Do you want to be more successful? Many successful entrepreneurs
share similar ideals and routines which play an intrinsic part in their
success.
Here we look at 8 routines and beliefs successful entrepreneurs use every day.
1. They Have A Morning Routine
Author Laura Vanderkam extensively studied the schedules of various
high achievers. She found one thing that they had in common; they got up
early, and almost all of them also had a morning routine. Richard Branson is also an advocate of embracing the morning. Getting up early has lots of benefits. You get the chance to be
available and present before demands are made of you, and before you
need to start working on your goals. This can improve your mood, as you
feel in control of your life. Getting up and completing your morning routine will help you to feel
confident and in control, ready to handle the challenges that the day
throws at you.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Consider scheduling
tasks you would normally do in the evening in the morning instead. For
instance, try exercising before you go to work to help you feel
revitalized and productive.
2. They Don’t Panic When Things Go Slightly Wrong
Many people start to feel stressed and anxious when things don’t go
exactly to plan, but these things can happen on a daily basis.
Successful people realize they cannot control everything, and anticipate
mistakes. Dealing with problems is a big part of being a successful
entrepreneur. Plan for mistakes, and you will deal with them rationally
and efficiently as they arise.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Factor In time every
day to help you deal with any problems that arise. Half an hour at the
end of your working day is ideal, as it means you can focus on the tasks
you want to complete during the day.
3. They Work When They Don’t Have To
First thing in the morning, the evenings and the weekend are all
times that most people are not working. However, you could be wasting
your productivity. Many successful entrepreneurs will work whenever
inspiration strikes, as they know they will be more productive then than
later. If you have a great pitch for work, strike while the iron is hot and get working – even if you’re not in work.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Plan two hours work you
will do during your free time, from replying to emails to making
important calls. This will help you to get ahead and stay ahead.
4. They Do Important Work First
Many people arrive at the office and start their day with the little tasks, like emailing and admin. However, our brains are sharpest earlier in the day, so this is the best time to tackle the more creative work that challenges you. If you don’t get the opportunity to work on your chosen tasks first
thing, take matters into your own hands; do the work from home, or come
into work early.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Set your schedule for
the next day while you are still at work. Plan your most important tasks
for first thing in the morning, and then respond to your emails before
lunch to guarantee a productive day.
5. They Keep Their Full Schedules In One Place
“It’s crucial to make sure you record all your meetings and
appointments in one place instead of having them scattered throughout
different calendars, notebooks, and apps,” says Alexandra Weiss, a
partner at CA Creative in New York. Instead of planning parts of your schedule on your phone, laptop,
work computer and notepad, gather everything together on one device. It
won’t seem intimidating – it will seem clearer and easier for you to
understand. You don’t have to worry about fitting everything in, as you
can see your full schedule and arrange it as you please.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Choose the device you
are most comfortable with and use the most, whether it is your
smartphone or a notebook. Keep it on you all day while you are at work,
so you can adjust your plans accordingly throughout the day.
6. They Understand Teamwork
Many of the most successful companies in the world were started with
teamwork; Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Apple was
founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and Paypal was started by a
team of five. Being successful is rarely about being completely independent –
successful people are able to work with others, able to compromise, and
accept other ideas.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: If you work in a team
alongside others, schedule an email chain with your co-workers. Make a
note to email your co-workers at lunchtime if you do work on a project
for feedback. This will help your team to feel involved, encouraging
them to share their opinions and get involved.
7. They Take Their Work Seriously
Successful entrepreneurs truly believe in their work and see value in
what they do. It is difficult to work productively and become
successful if you don’t believe in your work. It is important to stay motivated and not to get side tracked by
people who don’t believe in you – remember that if you believe in your
work, you shouldn’t need the reassurance of others.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: At the end of your
working week, set aside half an hour to review your goals and dreams,
and see how you are progressing towards them. This will help you to
achieve your goals, but more importantly – it will encourage you to
truly believe in your goals.
8. They Relax When They Are Done
Worrying about work while you’re not there can run you down, and
actually make you less productive when you start again. Author Tim
Ferris recommends writing down your working goal for tomorrow when you
finish work, as this will help you to feel motivated for the next day –
so you can actually switch off for now, and enjoy your evening.
