Do What You Do Best; Delegate the Rest

Do What You Do Best; Delegate the Rest

There is a strong likelihood that the things you do best are those for which you would pay another person your hourly rate. Another way of stating this is, "delegate any tasks that can be performed by a person earning less than your hourly rate—or your desired hourly rate."

Delegate to a Person with Demonstrated Competence
Having determined what to delegate, the next step is to select the person to whom you will delegate the task. If you delegate an important task to a person who is incapable of performing adequately, you are setting that individual up for failure while inviting disappointment and frustration on your part. This is not to say the person has to be as capable as you. But he must have sufficient skills and experience to effectively perform the delegated task. Choose carefully. It is in the best interest of the person to whom you are delegating and of course, in your own best interest as well.

Define the Task Clearly
Be clear as to your intended outcome. What is the end result you want to achieve when the delegated task has been completed? Make every effort to describe this clearly to the person to whom you are delegating the task. Then ask her to repeat her understanding of the assigned task. If her description is not an accurate summary of what you want to accomplish, explain the differences in detail and ask her to again feed back to you her understanding of the assignment. If the two of you do not start out on the same page, there is little likelihood of success.

Set a Deadline
Set a clear deadline for completion of the delegated task. Do not be vague. An ambiguous target such as "sometime next week," or "as soon as you can get it done" will not serve either of you well. Without a clearly defined completion date, there will be no sense of urgency, and the job may very well drag on ad infinitum, frustrating you both.

Establish Benchmarks
It will be important for both of you to be able to gauge the progress being made as the delegated task is carried out. Specifically, how will you measure this progress? Reach agreement on the yardstick by which you will make such judgments.

Agree on Consequences
What will be the consequences of the person successfully completing the delegated task? Are these consequences known by the person charged with the responsibility of carrying them out? Are they important to him? Will they serve to motivate him? The consequences do not have to be enormous, but they should be meaningful to him. Otherwise they will have little effect. Their emotional import is what will have the greatest affect.

Put it in Writing
Before the delegated assignment is launched, there is one additional important step. Have the entire process described to this point documented in a written agreement. Then, have each of you sign it. Psychologically, this final step transforms your mutual understanding into a commitment.

Action Exercise
What one activity or task that does not represent the highest and best use of your time, but that is nevertheless important to the success of your business, will you delegate?

Brain Tracy

Improve Studying Results

Improve Studying Results
 

                  Studying Tips



1  Study in Short, Frequent Sessions.

                  It has been proven that short bursts of concentration repeated frequently are much more effective than one long session. So, even if you only have 10 minutes, DO IT. Take a break. Then study another 10 minutes. This “distributed learning” approach is highly efficient because it honors the way the brain likes to work. The brain needs recovery and recharging time for “protein synthesis.” The rest periods are when your brain assimilates your effort. They are a powerful tool which many teachers do not acknowledge. To sit and study for hours and hours is not only boring, it creates fatigue, stress, and distraction. You cannot learn if you are fatigued, stressed, and distracted!

2  Take Guilt-Free Days of Rest.

                  This follows the same principle as above, but on a longer, daily time cycle. The reason for resting is to refresh oneself. However, if you feel guilty (“I really should be studying”) then your precious rest period has been used to create more stress. The brain will not absorb new data if it is stressed. On days off from studying, really enjoy yourself and do not feel bad about not studying.

3  Honor Your Emotional State.

                  Do not study if you are tired, angry, distracted, or in a hurry. When the brain is relaxed, it is like a sponge and it naturally absorbs data without effort. If you are emotionally stressed, your brain literally repels data. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is on other things is a complete waste of time!

4  Review the Same Day.

                  When you learn something new, try to go over the points the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review the material, it will seem much less familiar. However, a quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next “official” study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.

5  Observe the Natural Learning Sequence.

                  Think of the activities you did when you were in nursery school. Using your whole arm, you probably performed the song that goes: “Put your right hand in, Put your right hand out.” Then, in kindergarten, using your hand, you might have been asked to draw lines or circles with crayons. Later, in first grade, now holding the pencil with your fingers, you drew smaller lines and circles to create letters. Believe it or not, this natural learning sequence, moving from large to small, coarse to fine, still remains effective even though we are now older. When you study, if you try first to grasp the big picture and then fill in the details, you often have a more likely chance of success.

