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productivity

What I Learned from the Story of the Fish

A little girl was watching her mother prepare a fish for dinner. Her mother cut the head and tail off the fish and then placed it into a baking pan.

The little girl asked her mother why she cut the head and tail off the fish.

Her mother thought for a while and then said, “I’ve always done it that way. That’s how grandma always did it.”

Not satisfied with the answer, the little girl went to visit her grandma to find out why she cut the head and tail off the fish before baking it. Grandma thought for a while and replied, “I don’t know. My mother always did it that way.”

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How Important Is My Workplace Culture?

Would you hire an employee who has skills you desperately need but doesn’t fit into your company’s culture?

I posted this question a few days ago to on Linkedin, and received several insightful answers. There was a general consensus that hiring an employee who fits your company’s culture is extremely important—perhaps even more than their skill.

But let’s back up a second. What exactly do I mean by culture?

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The Multitasking Myth

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you’re doing so many things, but at the end of the day, you feel like you haven’t gotten anything really important done?

I think everyone can relate to this feeling.

I was speaking about this problem to a friend the other day, and our discussion led to multitasking in the modern world—it’s so satisfying, but is it actually productive?

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Pursuing the Impossible: Of Flying Red Convertibles and Life on Mars

Forget about thinking out of the box. Try thinking out of the stratosphere.

A couple days ago, billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launched a rocket into space, the first time a rocket this powerful has been sent into space by a private company.

In a fun, creative twist, rather than the usual nondescript chunk of metal, the rocket carried Musk’s red Tesla convertible

. . . with a dummy wearing a SpaceX spacesuit strapped inside. 😉

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Why I Stopped Making Resolutions

The calendar has recently turned, and, with the change in year comes one constant: people setting grand resolutions and failing spectacularly.

No, this isn’t some deep-seated lack of faith in humanity – it’s fact. Research shows only eight percent of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. This failure has, unfortunately, become so comically commonplace that it’s expected.

The question is, why? Read more

Why Can’t Everyone Just Think Like Me?

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably found yourself saying or thinking along these lines every so often. After all, life is so much simpler when everybody around you thinks and acts the same way.

Genuine leaders, however, know a little secret: Wanting everybody to agree with you is the worst possible mindset to have.

You’ve got to understand the value of listening to and encouraging opinions besides your own. Take a look at what the legendary Abraham Lincoln did to prove this point.

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Doing it all, Doing Nothing

Summertime is long over. The holidays have come to a close. It’s high time to dig in and settle down into our regular routines as the long winter stretch looms ahead.

While many view wintertime as a season of snow plows and shoveling, smart businesspeople know that the endless winter doldrums can pose more than just a walk-and-slip hazard. It can cause serious issues that can affect the success and future of your business.

You see, as the routine becomes more familiar and monotonous, it’s easy for one’s productivity level to decline. Fact is, today’s business world is obsessed with the idea of productivity—and for good reason.

Being productive keeps us motivated and allows us to live more accomplishing lives, both personally and professionally.

Sounds simple, right? Yet for some reason, this goal eludes the vast majority. In fact, studies have shown that 60% of the time spent at work is unproductive! Wonder why? Just ask Sam Treble.

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Planning Ahead & Thinking Big: The Bill Gates Technique

I spent this past week in Arizona – and it wasn’t for vacation or relaxation purposes. Rather, it was to take part in a special mastermind group.

People flew in from across the USA to attend. The group seemed to be made of entrepreneurs of all ages… and in similar growth stages of business. We sat together in a big room and got right to work. Everybody spent hours learning, analyzing, discussing and strategizing how to go about advancing their business goals and career objectives.

Perhaps you think that leaving the office for nearly an entire week might be a little bit too intense. “Was the whole trip really necessary?” you may be asking yourself. To say it was productive would be an understatement. Truthfully, it baffles me as to why every single businessperson in today’s marketplace doesn’t spend just one week out of a whole a year attending a mastermind group to focus on planning ahead.

Of course, when I talk about planning ahead, I don’t only mean technical things like crunching numbers or crafting contingency plans.

I’m talking about thinking big.

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