How To Adjust Your Schedule: Write down three goals
you want to achieve during your next working day. Write down how you
will achieve them too, as this will help you to feel focused, so you
can switch off and enjoy your down time. Source
Everyone should have the same opportunity to learn and achieve their ambitions in life, in their communities and at work. Because our business is to look at what works and what doesn’t in
learning, skills and employment, we have direct experience of the
“wrongs to be righted”. And we have the evidence to back up our
recommendations. That’s why, as well as delivering Adult Learners’ Week
(now in its 24th year), we campaign, lobby and advocate on behalf of
learners of all kinds, especially those at most disadvantage. In the recent years, we have campaigned to:
Highlight the unintended impact of 24+ Advanced Learning Loans for apprenticeships
Gain support for an Apprentice Charter that would benefit apprentices and employers
Support people in low pay to progress in their careers
Help marginalised learners to access better opportunities through the Equality, Diversity and Innovation Fund
Help adults improve their literacy and discover a love of reading, through our continued support for Quick Reads
Help adults improve their numeracy with the Maths Everywhere App
Deliver Community Learning Champions – supporting volunteers who help adults to learn
Help people plan for a longer working life through our Mid-life Career Review
Reach deprived and marginalized learners, through our management of the Community Learning Innovation Fund
Encourage schools to use the Pupil Premium for family learning – something we know has a dramatic impact on children’s and parents’ learning
Ensure Trainee ships are available to older learners link to the following news story on the new website please
Raise awareness of the needs of both young adult carers and care leavers
We want to work with anyone who is as passionate about learning and addressing disadvantage as we are. So if you develop policy, inform opinion or develop learning and
skills practice, or if you just care about learning, we want to
challenge your thinking, engage you in debate, and encourage you to
advocate alongside us, so that everyone can benefit from lifelong
learning.
Implement Your Chosen Coping Strategies
Stress is common in our everyday lives. For the purposes of improving
overall productivity and lowering stress, it is important to manage
your time effectively, plan your day, and prioritize task demands. At
the same time, it is highly beneficial, and recommended that you work on
developing and have various coping strategies available to you; their
regular use will help keep stress levels down. If you are currently
feeling overwhelmed by this process, you may consider setting up a
consultation with a licensed mental health clinician. - See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it. Rather, it's how we think about and approach our tasks, duties, and
responsibilities - and the level of significance that we ascribe to
their completion which can cause some of us considerable anxiety.
Ultimately we may forget to do things, choose to ignore our
responsibilities, or do them in a haphazard fashion. Even worse, we can
become clinically depressed. In order to remain healthy, we should always consider the importance
and value of our priorities. In our personal and professional lives,
however, many of us want to accomplish multiple goals at once. Often
times, we don't care to work toward them in an incremental or step-wise
fashion. - See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it. Rather, it's how we think about and approach our tasks, duties, and
responsibilities - and the level of significance that we ascribe to
their completion which can cause some of us considerable anxiety.
Ultimately we may forget to do things, choose to ignore our
responsibilities, or do them in a haphazard fashion. Even worse, we can
become clinically depressed. In order to remain healthy, we should always consider the importance
and value of our priorities. In our personal and professional lives,
however, many of us want to accomplish multiple goals at once. Often
times, we don't care to work toward them in an incremental or step-wise
fashion. - See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
First Things First: A Mindful Approach to Choosing Our Priorities at Home and Work
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it. Rather, it's how we think about and approach our tasks, duties, and
responsibilities - and the level of significance that we ascribe to
their completion which can cause some of us considerable anxiety.
Ultimately we may forget to do things, choose to ignore our
responsibilities, or do them in a haphazard fashion. Even worse, we can
become clinically depressed. In order to remain healthy, we should always consider the importance
and value of our priorities. In our personal and professional lives,
however, many of us want to accomplish multiple goals at once. Often
times, we don't care to work toward them in an incremental or step-wise
fashion.
Self-Imposed Stress From "Taking On Too Much"
For these reasons, try to think about what you're doing and why. Ask
such questions as "Is it really important that this gets done now or can
it wait?" Essentially we must be more mindful of our own
thought processes. This is a very deliberate and intentional practice
requiring substantial mental focus. We need to know and be more
connected with our ideas, expectations, and intentions, particularly
those that will advance us toward our goals. Thinking in a more purposeful manner will decrease your experience of
stress. Specifically, it relaxes you, allows you to be more flexible /
revise goals as necessary, and decreases anxiety.
Prioritize And Plan Your Day
Know yourself well! Specifically, understand your strengths and weaknesses, including your unique work habits.
In all situations, time will dictate what happens next. You will
improve your efficiency if you know which tasks you can fit into the
time that is left over once all the major tasks have been completed.
Obviously, larger tasks will have to be broken down into smaller
tasks. For example, you might not have enough time today to write the
report that is due next Tuesday, but you can use the next 20 minutes to
write the introduction while waiting for a meeting to start.
Doing smaller, less significant tasks first (i.e., to lower your
anxiety), is okay, and in many cases desirable. But do them quickly and
without interfering with the important tasks. The important tasks are
the ones that will have serious ramifications if you do not finish them.
This is similar to the fourth point: Procrastination is the
practice of putting off your more important tasks until later, while
completing the less important or more pleasurable tasks first. To some
extent procrastination is normal, even healthy as a coping mechanism to
deal with anxiety about deadlines. But, it can decrease productivity, in
addition to driving up your sense of anxiety, resulting in stress, even
feelings of guilt.
Compartmentalize your efforts. By that I mean that you should try to
keep various assignments and issues separate from each other. Isolated
and focus only on those details necessary to complete a task.
