Random Musings
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
15 Tips to Make Today the Day You Finish Your To-Do List
You've seen it before. Every check mark only leaves two more unfinished tasks. Your to-do list has become an living organism, spawning more and more work while leaving you less and less time to finish. Is it possible to stop your to-do list, or will it just become an unstoppable blob of extra work?
Your best weapon against the rising tide of to-do is dedicating a day to destroying that list. Instead of wandering around, attacking various projects before putting them down, you go for the kill. Set up a massive to-do list and wipe it clean.
Your best weapon against the rising tide of to-do is dedicating a day to destroying that list. Instead of wandering around, attacking various projects before putting them down, you go for the kill. Set up a massive to-do list and wipe it clean.
Few things are more satisfying than after a day of ending your to-do list. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Clear your schedule. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you give yourself a large chunk of time. A to-do ending day can’t be filled with all the regular errands of your life. The entire day needs to be focused on killing that list, so pick a day where you can have complete control over your time.
- Wake up early. Building momentum is critical. Even if waking up at 5 am isn't a usual event for you, it can be helpful here. Which do you think will give you the right start: dragging yourself out of bed at ten o’clock, or forcing yourself to start moving at six?
- Collect your to-do list. If you have tasks and projects scattered over different parts of your life, you need to collect them into one list. One list detailing everything you want to have accomplished, on one piece of paper you can hold in front of you.
- Know the end. What does being finished look like? Every task should have a clear goal and purpose beyond just getting done. You can spend an entire day attacking your to-do list and accomplishing nothing if you aren't clear on the final picture.
- Put hard tasks first. Pick your biggest and most difficult tasks and start on them first. Putting off the hard work is a sure sign it won’t get done. By putting the difficult tasks first, you also build a momentum that allows you to focus easily.
- Isolate yourself. Lock yourself in a room, unplug your phone and internet if you have to. Anything to ensure that interruptions won’t break your focus. A few hours of complete focus can accomplish what would take several days of multitasking.
- Set your rest breaks. Working continuously for several hours can be difficult to do with mentally straining work, especially if you aren't used to it. My suggestion is to set short, but meaningful breaks in advance so you won’t be tempted to procrastinate.
- Match breaks with tasks, not time. Your breaks should match up with the large to-do chunks on your list, not at a specific time. If you plan to finish a report you expect to take ninety minutes, finish it in one chunk. Taking a break while working on a major task will only break your flow.
- Be patient when accelerating. It can take time to build up speed. When I write an article, it can take me up to fifteen minutes to get a clear idea on what I want to write. During this build-up time, the temptation is to quit or move on to something easier. Avoid that temptation and be patient.
- Give yourself meaningful rewards. If you finish your to-do list, take a break. Go out and have fun, watch a television show, meet up with friends or just stare blankly at a wall. Feeling the urge to be completely productive 24/7 is an easy way to ensure you never do.
- Does it need to be done? Cross off any items that lack long-term importance. Purify your to-do list so it only contains tasks that will be significant months and years from now. If your to-do list doesn't seem important, it probably isn't.
- Energize your diet. Engineer your food and exercise routine to give you the energy you need throughout the day. Eat lighter foods and avoid simple carbohydrates (which spike your blood glucose and then drop it). Drink plenty of water and eat smaller meals more frequently. Your goal is to create a diet that will keep your fuel levels even throughout the day.
- To exercise or not to exercise? Exercise is definitely a good idea. But whether you should bother heading to the gym on an intense project attacking day depends. I would say that a quick run can give you enough added energy to make up for the time loss. But if your exercise is long and prescheduled, you might want to leave it out to focus completely on your to-do list.
- Collect resources ahead of time. The night before you plan your epic battle against your to-do, prepare. Make sure you have all the right tools, information and resources to get the job done. Nothing feels worse than a half-finished list because you needed to wait on information from a third party.
- Chunk, don’t spread. Don’t spread tasks over all your waking hours like butter on toast. Intensity trumps time-management. Get as much done as possible and give yourself large chunks for both work and play. Spreading yourself too thin results in only a half-effort.
A half-day is often enough. The surprising thing about creating a to-do list day is, that if you do it right, it takes far less time than you expected. I’m usually impressed that I can accomplish my entire list by the late afternoon when I follow these suggestions.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Nice story read it...........its beautiful...
When I was a kid, my Mom liked to cook food and every now &
then I remember she used to cook for us. One night in particular
when she had made dinner after a long hard day at work, Mom
placed a plate of bread jam and extremely burned toast in front
of my dad. I was waiting to see if anyone noticed the burnt toast
. But Dad just ate his toast and asked me how was my day at
school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do
remember I heard Mom apologizing to dad for burning the toast.
And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if
he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and
said, "Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she
was really tired. And besides, A burnt toast never hurts anyone but
harsh words do!" You know, life is full of imperfect things and
imperfect people I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget
birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've
learned over the years, is that learning to accept each others faults
and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences, is one of the
most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting
relationship. Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the
people who treat you right and have compassion for the ones who
don't.
ENJOY LIFE NOW
.
It has an expiry date :)
then I remember she used to cook for us. One night in particular
when she had made dinner after a long hard day at work, Mom
placed a plate of bread jam and extremely burned toast in front
of my dad. I was waiting to see if anyone noticed the burnt toast
. But Dad just ate his toast and asked me how was my day at
school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do
remember I heard Mom apologizing to dad for burning the toast.
And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if
he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and
said, "Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she
was really tired. And besides, A burnt toast never hurts anyone but
harsh words do!" You know, life is full of imperfect things and
imperfect people I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget
birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've
learned over the years, is that learning to accept each others faults
and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences, is one of the
most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting
relationship. Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the
people who treat you right and have compassion for the ones who
don't.
ENJOY LIFE NOW
.
It has an expiry date :)
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Some Interesting Facts about Our life!!!!
[1] If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side
[2] If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
[3] Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
[4] Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.
[5] The Mercedes-Benz motto is 'Das Beste oder Nichts' meaning 'the best or nothing'.
[6] The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
[7] The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.
[8] The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.
[9] Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day.
Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.
[10] Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." "
LIVE AND LET LIVE
Hello Everyone!
This is my first attempt at blogging. I hope to post some interesting, fun and maybe some useful details in this blog.
So, keep reading.
So, keep reading.
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