BUSINESS MEAL (BM)

Knowing how to entertain customers at a BM could make all the difference to your career, so get it right. When to entertain? Recommended: The power breakfast(PB). Advantages: You keep the meeting short because the work day starts at 8.30 or 9.00, which means you won't miss the first appointment of the day. And breakfast is cheaper than lunch or dinner.

MANAGING vs. LEADING

You can lead your horse to water, but you can't manage him to drink. If you want to manage somebody, manage yourself first. Do that well and you'll be ready to stop managing. And start leading.

TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

If you can’t manage time, you can’t manage yourself, if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t manage others. Time management has progressed dramatically from the use of simple calendars and to-do lists. Using today’s sophisticated executive planners, you can go so far as to plan your life goals as well as to keep track of all those meetings and lunches you have to attend, so now there’s absolutely no excuse for missing a dead-line or turning up late for a meeting.

Do you know...

+ Researchers have found that people who has windows to look out of are better problem solvers, less likely to complain, more patient, more flexible in their thinking, and less frustrated than those in windowless environments.

+ It is best to train people on a Tuesday since this is the day when they are most productive and motivated to learn, according to studies.

+ An aisle seat near an emergency exit in the back section is the safest place to sit on an airliner.

WHY YOU NEVER SEEM TO GET YOUR WORK COMPLETED

This short article that suddenly caught my interest, is one by Bob Proctor…

Have you ever noticed that you never seem to get your work completed. And of course, you shouldn’t if you are moving in the right direction. The task you are presently working on should cause your business to become more successful which in time, creates more work or more business.

Apparently, there are individuals who do not seem to realize this basic truth. One such person/perdaughter (borrow uncle Zubli’s conlang) was always harried and hurried and explosive because of the amount of work he thought he had to do. This individual was told by a psychiatrist to plan to do only six hours work in an eight-hour day and spend one day a week at the cemetery.

“What am I supposed to do in a cemetery?” asked the astonished victim of his own thinking.

“Nothing much”, said the psychiatrist. “Just look around, get acquainted with some of the people who are in there permanently. And, remember that they didn’t finish their work either. Nobody does, you know.”

Pretty good advice I’d say. There is an amusing twist to the psychiatrist suggestion but it would certainly make even a slow minded person think. Even the idea of planning to do only six hours work in an eight-hour day could be a wise advice for some people. I am familiar with many who do four hours work in what should be an eight-hour day, although they might take ten hours to do it because their mind is in a continual state of confusion.

My perception of the psychiatrist’s advice is quit rushing, work steady, be effective. There is always tomorrow. If you plan to be effective and you have your priorities straight, you will complete the important tasks and the others can wait. The main point of the good doctor was right on the money – the graveyard is full of people who never got everything done.

SOME PERSONAL QUALITIES FOR SUCCESS

+ HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

Willing to give straight answers, to ask direct questions. Doing the right things always, even no one is looking over your shoulders.

+ GOOD LISTENER

Ensure a thorough understanding of a situation by listening to other point of view, and consider options presented by others.

+ GOOD MANNERS

Being polite always ensures a listening ear. The best of ideas and suggestions, badly and rudely presented only yield resentment and are not heard.

+ DETERMINATION

Resilience to encounter adversity without losing sight of your goal. Solve problems and don’t allow obstacles, refusals and rejection to undermine your resolve. Being tough is not meanness or hard-heartedness. It is a determination to get the job done.

+ COMMITMENT

Just wanting something isn’t enough – it remains as wishful thinking. You must be committed to yourself, to your colleagues and to your employer to accomplish agreed objectives.

+ SPEAK CLEARLY

Even you are not the best communicator, avoid mumbling or hinting, hoping that others can hear or understand what you are hinting at. Say what is in your mind clearly. Sarcasm and coarse jokes will only alienate you from others.

MAKE YOUR LIFE FEEL EASIER

If not all the time, maybe at times you can turn down your personal pressure with these 43 proven ways.

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier to make inevitable morning mishaps less stressful.
2. Eliminate or restrict caffeine.
3. Take a bath or shower to relieve tension.
4. Get ready each evening for the next day.
5. Do nothing that would lead you to tell a lie afterwards.
6. Practice preventive maintenance so your car or appliances won’t breakdown “at the worst possible moment”.
7. Be prepared to wait.
8. Do today what you want to do tomorrow.
9. Plan ahead.
10. Don’t put up with anything that doesn’t work right.
11. Get it fixed or replaced.
12. Always set up contingency plans, just in case.
13. Relax your standards.
14. Make duplicates of all keys, and know where they are.
15. Don’t rely on your memory. Write things down.
16. Distinguish between real needs and mere preferences. Don’t get attached to preferences.
17. Say no to projects, social activities and invitations you know you don’t have time or energy for.
18. Count your blessings.
19. Make friends with non-worriers.
20. Get up and stretch periodically.
21. Get enough sleep.
22. Learn deep breathing techniques.
23. Write down your thoughts and feelings to clarify them.
24. Try the technique of exhaling slowly to dissolve tension.
25. Change your activity or environment to divert pressure.
26. Talk out problems with a trusted friend.
27. Try to select personal and professional environments that fit your needs and desires.
28. Do something for somebody else.
29. Become more flexible.
30. Learn to live one day at a time.
31. Do something you enjoy everyday.
32. Focus on understanding and loving rather than being understood and being loved.
33. Do something to improve your appearance.
34. Schedule your day realistically.
35. Don’t belittle yourself.
36. Use your weekend for a change of pace.
37. Take care of today the best you can-yesterdays and tomorrows will take care of themselves.
38. Do one thing at a time.
39. Allow yourself time everyday for privacy, quiet and introspection.
40. Do especially unpleasant tasks early in the day, and get them over with.
41. Learn to delegate responsibility.
42. Have a forgiving and optimistic view of the world.
43. Simplify, simplify, simplify.