The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.
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We all have that one person at work or school who is effortlessly organized. They never seem to miss any deadlines, always finish their work with time to spare, and always know where they can find what they are looking for.
And let’s face it: you are obviously jealous of them. But why? Why be jealous when you can actually learn from them and be the same as them? They do seem to be on the right track with life, don’t they?
Being organized isn’t just something you adapt to. Well, okay, initially it is. But slowly as you dwell in your organized lifestyle, you tend to start taking it more as a mindset rather than a way of living. For instance, you begin living your life in an organized manner, with each and every thing in your routine well thought out. And then comes a time where your systems and your rituals are actually morphed into your routine, and your mind adapts to them as habits. If you actually happen to get to this stage; congratulations, you’ve officially become an organized person.
Without further ado, let’s get you introduced to the 20 daily habits of highly organized people. Don’t worry, it’s nothing you can’t handle!
Here’s the deal: it doesn’t matter at what time of the day you check your inbox. What matters is that you have a dedicated timeslot each day, let’s say, half an hour, for reading and answering all your emails. Your cluttered up inbox won’t go anywhere unless you handle it appropriately.
If you have a pile of mail, then dedicating some of your time to sort these bad boys out on a daily basis, just like your emails, won’t hurt.
There should absolutely be no space at all for clutter on your desk. If there are piles of paper that need to be sorted out, get straight to it!
Staying organized isn’t all about being uptight. You should always spare some time out for things that make you who you are. You don’t want to be a prisoner of your routine now, do you?
Each and every thing is supposed to go in its rightful place. Don’t leave your socks in the fridge!
Following a to-do list is like your primary source of organization. Never miss out on it!
What’s more important? Get to it first! Don’t forget to prioritize. Postpone whatever that can be done sometime later and get to the dirty-bits first.
You’re doing just fine with your daily routine and are almost half-way through, when it out of nowhere, your best friend calls you up for an urgent meeting. Did you leave enough room for this sudden readjustment in your to-do list? You had better!
Again, it’s not about being a prisoner of your routine when you can always cut some time out for yourself. Read a book, watch a movie, hit the gym; whatever that floats your boat!
This is the holy grail of staying organized. Don’t leave any task half done. Leaving unfinished business is the hallmark of a disorganized person.
Your routine needs you in order to complete. You need food in order to complete your routine. What can you possibly do without enough energy? It’s a simple equation.
Once you’re done with your day, then would be a good time to plan for the coming day. Every day needs its own unique to-do list!
You can’t leave room for error. Have everything on your side to help you avoid them. Set alarms, reminders, and whatever else you need to deal with your tasks on time.
The best example in this regard is your notification list. The latest cat video on the Internet is irrelevant. The email you just received from your client is top priority. Make sure you know how to differentiate between these two.
Not everything can be just the way you want it. Sometimes, “good enough” really is enough to get you by. So know where the most feasible option would suffice, and forget about making things perfect.
As mentioned earlier, clutter is your worst enemy. Leave no room for it on your territory!
Pen? Paper? Smartphone? Spare underwear? Yes, you can need any of those at any point. Keep them around you so you don’t face any problems during emergencies.
Staying organized is mainly all about preparing yourself to face turmoil, whenever it shows up. Don’t be afraid of tackling mishaps head on, deal with the elephant in the room first.
You don’t need only the best pen in the whole world to do your paperwork. A mere pencil will be enough. Follow the same ideology regarding everything else. Pick the simplest problem-solver!
This doesn’t mean you need to be a top quality handyman. You don’t even need to be tech-savvy for this one. So long as you know how to keep everything up-to-date and maintained, there is no one that can disturb you in your organized glory!
Featured photo credit: defeat/katiew via flic.kr
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Most people love to take a relaxing holiday break when life gets stressful. Hotels offer a relaxing environment where you can relax, eat and swim to your heart’s content. But do you know about the best and most expensive hotel perks out there?
From a hangover service to a pet psychic, we check out 15 of the coolest hotel perks available.
If you take your sleep seriously, this hotel perk is perfect for you. The hotel provides guests with a pillow menu, including a pillow designed by NASA and a five foot body cushion.
Price: Available to all overnight guests, with room priced from $500 per night.
There are three different arrival options at The Six Senses Hideaway – you can take a drive there in a 4×4, or take a scenic boat route. However, nothing compares to the third choice; you can choose to paraglide your way to the hotel with a professional. The ultimate arrival experience!
Price: $183 per person.
The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills is a car lover’s dream; anyone who stays in the Hotel’s new suites gets free access to some amazing cars, including Roll Royces, Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis.
Price: Exclusively available to guests who book suites. Premier suites priced at over $19,000 per week.
If you love to spend your holidays relaxing on a sun lounger, this holiday perk is perfect for you. The Sunshine Butler will tend to all of your needs, from polishing your sunglasses, misting your face and applying sun cream – luxurious!
Price: Exclusively available to guests who stay in the master suite, priced from $345 per night.
This hotel is more than just pet friendly – you can also rent goldfish by the day if you’re feeling particularly lonely.
Price: Available to all guests, rooms priced from $308 per night.
If you play the guitar, you will love the hotel perk offered at The Hard Rock. They offer 20 different types of Fender guitars that you can have brought to your room for you to use. On top of that, you can have all the extras for free, from amps to video lessons to headphones!
Price: Available to all guests, single room prices from $750 for 3 nights.
