Personal Development
Time Management has become a big topic lately. We are constantly trying to do more work, take on more activities, and spend more time with our friends and families. There are a number of techniques you can do to get things done quicker: eliminate unnecessary tasks, make the necessary tasks more efficient, only take on items you really care about, etc. Another one is to do learn your bodies schedule and put it to use.
Every one’s body works differently and functions better at different times. For instance, I find that I am productive in the morning, much less productive in the afternoon, and most creative just before bed. In fact, most of my great ideas and motivations come once I lay down to go to sleep.
Once I figured this out, I was able to get a lot more done and actually spend less time doing it. I try to complete as many of the difficult tasks in the morning when I find it easy to focus and concentrate. I take a rest in the afternoon or complete the tasks that don’t take much mind power. In the evening, I tend to read and study when my mind is most free. I also keep a pen and pad next to my bed so I can write down all the ideas that come. With out it I tend to forget it by morning.
Give it a try. If you feel totally unmotivated, try completing it at the different time and see if it goes better. Once you have your system done you will be able to accomplish more work quicker and easier.
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3 Days ago I took delivery of a 1993 Honda Today. A used car I had bought from a very small dealership. After cleaning the entire car the following day, I decided to drive it to the super market as well as fill up the gas. Unfortunately, the engine cranked only a few times before the battery died and I was left in disappointment.
The following day I went back to the dealership and borrowed some jumper cables to charge the battery. However, even after charging the battery the car still wouldn’t start. As I mentioned, the car was very low on gas so I figured maybe it had run out of gas from the dealership to my house. We called the gas station and one of the station employees brought $10 worth of gas to my house. Unfortunately, the car still didn’t start and I had no tools at all. To my surprise, the attendant said he would get some tools and be back in about 10 minutes.
He spent about 15-20 minutes cleaing plugs and checking wires (while continuously charging the battery) and the car finally started. When I asked how much, he told me it was the service that came with the gas. I didn’t know what to say. Since I had to buy a new battery, I made sure to stop by and fill up the rest of my tank at his gas station. Due to the extra service I received, I will continue to use this gas station whenever possible for as long as I am here.
When you surpass someones expectations, you shock them. That shock makes you stand out from your competition and makes them remember you. Most businesses tend to compete on price, better product, or quicker service. The problem is that these don’t break the expectations. They leave no “shock value”. Nothing to make the customer think your product or service is different. People expect the product to be better and cheaper. What they don’t expect is the coffee shop that offers to wash your car while you wait or the car salesman that’s totally honest.
This doesn’t just hold true for companies. This same thing applies with your job and even with your relationships. Seth Godin, one of the top selling athors on marketing recently wrote a post tilted “The Marketer’s Attitude” discussing what he would look for in a good marketer. Basically, things that are out of the norm and exceptional. As Seth Godin says, “They’ve seen it all before“. What will make you stand out? Are you the employee who uses less budget and gets more done or the one who does the average? Are you the friend who always shows up late or the friend who never forgets to send a birthday card?
If you want to stand out, you need to be exceptional!
Other helpful posts on being different
Presentation Zen on A Whole New Way of Presenting
And of course, be sure to read The Purple Cow. A great book on standing out from your competition.
A new job, losing your job, moving to a new location, unexpected expenses, illnesses, automobile breaking down, flight delayed or canceled. There are a number of unexpected changes that happen everyday in our lives. Some we can work to prevent and some we have no control over at all. All we can really do is manage them the best we can and accept that they will continue to keep happening.
Sometimes we need change in our lives. What may seem like a disaster could actually turn out to be one of the best things in your life. Your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere allows you to meet the perfect companion or being fired from a job allows you to finally start the career you always wanted to do. It’s easy to feel that all the bad things happen to you and just give up. The people who get a head are the ones who accept the changes and find the opportunities in them. Like the old saying goes, “turn lemons into lemonade”.
Prepare for Change
Some changes can be controlled by planning ahead. If your car is getting old then you replace it before it breaks down. Putting away a large amount of your earning each month allows you to not worry about losing your job. Try to think about the worst outcome of each situation and you can generally find a way to prevent or counteract it.
Keep an Open Mind
There is a great book titled “Who Moved My Cheese” that talks about how change will happen whether we like it or not. The book has 2 humans and two mice stuck in a maze eating cheese. The humans get used to eating the cheese and make plans that it will always be there. They build their house close to it and believe they deserve the cheese. The mice on the other hand eat the cheese , but also continue to search for more cheese in the maze. When the cheese gets low, the mice leave to find a better place. The humans keep eating until one day they are surprised to find there is no cheese.
Keep an open mind to change. Change can be scary because the outcome is unknown, it can also bring better benefits. The next cheese you find may be much tastier and larger than the one you are eating right now. Embrace change and you will find it’s not so bad.
Find the Opportunity
Things won’t always turn out how you planned. I went to Tokyo after graduation thinking I had found the perfect job. Instead I woke up in what seemed like a nightmare. But I was able to learn a lot from it about what I wanted out of work and eventually found something much better. I later found that I didn’t enjoy living in Tokyo as much as I had hoped, but I was able to use the experience I had there to move to a better place. Having constant unexpected expenses in college taught me to be a much better spender with my money. Being turned down at one apartment allowed me to find a much better one with a cheaper price.
The point is that when bad things happen they seem horrible. If you look at it for opportunities you can usually find at least one. It may just be one of these opportunities that makes the best changes in your life.
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Finding Happiness by Living Outside the Norm