6  Use Exaggeration.

                  Why does a baseball batter warm up by swinging two or three bats? Why do runners sometimes strap lead weights to their legs? In both cases, exaggeration during practice makes the final result seem easy. This concept can be applied to studying anything. For example, if you are studying spelling, exaggerate the sound of the letters to help to remember them. So for studying purposes, “naive” would be pronounced “NAY-IVY.” By getting used to this exaggerated pronunciation, the correct spelling seems obvious.

7  Prepare Your Study Environment.

                  If you require certain elements in your environment to help you study, try to always make these a priority. For example, do you need special lighting, silence, music, privacy, available snacks, etc.? Pay attention to what works for you and repeat it each time you study for best success.

8  Respect “Brain Fade.”

                  It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget things. This does not mean that you are stupid! Instead of getting mad about this fact, you should expect it and deal with it accordingly. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge. As you place more information on top, the lower levels become older and less available to your immediate recall. The trick here is simply to review. Since we can anticipate the eventual fading of our memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem. Once every two or three study sessions, simply review older material that you will be still needing to remember. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is required. “Brain fade” is completely normal. (Unless you are gifted with a photographic memory, which is extremely rare.)

9  Create a Study Routine.

                  Generally, if you schedule certain times of the day to study, you will get into a routine and accomplish more. If you just “fit it in” during your day, chances are that there will never be any time. An effective way to do this is to literally mark it down in your datebook calendar as if you have an appointment, like going to the doctor. For example: “Tuesday 3-4:30 P.M. — Study.”

10  Set Reasonable Goals.

                  One of the main reasons people do not reach their goals is because they set them too high. If you set goals that are manageable, even if they seem too simple, you get in the habit of accomplishing them and gradually you can set higher goals. Also, recognize the difference between long-term and short-term goals. Set your vision on the long-term dream, but your day-to-day activity should be focused exclusively on the short-term, enabling steps.

11  Avoid the Frustration Enemy.

                  Ironically, the quicker the person’s nervous system, the faster they learn. Yet, this fast nervous system also works overtime in being self-critical. So they are the ones who always think they aren’t going fast enough! In contrast, the “Type B,” less intense person who learns slower yet is more self-accepting, ends up ultimately learning the material in a shorter period of time. This is because he/she doesn’t waste energy blocking, getting upset, and thinking that they’re not good enough — they simply keep moving forward at a slower (but un-blocked) pace.


Howard Richman

How To Eat An Elephant

How To Eat An Elephant


Are you struggling to figure out how to make it through to the end of a project? Do you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities and don’t know what to do about it? Feeling anxious about things you have to do will not make your tasks any easier to accomplish. If it seems like those tasks are too huge to tackle, these tips will help you. Here’s how to eat an elephant:


1) Break it down.

Quite often, the single thing that makes anything seem so overpowering is that you are looking at the big picture. You see the end result, but can’t picture the process it will take to get there. When you break it down into a step-by-step process, you will feel a lot more confident that each task is achievable.

2) Decide where to begin.

The next hindrance for many is not knowing where to start. After you break down the big picture into manageable tasks, the next step you need to take is deciding where to begin. Prioritizing that task list is a good way to figure out what is most important to you. Also, keep in mind that some tasks will naturally need to be completed before others.

3) Plan thoroughly.

Smart planning is as essential as having your task list. Now is the time to think ahead. What will you do in the event of an emergency? How will you compensate if you need to spend time away from the project? Who can you turn to for sage advice or help? Thinking about all these things now will help you build a more well-rounded plan.

4) Tackle one thing at a time.

When you are ready to begin, remember that the best advice has always been to do one thing at a time. The best cure for not becoming overwhelmed is to simply start at the bottom and work your way up. Nobody is able to successfully tackle a large project and complete it overnight. Set realistic expectations for yourself.

The Ten Study Habits of Successful Students

 
The Ten Study Habits of Successful Students


Successful students have good study habits. They apply these habits to all of their classes. Read about each study habit. Work to develop any study habit you do not have.

Successful students:

   1. Try not to do too much studying at one time.

      If you try to do too much studying at one time, you will tire and your studying will not be very effective. Space the work you have to do over shorter periods of time. Taking short breaks will restore your mental energy.
   2. Plan specific times for studying.

