Nose pickers, muscle men, and chandeliers

We present our most entertaining guest author to date, Leslie Longueira, Director of Ignition Health!

 

“I don't have time to go to the gym!”

We have all used this excuse, even me.

And if you think about it, it is a fairly reasonable excuse, as far as excuses go. After all just by getting to the gym after work, you would have to set aside 30 minutes to drive next to someone who thinks it’s okay to pick their nose because "no one will see them". Next you find yourself on a highway that resembles a parking lot, whilst being nearly pushed off the road by some very important driver who insists on squeezing in front of you, despite the fact that wasn't enough space between you and the car in front to fit a tictac!

By the time you have reached the gym, you have already had a long day at work, and perhaps you are reflecting on the nature of management in a somewhat less than positive manner.  So you procrastinate a little, and finally, manage to get out the car, secretly wishing you were rather at home having a beer.

Finally you make your way inside to get changed, ready to get that body into shape. However, the truth is you have already wasted 45 minutes stuck in traffic, just getting there and getting ready! The next challenge is waiting for a piece of equipment because  some people on the treadmill are afraid to catch a speed wobble lest they smudge their make-up and fail to impress the muscle men, who are busy grunting away in the free weights section!

So that would be at least an hour of your day gone by - without being overly productive. Can we really afford to waste precious time like this?

The good news is you do NOT have to put up with this time wasting routine in order to stay healthy and exercise. Studies show that the minimum exercise requirement is 30 minutes, 4 times a week of elevated heart rate exercise!

So if you really are pushed for time, go for a walk during your lunch break, or when you get home with your family. Now we are not talking about a Sunday stroll, rather a fairly brisk walk. You want to get that heart rate up. After all, if you are going to be swinging off the chandeliers and getting the heart rate up in other ways (if you know what I mean), make sure you are completing your 30 minute sessions to enhance your stamina!

Oh and make sure you stretch after as well, you wouldn't want to pull a muscle or injure yourself.

“I don't have time,” should never be an excuse. All you have to do is set 30 minutes aside each day and you WILL be able to live a healthier and more productive life. 

Leslie Longueira is the Director of Ignition Health, a dynamic team of personal trainers and a 702 Small business awards finalist.  Ignition Health's trainers provide personal training at your home or at their intimate setting in Melville, and also assist corporates in fitness and wellbeing at work.  The Time Clinic recognises Ignition Health as a true time generator and agrees that physical fitness is key to personal effectiveness.  All Time Clinic clients qualify for a special introductory offer with Ignition Health.

 

How to create successful change

It’s approaching that time of year again when most of us will be creating ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ for 2013. Perhaps you want to exercise more, weigh less, spend more time with your loved ones and find a healthier work life balance?  Perhaps you want to start something new or break a bad habit?  How wise exactly are we in creating New Year’s resolutions? And what can we do to ensure we succeed this time?

Firstly, there is a lot to be said about ‘turning over a new leaf.’  Those of us wishing to break a bad habit, or create a new one, are likely to benefit from the psychological motivation that has been observed as highly beneficial when giving a person a ‘fresh start’.   If we can create a date – and this does not need to be New Years Day! - from which we shall begin anew, the psychological impact does indeed work in our favour.  We are more likely to get it right if we believe we are making a fresh start. 

But a fresh start is not enough for all of us.  Many of us are still likely to ‘relapse’, become impatient with ourselves and give up.  What can we do to ensure that the change we wish to implement ‘sticks’.

The secrets lie in perseverance, even when you perceive failure, and in understand the nature of change and patterns.  Change involves changing behaviour, and for behaviour to become automatic, it needs to become a habit. So how do we create (or break)  a habit?

Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, says we should examine the location, time of day, other people and any other triggers that are responsible for activating your habit if you wish to break it. What are the cues, routines and rewards sustaining the habit in your life?  Alternatively, create rewards in order to incentivise yourself to maintain a new positive habit!

In order to learn to hit a ball, we have to miss, in order to colour in, we start by drawing outside the lines.  Yet as adults, we become extremely intolerant of our perceived failings.  We forget that the learning process consists of failure until such point as we succeed.  Thomas Edison tested over 3000 filaments before he found the right filament for a lightbulb.  How many of us would conduct 3000 tests, or would we give up in the face of perceived failure?