If you’re looking to suprise your partner with the perfect proposal, look no further than the Ashford Castle Hotel. You can arrange to have the Hotel’s resident owl Dingle to deliver an engagement ring to whereever you are – the most romantic holiday perk we could find!
Price: 3 day Proposal Package, priced from $2,356.
If you like to travel with your pets, Hotel Monaco has the best hotel perk for you. All pets can stay for free, regardless of size or weight. Even better – if you are worried about the emotional state of your pet, you can book them in for a session with pet psychic Bridget Pilloud.
Price: Available to guests as an add-on package. Rooms priced from $481 per night.
You can have the perfect wedding at the beautiful Ritz Carlton, which offers a beautiful venue and horse drawn carriage rides, as well as the option of a Rolls Royce!
Price: 30 minute horse-drawn carriage ride priced at $8,100.
Guests who stay at the Four Seasons in the Maldives have the option to sign up for the Manta call service, where the resort lets the guests know whenever Manta Rays have been spotted. They then get collected from wherever there are, and whisked away to snorkle with Manta Rays. A great holiday perk for anyone who is interested in the ocean!
Price: Available to all overnight guests, rooms priced from $2,900 per night.
This hotel has high standards of cleaniless; guests can order bespoke soaps from a menu dedicated entirely to soap. You can request almost any kind of handcrafted soap, from scented to exfoliating, to make sure you feel squeaky clean.
Price: Available to all guests, rooms priced from $605 per night.
This holiday perk is perfect for anyone who plans on getting drunk while they are vacationing. The Ritz Carlton offers a Recovery Concierge, which offers a selection of different hangover remedies to Club Level guests, including a hair of the dog cocktail!
Price: Available to guests who stay in the Ritz Carlton suite, available from $5,947 per night.
The MGM grand offers many interesting hotel perks, but one of the most unique is the vitamin C infused shower. It is believed the vitamin C neutralizes the chlorine in the water for a more natural experience.
Price: Available to guests as part of a $30 per night upgrade package.
If you can taste the difference when it comes to water, you may want to experience the Water Library at the Trump Hotel. Offering up different types of water, you can chose water from natural springs, or a sommelier-crafted Beverly Hills option.
Price: Bottles vary between $10-$25.
Mii Amo offers various aura readings to guests at their hotel. They can chose from an Aura-Soma Color Reading or a relaxing Psychic Massage.
Price: 60 minutes for $250.
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Being organized is not something that people inherit: it is more to do with how well you organize your daily routine and tasks to make sure that everything falls into place. All the successful people that you see around you did not achieve success overnight. Nor was success simply handed to them. They worked for the success, and the first step towards success is good organization.
Anyone can be organized and successful. All that is required is the mindset to do things in a proper manner. Here are the 10 mindsets of organized people that lead them towards the epitome of success:
We all know how tedious life can be, and sometimes we feel like we are in a rut! However, organized people do something about that and make sure that the rut that they are faced with is cleared. And they do this with helpful tools that are all around us only if we stop for a second and pay attention. Your tablet, smartphone, and smartwatch are all useful technological tools that you can use to plan, organize, and therefore make your lives a whole lot easier and productive.
Organized people know how to handle their priorities effectively, no matter how hectic their day is. Making a to-do list on a daily basis can be a highly productive effort in such cases. They know what tasks are urgent and thus need to be handled first and foremost.
We all know how our minds are occupied with so many things on a daily basis. However, most of the things that we think about are completely irrelevant, yet we seem to be so consumed by them. This is not the case with organized people. They will make sure to practice mindfulness and remove the clutter from their minds on a daily basis. After this, they will focus on everything that is relevant to them.
Things like TV shows, get-togethers, and gossip are not relevant to such people. For them, reaching their goals is their main priority, and they will make sure that things get done when they need to get done!
Organized people are not perfectionists and neither will they make their lives and work complicated. They prefer doing things in the simplest way possible, as long as they get the job done. Therefore, do not assume organized people to be control freaks. In fact, they love going with the flow, and if they know that circumstances will not let them change certain things, then they simply let them be instead of having a panic attack.
Life will never be perfect and it will entail many ups and downs. However, the important thing to know is that despite those ups and downs, you can take steps to make sure that every aspect of your life is well maintained and in balance. This is exactly what organized people do. They will give attention to the things that require their utmost attention and fix problems as they come up.
Organized people do things in a way that will provide them the most amounts of benefits in the future. For instance, they will never leave dirty dishes in the kitchen since they know that they will only pile up and become a hassle later on.
Clutter can be anyone’s worst nightmare, be it in the mind or the house. While most of the unorganized individuals will live most of their lives in the middle of clutter, the organized ones will eliminate as much of it as possible. Clutter is simply a hindrance to progress, and nothing can get done properly if everything inside of you and around you is a complete mess.
This point is similar to point 4. You will rarely see an organized person crying about something that they cannot control nor do anything about. Instead, they will just go with the flow and let go of things that they are not able to change instead of worrying about them constantly.
Organized people understand that their routine life has no authority over them. In fact, they know that their life can be as interesting and calm as they want it to be. For this reason, they will always make the relevant changes in their life to make sure that they remain the top most priority. They also do not let things get to their head.
Organized people know how important it is to plan things for the future. They will keep in mind any upcoming priorities that need to be taken care of and all the things that they wish to accomplish. This helps them remain vigilant and make sure that everything is in order so that they can live a smooth life without having to do things last minute.
Featured photo credit: Monks and novices in Laos/Dietmar Temps via flic.kr
The post 10 Mindsets Of Organized People Which Make Them Successful appeared first on Lifehack.