      Study time is any time you are doing something related to schoolwork. It can be completing assigned reading, working on a paper or project, or studying for a test. Schedule specific times throughout the week for your study time.
   3. Try to study at the same times each day.

      Studying at the same times each day establishes a routine that becomes a regular part of your life, just like sleeping and eating. When a scheduled study time comes up during the day, you will be mentally prepared to begin studying.
   4. Set specific goals for their study times.

      Goals will help you stay focused and monitor your progress. Simply sitting down to study has little value. You must be very clear about what you want to accomplish during your study times.
   5. Start studying when planned.

      You may delay starting your studying because you don't like an assignment or think it is too hard. A delay in studying is called "procrastination." If you procrastinate for any reason, you will find it difficult to get everything done when you need to. You may rush to make up the time you wasted getting started, resulting in careless work and errors.
   6. Study Habits, Clipboard Checklist Work on the assignment they find most difficult first.

      Your most difficult assignment will require the most effort. Start with your most difficult assignment since this is when you have the most mental energy.
   7. Review their notes before beginning an assignment.

      Reviewing your notes can help you make sure you are doing an assignment correctly. Also, your notes may include information that will help you complete an assignment.
   8. Tell their friends not to call them during their study times.

      Two study problems can occur if your friends call you during your study times. First, your work is interrupted. It is not that easy to get back to what you were doing. Second, your friends may talk about things that will distract you from what you need to do. Here's a simple idea - turn off your cell phone during your study times.
   9. Call another student when they have difficulty with an assignment.

      This is a case where "two heads may be better than one."
  10. Review their schoolwork over the weekend.

      Yes, weekends should be fun time. But there is also time to do some review. This will help you be ready to go on Monday morning when another school week begins.

These ten study habits can help you throughout your education. Make sure they are your study habits.

Setting Goals

Setting Goals


A goal is something you want to achieve. A short-term goal is something you want to achieve soon. Examples of short-term goals are finishing your homework and doing well on tomorrow's test. A long-term goal is something you want to achieve at some later date. Examples of long-term goals are writing a paper and passing a class.

To set appropriate goals, you must know what is important for you to accomplish. Then you must set specific and clearly stated goals. If you do not have clearly stated goals, your effort will lack direction and focus. Write your goals to have a record of them.
THE THREE W'S OF GOALS

Each goal you set should state WHAT you will do and WHEN you will accomplish it. Implied in each goal you set is your WILL (determination) to do it. For example, a goal for a research paper might be stated as follows: I will (your determination) finish gathering information for my research paper (what you will do) by November 20 (when you will accomplish it).

CHARACTERISTICS OF APPROPRIATE GOALS

Your goals should be:

   1. within your skills and abilities. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you set goals you can accomplish.
   2. realistic. Setting a goal to learn the spelling of three new words a day is realistic. Trying to learn the spelling of fifty new words a day is not realistic.
   3. flexible. Sometimes things will not go the way you anticipate and you may need to change your goal. Stay flexible so when you realize a change is necessary you will be ready to make the change.
   4. Setting Goals, Tape Measure measurable. It is important to be able to measure your progress toward a goal. It is especially important to recognize when you have accomplished your goal and need to go no further. Failure to measure your progress toward a goal and recognize its accomplishment will result in effort that is misdirected and wasted.
   5. within your control. Other than when working as part of a group, accomplishment of your goal should not depend on other students. You can control what you do, but you have little or no control over what others do. You may do what you have to do, but if others don't, you will not accomplish your goal.

Many times your parents, teachers, and counselors will set goals for you. Be accepting when they do. These are people who know what is important for you and are very concerned with your success. They can also help you accomplish the goals they set.

SET GOALS IN SCHOOL THAT PROVIDE YOU WITH DIRECTION AND LEAD TO SUCCESS.

What Can I Do About Excessive Procrastination?

What Can I Do About Excessive Procrastination?