The creation of a habit involves practice. A new habit will take at least 21 – 30 days to implement, during which time you can expect to fail a number of times.   Once the habit is entrenched, it becomes automatic, and you will find yourself wondering how on earth you got through your week without those six gym sessions before! 

New Year’s resolutions can be very positive, but remember, we don’t have to wait until New Year to make the change that will improve our circumstances now!  And remember that every step, forward or backwards, is a step in the right direction as it is an opportunity to learn! With a little determination, we will succeed as long as we remember to be patient with ourselves.

Recommended reading: Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit”

Wisdom in art - Time, as narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier

My dear colleague, a very wise Mr. Des Squire, introduced me to this inspirational recording narrated by the late Sir Laurence Olivier.  The lyrics are so profound and inspirational, and very much aligned with the fundamental teachings of The Time Clinic, that I decided to share them with you. I believe Stephen Covey must have had these lyrics in mind when he stated, 'time management is a misnomer, the real challenge is in managing ourselves." 

May these powerful words that follow inspire and uplift you on your journey of self mastery over time and ultimately the self!
Read the lyrics below or listen to the lyrics as narrated by Sir Laurence in the video clip here:

Time – performed by Sir Laurence Olivier

Stand before me on the sign of infinity,
all you of the earth.
With the granting of the law of probenation
comes the application of change. I will give you the key.
And with this knowledge, please realise,
comes the responsibility of sharing it.
I will show you the way. It’s very simple. Throughout the universe
there is order.In the movement of the planets, in nature
and in the functioning of the human mind.
A mind that is in its natural state of order,
is in harmony with the universe
and such a mind is timeless. Your life is an expression of your mind.
You are the creator of your own Universe -
For as a human being, you are free to will whatever
state of being you desire through the use of your
thoughts and words.There is great power there. It can be a blessing or a curse -
It’s entirely up to you.
For the quality of your life is brought about
by the quality of your thinking -
think about that. Thoughts produce actions -
look at what you’re thinking. See the pettiness and the envy and the greed and the
fear and all the other attitudes that cause
you pain and discomfort. Realize that the one thing you have absolute
control over is your attitude. See the effect that it has on those around you.
For each life is linked to all life
and your words carry with them chain reactions
like a stone that is thrown into a pond.If your thinking is in order,
your words will flow directly from the heart
creating ripples of love.If you truly want to change your world, my friends,
you must change your thinking. Reason is your greatest tool,
it creates an atmosphere of understanding,
which leads to caring which is love. Choose your words with care.
Go forth … with love.

The original Time was a musical with a book and lyrics by Dave Clark and David Soames, music by Jeff Daniels, and additional songs by David Pomeranz.

The dangers of inadequate future orientation

Temporal myopia - 'future' shortsightedness

Time management isn’t just about being more organised.  The science is evolving to understand that time management involves managing ourselves in relation to time, and is in fact the heart of personal management and effectiveness.  Yet this terminology sounds fluffy and devoid of meaning due to overuse. Practical solutions are therefore required to assist us in attaining what can appear to be overwhelming ideals and goals.

 

One of the most defining characteristics of successful individuals is their high future orientation.  In fact, it is believed that a well developed future orientation could be the single greatest determinant of success.  Future orientation is the vision to embrace the big picture.  It is the ability to forego the short term temptations and rewards in favour of the long term goal.  A future orientated person has long term goals, saves for retirement, has plans that span a lifetime, is environmentally conscious and understands that their actions today determine their fate tomorrow.

To demonstrate future orientation the Chinese have a proverb that states, “When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.”  The realm of truly future oriented people consists of lifetime goals, not goals that result in instant gratification.

 

Most of us are trapped in the present, some of us are even trapped in the past.  The failure to be able to look ahead and plan for the future is termed ‘temporal myopia’ in psychology.  Myopia, or short-sightedness, is a fitting description, and without vision we will fumble around blindly without direction if we fail to plan ahead.

 

It is said that the great Abraham Lincoln once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do.” There are many roads that we certainly do not want to travel down, as there are many outcomes for our own lives, our futures and the future of our planet that we would rather not realise!

The good news is we have control and choices, and this is exactly the knowledge that future orientated people use to their advantage.  Take the time out to slow down and adjust your focus.  And consider these words. “"Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved.” - William Jennings Bryant

 
 

Image courtesy of sippakorn freedigitalphotos.net

Parkinson's law says less is more.. no really!