Concentrate on the task before you, and don't let your mind wander,
i.e., thinking about what you have to do next. Learn to say "no" to
anything that doesn't deserve your immediate focus or time. By not
allowing yourself to be derailed by non-essential thoughts or details,
you will greatly increase your overall accuracy and cut down on the time
needed to complete assignments or home-related chores and activities.
Multi-task whenever necessary, provided the other activities don't
diminish your ability to focus or return your attention to the task
before you.
Know which assignments require more attention to detail and which do
not. This might be difficult if you are a perfectionist, but you will
save much time, while freeing yourself up to complete other items on
your list.
Be able to recognize when your anxiety or stress level is going up. Have a plan for how you will decompress.
When you get home from work, give yourself permission to switch
gears between work and family mode. Try to be present and mindful of the
fact that you're at home. You can remind yourself that whatever it is
that your mind keeps drifting back to regarding work can wait until
tomorrow. Also, remind yourself how continually thinking about work
while you're at home can have serious health consequences for your
physical and emotional functioning.
Implement Your Chosen Coping Strategies
Stress is common in our everyday lives. For the purposes of improving
overall productivity and lowering stress, it is important to manage
your time effectively, plan your day, and prioritize task demands. At
the same time, it is highly beneficial, and recommended that you work on
developing and have various coping strategies available to you; their
regular use will help keep stress levels down. If you are currently
feeling overwhelmed by this process, you may consider setting up a
consultation with a licensed mental health clinician.
- See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
First Things First: A Mindful Approach to Choosing Our Priorities at Home and Work
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it. Rather, it's how we think about and approach our tasks, duties, and
responsibilities - and the level of significance that we ascribe to
their completion which can cause some of us considerable anxiety.
Ultimately we may forget to do things, choose to ignore our
responsibilities, or do them in a haphazard fashion. Even worse, we can
become clinically depressed. In order to remain healthy, we should always consider the importance
and value of our priorities. In our personal and professional lives,
however, many of us want to accomplish multiple goals at once. Often
times, we don't care to work toward them in an incremental or step-wise
fashion.
Self-Imposed Stress From "Taking On Too Much"
For these reasons, try to think about what you're doing and why. Ask
such questions as "Is it really important that this gets done now or can
it wait?" Essentially we must be more mindful of our own
thought processes. This is a very deliberate and intentional practice
requiring substantial mental focus. We need to know and be more
connected with our ideas, expectations, and intentions, particularly
those that will advance us toward our goals. Thinking in a more purposeful manner will decrease your experience of
stress. Specifically, it relaxes you, allows you to be more flexible /
revise goals as necessary, and decreases anxiety.
Prioritize And Plan Your Day
Know yourself well! Specifically, understand your strengths and weaknesses, including your unique work habits.
In all situations, time will dictate what happens next. You will
improve your efficiency if you know which tasks you can fit into the
time that is left over once all the major tasks have been completed.
Obviously, larger tasks will have to be broken down into smaller
tasks. For example, you might not have enough time today to write the
report that is due next Tuesday, but you can use the next 20 minutes to
write the introduction while waiting for a meeting to start.
Doing smaller, less significant tasks first (i.e., to lower your
anxiety), is okay, and in many cases desirable. But do them quickly and
without interfering with the important tasks. The important tasks are
the ones that will have serious ramifications if you do not finish them.
This is similar to the fourth point: Procrastination is the
practice of putting off your more important tasks until later, while
completing the less important or more pleasurable tasks first. To some
extent procrastination is normal, even healthy as a coping mechanism to
deal with anxiety about deadlines. But, it can decrease productivity, in
addition to driving up your sense of anxiety, resulting in stress, even
feelings of guilt.
Compartmentalize your efforts. By that I mean that you should try to
keep various assignments and issues separate from each other. Isolated
and focus only on those details necessary to complete a task.
Concentrate on the task before you, and don't let your mind wander,
i.e., thinking about what you have to do next. Learn to say "no" to
anything that doesn't deserve your immediate focus or time. By not
allowing yourself to be derailed by non-essential thoughts or details,
you will greatly increase your overall accuracy and cut down on the time
needed to complete assignments or home-related chores and activities.
Multi-task whenever necessary, provided the other activities don't
diminish your ability to focus or return your attention to the task
before you.
Know which assignments require more attention to detail and which do
not. This might be difficult if you are a perfectionist, but you will
save much time, while freeing yourself up to complete other items on
your list.
Be able to recognize when your anxiety or stress level is going up. Have a plan for how you will decompress.
When you get home from work, give yourself permission to switch
gears between work and family mode. Try to be present and mindful of the
fact that you're at home. You can remind yourself that whatever it is
that your mind keeps drifting back to regarding work can wait until
tomorrow. Also, remind yourself how continually thinking about work
while you're at home can have serious health consequences for your
physical and emotional functioning.