You may have heard others say that everyone is creative. Little kids certainly seem to be. And yet, so many of us lose that creative confidence as we go through adolescence and into adulthood. We turn into a person who fears creative ideas.
Dr. Will Schutz, a prominent psychologist and pioneer of the human potential movement, believed that fear is the biggest block to creativity. Rather than creating something new, many of us are held back as we do our best to avoid the consequences of our fear.
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love says that “Fear and creativity are conjoined twins. What holds people back from being creative is that in order to murder the fear, they end up killing off the creativity as well.”
Messages which encourage conformity and control pervade our schools and our workplaces. Yet we crave creativity. Innovation is admired and held up as a model for us to follow. If only we could stop fear from holding us back.
Here are the most common fears and how to tackle them:
People with this fear don’t believe they are creative in the first place. They have created a self-definition that excludes even the possibility that they might be creative. Sometimes they see themselves as too rational, or too dull, to be creative. They might say things like, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”
Often these people forget the ways that they demonstrate creativity every day, but dismiss it.
One woman told me of a time she had run out of lipstick and couldn’t afford to buy more. But her appearance was important to her so she used a brush to combine tiny amounts from the bottom of two old lipstick tubes, and created a new color with just enough to wear for the rest of the week.
All day she received compliments on her lipstick. Her creativity naturally responded to the circumstances she found herself in.
What you can do:
Universities and consultancies that support people who want to be more creative have learned that their job is not to teach them how. Instead they help them re-discover the inherent creative confidence they had as children.
Start by widening your definition of creativity. You don’t have to be Van Gogh. Look around at the ways you overcome difficulties and see how creative you already are.
Are you someone who can work around a computer glitch? When you don’t have an ingredient for a recipe do you know what to substitute instead? Can you build spreadsheets from scratch? All these are creative activities. You may not be a visual artist, but that doesn’t mean you are not as creative as one.
We are told again and again that the best way to learn is by doing. Yet, throughout our lives we are criticised when we get things wrong.
No wonder we fear failure. No wonder that perfectionism (excellence distorted to the point of paralysis) is rife.
The consequences of failure seem huge. Fail our exams and we are told we will never get a job. Fail in our job and we lose our livelihood. Failure makes everything precarious.
And yet, the greatest entrepreneurs and innovators fail often. They cultivate the resilience to deal with failure, because the only way to do something new is to learn to cope with failure.
What you can do:
“Fail, fail again, fail better,” said Samuel Beckett.
Find ways to try out new things, without reaping consequences of failure that are too big to cope with.
Start by calling the things you do “experiments” rather than failures. You are testing something out, and learning from it. By redefining success as the process of exploring and learning rather than the result, you can cultivate your curiosity.
Try creating a new meal at a time when you are the only one who’ll have to eat it if it is disgusting. Play with paint or clay and keep the results to yourself.
And remember, mistakes can lead to the best results. Famously, Post It Notes were created when a new type of glue being developed by a scientist at 3M was not sticky enough. Who knows what innovation might your mistakes lead to?
Creativity requires people to be unclear about the eventual shape of their creation. Whether they are creating a picture, a computer programme or starting a new business, the new design frequently takes a form that was unanticipated by its designer.
Amazing creations are often those furthest from their starting point. Being willing to take the journey of creativity demands that you let go of your pre-conceived ideas and be willing to go to places you have not explored before.
This is hard when staying in control seems to be how we manage our busy lives and get things done.
What you can do:
Acclimatise yourself to doing things without a plan. Finger paint. Go for a walk in a new environment without a map. Visit shops, museums and galleries you’d wouldn’t normally do to.
Try to include people with different ways of seeing the world in your life. They will open your eyes to new possibilities.
Find the enjoyment in these new activities, then start letting go of control in some of the more tightly managed parts of your life. Remember the words of Margaret Attwood:
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
Rationality is highly valued in our culture. But while the left brain can make logical connections, it is the right brain that truly allows our creativity to flow.
Albert Einstein put it like this,
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
What you can do:
“Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes,” said composer John Cage.
Remember that both right and left brain processes have a place in your life. Use your unstructured side to generate a wealth of ideas, however silly they seem. Allow each to become a jumping off point for further creativity.
Only when you let your right brain have free rein do you let your left brain loose, to hone those ideas and decide which have merit.
It can hurt to feel judged. It can leave us embarrassed, or worse, cut to the core. We’ve all experienced times when the judgement of others has hurt us.
Sometimes even the judgements that are not intended to hurt, still do. Sometimes we feel unappreciated or ignored. Or, even when someone praises our work for what we think are the wrong reasons we can feel stereotyped or misunderstood.
It often seems like the way to avoid judgement is to never do anything that can be judged. But by doing this, we keep ourselves small. We waste the huge potential that resides in every person.
In fact, your biggest critic is likely to be your own mind. We all have an inner critic, nagging at us and feeding our fear.
Your inner critic is trying to keep you safe from the judgement of others. But in the process it can stop you from taking even reasonable risks or trying something new. It will always default to the patterns it knows, long after you have outgrown them
What you can do:
Defer judgement on your creative output. As you create, just let yourself try things out, letting your creativity flow. During the process your only job is to keep things moving.
Only after you are done do you get to edit. This way, you have something to work on and improve, rather than stifling the creative process.
When you are evaluating your efforts, be careful about the language you use. Treat yourself kindly, avoiding unhelpful criticisms like ‘this is crap.’ Instead, be specific about what needs to be improved.
