitimpossibletousevelocityasasellingpointinyourteam'seffectivenessunlessyourteamperformssignificantlybetterthanyourcompetitors.

HowtomakeguessesmoreaccurateInsteadofrelyingondeadlinesanddatestostayproductive,youcantakeamoreobjectiveapproach.Themanagementtechniqueknownasscrumcanhelpyouaccomplishthis.InthebookScrum:TheArtofDoingTwicetheWorkinHalftheTime,theScrumtechniqueallowsyoutoproducebetterestimatesforplanningtimelinesbyusingasystemofpointsinsteadofunitsoftime.

Whenyou'reworkingtosolvecomplexproblems,thereareusuallyseveralteamsinvolved.It'simpossibletoguesshowlongitwilltaketocompleteaprojectonyourownorcommunicateyourteam'sneedstoothergroups.Yourroleinaprojectmayrequirelittleeffort,buttheteamsaroundyoumayhavetoexpendconsiderableeffortfortheirpart.Youneedtheinputofeveryteaminvolvedtoarriveatareasonableestimation.

Usestorypoints


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https://www.amazon.com/dp/038534645X?tag=s7621-20

Themostproductiveteamshaveswitchedfromsettingdeadlinestodecidinghowlongtaskswilltakebasedonaprocessknownasscrumoragileestimation.Theyusestorypoints(theinputofvariousteamsinvolved)tounderstandtherelativedifficultyofeachtask.((Atlassian:TheSecretsBehindStoryPointsandAgileEstimation))

WorkersratethedegreeofdifficultyusingaFibonacci-sequence:0,0.5,1,2,3,5,8,13,20.Thisabstractionpushestheteamtomaketougherdecisionsaroundthedifficultyofwork.

Theyassignnumericvaluetotheirrespectiveportion,andplay"planningpoker."Inplanningpoker,workersholdupanumberthattheythinkrepresentsthelevelofdifficultyforthatproject.

Makesureeveryone'sonthesamepage

Whenallpartiesagreeaboutthenumbersinplanningpoker,theyknowthattheyareallonthesamepageaboutthetimeline.Ifthenumbersdiffer,theteamsmustdiscusshoweveryonereachedtheirnumbers.

Sometimes,wehavenoideawhatobstaclesotherteamsface.Thismethodopensadialogueaboutwhatitwilltaketoactualizeaproject.Differingopinionsinthedifficultyofaprojectcanaddresswhethereveryoneisworkingonthesamescale.

Don'tcomplicatethepoints

It'sbesttosetanupperlimitof20storypointswhenyouaretryingtomakeaprojectlesscomplicated.Anythinggreaterthanthatneedstobebrokenintosmallerattainablesteps.Breakingtasksdownintosmallerstepskeepsteamsfrombecomingoverwhelmed.

Hindsightis20/20

Whenyou'retryingtogiveanaccurateestimationforhowlongaprojectwilltake,don'tforgettothinkaboutpastexperience.Ifyou'vedonesimilarjobs,considerhowlongtheytooktocompleteandwhatpitfallsyouexperienced.Thinkaboutthenumberofstorypointsthatparticularaspectscost.

Themoredatayoucanreferbackto,thecloseryou'llbetolandinganaccurateestimate.Besides,youmaybeabletoimproveonpreviousmethodssothatyoucancompleteyourworkmoreefficiently.

Stopbeingaslavefordeadline


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https://www.atlassian.com/agile/estimation

Settingadeadlinebasedonhowlongyouthinkthetaskwilltakecanleaveyouscramblingorturninginsubstandardwork.There'snoreasonforyoutoworkharderwhenyoucouldbeworkingsmarter.

Bythinkingaboutyourworkintheabstractstorypointssysteminsteadoftime,you'llbeabletocommunicateyourneedsandunderstandtheneedsofothersmuchmoreclearly.You'llknowwhenyouneedtobreaktasksintosmallersteps,andyou'llhaveamoreefficientwayofthinkingaboutpastexperienceswithsimilarprojects.


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StopWaiting,GoAskForYourDreamJobIfyouwerelookingforanewjob,howwouldyougoaboutfindingone?Instinctivelyyou’dprobablystartoffbyfilteringthroughallofthecommonjobarchivewebsites;Craigslist,Indeed,Monster,etc.inordertofindsomethingrelatedtoyourfield.Whichisfine,ifyoudon’tmindsettling.