Implement Your Chosen Coping Strategies
Stress is common in our everyday lives. For the purposes of improving
overall productivity and lowering stress, it is important to manage
your time effectively, plan your day, and prioritize task demands. At
the same time, it is highly beneficial, and recommended that you work on
developing and have various coping strategies available to you; their
regular use will help keep stress levels down. If you are currently
feeling overwhelmed by this process, you may consider setting up a
consultation with a licensed mental health clinician.
- See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
First Things First: A Mindful Approach to Choosing Our Priorities at Home and Work
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it. Rather, it's how we think about and approach our tasks, duties, and
responsibilities - and the level of significance that we ascribe to
their completion which can cause some of us considerable anxiety.
Ultimately we may forget to do things, choose to ignore our
responsibilities, or do them in a haphazard fashion. Even worse, we can
become clinically depressed. In order to remain healthy, we should always consider the importance
and value of our priorities. In our personal and professional lives,
however, many of us want to accomplish multiple goals at once. Often
times, we don't care to work toward them in an incremental or step-wise
fashion.
Self-Imposed Stress From "Taking On Too Much"
For these reasons, try to think about what you're doing and why. Ask
such questions as "Is it really important that this gets done now or can
it wait?" Essentially we must be more mindful of our own
thought processes. This is a very deliberate and intentional practice
requiring substantial mental focus. We need to know and be more
connected with our ideas, expectations, and intentions, particularly
those that will advance us toward our goals. Thinking in a more purposeful manner will decrease your experience of
stress. Specifically, it relaxes you, allows you to be more flexible /
revise goals as necessary, and decreases anxiety.
Prioritize And Plan Your Day
Know yourself well! Specifically, understand your strengths and weaknesses, including your unique work habits.
In all situations, time will dictate what happens next. You will
improve your efficiency if you know which tasks you can fit into the
time that is left over once all the major tasks have been completed.
Obviously, larger tasks will have to be broken down into smaller
tasks. For example, you might not have enough time today to write the
report that is due next Tuesday, but you can use the next 20 minutes to
write the introduction while waiting for a meeting to start.
Doing smaller, less significant tasks first (i.e., to lower your
anxiety), is okay, and in many cases desirable. But do them quickly and
without interfering with the important tasks. The important tasks are
the ones that will have serious ramifications if you do not finish them.
This is similar to the fourth point: Procrastination is the
practice of putting off your more important tasks until later, while
completing the less important or more pleasurable tasks first. To some
extent procrastination is normal, even healthy as a coping mechanism to
deal with anxiety about deadlines. But, it can decrease productivity, in
addition to driving up your sense of anxiety, resulting in stress, even
feelings of guilt.
Compartmentalize your efforts. By that I mean that you should try to
keep various assignments and issues separate from each other. Isolated
and focus only on those details necessary to complete a task.
Concentrate on the task before you, and don't let your mind wander,
i.e., thinking about what you have to do next. Learn to say "no" to
anything that doesn't deserve your immediate focus or time. By not
allowing yourself to be derailed by non-essential thoughts or details,
you will greatly increase your overall accuracy and cut down on the time
needed to complete assignments or home-related chores and activities.
Multi-task whenever necessary, provided the other activities don't
diminish your ability to focus or return your attention to the task
before you.
Know which assignments require more attention to detail and which do
not. This might be difficult if you are a perfectionist, but you will
save much time, while freeing yourself up to complete other items on
your list.
Be able to recognize when your anxiety or stress level is going up. Have a plan for how you will decompress.
When you get home from work, give yourself permission to switch
gears between work and family mode. Try to be present and mindful of the
fact that you're at home. You can remind yourself that whatever it is
that your mind keeps drifting back to regarding work can wait until
tomorrow. Also, remind yourself how continually thinking about work
while you're at home can have serious health consequences for your
physical and emotional functioning.
Implement Your Chosen Coping Strategies
Stress is common in our everyday lives. For the purposes of improving
overall productivity and lowering stress, it is important to manage
your time effectively, plan your day, and prioritize task demands. At
the same time, it is highly beneficial, and recommended that you work on
developing and have various coping strategies available to you; their
regular use will help keep stress levels down. If you are currently
feeling overwhelmed by this process, you may consider setting up a
consultation with a licensed mental health clinician.
- See more at: http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/first-things-first#sthash.w1KwoDKY.dpuf
What's that saying about raising a family? The days are long, but the years are short. That's the carpe diem
sentiment we heard from readers when we asked them to weigh in with
favorite ideas for packing family life full of as much joy as possible.
From hundreds of responses, we selected the best and organized them into
seven categories. As you'll see, the ideas are simple (Make a list of
activities! Draw on the windows!), but the memories created are lasting.
1. They plan together for adventure.
Defeating inertia is easier when you've done a bit of preparation.
These families understand that having a game plan for fun is key to
ensuring that special excursions and activities don't get put off for
"someday."