Parkinson’s law sounds like something out of a medical dictionary, but in time management terms, this adage was made famous by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an article in the Economist magazine in 1995.  Simply put, Cyril stated that “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion,” in other words, the longer you allow yourself to work on a specific task, the longer you will spend working on that specific task.  Another way of stating the same principle is.,“The amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task.”

Parkinson’s advice to us is to create our own mini deadlines within the real deadlines in order to ensure we do not make a mountain out of a molehill.  This is great advice for perfectionists who love to get stuck and over-perform.  Procrastinators must also take heed as believe it or not procrastinators even use tasks to avoid other tasks, and can spend far too much time working on ‘important’ things to avoid the really important things!

It has even been proven that if we allow less time to work on a project, we often produce better results.  The longer we ‘mess around’, we tend to second guess ourselves and start to suffer from that deadly condition that The Time Clinic likes to call ‘overanalysis paralysis’.

So, the next time you have a large or medium sized project in front of you, create your own mini deadline within the actual deadline.  What is the worst that could happen? Exactly! It’s a win-win situation, chances are you will finish sooner than expected, and even have time over to address the really Important stuff. 

Did you know that Cyril derived his conclusion after his extensive work experience in the British civil service?  Enough said.

The Time Clinic interviews Online Marketing Guru Lechelle De Vries!

The Time Clinic recently interviewed Online Marketing Guru Lechelle De Vries, Marketing and Sales Manager of SAbest, to get some really great brand advice for our clients and secondly to find out more about Lechelle’s time management strategies now that she has experienced The Time Clinic!

SAbest is one of South Africa’s premier online marketing specialists that assist companies with online marketing from websites, SEO, social media, online reputation management and even infographic marketing – basically taking a company and creating online visibility for the organisation.  (Check them out at www.sabest.biz)

We asked Lechelle more about her role. “My role involves making decisions. And I get challenged on these decisions by management in order to stretch me, and this has really helped me grow.”  The Time Clinic assists delegates with determining when to make strategic decisions. We asked Lechelle if she found this module helpful?  “Yes, in two different ways. From a sales point of view and from a marketing perspective, it has been about moving time around, and being cognisant of the fact that there are times of the day when other people are aware of my vulnerabilities and tend to prey on me; it’s been a huge growth curve.  What has also really helped is understanding biorhythms – my own and others – and planning meetings around these times to get maximum results with this knowledge”.

We asked Lechelle what the greatest time management challenges in her industry are? She says, “it is important to realise this industry consists of a lot of technically orientated people”, and she has observed that under stress, technical types tend to react by calling meetings. The Time Clinic likes to call this ‘overanalysis paralysis’ and meetings can be a way to disguise procrastination.  Lechelle finds the best way to manage these situations is to allow meetings, but within limits, and to communicate deadlines clearly.

Brand oriented and creative companies also consist of a large amount of creative staff.  These industries have been rated as amongst the top three most stressful professions, comparable to air traffic control.  We asked Lechelle where the incredible stress and pressure in the creative industry originates? “The industry is definitely deadline driven, especially when we are dealing with website optimisation issues.  However, a lot of stress in the industry does come from little respect for creatives in South Africa as subject matter experts, and sometimes the client does not always know best, however the industry is definitely client centred and clients tend to dictate creative direction. ”  Lechelle further explained that South Africa has taken six years to reach the same level of online maturity that most other countries would reach within five due to our distrusting nature. 

We asked Lechelle about her predictions for the future trends in the industry and what advice she can offer clients?  She says things are changing, and in the last few months, she has seen South Africans become far more proactive and trusting with their online purchases.  The future of commerce is definitely electronic, following trends of countries like the UK where 95% of people’s purchases takes place online.  Her advice for businesses?  “It doesn’t help having a brand and not being seen.  And if you’re going to be seen, you need to be seen by the same person at least three times.  Cutting marketing budgets will negatively affect the bottom line.  Familiarity results in affiliation, and affiliation results in sales.  Everything works in threes.  The brain processes things in threes.  Make sure you get seen three times, even if you have to use the same media three times to get noticed.”