Wehavebeenprogrammedtoworkthisway,totakewhateverjobisconvenientinordertopaythebillsandsupportourlifestyle.Formanythissystemworkswellenough.Butthisishowpeoplefallintocomplacentjobsthatdon’ttrulysatisfythem.

Ifyouwanttolandthejobofyourdreams,you’regoingtohavetogooutthereandgetit

Thetruthis,thebestjobsaren’tlisted.Around80%ofopportunitiesinthemarketarenotopentothepublicandcanonlybeacquiredinternally.Soifyou’rebasingyoursearchonthe20%thathaveactuallybeenlisted,you’regoingtohaveaverydifficulttimelandingthat


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dreamjob.

Soinstead,you’llendupwithajobthat“worksfornow.”Eventuallyyou’llcomeacrossthejobyou’vebeenstrivingforandmaketheswitch.Butwhatifthatopportunitynevercomes?You’llmostlikelyfallintoaroutinewithyoursub-parjobandjustifyitbysayingthatmostpeoplenevergettohavetheirdreamjob.

Howcanyousolvethatissue?Bytakingtheinitiativeandcreatinganopportunity.Butbeforeyou’reabletofinagleyourwayintoyourdreamcompany,youmustfirstunderstandwhy80%ofjobsarenotavailabletothepublic,andhowtoworkthatfacttoyouradvantage.


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1.Businessesarenotsurewhatorwhotheyarelookingfor


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Thisisusuallytrueforstartupbusinessesthataretryingtoexpandintoanewmarket.It’suncommonground,soit’stoughtoprojectwhattheyreallyneed.

Iftheydon’tknowwhoorwhatthey’relookingforinordertomoveinanewdirection,thenit’snearlyimpossibletocreateajobadforapositionthatdoesnotyetexist.

Whattheyneedishumanresources.Afreshperspectivethatcangivethemanewedge.Thisistheperfectopportunityforyoutoup-sellyourselfandthevaluethatyoucanbringtothecompany.

Takealookattheirweaknessesandwhatcouldbeimproved.Youcouldbetheanswertoalloftheirproblems.Offeryourskillsinsuchawaythattheycan’taffordnottohaveyou.

2.Companiestendtotrain-upinternalstaffinsteadofhiringnewemployees.

Someemployersdon’twanttogothroughthegruelingtrialanderroroftheinterviewingprocess.Unsureifthey’llbeabletofindthepeoplewiththeskillsthey’relookingfor,theywilltraintheiralreadyexistingstafftodothejobinstead.


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Thementalityis,“themoreIinvestinmyemployees,theymorelikelytheyaretostayandcontribute.”Whileinsomecasesthismaybetrue,it’snotverycostefficientandmaynotworkoutastheyhoped.

Thereisnocertaintythattheemployeeswillstay,especiallyifthereisachangeintheirjobdescription.Manypeoplearecreaturesofhabitandwanttosticktowhattheyknow.

Itcanbedifficulttopredicthowmuchtimecouldbewastedtrainingemployeestolearnthesenewskills.Andinthattimeyou’retakingmanpowerawayfromalreadyexistingprojects.Inturn,thoseprojectscouldbeneglectedandenduphurtingthecompany.

Thisisyourgoldenopportunity.Showcasethefactthatyoualreadypossesstheskillstheyarelookingfor.Explaintheresourcestheycouldsavebysimplyhiringyouinsteadoftraininguptheirstaff.Yourdriveandpassionwillmakeyoustandoutasthebestcost-efficientchoice.

3.Thecompanytrulydoesnothaveanyopenings.

Thereisstillroomforopportunityhere.Similartothepreviouspoints,youcanscalethecompanyfortheirweaknessesandneeds,andofferyourselfasthesolution.Youcouldbringideastolightthatprobablywouldhaveneverbeenconsidered.

Yourattentiontodetailandwillingnesstoimprovewillmakeyouavaluableasset.

WhatyoudoforworkisimportantbecauseitaffectsyourhappinesstooYourdreamjobisn’tgoingtofallintoyourlap.Youneedtobealittleaggressiveandcreatethatopportunity.Evenifthecompanyofyourdreamstrulyisn’tlookingfornewemployeesrightnow,theywillrememberyouifyoumakeagoodimpression.