Encouraging Outings: The Linduski family
keeps an inspirational bulletin board in the entryway of their Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, home, and when one of them spots an article on a
can't-miss destination, he tears it out and pins it up. "There are a few
bigger trips we want to take, like a trip to see redwood trees in
California," explains mom Toni. "But most of the ideas are afternoon
excursions: a zip line tour, a visit to a pumpkin patch, or a hike to a
waterfall."
Seasonal Must-Dos: Every few months, the Carter kids --
Emily, age 11, Jasper, 8, and Natalie, 5 -- sit down with their mom,
Amy, and brain- storm a list of the activities they love. Spring items,
for example, might include planting flowers, going on a scavenger hunt,
and exploring five unfamiliar parks. The Franklin, Indiana, family then
checks off the activities as they do them. "I tend to get wrapped up in
the necessities of life," Amy explains. "The lists make sure we plan
some fun every week."
Letting Chance Decide: The Sanders family of Elk Grove,
California, works together to fill three grab bags with
spur-of-the-moment outing ideas written on index cards. The simplest
activities, such as a picnic in the park, go in one bag; more
time-consuming or costly ones, such as a museum visit, go in another;
and the most involved activities, such as a trip to an amusement park,
go in a third. When they have free time and funds, the family draws a
card from the right bag. There's only one rule, explains mom Barbara:
"Whatever that card says, we do."
2. They turn their home into fun zones.
You don't have to attach a slide to your stairway (though one of our
readers did!), but making room for games, creativity, and plain old
hanging out can make a house a home.
Graffiti Artists: Without handing your
kids spray paint, you can still give them freedom to color their world.
For Kelly Maver, this means keeping a jar of dry- erase markers on the
kitchen window seat so that her daughters can use them on the windows:
"My 9-year-old practices her spelling and makes murals for every season,
and my 2-year-old pretends to write words," explains the Hewitt, New
Jersey, mom, before assuring us, "It wipes right off!"
DIY Turf: The Axlers of Madison, New Jersey, give "home
team" a whole new meaning by making a sports arena of their basement.
Bases and a home plate, yard lines, or goals (depending on the season)
are marked on the green carpet with masking tape. Jordan, age 7, and
Becca, 4, then get their game on with Wiffle bats or soft plastic balls.
Meanwhile, in Dover, Ohio, the Warther family mows part of their lawn
extra-close to make a golf green: "We line holes with sunken soup cans
and add bike- flag markers. The kids and their friends love to practice
their chipping and putting."
Creating a Kid Cave: Kids and hidey-holes are a match made
in heaven. That's what Carolyn Halliburton in Plano, Texas, got to
thinking. Sure, she could use the storage space, but an under-stair
closet in her home practically begged to be a hideout. The family took
out some shelves, painted the walls blue and silver (they're Dallas
Cowboys fans), and hung up dry-erase boards. "We also hung a curtain in
the entrance to make it more secret," says Carolyn. Sons Taylor, age 10,
and Andrew, 8, love to read, play, and draw in there -- and hide out
with friends, of course.
3. They celebrate the little things.
Life's too short to save all the fun for birthdays and big holidays,
say these families, so they look for excuses to add a dose of silliness
to otherwise ordinary weeks. The reason isn't important; what matters is
reveling in togetherness.
Feting the Everyday (And the Off-the-Wall) :
Heather Crosby of Parker, Colorado, observes what she calls "odd
holidays" with her 8-year-old and her 6-year-old twins. "I'll slip
pieces of white chocolate into their lunches on National White Chocolate
Day, and we've played Monopoly on Play Monopoly Day. My kids were not
too fond of National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, though!" The
Thomas family of Willard, North Carolina, turns wacky holidays into
themed dinners, complete with props and costumes. They celebrate Talk
Like a Pirate Day, Fairy Day, and the family favorite, Cave Night. "We
all dress like cavemen, and we serve dinosaur bones, aka ribs." (Tip:
For a list of these special days, do a web search for "Everyday
Holidays.")
Keeping It in the Family: The Smiths of Poway, California,
love to entertain ... themselves. "Every couple of months, we like to
host little parties where we are the only guests," explains mom Joannie.
The three kids, ages 9, 13, and 17, help pick an event -- the Super
Bowl, the Oscars, or simply the release of a much-anticipated DVD --
then they decide on the food (fun appetizers are a favorite) and deck
themselves out in festive clothing. "We get to spend good, quality time
with each other," Joannie says, "and celebrate us as a family."
4. They narrow the gap between playing and learning.
How do you expand children's minds? By increasing the fun! These families do that by making time for curiosity and exploration.
Family Book Club: The Delgados of Edcouch,
Texas, love to read. The family chooses a book together, reads a
chapter aloud during the day, and discusses it over dinner. To make
their book club even more rewarding, they give themselves a treat (a
movie, say, or an ice- cream outing) when they finish a book. Recently,
they've read the Harry Potter series (a favorite), The Hunger Games, and
mom Laura's choice, Little Women.
Alphabet Party: At the Pincock family's weekly
alphabet-themed celebrations, p is for party. Also, pink clothes, pizza
and pears for lunch, Peter Pan and popcorn, and playing in the playroom.
