The single best
productivity tip I ever received: No ZERO days.
A
"zero" day is when you don't do anything towards your
target/plan/goal.
Adopt the
NON-ZERO system.
Feeling too tired
to study? Read just one page of chapter. Don't have time to exercise? Do just
one push-up. But DO it.
Success doesn't
happen in a single day; it's a result of long string of consistent non-zero
days.
If someone
repeats instructions or a story/incident to you, instead of "Yeah, you
told me this before " say, "Yes, I remember that."
This indicates
that you cared enough to listen and remember the first time they told you.
When
apologizing, replace the words "but" or "however" with a
full stop/pause. For example, "I'm sorry but I'm trying to do my
best" can be better phrased as "I'm sorry… I'm trying to do my
best."
Words like
"But" or "However" negate the first part of sentence and
make your apology seem insincere.
Anger is a
secondary, yet powerful emotion that often masks the primary feelings. Kids get
hungry, then throw tantrums. Adults feel cheated, disappointed or humiliated..
And so they get infuriated. Senior citizens face negligence or helplessness,
leading to their annoyance.
Fighting this
rage on its own is futile unless you resolve the underlying cause.
When experiencing
anger, either within you or those around you, leave it alone. Instead, probe
for the emotion just preceding it and deal with it.
Apologize once.
Say 'thank you' once.
Forgive someone
for their misdeed just once. Do something for free for somebody only once.
The more we
repeat these actions, the less sincere we become, and the less effective they
become.
Do it once; Do
it by heart.
When we take
control of our life and start organizing it in a major way, we expect things to
get better. But, there is an initial phase where some of our routines and
relationships will in fact stop working as smoothly as they used to.
This is
because…. Those habits and those relationships required you to be messed up, to
their advantage.