Here are some things you can do to control excessive procrastination.
Procrastination, Green Light

   1. Motivate yourself to work on a task with thoughts such as "There is no time like the present," or "Nobody's perfect."
   2. Prioritize the tasks you have to do.
   3. Commit yourself to completing a task once started.
   4. Reward yourself whenever you complete a task.
   5. Work on tasks at the times you work best.
   6. Break large tasks into small manageable parts.
   7. Work on tasks as part of a study group.
   8. Get help from teachers and other students when you find a task difficult.
   9. Make a schedule of the tasks you have to do and stick to it.
  10. Eliminate distractions that interfere with working on tasks.
  11. Set reasonable standards that you can meet for a task.
  12. Take breaks when working on a task so that you do not wear down.
  13. Work on difficult and/or unpleasant tasks first.
  14. Work on a task you find easier after you complete a difficult task.
  15. Find a good place to work on tasks.

Above all, think positively and get going. Once you are into a task, you will probably find that it is more interesting than you thought it would be and not as difficult as you feared. You will feel increasingly relieved as you work toward its accomplishment and will come to look forward to the feeling of satisfaction you will experience when you have completed the task.

Motivating Yourself to Study

If you find that you lack motivation to study, welcome to the club. Just about every student experiences this problem at one time or another.

Motivation is important for good studying. When you are motivated, you will find it easy to stay focused over a period of time. When you are not motivated, you will not only find it difficult to stay focused, but you will find it difficult to get started in the first place.

Here are some ways to increase your motivation to study.

   1. Reward yourself for studying. For example, after a successful study session, have a treat like a nice big ice cream cone. Go crazy and add some cherries and nuts.
   2. Study with your friends. Don’t make it party time, but you can have fun as you do this.
   3. Remind yourself of your long-term goals. Achievement of your goals likely requires educational success. Educational success requires studying.
   4. Eliminate distractions. If you are surrounding by things you would rather do than study, you will probably do those things instead of studying.
   5. Develop interest in what you have to study. This will make studying more enjoyable.
   6. Take breaks. When you feel that you need to take a break, try to stop at a point where you are at something that is easy for you. This will make it easier for you to resume studying after your break.
   7. Establish a comfortable environment. You will be more inclined to study if you feel comfortable.
   8. Establish reasonable goals for a study session. You probably won’t get very far if you look at your study session as "mission impossible."
   9. Use a motivational poster. Place the poster where you can see it as you study. The poster should include positive words and a picture depicting success. You can buy one or even make your own. You can also read inspirational stories about real people who have achieved success through effort.
  10. Just do it. Once you do, you will feel a lot better than if you are worried about getting it done.

Finally, if these suggestions don’t do it for you, just think about the consequences of not studying.

If you want to be successful in life

If you want to be super successful in life, have a well-paying career and do something with your life - you must become BETTER than most people. You must become better than average. MUCH BETTER.

we have misjudged how long it will actually take us to absorb and understand the material. If your mid-term is still six weeks away, it might seem like plenty of time before you need to get around to studying.

You might find however, that the subject matter is a lot harder to understand than you thought it would be, and all of a sudden there is no time left to ask someone to explain it to you.

Another reason we often put off starting to study is that we are too overwhelmed with how big the project actually seems to be. Somehow, we convince ourselves that putting off a tough study project can be the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Then, our anxiety makes it difficult for us to settle down and tackle the books.

When we are faced with a study project that seems exceptionally difficult and overwhelming, it can be hard to maintain a high level of interest and motivation for the duration of the learning process.

If you have been guilty of all these bad study habits, it is not too late to learn some techniques that will work better for you.

• First, remind yourself why you want to do better in your studies. Maybe you need a good mark to get into a good college. Maybe you want a chance at a career that will pay you well. Always keep your end goal in mind.

• You can put up little cards around your room with inspirational messages, and attractive photographs that will remind you why you want to do well in school.

• It is very important that you do not put yourself down for not studying. This will only increase your anxiety and make you rebel against your schoolwork. You will also decrease your self-confidence.

• Look for positive ways to reinforce your desire to learn. You can actually train yourself to enjoy studying! You can make learning and studying feel enjoyable, instead of seeming like a dreaded chore.

• Tell yourself that you enjoy learning new things. Tell yourself that you are smart and that learning new things is fun. Enjoy the challenge you are facing. Find ways to get excited about the material.

• Tell other people what you are studying, and spend a bit of time explaining it to them. This will signal your brain that the material is important, and that learning it is enjoyable.

You will be able to understand and remember the material better when you are relaxed instead of anxious - and when you have confidence in yourself as a learner.