Every letter gets its own occasion to shine. "The parties kept my
preschooler happy and busy during the long winter months," explains
Canton, Michigan, mom Amy. "We made it through all 26 letters by the
time spring came!"
Messy Exploration: Allison Beard of Brighton, Colorado,
believes that giving kids the freedom to make a mess also gives them
license to learn. That's why she helps her son, 5-year-old Griffin, get
up to some crazy concocting at a backyard science lab in fair weather.
When conditions are less favorable, the dining table, covered with a
shower curtain, stands in. "We set him up with a variety of nontoxic
things he can mix together to see what happens," Allison explains.
Ingredients include sugar, salt, cornstarch, baking soda, vinegar,
water, and food coloring. Ice-cube trays or muffin tins are perfect for
mixing, and craft sticks for stirring. A lab coat (and an evil-scientist
laugh) completes the scene.
5. They fill their lives with sweet surprises
Kids thrive on routines, but it's often the unexpected joys that they
truly treasure. These parents know how to catch their gang happily off
guard -- and make the kinds of memories that last forever.
Keeping Them Guessing: The
weekend-afternoon Mystery Trips started when Nikki Price was a girl and
her mother would put the kids in the car without telling them where they
were going. Now she carries on the tradition with her children,
Zachary, age 8, and Rachel, 4, in Plainfield, Illinois. "We'll tell them
how they need to dress and if they need to bring anything, but that's
it," says Nikki. "The anticipation is a lot of fun, and my husband and I
get a kick out of their guesses." A park? The zoo? It's a mystery -- at
least until they get there.
Breaking the Rules: When it's lights out, it's time to
sleep, right? Not if you're the three McKee kids in Katy, Texas. "I get
everyone to bed like normal," their mom, Mandy, explains, "then, about
ten minutes later, I blast music throughout the house! Everyone gets up,
and we go get ice cream with the kids in their pj's. They expect it
every summer, but they never know exactly when it's coming."
Surprising Others: Wacky stuff is plenty fun at home, but
foisting it on an unsuspecting public really ups the ante. For example,
Wave Day. You don't know about Wave Day? Oh, right, that's because the
Johnson family of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, made it up. On Wave Day,
mom Rebecca, Gwyneth, age 14, and Jessica, 10, wave to every single
person they can. "It's amazing to my girls that such a simple act can
make a person's day."
6. They find the silver lining.
Fun is really a state of mind, as these look-on-the-bright-side
families remind us. With a little creative thinking, they banish
disappointment and turn it into delight.
A Can-Do Attitude: When a storm kept the
Barbee family from the state fair, they decided to bring the fair to
them. "I gave everyone an hour to make something to submit as an entry
to the Family Fair," says Sonnet, an Idaho Falls, Idaho, mother of four.
"We had artwork, a coin collection, homemade cookies, and a flower
arrangement, and I awarded prizes to everyone." They competed in a
trampoline-trick rodeo and a watermelon-eating contest. "The kids had so
much fun that we forgot that we missed out on the real state fair."
Let Them Eat Cake (or Pie): When kids get the blues,
distraction can be the best remedy. While her husband is away on
business, Celi Back mixes it up so that the six kids, ages 9 months to
12, don't miss him as much. They camp out in the yard, make a
construction paper "Welcome Home" sign, and, naturally, eat pie for
dinner. "Once, we had spaghetti pie, then chocolate pie for dessert, and
we ate it all on the floor, picnic-style," says the Tempe, Arizona,
mom.
7. They make work feel like play.
These families skip the nagging and tackle household chores with a
party spirit. It's got to get done, so it might as well be fun.
Sorting It Out: "Laundry party!" It's not
your usual call to merrymaking, but that's what Janet Mongilio yells to
her family when there's clean wash to be sorted in their Parkersburg,
West Virginia, home. "All four of us run to the bedroom, dump the
baskets of clothes on the bed, and start sorting them -- and throwing
them at each other." (Picture a washday version of a food fight.) Chaos!
Mayhem! And, in the end, a neat pile of folded clothes for everyone.
Harnessing the Competitive Spirit: When it comes to doing
boring tasks, the Button family of Fayetteville, Arkansas, finds that a
beat-the-clock contest gets everybody motivated. (Could that be because
they've got two boys, ages 9 and 12, in the house?) "We set the timer,
and we attempt, as a family, to beat our own time unloading the
dishwasher, getting the trash out, or doing any one chore together,"
explains mom Kristi. The catch: "The dishes have to get put away in the
right place and unbroken."
Hunting for a Clean Room: To bolster her kids' enthusiasm
for tidying up, Carol Vargas of Kennesaw, Georgia, turns it into a
rousing scavenger hunt. She hides clues (drawings or objects in small
ziplock bags) in the clutter for her cleaning kids to find. The hints
help the kids figure out their reward for completing the task. "It could
be something as simple as a special lunch of fave foods, a chance to
pick a toy out of our prize box, or a visit to the local park."