Yourjobdoesn’thavetojustpaythebills.Withtherightcareer,youcanfindyourpurpose,devoteyourselftoyourwork,andliveameaningfullifethatbringsyousatisfaction.

Imeanthinkaboutit,youspendthemajorityofyourlifeworking.Ifyoudon’tenjoyyourjob,thenyou’releadingamiserablelife.Onaverage,youspend8hoursadayatwork.That’s22workingdaysoutofthemonth;2,112hoursayear!Wouldn’tyouratherspendallofthattimeworkingtowardssomethingyoutrulycareabout?

MentalNotesOnHowToManifestYourDestiny!


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AtthispointI’msureI’vegotyouconvinced.Youdeservethejobofyourdreams.Inordertoapproachtheseopportunitiesandmakethemareality,therearethreecomponentstokeepinmind:

1.Displayexpectationsforyourself,andthecompany

CheckoutresourcessuchasLinkedIntoresearchtheexpectationsforthejobyouarepitchingfor.Researchthejobdescriptionsforagradeortwoaboveyourskillset.Seewhatgoalsyouneedtoworktowardsandwhichskillsyouneedtoimprove.

Explaintheprogressionyouwouldliketoseeinyourself,andhowyourprogressionwillbenefitthefutureofthecompany.Self-reflectionisveryimportanttoemployers,sobetransparentaboutwhichskillsyouneedtoimproveuponthatcanalsoimprovethecompany.

2.Understandcompetitionsthecompanyisfacing

Inordertounderstandwhatthecompanyneeds,youneedtoknowwhatthey’recompetitionisdoing.Isitworkingforthem?Couldyouadvancethoseideasandmakethemyourown?

Showthemthatyouknowwhichissuestheyarefacing,andsuggeststrategiestosolvetheseissues.Offeryourskillsandexplainhowtheywillgivethemanewedgeinthisgrowingmarket.

3.Don’tjusttellthemwhatyoucando,showthem.

Prepareaportfolioofyourpreviousprojectstoshowoffyourcapabilitiesandexperience.Afterexplainingwhatyouhavedone,tellthemyourplansforthefuture.Whatareyoudoingtoenhanceyourskills?Whatcouldhavebeenimprovedinpreviousprojects?

Ifyoushowthatyouareactivelyimprovingyourskillset,prospectiveemployerscanexpectthatyourskillswillimprovetheirbusinessplan.

Soremember,don’twaitfortheperfectjob.Createit.


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Re-learnHowtoLearnintheInformationAgeWhenyouscrollthroughFacebook,youcanseepostsaboutsimplestretchestorelievebackpain,howtomakeas'mores,andhowtobesingleandhappy.OrifyougoonYoutube,youcanfindgurustalkaboutmakeuptips,orYoutubersteachplayingguitar.

Butthosestretchingexercises,thewaytomakeas'mores,howtobehappybeingsingle,howtodoagoodmakeup,andhowtoplayguitarbetterarethingsthatmostpeoplenevermasterdoingattheend.

Technologyhasbroughtasurplusofinformationtotheworld,butithasn'tmadepeoplesmarter.Themereexposuretodatadoesn'tmakepeoplebetterthinkersandlearners.

Thefactis,mostpeoplehaveneverlearnedhowtolearnproperly.

Onaverage,peoplespend50minutesperdayonFacebookalone.((NewYorkTimes:FacebookHas50MinutesofYourTimeEachDay.ItWantsMore.))Beingexposedtoinformationisnotthesameasinternalizingandadaptingtheknowledge.Evenduringformaleducation,studentsacquireknowledgequicklytowritepapersandtakeexams;turningwhattheylearnintowisdomthattheycanapplythroughouttheirlivesisuncommon.

Theconventionalsystemsofknowledgeacquisitionfailtomakeuseofthebrain'spotential.((ScientificAmerican:WhatistheMemoryCapacityoftheHumanBrain?))Unlessweusethatinformation,we'reboundtoforgetit.