Improve Studying Results

Improve Studying Results



1  Study in Short, Frequent Sessions.

                  It has been proven that short bursts of concentration repeated frequently are much more effective than one long session. So, even if you only have 10 minutes, DO IT. Take a break. Then study another 10 minutes. This “distributed learning” approach is highly efficient because it honors the way the brain likes to work. The brain needs recovery and recharging time for “protein synthesis.” The rest periods are when your brain assimilates your effort. They are a powerful tool which many teachers do not acknowledge. To sit and study for hours and hours is not only boring, it creates fatigue, stress, and distraction. You cannot learn if you are fatigued, stressed, and distracted!

2  Take Guilt-Free Days of Rest.

                  This follows the same principle as above, but on a longer, daily time cycle. The reason for resting is to refresh oneself. However, if you feel guilty (“I really should be studying”) then your precious rest period has been used to create more stress. The brain will not absorb new data if it is stressed. On days off from studying, really enjoy yourself and do not feel bad about not studying.

3  Honor Your Emotional State.

                  Do not study if you are tired, angry, distracted, or in a hurry. When the brain is relaxed, it is like a sponge and it naturally absorbs data without effort. If you are emotionally stressed, your brain literally repels data. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is on other things is a complete waste of time!

4  Review the Same Day.

                  When you learn something new, try to go over the points the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review the material, it will seem much less familiar. However, a quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next “official” study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.

5  Observe the Natural Learning Sequence.

                  Think of the activities you did when you were in nursery school. Using your whole arm, you probably performed the song that goes: “Put your right hand in, Put your right hand out.” Then, in kindergarten, using your hand, you might have been asked to draw lines or circles with crayons. Later, in first grade, now holding the pencil with your fingers, you drew smaller lines and circles to create letters. Believe it or not, this natural learning sequence, moving from large to small, coarse to fine, still remains effective even though we are now older. When you study, if you try first to grasp the big picture and then fill in the details, you often have a more likely chance of success.

6  Use Exaggeration.

                  Why does a baseball batter warm up by swinging two or three bats? Why do runners sometimes strap lead weights to their legs? In both cases, exaggeration during practice makes the final result seem easy. This concept can be applied to studying anything. For example, if you are studying spelling, exaggerate the sound of the letters to help to remember them. So for studying purposes, “naive” would be pronounced “NAY-IVY.” By getting used to this exaggerated pronunciation, the correct spelling seems obvious.

7  Prepare Your Study Environment.

                  If you require certain elements in your environment to help you study, try to always make these a priority. For example, do you need special lighting, silence, music, privacy, available snacks, etc.? Pay attention to what works for you and repeat it each time you study for best success.

8  Respect “Brain Fade.”

                  It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget things. This does not mean that you are stupid! Instead of getting mad about this fact, you should expect it and deal with it accordingly. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge. As you place more information on top, the lower levels become older and less available to your immediate recall. The trick here is simply to review. Since we can anticipate the eventual fading of our memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem. Once every two or three study sessions, simply review older material that you will be still needing to remember. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is required. “Brain fade” is completely normal. (Unless you are gifted with a photographic memory, which is extremely rare.)

9  Create a Study Routine.

                  Generally, if you schedule certain times of the day to study, you will get into a routine and accomplish more. If you just “fit it in” during your day, chances are that there will never be any time. An effective way to do this is to literally mark it down in your datebook calendar as if you have an appointment, like going to the doctor. For example: “Tuesday 3-4:30 P.M. — Study.”

10  Set Reasonable Goals.

                  One of the main reasons people do not reach their goals is because they set them too high. If you set goals that are manageable, even if they seem too simple, you get in the habit of accomplishing them and gradually you can set higher goals. Also, recognize the difference between long-term and short-term goals. Set your vision on the long-term dream, but your day-to-day activity should be focused exclusively on the short-term, enabling steps.

11  Avoid the Frustration Enemy.

                  Ironically, the quicker the person’s nervous system, the faster they learn. Yet, this fast nervous system also works overtime in being self-critical. So they are the ones who always think they aren’t going fast enough! In contrast, the “Type B,” less intense person who learns slower yet is more self-accepting, ends up ultimately learning the material in a shorter period of time. This is because he/she doesn’t waste energy blocking, getting upset, and thinking that they’re not good enough — they simply keep moving forward at a slower (but un-blocked) pace.

by Howard Richman