Creativity can feel very personal and that can leave you feeling vulnerable if you show it to others.
The harder you’ve worked at something, the further you’ve reached out of your comfort zone and the more it matters to you, the more risky it can feel to open it up to external critics.
What you can do:
The more a work matters, the more vulnerable it makes you feel. Turn this truth on its head, as Steven Pressfield recommends in the War of Art:
“The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
Rather than getting stuck in the fear, reconnect to why it matters, and what it makes possible. Use that as fuel to push through the fear.
Human beings are social animals. Loneliness has been shown to affect not only our mental health, but our physical health – and even our life expectancy. So, is it any wonder that we are so scared of rejection?
Our schools teach us to conform to social norms. Creative people are often written off as weird, quirky or freakish.
This is not new. Pioneers have been dismissed throughout history as they challenge convention and disrupt the establishment. Galileo was forced to recant his proof that the earth went round the sun, not the other way round. Van Gogh, one of the most admired artists in the world, only sold one single painting during his lifetime.
What you can do:
In the modern world, we have one big advantage that neither Galileo nor Van Gogh had. The internet and other modern communication technology has made the world smaller. Now it is possible for us all to find a group of like-minded people to share our passions with, however weird they are.
Remember, as Henri Matisse, himself a ground-breaking artist, said “Creativity takes courage.”
Take a step by step approach to the risk of coming out of your creativity closet. Start by creating in private. Then choose a safe group of supporters to share your work with. As you gain confidence that you have not been rejected, gradually extend the circle of people that see your creations until you are no longer hiding it at all.
So many of us compare ourselves to others and find ourselves wanting. In fact, even very successful business leaders can find themselves feeling like they are only successful by accident, that they have tricked others and don’t really deserve to be in their roles.
They feel this despite evidence to the contrary, which might include praise, qualifications or positive results.
This feeling, of being a fake, is sufficiently common that it has been given a name: imposter syndrome. It is particularly prevalent in women and minority groups – people who has directly or indirectly had their ability questioned throughout their lives.
People with imposter syndrome can take any sign that their work isn’t as perfect as they hoped to ‘prove’ their belief that they are not good enough. And this can deter them from even trying.
What you can do:
Remember, a creative idea in our minds is never as good when it is realized. Inherent in any creative endeavor is imperfection. Rather than being a sign of your unworthiness, this is normal.
The poet, Robert Browning, mourned the inevitability of imperfection, but also pointed out “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for?”
Even the most creative people can find it impossible to fully realise their visions. It is the nature of being human. Aspiring to more does not mean that your efforts are not worthwhile.
The conventional image of the starving artist living in a garret dominates our culture. It leaves us believing that indulging our creativity can only lead to poverty and obscurity.
To get ahead, or even just to feed our family, we believe it is necessary to follow ‘rational’ career paths such as business, law or medicine. Anything else is a recipe for financial hardship.
What you can do:
Remind yourself of the many successful and financially sustainable creative careers. Film-makers, advertising creatives, graphic designers and others do make a living from creative pursuits.
Some of these include a measure of luck. Not all actors, painters or sculptors hit the big time. But combining creative pursuits with a job that pays the bills is a strategy successfully used by many, and keeps their creative options open.
These alternative jobs don’t have to involve waiting tables. An actor can do voice-overs, teach kids or work with business people on their presentation skills. Film-makers who don’t make it in Hollywood can create campaigns for charities or advertisements for businesses.
And don’t forget, creativity is an inherent part of almost every job. If you can find a better way to do something, even if you are working in a factory, you are being creative.
Shutting off the inherent creativity of human beings makes us more easily replaceable by robots. Make yourself invaluable in any role by using your creative potential.
Starting is usually the hardest part of anything worthwhile. Before you start, the sense of anticipation gets your fear going, without engaging with the real issues yet.
This is the time your monkey mind goes wild, filling you with anxiety rather than action. Or worse, your mind goes completely blank and you are frozen.
Writers block is well known, but the same effect applies to all creative pursuits. It leaves people procrastinating and ruins reputations.
Creative block affects even well known and genuinely creative people. Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, had his book editors confine him to a hotel suite for three weeks to get him to finally write So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, the fourth book in the Hitchhiker series, because he had put it off for so long.
What you can do:
Many authors say they don’t believe in writers block. What you need, they say, is discipline to just start.
Write anything that comes into your head, even if it is nonsense. Describe the scene outside your window. Imagine yourself starting in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. Don’t worry about quality. Just start.
The same applies to other creative endeavours. Pick up a paintbrush and splodge something on the canvas. Play a note on your instrument. Try a solution to a problem, even if you think it won’t work.
Rather than anticipating problems, grapple with them. Fix a time when you make a commitment to do something, even if you know it will be no good. After all, you can edit later. Writers often cross out their entire first paragraph, or even a whole first chapter.
Franklin D. Roosevelt reminds us:
“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
How will you convert retreat into advancement? Let go of the fear holding you back and embrace the creativity you already possess within.
Featured photo credit: Where is the Creative Spark? Photo: Morgan Sessions via unsplash.com
The post 10 Fears Holding You Back from Creativity and How to Beat Them appeared first on Lifehack.
We all know that life can be quite hectic and out of control. Drama and complications come from the lack of control over our lives. I assure you, some of them can be easily controlled and eliminated if you try out these easy tips. So, let’s get to it! (Yes, minimizing complications already.)