TakinginKnowledge—ThenandNowHowtoapplyknowledgeisdifferenttodaybecauseit'seasytoexposetoalotofinformationeveryday.Traditionallearningstylesofteninvolvedapprenticeshiporimmediateactiveapplicationofskills.((TheAtlantic:WhyGermanyIsSoMuchBetteratTrainingItsWorkers))

IfyouweretryingtolearntoskibeforetheInformationAge,you'dlikelystartbyfindinganinstructor.Theexperiencedskierwouldhelpyouunderstandtheequipmentandactasaguidewhileyoulearnedthemechanicsoftheactivity.You'dconstantlyworktoapplywhatyoulearnedbypracticingonyourowntime,thebulkofyourlearningwasdoneontheslopes.Eventually,youwouldn'tneedyourinstructor,andyou'dconsideryourselfacompetentandconfidentskier.


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http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-hacks-speed-the-learning-process.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/business/facebook-bends-the-rules-of-audience-engagement-to-its-advantage.htmlhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-memory-capacity/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/why-germany-is-so-much-better-at-training-its-workers/381550/

Today,whenyoudecidethatyouwanttolearntoski,youspendhoursperusingtheinternetforeveryblogpostandarticleaboutskiing.Youwatchvideosofpeopleskiing,researchthebestgear,andjoinaFacebookgroupforwintersportsenthusiasts.Youmayfeellikeanexpertinallthingsski-relatedafteryoudigintotheseresources,buthaveyouactuallylearnedtoski?There'sabigdifferencebetweenreadingaboutputtingonskisandactuallyhittingtheslopes.

Today,thequalityoftheknowledgeissacrificedforquantity.

There'sanimbalancebetweentheknowledgewetakeinandtheinformationthatweuse.((Huffpost:TheInternetMayBeChangingYourBraininWaysYouNeverImagined))Humanbrainisworkingasquicklyasitcantosenddatafromtheworkingmemorytothelong-termmemory,butitcan'tretaineverything.((NationalBernsteinNetworkComputationalNeuroscience:HowisInformationTransferredIntoLong-TermMemory))

Thechaseformoreinformationisthrillingtoo.ThedesiretokeepupsendsmostpeoplescrollingthroughFacebookonafrequentbasis.Peopleareplaguedbythefearofmissingout(FOMO)tothedetrimentofauthenticlearning.((HuffPost:SocialMedia,FOMO,andthePerfectStormfortheQuarter-LifeCrisis))Mostareuptodateonsensationalstories,andaresharinglikemadonFacebookandWhatsApp,butconvenientaccesstoknowledgeisnoreplacementfordeeplearningthrougheffortandconcentration.Onlyverylittleoftheeasily-accessedinformationhavepeoplereallyappliedintheirlives.

HowtoRealisticallyAbsorbandApplyInformationWhileit'dbeperfecttoabsorbandapply100%oftheinformation,it'snotquitepossible.Perhapsthereareafewhyper-productiveindividualswhocanachievethislevelofsuccess.Butmostofusaren'tAlbertEinstein,andwe'repressedfortime.Wehavetobepragmaticabouthowweapproachinformationifwewantittostick.

Ifyouwanttohangontoinformationforthelong-haul,you'llneedtobeselectiveaboutwhatyouchoosetoabsorb.Withoutaplan,gettinginformationfromtheinternetisliketryingtoeattheentirebuffetinonesitting.Breaktheoverabundanceofresourcesintoeasilydigestiblepiecessothatyoucangivetheinformationtimetobecomemeaningfultoyou.

1.Getabrainfilter—filteroutinformationthatwon'timproveyou.


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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/internet-changing-brain-nicholas-carr_us_5614037de4b0368a1a613e96http://www.nncn.de/en/news/Forschungsergebnisse-en/langzeitgedaechtnisenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-strong/social-media-fomo-and-the_b_9880170.html

Scrollingthroughtheinternetisapassiveformofknowledgeacquisition.Theamountofinformationthatwecanaccessisalwaysgoingtobemorethanwecanprocess.Tofiltertheinformationyoutakein,focusonwhatyouneedtoimprove.Whatmustyoulearntobesuccessful?Takingthissimplestepenablesyoutopassoverunrelatedandtangentially-relatedinformation.

Asyoucontinuetogrowyourknowledgeandskills,youcanupdatetheparametersofyourfilter.

Ifyoureturntotheskiingexample,youestablishyourfilterbydecidingwhatyouneedtolearnaboutskiingrightnow.Areyoutryingtofigureouthowtoputontheskisproperly?Doyouknowhowtostopwhenyou'reheadingdownaslope?Ifyouareworkingonthefundamentals,itwon'tbevaluabletospendtimelearningaboutadvancedtricks.Afteryou'reproficientinthebasics,modifyyourfiltersothatyoucontinuetogrowyourskills.

