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The Power of Don’t

If you are currently spending your time on a deserted Island and you found a hard copy of this post attached to a hidden immunity idol, then read on. It may help you with the other guys. Well, and if you don’t know what I am talking about then you’ve just been part of very ineffective communication.

More than anything when we communicate we want our message to be understood. Our body language and the way, how we say what we say can support our message and influence the degree of understanding. We don’t want to send mixed signals. Saying “Oh, yes you’ve got my full attention” while checking the latest tweets on your cell phone obviously doesn’t fly.

These signals aside, the most important signals are the words we speak and write. Effective communication is short and clear. However, if you want to complicate your life then use ‘don’t‘ as much as possible.

Using ‘don’t’ creates attention, but unfortunately to the wrong message.

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July 24th, 2013|Tags: Psychology|

Make it a good trip

Think about the best and the worst trips you’ve ever had. My best trips were those that turned out to be much better than I had expected. I had great company, met nice people, saw great things, loved the food, etc. They were not necessarily great because I loved every single second, they were great because the overall experience was great. Actually the best memories come from these that make good stories because of the unexpected situations I had to go through. Regardless of how good or bad my trips turned out to be, I am happy I made them all because of the memories they created. But would I want to repeat all of them?
Certainly not.

Trip = Project, Project = Trip

If you look at a project like a trip then there is specific action you can take ahead of time to make sure you will have a good trip.

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June 21st, 2013|

The Productivity Trap – Don’t be ‘Goat Productive’

I am convinced never before in history of mankind have so many people been so obsessed with their self-improvement. Those who are privileged enough to have internet access have the opportunity to learn whatever they want. The information is all there and available to grasp and convert. With all the things we want and can do there is only really one resource we can’t bootstrap, and this is time. So it is no wonder that there are also virtually limitless resources and tools available to help us being more productive. The over-hyped key words are ‘Productivity’ and ‘Time Management’.

Time Management is so great and we love it, because we all love to manage. We now have Sanitary Facility Managers, Front Desk Managers, Office Supply Managers, etc. And of course myriads of Time Managers, and all they manage is their own time…

What!?

What happened to doing?

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June 13th, 2013|Tags: goat, productivity|

Do your next presentation without PowerPoint!

It is standard to have impressive PowerPoint slides prepared, when giving a presentation. But have you ever thought about just skipping the slides and going without them? Sounds too scary to you? Then this is exactly what you should do. You will see your next presentation will be much better. Here is why you should try to give your next presentation without PowerPoint, i.e. without relying on fancy visuals.

When preparing for a presentation/talk for many of us one of the first things to do, is drafting a great title slide and spending time on the design. Well and there we go, head-on right into the trap. I went through this process so many times; I started with the layout because it is something I enjoy doing. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the purpose of the presentation, which is to inform. The layout can only support the process of getting the message to the audience and nothing more. The time spent on peripheral items before the talk itself is completed, is potentially wasted time. What if you decide to change the design in the last minute, because it doesn’t work with your message? (more…)

May 18th, 2013|Tags: no slides, Powerpoint, presentation|

The Five Golden Rules for Effective Action

Regardless of what you want to tackle, it may be a small task at work, a substantial project or an epic life-changing endeavor, it requires some type of action to be achieved. And it requires effective action to make you happy.

DO’s Five Golden Rules for Effective Action

1. Know Your Starting Point

Be able to exactly define your starting conditions.

2. Know Your Goal

Be able to exactly define where you want to go.

3. Live Integrity

Always be honest to everyone, most of all yourself.

4. Be Positive

Remove negativity from your life.

5. Do it

Enough talk. Start now!

The links behind each rule will lead you to more detailed descriptions of the rules and their meaning. (more…)

April 6th, 2013|Tags: effective action, five golden rules, framework|

Know Your Starting Point

Know Your Starting Point is the first of the Five Golden Rules for Effective Action.

Let me start with a question:
Did you ever get lost with only a map in your hand? It is clearly difficult to find your way home without knowing where you currently are.

How long will it take to get home?
Which direction do you need to turn?
Will there be a gas station on the way?

