Quicklink: Increase productivity by speeding up Your Computer
When it comes to productivity….one of the easiest ways to improve and optimize things is…anything that’s already automated. Streamlining automated processes can end up saving a lot of time really quickly…
And if you feel that your computer slows you down and decreases your productivity at times, here’s a quick link for you..
Nothing to sell you on that site…just a lot of really cool tips. I suggest starting with their 50 lightweight applications and seeing if there’s something on that list that can be used.
I recently switched from iTunes to Songbird and the speed increase has been pretty significant.
Also, using aMSN instead of MSN messenger reduces the memory used up by quite a bit. aMSN is fully functional and without all the random features that you probably don’t use anyway!
Take a look at the list…a lot of really good tips there.
Do let me know what you think of it : -)
Popularity: 28% [?]
How to Use Mini Vacations to compel Yourself to Get Things Done
Have you ever had the joy of procrastinating on a really boring task?
….How did it feel?
Well, you may have enjoyed not having to do the task but chances are….that procrastination took up a bit of your sleep, took you on guilt trips and stressed you out a little…
Isn’t that what procrastination is like? Kind of like Caffeine..you feel slightly good when you do it and then you sit back and have to deal with all the “after effects”..
And when it comes to procrastination there are tons and tons of reasons why we procrastinate…today’s topic is procrastination caused by boring tasks…And let’s face it…boredom is probably one of the biggest causes of procrastination (and it’s the one that’s most often ignored too!)
So..you have a task, that is slightly (or immensely) boring and you need to get it done …you’ve got it in your agenda and planned everything but when it comes to execution…something’s not working around there…
What do you do?
Freak out? (..maybe just a little 
)
How about using this little tip?
Mini Vacations
I don’t know about you but I love mini vacations. It feels incredibly good to be able to declare a day a “holiday”…
I hear ya….Saturdays and Sundays are technically “holidays”..but let me ask you something…how many of your weekends have been a true holiday?
It just seems weekends mean more stress, more stuff to get done, more bills to pay, more laundry to do..doesn’t it?
Would you like weekends where you get to simply relax and do nothing?!?
I sure do! And I call those weekends my “mini vacations”
Here’s what I do during my “mini vacations”
- I stay away from work 100%…I don’t even think about my projects, my emails or the people I’m waiting on or the people who’ve annoyed me
- I don’t do laundry, bills or anything that sounds “boring” or like a chore
- I sit back and watch movies or read books (fiction)
- I do what I’d like to be doing not what I *should* be doing…
And that’s what makes the mini vacations good…getting rid of the *shoulds* and the pressure to produce results..
Sound like a good idea?
If you like the idea of a mini vacation…just hang tight, that’s our topic for this week…but for today if you think the whole thing sounds like rubbish…here’s another attempt at getting you to try the concept..
It’s one of those things like a clear and empty head, you don’t get to see how good it feels until you experience it once…
So, try it out…just once and I’ll guarantee you..you’ll love it!
How many mini vacations
Ok…this depends on your schedule..If you’re too busy with things falling out of place everywhere let me be honest and say you might be able to squeeze in one every two or three months..
If you have things under control (at least on the weekends) you maybe able to squeeze in a couple each month..
How taking Mini Vacations can make you more productive
There is one condition to taking mini vacations…are you ready?
You get to take mini vacations only when you’ve been good all week…i.e. when you’ve been productive all week and got your most important tasks done…
Why?
Because frankly, even if you do take a mini vacations when you have tons of things that are behind schedule or when things aren’t working..you’re just not going to enjoy it!
And when it comes to dealing with boring tasks that make you want to procrastinate…enjoyment is the most important thing!
You need to be able to look at the boring task and say…”Yeah, I’ll hate this BUT when I get it done…I get to take a mini vacation which is going to be a ton of fun”
So..there you have it…
If you’re sick and tired of boring tasks…pump in some excitement with mini vacations..
Popularity: 25% [?]
Top 3 Barriers to Personal Growth and What to do about them…
So you’ve decided you like this ‘personal growth and development thing’ and want to get started with it? Well, as exciting as personal development — being your best and enjoying each day is….it doesn’t come without a price!
And it does take time to apply personal development strategies and get results from them!
Here’s how personal development ‘works out’ for most people (Hey, I did this for a long time too!) …they come across a book, pick out a technique or two and then one of these 3 barriers to personal growth kicks in..
1. Skeptical Family and Friends…
Alright this isn’t something a lot of people want to talk about…definitely not a topic for a polite conversation on achieving your goals…
But here’s the reality…when you get started with personal development there is a change (a big chance if your family and friends aren’t involved in personal growth) that you will encounter some resistance from them.
They might call you a maniac or label you a ‘crazy dreamer’…that’s OK
You can get support from others who are into personal development and understand where you are coming from..
This doesn’t mean start hating your family… I’ve seen too many people do that. Just talk to them and see if you can find ‘common grounds’.
2. Lack of results
There are no magic pills out there when it comes to improving your abilities and finding the success you’re looking for…
Way too many people give up because they don’t see the results they’re looking for when they’re looking for it…
The solution here is to have patience..
Now, when I say “have patience”…please understand that I don’t mean keep doing the thing that isn’t working — instead, figure out what’s not working and figure out if you can fix it…
3. Lack of systems
When I started out trying various strategies to improve my skills, cultivate new habits etc…this is the one I struggled with the most!
You get excited about something say improving how you spend your time…you read up a few cool tips and want to implement them into your life..
That’s all sweet and amazing isn’t it?
Well, here’s the problem…
There is a difference between tips and systems.. A lot of times small tips will help you make massive changes but if you want the changes to stick around or if you want something that’s consistent and delivers you results day in and day out….you’ll want to look out for (or create) systems that will help you get the results you want..
Technorati Tags: time management, personal development, barriers to personal growth, self growth
Popularity: 65% [?]