2.Takeinformationintotherealworld—dowhatyou'vereadtoconfirmyourlearning.

Knowledgeisn'tusefuluntilyoucanapplyit.Ifyouaretryingtolearnanewskill,you'llhavetodothethingsthatyou'vereadaboutinyourresearch.Untilyou'vemademultipleattemptstomastertheski-trickyousawonYoutube,youhaven'tinternalizedit.Whenyoucanlandthetrickwithoutthinkingorrecallinformationwithoutstruggling,itisyours.

Itisn'talwayseasytotakeinformationfromthecomputerscreenintotherealworld.There'safairchancethatyouaregoingtofailthefirsttimeyouattemptsomething.

Whenyouarelearningtoski,youaregoingtofall.You'llprobablyfailtoexecuteasmoothturn,andevenwhenyoudosucceed,you'llundoubtedlycompareyourselftoalltheotherskiersontheslopethatday.Givingupwhenyoufallorallowingyourbraintospinaself-defeatingnarrativekeepsyoufromlearning.Makingmistakesisapotentpartofthelearningprocess.((TeachThought:10WaystoHonorMistakesintheLearningProcess))

Practice,getfeedback;andpractice,andgetfeedback.

Gettingintothehabitofapplyingwhatyou'velearnedisexcellent,butthereisonlysomuchthatyoucandoonyourown.Youneedtheinputofotherstotakeyourskillstothenextlevel.

Youcaninitiateafeedbackloopbyperformingaself-assessmenttotakestockofwhereyouareinthelearningprocess,butifyouwanttomakemoregrowth,seekfeedbackfromothers.((FastCompany:WhyYouHateGettingFeedbackbutStillNeedMoreofIt))


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http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/10-ways-to-honor-mistakes-in-the-learning-process/https://www.fastcompany.com/3052587/why-you-hate-getting-feedback-but-still-need-more-of-it

Itiseasytostopattheself-assessmentstageandconvinceyourselfthatyouaredoingeverythingwell,butyoudon'tknowwhatyoudon'tknow.Insightsfromotherscanhelpyoudeterminewhereyoushouldfocusyourlearningeffortsnextsothatyouarealwaysimproving.

Whenyoustarttobuildnewskills,youmaybeabletoprocessinstructionsinthemoment,butifyoudon'tcontinuetopractice,youwon'tinternalizetheknowledge.You'llhavetorepeatyouractionsorprocessuntilitbecomessecond-nature.

Forexample,whenyoulearnanewword,youhavetogothroughtheslowprocessoflookingitup,repeatingthedefinition,andusingitinasentenceseveraltimes.Ifyoudon'tusetheword,youwillforgetit,butifyouuseitenough,itcomestomindwithease.

3.Stayalerttowhattolearnnext—avoidwastingtimeonunnecessaryinformation.

Whenyoutargetyoursearchesasopposedtomindlesslyscrolling,you'llretainmoreinformation.

Takeopportunitiestoreflectonwhatyouhavelearnedalongtheway.You'llnotonlyfeelbetteraboutyourprogress,butbeabletomakeuseofwhatyoualreadyknowwhenyoutakeonadifferentchallenge.

Torefertoourskiingexampleforafinaltime,imaginethatyou'vemasteredthebasicsofmovement.Youcanturnsmoothlyandstopwhenyouneedto.Whatdoyouneedtolearnnext?Howwillthethingsthatyoualreadyknowaboutskiingimpactthewaythatyouapproachnewtechniquesandchallenges?

KnowledgeIsNotMeanttoBeKnown,buttoBeAppliedToknowsomethingdeeply,you'llhavetoengagewithitonaconsistentbasiswhilegivingyourselfplentyofopportunitiesforself-reflectionandobjectivefeedback.Knowledgeiscumulative.Thegreatestmindsandmostskilledathletesofourtimedidn'tbecomethatwaybyscouringsocialmediaorreadingbooks—theyputinthetimetomakemeaningoftheirthedatathatwasrelevanttotheirstudies.