People get distracted and procrastinate; it’s part of being human, but when is it too much and too late? At work or school, remember to keep your attention on the assignments at hand. Any urgent tasks should be dealt with immediately and not be put off.
Focus on what needs to be done right now and choose to do the things that would make the most difference. After you have accomplished that, ask yourself what other areas need the most of your time.
What haven’t you been doing that you know you should do? Knowing what you need to do first will give you a sense of control over your life, and thus, less drama. If you have time, here is some further reading if you need more help getting to know your priorities.
If you don’t already keep a schedule, then go right now and make one! Having a well-organized schedule will make your life so much easier. Whether you like old-fashion calendars or mobile apps, the act of keeping track of future events will dramatically decrease the likelihood of complications.
Once you start a schedule, you can conveniently see what is planned for the future and not be overwhelmed by upcoming events because you have had time to prepare yourself for them.
The perks of an organized schedule do not stop here. You can also look back at how you spent your time and improve your time management skills.
Perhaps some meetings could have been completed in an hour. Perhaps you are spending too little time with the people you care about and spending too much time at work. Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days, of course, is how we spend our lives.” What do you want your life schedule to look like?
As mentioned before, knowing your priorities will be helpful in decluttering your life. Like any grocery list, you put down things you want to do in the future so you won’t forget. A nicely arranged list will provide you with a visual cue to prioritize your day.
Check out this list of good list-keeping apps! Choose one that has sharing capabilities so you can share your lists with friends, family and significant other: it certainly makes things easier when you go shopping!
If you already keep lists, decide on three most important tasks to do in the morning every day. This way, you know exactly what needs to be done that day, and completing them will give you a sense of accomplishment! I personally love the moment I tick-off something on my to-do list!
Another way to make your life simpler is by setting up shortcuts for everything you do. These shortcuts encompass areas like work, school and everyday life. Depending on the kind of software you use most frequently, you can look up faster ways to do the same thing.
For Windows 8 users, here is a great list of shortcuts you probably aren’t already familiar with. We use computers for the majority of our day, and by knowing how to do the same thing with the least amount of time, we can definitely accomplish more.
Does your job include answering emails and doing repetitive tasks? It might make your life so much easier if you establish canned responses.
A shortcut I personally love to follow is especially handy when I have piles of work to read through. This is what I would like to call “The NV” reading method: when I need to read something really quickly, I only pick up the nouns and the verbs of the paragraph.
Once you get used to reading like this, your brain will be able to read papers much faster as it is now trained to piece words together.
In order to feel like you have control over your life, routines are one of the best ways to go about decluttering it. The ideology behind routines is that patterns make people feel safe and comfortable – everything is going exactly as planned.
When you follow a set of patterns, it feels like nothing will go out of hand. My friend suggested a nice routine for lunches during weekdays, so that you can save time on decisions with “guaranteed results.”
For instance, you can have Fancy Mondays to blow away the Monday blues, Taco Tuesdays, and/or Espresso Fridays to power through the last day of the week. And once routines get too boring, just throw in something you don’t usually do to bring in some unusual and surprising new flavours.
A lot of our everyday drama comes from social media. People often compare their own lives to their friends’ Facebook updates, but what they often do not see is the ugly side of everyone’s lives. Who would post that on Facebook, right?
Social media is also the prime evil of procrastination – you know you’ve spent more time up there then you should have. Now, there is a new browser application that enables you to limit your usage. Key in the websites your rational side knows you shouldn’t be spending so much time on, and go cold turkey!
The more your co-workers know about your daily life, the more awkward things get! Try your best not to let your actual life intersect with your work life; the further apart they are, the less drama and gossip there will be.
The workplace is a very competitive environment – you would not want any untrue rumors to go around about you that may have a drastic effect on your reputation.
Depending on what kind of a job you have, letting your clients know about your private life may also affect your professionalism. They might no longer see you as someone with the authority and power you had before. Sometimes it’s crucial to be a little distant!
We all have limited amount of free time each day, so who do you choose to spend it with? Here’s a simple list of questions that will make the decision easier:
1. Do you feel yourself and comfortable around them? If you have a full-time job, you might not get enough rest and relaxation every day, so it’s important that you can be yourself during your off-hours.
2. Can you tell the truth when something upsets you? Who we tell the truth to is, of course, who we should spend the most time with. If you have to put on a mask when you hang out with someone, he or she probably isn’t the best person you should spend your time with.
3. Are you genuinely happy and satisfied when you are with them? Some people spend time with the kind of friends they believe will make them happy. It can be tiring and impractical to rely on someone for your mood – be the person you want to spend time with. Know exactly what makes you smile from the bottom of your heart, and then you know who to spend your time with.
4. Do they tell you the truth? The truth isn’t always the sweetest thing to hear, but we need to hear it anyways. Who else would tell it to your face, if not someone who truly cares about you?
We’re all unique, bar-code unique. So, some tips are not meant to be followed rigorously as everyone’s situation is different. These are simply suggestions that you may find helpful to dedramatize and declutter your life! Say YES to a simpler life!
Featured photo credit: Hipster Wallpaper HDW via heavyeditorial.files.wordpress.com
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Are you able to get through all the reading you planned this year? Do you ever want to read more but don’t seem to have the time?
Here are 15 ways that help you read more this year.
Before you start reading, ask yourself why are you reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons – pleasure or knowledge.
Being specific and clear about your reading purpose not only helps you to eliminate books that you don’t need to read. It also reminds you why reading the book is important to you as you are reading it. This motivates you to keep reading and complete the book faster.
Whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction, it’s important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may recommend books that they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.
Don’t read for the sake of reading. Reading shouldn’t be another task in your to-do-list to be checked off. Reading books that you think you “should” read or which you think are good for you will slow down your reading process if you have no interest in it.
Instead, find books that spark your interest and curiosity. You’ll find yourself reading these books faster.
When it comes to reading for personal pleasure and knowledge, you set your own rules. Don’t feel guilty about skipping pages. You don’t need to read all the pages in a book. It’s not cheating!
In fact, skipping pages is more productive. It helps you move through boring or irrelevant parts quicker. You don’t waste time reading something that doesn’t serve you.
You may have selected books that are aligned with your purpose. You may have selected books that you are attracted to. But as you are reading them, there may still be some books that you won’t enjoy reading.
Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn’t be a chore.
Giving up doesn’t mean that you are a quitter. Giving up books that you don’t enjoy reading actually frees up your time for books that you would enjoy.
Having a reading goal helps you figure out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.
For example, this year, my reading goal is to read 100 books. Since there are 52 weeks a year, each week I need to read at least 2 books. Having a reading goal allows me to strategize how much time I need to allocate each day for reading and it helps me to decide what information I need from each book.
Instead of dabbling in reading and hoping to find something useful to you, come prepared with a set of reading objectives. This helps you focus on specific parts of the book and find information that is useful to you when reading.
Before you read each book, ask yourself when you need to complete this book by.
What I find interesting is that I tend to read books that I borrow from libraries faster than the books I bought. The reason is the books I bought don’t have a due date! I don’t need to return those books. So I can take as long as I want to read those books.
When you don’t set a deadline to complete your book. There isn’t a sense of urgency. And when something isn’t urgent, you tend to procrastinate and your books get left on the shelves untouched and unread. So setting a deadline is important.
If reading is important to you, no matter how busy you are, you will find and schedule time to read.
Making reading a part of your daily routine removes the hassle of finding time each day to read. Allocating a fixed time to read each day reduces procrastination. It’s also easier for others to know your reading schedule and not to disturb you when you are reading.
To keep your reading momentum, always have the next book ready. Don’t wait untill you have completed all your books, then find the next book to read. You’ll waste unnecessary time trying to find the next book.
Instead, prepare a reading list in advance. List all the books you want to read. Add books that are recommended by your friends and family. Go to your local bookstores and see what intrigues you. You can also find a list of recommended books suggested by bloggers on their websites.
Reading in the morning before you start your work or reading at night when you are winding down are the best times to read. At these time, you won’t get caught up in the daily distractions that interrupt your reading.
However, if you want to maximize your reading time, try carrying a book with you wherever you go. There will be times during the day when you are free or waiting in queue. Use this time to catch up on your reading.
Reading requires focus and concentration. If possible, find a quiet place to read.
Reading in a quiet environment increases your comprehension. You don’t get disrupted by external noises. You don’t have to reread previous pages and paragraphs to recall what you have just read.
So choose a good environment in which to read. Switch off your phone or put it away. Close your door if necessary. You read more in one hour of focused reading than in three hours of interrupted reading.
Sometimes, if you watch the trailer, read the synopsis or follow some of the online content that the author has been providing, you are able to get into the author’s world much faster.
You won’t have to spend as much time establishing the context or understanding the characters in the beginning.
Have you experienced times when you are just reading words, but not comprehending anything that the book says?
Reading a book word by word isn’t an effective way to read. Some words such as “a”, “an” and “the” don’t add any meaning to what you read. Your brain is smarter than you think it is. With just a few important words, your brain can devise meanings and comprehend what the author is saying by tapping on your prior knowledge and experience.
Furthermore, reading word by word is boring unless you are reading to appreciate the author’s use of language. Instead, allow your eyes to scan the page and pick up words that help you form meanings.
Reading in layers is especially useful for nonfiction readers. Instead of reading your book once through in detail, read your book with multiple passes.
So for example, your first pass could be just browsing the book, reading the content page and some of the headers to get the overall big picture first. Then your second pass could be selecting specific sections of the book you need more detail in and zooming in on them.
Before you start each pass, decide if you need more detail. Sometimes, you are able to comprehend the information without needing to read the examples. Other times, some information might not apply to you now. So you don’t need to read everything in detail.
Don’t critique the author while you are reading the book. Arguing with the author as you read lowers your comprehension. You can always disagree with the author after you have completed the book.
Also, spotting grammar and spelling mistakes while you read slows down your reading process. Although constant bad grammar could affect your reading, small grammar and spelling mistakes hardly affect your comprehension at all.
Again, ask yourself what the purpose of reading this book is. Are you reading for pleasure and knowledge or are you reading to proofread or critique the book?
This sounds counterproductive. But it works well if you are doing research or want to accumulate knowledge on a topic fast.
When I was writing my book, Fearless Passion, I read several books about passion at the same time. Some books have similar information. I just picked one book that clearly explained the information I needed and skipped the rest. Reading several books at once also allows me to receive different points of view on the same topic quicker.
Even if you are reading fiction books, you can also read books in the same series at the same time. That will help you retain information about the plot and characters.
Featured photo credit: Waiting and Reading at Bryant Park / Jens Schott Knudsen via flickr.com
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This excellent infographic is a brilliant way to get you into the right frame of mind to achieve all the goals you are set to accomplish: It goes over 10 powerful habits of ultra successful people and include some real-life cases where famous people have used them to achieve success.