Without knowing where you are, it is obviously quite impossible to answer these questions. Quite often when two parties are not happy with how a project is handled, it is rarely because they disagree about the goals. They usually don’t concur with the means, because they perceive the situation differently. (more…)

April 6th, 2013|Tags: golden rules for effective action, start, Starting point|

Know Your Goal

Know Your Goal is the second of the Five Golden Rules for Effective Action. Together with the first rule it determines your course of action.

Just equally important as knowing the exact starting conditions is being able to exactly define where you want to go. Like when you are planning to drive to Las Vegas, you can easily calculate the distance and time it would take, but you may end up stranded in Sin City if you don’t know the booked Hotel or the street address of your accommodation. Knowing the rough goal will bring you 99% close, but not more.

Many of us want to change their life, find a better job, live healthier, earn more money, or be more successful, only to realize months later that seemingly nothing has changed. We can’t come up with a decisive action plan when the goals are only vague like in these examples. (more…)

April 6th, 2013|Tags: Golden Rules, Golden Rules of Effective Action, Know your goal|

Live Integrity

To Live Integrity is the third of the Five Golden Rules for Effective Action and describes one of two – what I call – action attitudes.

How does Integrity help me achieve my goals ?

When you look up integrity at Merriam-Webster.com you find these meanings:

: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility
: an unimpaired condition : soundness
: the quality or state of being complete or undivided :completeness

I strongly believe that integrity with all of its meanings has immense value for all situations in life. To Live Integrity may easily be the most complex rule of the Five Rules for Effective Action, but also the most powerful. (more…)

April 6th, 2013|Tags: effective action, Golden Rules, integrity|

Be Positive

Be Positive is the fourth of the Five Golden Rules for Effective Action. Together with Live Integrity it completes the action attitudes. By being positive you set the stage for good things to happen.

What it means to be positive

Being positive includes how you start your day, how you react to changes, and what you draw out of anything that has happened:

anticipate greatness. Start the day with the feeling that something good is about to happen.
react well-disposed to anything and anyone. Be open to life.
conclude your day on a good note. Make the good things stick.

Remove negativity from your thoughts. Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes, learn from them. Never think negative thoughts like (more…)

April 6th, 2013|Tags: effective action, Golden Rules, positive|

Do it!

Sounds easy. Right?

Heck, yes it is easy. Just Do it!

This is the last of the Five Golden Rules for Effective Action and the most important of them all.

So after you realized what your starting conditions are and you know what it takes you to get where you want, you can draft a road map to this goal. And when you finally start acting – this road map in hand – with integrity and a positive attitude you will get there. But only as long as you really start executing your plans and keep doing it. Oh yes, for all the normal tasks and projects we thoroughly plan, execution is just a matter of following the script. That is what the golden rules for effective action are made for. EFFECTIVE ACTION!

Some plans are just too big?! …I don’t think so!

Everyone has at least one big plan, one big dream or idea that he/she treasures. And we keep dreaming because we tell ourselves we are waiting for a better timing, a sign, better finances, the right connection, someone who helps us, or any other more or less unlikely event. We are too scared to loose these dreams if we fail realizing them.

As babies we fall a hundred times before we learn to run. And still as adults we like to plan, think, and evaluate the heck out of our dreams. Because we are scared.

If you never start you may never fail, but you’ll also never know if you could have achieved what you wished for.

We are scared to fail.
We are scared to find out our plans were not as good as we thought.
We are scared to be judged.
We are scared to step out of the passive mass of planners.

And most of all we are scared that we might actually succeed.

You will never know if you don’t start. And deep inside you know where to start. Do it! Just one tiny step at a time. When you fall, then get up and make it better!

It seems we are also scared to make it simple. A dream is just a project to be started.

If you spend only one hour every day on doing something meaningful towards your goal, then in one year you will have spent more than 9 regular 40 hour work weeks realizing your dream. Nine weeks! And with doing something meaningful I don’t mean thinking – you can ponder all you want in the shower, in the car, while brushing your teeth, walking the dog. You get the idea. Let it be half an hour, 15 minutes. Just as long as you do something continuously you will get closer to your goal each time doing it.