Truelearningisnotalwayseasy.You'llexperiencestrugglesasyoutacklenewchallengesandwadethroughtheephemeraoftheDigitalAge.Ifyoucanfocusyoureffortsandmakedeliberatechoicesaboutyourlearning,youcannavigatetheabundanceofresourcestomakemeaningfulgainsinyourlife.


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HowtoProgramYourMindtoKicktheBadHabitAsyou'rereadingthis,youmaybecheckingyourphoneorFacebook,slouchinginyourchair,orsnackingwithoutthinking.Perhapsyou'rereadingthisrightbeforebedtimeeventhoughyouknowthatthelightfromyourelectronicscannegativelyimpactyoursleeppattern.((LiveScience:HowBlueLEDsAffectSleep))

Weareallguiltyofsomeofthesethingsfromtimetotime.

TheLove-HateRelationshipWithBadHabitsHavingbadhabitsdoesn'tmakesomeoneabadperson—evenifyouareawarethatyourbehaviorcouldhaveanegativeimpactonyourhealthorwell-being.Ifyouarehavingtroublemakingachange,you'relikelytellingyourselfoneoftwothings:

I'vebeen[insertyourhabithere]forsuchalongtime,anditdoesn'tseemtobeaffectingmylifethatmuch.Itwouldtaketoomuchefforttoquit,andIdon'tthinkit'snecessary.I'vebeendoingthisforsolongthatIdon'tknowanyotherwaytofunction.Idon'tthinkthatIcanquit.

Badhabitshavebecomesoingrainedineverydaybehaviorsthatitisboundtobetoughtochangethem.Theseroutinesaresuchapartoflifethatevenknowingthepotentialnegativeimpactsmightnotbeenoughtochangethem.((MedicalDaily:HowHabitsAreFormedandWhyThey'reSoHardtoChange))

Forexample,astressfulphonecallatworkcouldbeatriggerforyou.Thestressmightmakeyouwanttoeatanentirebagofchips.Thatbagofchipsgaveyousomelevelofsatisfaction.Therewardishappeningonachemicalandhormonallevelinyourbody.Eventhoughyouknowthatsnackingexcessivelyisunhealthy,yourbodymaycravejunkfoodwheneveryouareunderstress.((HarvardHealthPublications:Whystresscausespeopletoovereat))Beforeyouknowit,forgoodorforill,you'veinitiatedtheprocessofhabit-formation.((NPR:Habits:HowTheyFormandHowtoBreakThem))Oftentimes,thisversionofautopilotisaformofescape.

Maybeyousmokebecauseyoufeelthatithelpstorelieveyourstress.Perhapsyouslouchchronicallybecauseyouarefatigued,anditseemseasiertoslumpoverthansitupstraight.Badhabitsprovidewithsomeformofcomfortwhichcanmakethemtoughtobreak.


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https://www.livescience.com/53874-blue-light-sleep.htmlhttp://www.medicaldaily.com/how-habits-are-formed-and-why-theyre-so-hard-change-298372http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeathttp://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147192599/habits-how-they-form-and-how-to-break-them

ImagineIhadtwooffersforyou,thefirstofferwasgivingyou100dollarstoday,andthesecondofferwasgivingyou1000dollarsbutonly7yearslater.Whichofferwouldyoutake?Eventhoughyouknowthatyoucangetmoremoneyifyouwait,you'relikelytotakethefirstofferbecauseyoudon'tliketodelaythereward.

Instantgratificationhasalwaysbeenthegreatestenemywhenitcomestobreakingbadhabits.Knowingsomethingcanhaveanegativeeffectisneverenoughtomakesomeonequit.Badhabitsexistbecausetheyareactuallymakingpeoplefeelgood.

HowtoBreakupWithBadHabitsHerearethreeprovenstepstogetoverbadhabitsonceandforall.

1.Takeyourmindaway.

Afteryou'vemadeupyourmindtoquit,andyou'vefoundyouralternative,committoquittingyourbadhabitsbygoingmindlesseverytimeabadhabittriggerappears.((Bustle:7TipsOnHowToBreakABadHabitAndReplaceItWithAGoodOne))Committingtochangemeansthatyoucan'tmakeexcusesandyoucan'tgiveyourselfanyroomtoconvinceyourselfwhyyoucanjustskipitonce.Don'tthinkwhetheryoushoulddothebadhabitornot,justdon'tdoitnomatterwhat.