Originally published in the March 2013 issue of FamilyFun magazine
Personal Development needs to be fun as well as educational, bring the family closer by making a mess in the kitchen or baking a cake for someone special.
Try this cake, its easy to make and you can get the kids involved!
Article by Janice B Gordon In my thirties, I was on a quest to find my purpose. I read much self-development books and ask myself many questions like:
Is this it?
What is my purpose?
What is the point of me being here?
What am I here to do?
I realised in my
forties that my purpose is not a destination, but it is the experience,
it is the journey. It is the entire impact I have on the world, with my
relationships, my experience and the impact of my actions. When I
was looking for my purpose I was looking outside of myself, then I
started to look inside myself, I discovered that other people do not
have the answer, the answer is within me. The answer is unique to my
experience and is unique to me, no one answer is given it forms, and it
evolves with my unique experiences and insights gained. I thought
that not everyone was going to be a Nelson Mandela or a Steve Jobs, but
this does not mean their value is less in the world. When I watch
'Pride of Britain' I am amazed by the things people are compelled to do,
even children, they do what they think is necessary, often with little
thought for themselves.
Is saving a life worth less in value than saving a business?
Is inspiring a young person to go to university less in value than inspiring an adult to lose weight and get fit?
Both
might be lifesaving; the young person could have got into drugs, the
adult could have had a heart attack. You do not always see the impact of
your actions, until much later, if at all. I am always amazed how small
actions can have an enormous impact. The little things you do can have a massive impact. Purpose
it not a big bang event, it is what you learn from a big bang event and
then what YOU do about what you learnt from the experience. We tend to
focus on the event rather than the consequence of the experience. Two
people can have the same experience, but their reactions may be very
different. Your reactions and your actions account for something; it is
unique to you. Events in life are to cause a reaction; the reaction is
the test the challenge, the lesson and the learning are your unique
perspective, as is your experience and subsequent actions. I
think it is wonderful that we all have a different perspective because
we all see things and react to things differently on purpose. This is
your purpose: to understand the meaning through our perspective. You
must use what you have gained to share and to improve, you are then
compelled to do what only you can do. This is your impact! If you are still not clear about your purpose, bear in mind it is:
Not something you have to work hard at and gain.
Something you have in abundance.
Who you are now and whom your will become.
What you already have that is uniquely yours.
Your perspective and the effect of your actions.
The untold impact you have now and then.
You
may feel your purpose is not worthy unless it is big. If your purpose
is your journey, then how can you anticipate the conclusion of your
journey and the impact you will have in the world? Do not worry about
the result or destination, if you were to predict it, it would probably
be smaller than the true possibility that is unless you can predict the
future. Your imagination is tired to your perceptions that form from
your past experiences. You must be open to having new experiences
beyond the limits of your current imagination. These new experiences
will bring new insights and new challenges that will enable you to learn
new possibilities and effect more in new ways. This is your purpose
evolving to help you to reach new levels of understanding. How can you do what you do to have maximum impact? Your purpose is to live your life on purpose, with purpose.
Do the right thing always.
Do what feels right to you.
Be authentically you.
Act with integrity.
Be open to new insights, challenges and lessons.
Rather than ask for your purpose ask 'how can I be better?'
This is the beauty of Purpose. Live it - do not limit it! Source
To
keep yourself productive, it's essential that you build habits to
help you organize your day and get the most out of your time. Here are three of the most powerful habits.
1. Become an early riser by going to bed early.
There
was probably a period of time in your life where it was easy stay up
late into the night (or early into the next morning) trying to get
things done. For me, however, that period was over a long time
ago. Recently, I’ve come to realize that all eight-hour periods just
aren’t created equally. Going to bed at 10 pm and waking up around
6 am is EXPONENTIALLY better than going to bed at 3 am and waking up
around 11 am, even though number of hours you sleep is the same. I’ve
tested this over and over again, and the evidence is pretty clear: I
don’t perform well if I stay up past 11 pm-ish. Early risers really do have a distinct advantage when it comes to mental clarity, acuity and energy. Simply
put: waking up early works better than any other strategy for becoming
more productive. But you have to make sure you get enough sleep to back
it up. So get to bed! I’ve had to give myself a bedtime and be my
own parent by ruthlessly enforcing it. It was harder than it sounds,
because I’ve been programmed to stay up late for so many years.
2. Start every day with an intention, focus or meditation.
Starting your day with a clear idea of what you want to do changes EVERYTHING. Have
you ever had a day where as soon as you woke up, there were already
missed calls, text messages and emails screaming for your attention? You
felt like you were struggling to stay afloat before breakfast. Oh, that
sounds like every day, you say? That needs so stop. If you like,
you can meditate. You know, cross-legged, a candle, with some nice music
playing in your ridiculously expensive Beats headphones. But if that's
too much, you can just "take 10." Take 10 slow breaths, think
about your main objectives for the day, then get moving. This seems too
simple to have an effect, but it’s not. If you’re used to getting up
already in battle mode, then you’ve probably forgotten how it feels to
have a moment to yourself. Take a few of those minutes back to refocus yourself. It really helps. You can also use that time to create a better to-do list.