Being able to boost your own learning curve to a point where you feel comfortable with learning about new topics is a sign of successful people. Just fifteen minutes a day of non-fiction is all that you need to make a genuine difference to your own development.
Simply start by reading up on books that make sense to you and can be the ideal solution to helping you see through problems that you are facing at the current time.
Speed reading is very popular across the globe, and has been used by plenty of highly successful people to improve their chances of success in the long-term. For example, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington are all famous speed-learners.
Being able to actually see your problem in front of you is a great thing. If you are able to get to a stage where your problems are more than just a confused equation in your mind, you can make a genuine success of yourself in the long-term. The hardest part is going to be making sure that your problems are something you can relate with visually, though.
For anyone struggling with this we recommend checking out the books recommended in the infographic. Being able to see the problem in front of you rather than just having a big, scary image in your head is much easier – plenty of big names across the world are known for using visualization, such as Oprah Winfrey.
Having a list of different priorities throughout the day can stop you either from getting bogged down in meaningless tasks or simply from dealing with the easy ones and then not having enough time to deal with the “real” tasks. Limitations start to create an urgency, as the infographic states, and this can be the kick-on that you need to start being more successful.
This isn’t some weird, new-age idea that does nothing for you by the way – it’s been used by many people throughout history. For example, this article shows you how Eisenhower created a model which is known as the Eisenhower Matrix.
Start off by reading the books suggested above, as financial management is going to be so important to your long-term success as an individual. It can take a bit of time and getting used to but once you start seeing the fruits of your labor it becomes much easier to deal with.
Of course, it takes a lot of time and planning but is well worth looking into further as it can help you totally transform your fiscal management and make your life much more comfortable than it has been in the past.
Fiscal management isn’t just for “normal” people, either. Plenty of celebrities throughout the world – and big name entrepreneurs – got there by being smart with their money. Will Smith is well known for being smart with his money, as shown here.
An easy way to make the most of every day is to attack it – get up early, get into this difficult tasks, and see the rest of the day through. Successful people don’t start at 1PM – they start at 8AM! Be sure that you get the most out of each and every day. Long lies and sleeping in can be done when you have fought towards achieving your life goals rather than when you are nearly there!
Former England and Manchester United footballer Gary Neville is well-known for his old philosophy of “attack the day”. He’s mentioned it a lot in the past, and you can really see the benefits being an early riser has for him!
Everyone needs to have clear life goals and ambitions to strive for – because without them, what is the point? So as long as you have something to aim for then there’s something to keep you motivated and successful. It’s when you start running out of things to see as progress or an achievement that it can become quite tough to manage.
However, with the help of some expert thinking and by having written down goals on something you see every day, you can make sure that you never lose track of where you are going and what the endgame is going to be.
Setting goals is vital for everyone – whether you are on the conveyer belt or you are running a multi-billion dollar business. Here is what Oprah has to say about setting clear goals.
Nothing is worse than having an imbalanced and poor diet – when this happens, you need to eat healthier. A body with the right nutritional intake is far more useful to you than one that is flagging and needs help getting through those hard days. Make sure that you eat well and regularly so that your body is well topped and able to cope with the rigors of the day.
Additionally, exercising on a daily basis is vital to be successful. People who are unfit physically can find it constraining their minds, as well.
How you eat will reflect how your look – this is no more apparent than in the most “elite” of society (although we hate that term). When you eat right, it shows in how you look.
Take the personality test listed at 16Personalities.com and you can really notice a big increase in your life goals and aims. When your own strengths – and weaknesses – are so apparent to you, it becomes much easier to start correcting and improving upon them. Rather than letting your strengths hold you back in the future, make them a focal point of how you will kick on and start to improve yourself moving forward.
This is an example of one of the personality styles that tend to come out from this test – you can see how it relates these personality styles to some specific people that you may have heard of. This can help you get a bit of perspective about what is being said, and who you’re like!
Having friends in high places and close associates that you can rely upon to help keep you busy and in work is never a bad thing. Are you a confident and frank talker? If so, you should really consider getting involved in using those powers to network and build your list.
Pick up the book recommended in the infographic for even more information on how networking can properly help you make friends for the long-term.
This form of networking – via social media – is so important today, and can give you a chance to network from afar. Celebrities see a massive amount of attention from social media, and you can see how they deal with it in a professional manner to enhance their own career prospects.
Nobody likes to fold easily, and it becomes so much easier to do when you have a list of moral rules that you will follow at all times. When you live by a set code that ensures you never break ranks, and that you are always able to look in the mirror and stay true to yourself, it’s much easier to be successful.
Have these principles in place and never deviate from them.
Inspirational people are easy to find, and they are more memorable than your usual person because they actively force positive thinking and change – what more can you ask for from an individual, really?
10 Powerful Habits Of The Super Successful (Infographic) | Addicted2Success
Featured photo credit: addicted2success.com via addicted2success.com
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There are correct answers, there are wrong answers, and then there are the best answers. These students have most definitely figured out the best answers! Whether you are looking for sarcasm, snark, or blatantly truthful, these funny test answers will certainly boost your creativity.