Forexample,ifyouwanttoeliminateyourincessantslouchingatwork,youhavetotellyourselfthatyouaren'tgoingtoslouchwhileyou'reworkingnomatterwhat.Juststicktosittingupstraight,noexcusesonwhyyoucanslouchforawhile.

2.Besuperawarewhetheryouhavedonethebadhabiteveryday.

Writedownhowthingsaregoingwithyourcommitment.((HuffPost:5UnexpectedWaysToBreakABadHabit))It'seasytolosetrackofprogressifyoudon'tmakeanoteofyourbehaviors.

Youareboundtoslipupwhenyouareturningoveranewleaf.Writingdownyourbehaviorsmightrevealpatternsrelatedtothesemomentsofweakness.Ifyoucanspotthepattern,youmaybeabletodisruptit.

3.Haveastrictrewardandpunishmentsystem.


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http://www.lifehack.org/353923/instant-gratification-short-lived-you-should-aim-for-long-term-goalshttps://www.bustle.com/articles/139504-7-tips-on-how-to-break-a-bad-habit-replace-it-with-a-good-onehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/break-bad-habits_n_6438748.html

Rewardyourselfwhenyoustickwithyourcommitment.Maybeyouwillallowyourselftotakeafive-minutedancebreakoreatacookiewithyourlunchinexchangefornotmindlesslychompingonsnacksatyourdesk.Yourrewarddoesn'thavetobecostly,butitshouldbevaluabletoyou.Theonlystipulationisthatyoucan'trewardyourgoodbehaviorwiththebadhabit.

Designateaconsequenceforengaginginthenegativehabit.Theconsequencedoesn'tneedtobeemotionallydamaging.Itjustneedstocauseenoughdiscomfortorinconveniencetomakeyouthinktwiceaboutfallingintooldpatterns.

Peoplehavebeendoingthisfordecadeswiththe"swearjar."((Lifehacker:TopTenWaysToBreakBadHabits))Everytimetheysayabadword,theyhavetosacrificemoneytothejar.Youcouldcomeupwithyourownversionoftheswearjarorfindsomeotherconsequencethatwillmotivateyoutostayontheproperpath.Maybeeverydaythatyousnackoncandyatyourdesk,youhavetotakeyourfriendouttoahealthylunch.Havingtoincurthisextracostandeffortwillkeepyouaccountable.

Yoursystemofrewardsandconsequencesaretransactionsthatcanhelpyoueliminateyourbadhabitsandautomatethegoodones.

TrainYourselfLikeaDog(foraGoodCause)Ultimately,you'llwanttotrainyourselftodotherightthingsthewaythatPavlov'sdogssalivatedautomaticallywhentheyheardabellring.((SimplyPsychology:Pavlov'sDogs))Thedogssalivated(theirroutine)withoutthinkingbecausetheyhadbeenclassicallyconditionedtoassociatethesoundofthebellringing(atrigger)withfood(theirreward).

Don'tletafearoffailurestandinyourway.Evenifyouhavebeenengagedinabadhabitforyears,itisstillpossibletoeliminatetheunhealthybehavior.Knowthatitmaynotbeeasyatfirst,buteventuallythegoodhabitwillbecomeyournaturalresponsetothetrigger.Thecommitmenttobreakbadhabitscouldleadyoutoahealthierandmoresuccessfulfuture.Thechangecanstarttoday.


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http://lifehacker.com/top-10-ways-to-break-bad-habits-1694247761https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html

RememberMorewiththeSecondBrainYourwholelifedependsonyoubeingabletoretrievethingsfromyourmemory.

I'msureyouknowwhatImean..."Wherearemykeys?""WhatmajortasksdoIneedtocompletetoday?""WhattimeisthatmeetingIneedtoattend?"

Questionssuchasthesebombardourmindsdaily.Ifyou'reabletorecalltherelevantinformation,you'llkeepyourlifeontrack.However,ifyoufailtorecalltheinformation-yourlifewillstarttomoveinaconfusedandunproductivedirection.

We'dalllovetoboostourmemories,butoftenwegoaboutitinthewrongway.It'snotabouthowmuchinformationwecanabsorbintoourminds,buthoweasilywecanretrievethisinformation(whichmostpeoplearen'tgoodat).

InformationOverload=MemoryFailureWeliveinaninformationage,whereourmindsarebesieged24/7byfacts,figures,news,dramaandtrends.