3. Physical activity. Do it.
Working
out is probably the highest-leverage tool in your arsenal. It
predictably and reliably makes you feel better and keeps you both
physically and emotionally healthy, all year round. To have the mental energy to take on the full calendar of to-do’s that people want from you, you have to be in the gym. Period. Training
yourself physically not only gives you benchmarks to hit on a regular
basis, but it also creates a predictable backbone in your daily life
that you can count on, even if everything goes wrong. Mentally, that’s
very comforting.
Trust me, I know that integrating these habits
into your life won't be easy at first. But if you're not healthy, your
business can't thrive anyway. Consider them a long-term investment in
your business.
Sources www.entrepreneur.com/article/239267 - Daniel DiPiazza www.nadiyahvidsten.com www.playingwiththeuniverse.com www.dumblittleman.com
A personal development plan provides a framework that will make individuals identify the areas of their strengths and weaknesses and come up with a guide that will optimize and capitalize on their existing skills and capabilities.
Development is a progressive process in one’s life time. It should not stop as long as there is a desire for it, and the need for it. Many individuals hold the principle that only when they cease to exist can make them stop working for their self-growth. Personal development may include procurement of new skills and knowledge depending on your goals.
When you make your own personal development plan, it can provide you with a self-reflection. One of the objectives of this endeavor is the assessment of your assets including your knowledge, skills, capabilities and other qualifications. You may touch the areas of strengths, weaknesses, and new sets of strengths. This self-evaluation gives you a clear awareness about your being.
It can set your path straight in terms of career. When you know which areas you would like to develop and have taken steps to enhance your assets or increase them, you may have clearer picture of where you are heading in the next 5 to 15 years. You will know which decision is the best for you and your future.
In fact, a personal development plan is geared toward progress in your personality and career. It will enhance your self-esteem and add up to your qualifications when you vie for higher position.
Several people experience personality crises. Some thought that they are lost and uncertain of where to go. By having goals in life, you are setting your direction. You will know what to do to follow such direction.
In planning and organizing your personal development, you will use your thinking faculty in making the decisions. By the time you have completed the personal development plan and achieved some of your targets, your ability to make wise decisions will be enhanced as well. As you gain more skills and knowledge, your decision-making ability becomes quicker and sharper.
There are also people who achieve a sense of balance in life by having the development plan. They are able to balance properly their time for work and play. Others who are family-oriented have managed to devote a portion of their time to their children and partner as well as to their career. It also saved them their marriage.
After completing the development plan, most people realized that they have become more responsible and have more positive perspectives in life. Regardless of their goals, they learned to appreciate more their life and have put more value to it than before.
Having a personal development plan is a wise investment in terms of money and time. No matter which angle you will analyze it, self-growth does not have liabilities. Should there be any, they are minor compared to the benefits you will gain from it. In today’s competitive time, having a development plan is a step recommended to everyone. It allows you to gain an edge in life.
There are many ideas
surrounding personal development, one of which is detailed below:
-
Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation
The basis of Maslow’s theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed.
- My favorite example is "You are in a room with your favorite object be it a car, piece of technology or something else. What do you care about most in the room? Now take all the oxygen out of the room ... How much do you care about it now".
The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called “deficiency needs”: Esteem, Friendship and Love, Security, and Physical Needs. With the exception of the most fundamental (physiological) needs, if these “deficiency needs” are not met, the body gives no physical indication but the individual feels anxious and tense.
While a person is motivated to fulfill these basic desires, they
continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization.
Every
person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a
level of self-actualization.
Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs: Maslow suggested that only 2% of the people in the world really achieve self actualization.
The original hierarchy of needs five-stage model includes: 1. Biological and Physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. 2. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. 3. Belongingness and Love needs – work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. 4. Esteem needs – self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. 5. Self-Actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
Maslow (1970) says that all individuals
have the need to see themselves as competent and autonomous, also that
every person has limitless room for growth.
Self-actualisation refers to the desire that everybody has ‘to become everything that they are capable of becoming’. In other words, it refers to self-fulfilment and the need to reach full potential as a unique human being. For Maslow, the path to self-actualisation
involves being in touch with your feelings, experiencing life fully and
with total concentration.
Maslow, A. H. (1970), Motivation and Personality, (2nd Edition), Harper & Row, New York.
EXPANDED PYRAMID A more recent eight-stage model has been developed during the 1990s, with the addition of other 3 needs: – Cognitive needs – knowledge, meaning, etc. – Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc. – Transcendence needs – helping others to achieve self actualization.
Here’s a video about the expanded hierarchy of needs:
Now,
I don't doubt the necessity of planning out one's day in advance. If we
are to be productive, we must consider what needs to get done and how
we're going to do it.