1. Wolverine is always the correct answer
Source: Very Serious Stuff
2. Looks like they’ve got a little Hannibal Lecter on their hands!
Source: ChaCha
3. Somehow, I don’t think the teacher would appreciate this one!
Source: pikachu-epicness
4. Well, they aren’t wrong!
Source: evilchilli
5. For all the Harry Potter nerds out there.
Source: Art of Trolling
6. Creative answers lurk in chemistry classes, too!
Source: imgur
7. It’s always good to have confidence.
Source: knowyourmeme
8. Remember, Saturn was not a single lady.
Source: parentdish
9. Rebel, rebel. . .
Source: Smosh
10. Eh, close enough.
Source: sodahead
11. You can’t deny the sound advice here.
Source: Tumblr
12. He does have a point.
Source: dothesekidsmakemelookcrazy
13. I guess this teacher isn’t big on romance.
Source: cvcdn
14. Something tells me this isn’t the first time she’s done this.
Source: funnyexam
15. He’s just keepin’ it real!
Source: buzzfeed
16. Just one letter away from a new Breaking Bad episode.
Source: cavemancircus
17. Animal rights are very important – even in the classroom.
Source: imgur
18. Did the teacher really expect the student to write in English?
Source: addfunny
19. The teacher seems a bit sensitive about this.
Source: break
20. Um…Not quite.
Source: imgur
21. Well, he certainly would not be doing a jig, now would he?
Source: funcage
This list of 21 incredibly funny test answers are sure to get your creative juices going. So, what is it going to be: snark or sarcasm?
Featured photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
The post 21 Hilarious and Creative Responses to Actual Test Questions appeared first on Lifehack.
Let me start by saying that success is not normal, it is unusual and in fact insane. Normal hardworking people very rarely become successful.
Normal people work very hard at their jobs to barely make ends meet. Normal people take out high interest loans they can’t afford to get degrees they probably won’t use. Normal people buy cookie cutter cars and live in cookie cutter houses so they can enslave themselves to the perceptions of people they don’t like.
In a world fascinated with conformity, mediocrity is sanity. People are unfortunately content living up to the status quo – go to school, get a good job, get married, buy a house and have kids.
When you consider this quote by Steve Jobs, you realize that being crazy is not just about thinking outside the box, it is creating the box that normal people will think inside of.
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Steve Jobs
Here are ten reasons why crazy people are more likely to be successful
They create new boxes for normal people to think inside of
Crazy people like Steve Jobs don’t just challenge the norm: they create new norms for others to either challenge or think inside of. Innovation doesn’t always mean coming up with something new. Most times, it is as “crazy” and mind blowing as making something that already exist better. By thinking differently, crazy people like kids use the power of their imagination to power their way to success.
When crazy people set goals for themselves, they aren’t concerned with the “what if” possibility of failure. For them, there is no plan “B” because plan “A” will absolutely work. While normal people are paralyzed by the fear of failure, the crazy ones saddle up and ride anyways. To them, failure is a word with no meaning. This ability to seemingly disregard the fear of failure is why the crazy ones are more likely to succeed.
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.”
Will Smith
The need to be authentic is the need to be different from everybody else. Crazy people develop their own sense of style and paint the portrait of life exactly the way they see it. This ability to be original has seen many crazies achieve success by developing life skills that normal people would call a bad habit or simply absurd. For example, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are known to wear the same type of outfit every day. Billionaire Warren Buffett collects an annual salary of $100,000 dollars and has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity.
“Develop your own style and wear it long enough to become a trendsetter” – Anonymous
Normal people can’t wait to do nothing. They can’t wait to get off work, go home, sit in front of the TV and do nothing. They always complain about how much energy they don’t have and how much more time they wish they had. Crazies however have all the time, passion and energy in the world. They dedicate themselves to a craft and work tirelessly to develop their skills. This intent focus and energy definitely gives them an advantage for success.
Deviating from the norm isn’t always easy, especially if you have spent your whole life following rules. However, crazies understand that while rules are important, they can be limiting. What rules in your industry do you accept as fact? Why do you follow them? If the answer is “that’s the way it has always been” then you are normal and probably will never succeed. It is this ability to question authority without disrespect that makes the crazies more likely to be successful.
To other people, crazies may seem like highly resourceful people, which is true. But a deeper truth is that they are just people who take action to solve a problem they can no longer ignore. Their unusual minds help them view the world from a different perspective than normal people. So problems that normal people would just accept as “the way things are,” crazy people cannot accept. Crazies embody the old adage, “necessity is the mother of all inventions.”
No matter what type of person you are, it is easy to recognize others of like mind. Crazies all over the world have begun a revolution to find other crazies. They almost seem to be drawn to inventions, ideas and other individuals born a little crazy. They see genius in what normal people have written off as abnormal because and are often the early adopters of all the great new trends and technologies. The idea of being able to brainstorm with others who think as differently as you do gives you a greater chance of success. Crazy’s challenge one another’s believes.
Crazies have the minds of kids, constantly asking why. Their minds are insatiable and they are not afraid to follow the rabbit hole no matter how deep down it goes. This allows them to see life as not full of problems, but full of wonder and potential. This ability to always see the glass half full makes the crazies more likely to succeed.
Once crazies sink their teeth into something, they never let go. Crazy people become obsessed with certain problems and how to solve them. They become so engrossed that no matter how impossible a task supposedly is, they will always find a way. This is the X factor that will drive a crazy person to succeed at a task that a normal person would have long ago given up in frustration.
Crazies don’t label people or problems; they are only intrigued by what’s inside a person. While normal people see defined lines and segregate people into labels of race, religion, gender, career specialization or sexual orientation, crazies only see heart and passion. To the crazies, there is no black or white, just shades of grey. By not limiting the abilities for action people have to the perceptions of labels, crazies are able to surround themselves with an extremely diverse group of talent and unlock the human potential and ability for action.
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Sig Nordal 