Thank you for that great advice Lechelle.  In closing, we would just like to say, Time Clinic, Time Clinic, Time Clinic.  And now that you have seen that three times, we look forward to seeing you all on our next course!

Creating positive change by appealing to your hedonist

To implement the positive changes we would like to see in order to make ourselves better time managers, we often revert to the ‘stick’ as opposed to the ‘carrot’ approach.  And yet, behavioural research indicates that change does not take place when punishment is the motivation!  In order for us to be effective and motivated human beings, positive lasting change needs to come from intrinsic or internal motivation.  So how do we manage this?

Your inner hedonist needn't be a monster

 

As human beings we are naturally pain avoiding, pleasure seeking creatures.  Anyone who doubts this, needs to merely observe a small baby.  As we get older, we develop emotions of guilt concerning self reward based on philosophical and religious upbringings, and yet self reward is an incredible motivating tool if used appropriately. 

We all have inner hedonists.  If we deny our hedonists, the old adage “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” not only becomes a reality, but makes us depressed, stressed and unhappy individuals.  Life is hard enough as it is, we need to create opportunities for play and joy wherever possible – even at work.  By creating mini milestones and opportunities for guilt free, well deserved self reward, we can make any project rewarding, including those in which we are implementing changes in our lives. 

Your inner hedonist is here to stay. You can fight it and suppress it, or you can use it as a tool to motivate.   Research has indicated that self esteem improves when one learns to reward and value the self, and I really do believe that if we create meaningful opportunities to nurture our inner hedonist we will not only feel better about ourselves as individuals, but we will be happier, healthier and more successful as well. 

As for me, I’m off to have a nice relaxing walk with my dog as my ‘reward’ for writing this article. What will yours be today?

Book review - The 4 hour workweek, will it really change your life?

Probably the most popular 'time management' book released (and re-released) these last two years, The 4 hour workweek by Timothy Ferriss has acquired its own cult following.  

Find out what we really think about this popular book and whether we believe it will change your life or the way you manage your time in our rather honest review here:

www.timeclinic.co.za/bookreviews.html

A fantastic time saving gadget for meetings

Let’s face it, meetings take up far too much time in today’s modern age. And a real time waster is struggling to type up minutes or interpret our poorly scrawled notes after the meeting in order to complete our tasks and projects.

I hate meetings so much that I have decided to make a point of sharing with you any strategies that I stumble upon that can make meetings more time efficient and productive.

So some of you are required to take minutes of meetings, others prefer (or are required) to take your own notes, correct?  If you are like me, you end up leaving with hard to interpret scribbles, doodles and pages of writing and often miss many important sections of the meeting for the simple reason that a human being is simply not designed to concentrate for periods longer than forty minutes at a time.

I stumbled upon this fantastic device that some of my clients are using and I believe will make just about anyone’s life easier.  There are a few options available, but I have had personal recommendations regarding the Livescribe Echo Intellipen. If you haven’t heard about this amazing little invention, prepare to be stunned and amazed!  And I promise I have no financial incentive in sharing this information with you, I have also just been blown away with the ingenuity and usefulness of this time saving invention.

The version I am familiar with is the top-of-the-range Livescribe Echo intellipen, but there are a number of more affordable versions available with various other features.  So how can a pen help you in a meeting? Well firstly, these pens come with a recording device that records between 200 and 800 hours of audio that can be uploaded to your pc.  Firstly, no need for a Dictaphone in a meeting.  Now this may not sound that impressive yet, until one realises that the pen comes with functionality to click on any point within your notes and to play the audio recording from that exact point of the meeting.  Let’s say for example you feel a certain section is very important (or difficult to minute), simply make a mark on your ‘Dot-paper’ and the pen will replay the audio file from that very point.

There is also handwriting to text recognition.  So you don’t have to retype your notes.  I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the software in this regard as I have not met anyone who has used this functionality, but as soon as I get my grubby little paws on one of these pens I most certainly will try it out and let you know.

The only downside is the notebooks you have to use can be a bit pricey, and you have to use these notebooks for your pen to playback correctly.  

I think this is a great invention that makes life so much easier!  The Time Clinic recommends this product and according to my research, we have found that it is available from South African stockists such as certain Incredible Connection branches or Digital Planet online. International clients can obtain details of suppliers via their site on www.livescribe.com.  Let us know if you get one and how it helps you!