Tomaintainourstandingamongourpeers,mostofusstriveinvaintokeepup-to-datewitheverythingfrommusictomoviestopolitics.

It'sanever-endingwhirlpoolofinformation.Andifyoutrytorememberallofthisinformation-you'relikelytofindthatyourmindbecomessofullthatyoubegintolosetheabilitytothinkclearly.

Informationoverloadisamodern-dayplague.Andyourmemoryislikelytobeoneoftheplague'svictims.

Forexample,whenyouwereyounger,youmayhavelovedtosingalongwithyourfavoritesongs.Sadly,asyou'vegrownolder,you'vestartedtoforgetthewordstothesongs.Themoreyoutrytorecallthewords-thefurtherfromyourmindtheyseemtobe.It'sfrustrating,andhasprobablyblightedapastimethatyouusedtolove.

Coulditbethatovertheyears,you'vetriedtorememberjusttoomanysongs?Perhaps.

Asyou'llseebelow,continuallyoverloadingyourmemory,canleadtorecallissuesandembarrassingsocialinteractions.

It'sontheTipofMyTongue,But...


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Itcanbedistressingwhentheflowofourconversationisblockedbyourinabilitytorecallinformation.Andthiscanbeespeciallytraumaticifittakesplaceduringaformalworkenvironment.

Forinstance,imaginethatyou'redoingapresentationatworktosomepotentialclients.You'vecreatedPowerPointslidestoguideyouthroughyourpresentation,butthebulkofthemessageyou'rehopingtoconveyisheldinthememorybanksofyourmind.Youstartyourpresentationpositively,butafterafewawkwardquestionsfromoneoftheclients,younoticeyourconfidenceslipping-andyourrecallabilityfallingtoo!Suddenly,factsandfiguresseemoutofyourgrasp.You'restuttering,andrapidlylosingtheattentionoftheaudience.Toputitanotherway:you'representationhasgonedownthepan!

Storingtonsofinformationinyourmemoryisworthlessifyou'reunabletorecallthepartsyouneed-atthetimeyouneedthem.Luckily,there'sawaytogiveyourphysicalmemorysomemuch-neededbreathingspace.

HowtoLeta'DigitalBrain'TaketheStrain

Ourphysicalbrainscanonlyofferusalimitedamountofmemorystorageandrecallabilities.Theselimitsusedtobesufficient,butasmentionedearlier,wenowliveinaninformationage,whereourabilitytoabsorbandrecallinformationhasbeenstretchedbeyondournormalcapabilities.

What'stheanswertothisproblem?Well,youcouldstartbygivingsomeofthisstoringandrecallingworktoadigitalbrain.

Bythis,Idon'tmeanyoushouldturnyourselfintoacyborg.Infact,theonlythingyou'llbeturningyourselfintoisasuper-efficientandproductiveversionofyourself!

I'vecalleditadigitalbrain,butyou'llknowitsimplyasdigitaloronlinestorage.Andyou'resuretorecognizesomeofthetools:

AirtableDropboxEvernoteGoogleDrivePocket

Theabovesoftware(andothersimilarones)allowsyoutostore,organize,andeasilyretrieveinformation.Forexample,Pocketletsyoucaptureblogs,newsandvideosintoadigitalpocketbook.Thisisachievedthroughaone-clickprocess.Oncethecontentiswithinyourpocketbook,youcanretrieveandviewitatanytime.Clearly,thisisfarmoreefficientthantryingtorememberwhichstoriesyou'veseenearlierintheday-buthadn'thadchancetoread/watch.


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Insteadoftryingtoremembereverythingwithyourphysicalbrain,beginmovingoversomeoftheinformationtoyourdigitalbrain.Whichevertool(ortools)youdecidetouse,you'llimmediatelybeabletotakeadvantageofthefollowingbenefits:

Youcanstoreasmuchinformationasyouwish.(Freeplansmayofferonlylimitedstorage.)Youcaneasilyorganizeandprioritizethestoredinformation.Thestoredinformationisavailableinaninstant,24/7,365daysayear.

Comparedtorelying100percentonyourphysicalbrain,theadditionofadigitalbrainwillhelpyouimmensely.You'llbeabletodeterminewhattostore,whatnottostore,andwhentoretrieveinformation.You'llalsobeabletouseadigitalbraintohelpyouwithyour

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