Archive for Self Improvement
Reducing TV and Radio in Time Management
Posted by: | CommentsReading is probably the main cause of information overload but there are other causes that you can deal with. One obvious cause is the radio and TV. If you have these on a lot, you are wasting time and also receiving much information that is useless or irrelevant.
The answer is to turn them off. There will be some programmes that you particularly want or need to watch or listen to but you can find out what these are beforehand and only turn your TV or radio on when the time is right.
If a programme is particularly important to you, perhaps an Open University programme, use a video or tape recorder to record the programme for viewing or listening to at a convenient time. This is particularly useful for programmes at unsociable times of the night.
Do not, however, do what some people do and record lots of programmes and never listen to or watch them. If you record only the really relevant ones you can timetable a viewing half hour or hour into your day or week. Otherwise, you will simply get a backlog of recordings that you will never have time to watch.
Eddie, an engineer, used to video his favourite TV programmes during the week and look forward to viewing them on Friday evenings. But he accumulated so many recordings that even several nights’ viewing failed to reduce the heap significantly. Now he limits himself to one long-playing tape and videos no more than one or two programmes a week. If he doesn’t get around to viewing them on Friday evening, he records over them. That way he does not get depressed by a pile of unseen tapes.
Parenting – Spending Quality Time with Your Children
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ve probably heard the term “quality time” mentioned as a way of assuring parents that it’s not how much time you spend with your child that matters, but what you do when you are together.
I think the basic gist of this message is fine, but there’s some confusion about what constitutes quality time.
Many parents don’t really understand what quality time means. They mistakenly get it into their head that some activities count as quality time and others do not. Often, parents believe these activities will stimulate their child’s development, such as playing with an educational toy or teaching the child something new. So when they feel guilty about not spending enough time with their child, they pick one of these activities and start in on it, whether their child is interested or not. It’s as if “spend some quality time with my child today” is an item on their to-do list, and they’re just dying to get it over with, cross it off the list, and move on to the next task. But spending quality time with your child doesn’t mean turning every interaction into a lesson about something. Children and their parents also need to just have fun together. You’re your child’s parent, not his tutor.
Quality time has nothing to do with what you and your child are doing when you are together. Quality time is all about how you do it. Quality time is defined by your state of mind, not by a set of activities. It’s time where you are really engaged with your child.
Here’s my question, then: When you and your child are together, are you really there, or is your mind usually somewhere else? If your answer is that your mind is usually somewhere else, you are not spending quality time with your child.
There are plenty of occasions where you have no choice but to parent without being fully engaged. You can’t give your child undivided attention when you are doing something else that needs to be done, like cooking dinner, paying bills, reading work you’ve brought home from the office, fixing a toilet that won’t stop running, or attending to a younger sibling who is still an infant. It’s natural and perfectly fine when you are with your child under these circumstances to split your attention between her and the task at hand.
But if parenting on autopilot is all that you ever give your child, you are not being a good parent. You need to spend time with your child when you are really focused on what the two of you are doing, and not simply squeezing in some parenting while you are doing something else, such as checking your e-mail or reading the newspaper.
Make time for activities where you and your child have a chance to connect. How you do this will vary depending on your child’s age and his likes and dislikes, but at any age you can surely find something that your child enjoys doing with you. Again, it’s not the activity that matters, but your willingness to get engaged in whatever it is.
Plan special evening or weekend outings that allow you to focus on your child. It’s great to take your child along with you while you run errands or shop, but you won’t be able to give her your undivided attention. It’s hard to create quality time while you are searching for bargains at the supermarket or shopping mall. It’s true that you can turn running errands into a more satisfying joint activity by slowing down and trying to make the excursion more engaging, but this is not the same as doing something together where the primary focus is an activity that your child likes.
When you read to your child, as you should every day, put a little oomph into it, even if you’ve read the same story dozens of times.
When you are doing something with your child, try to get into it, whether it is building with blocks, baking a cake, hiking in the woods, or playing a catch. She can tell the difference between when you are genuinely involved and when you are just going through the motions.
When you and your child are spending time together, focus on what you are doing right then, and not on the chores you are neglecting, the work you have to catch up on, or what you will be doing later that day. Be there mentally as well as physically.
When your teenager is telling you something, really pay attention. Don’t listen with feigned interest. When you see him at the end of the day, ask real questions, not perfunctory ones. Perfunctory questions will only get you perfunctory answers.
I’ll bet that if you sit down and add up the number of minutes you actually spend with your child each day – not time when the two of you just happen to be in the same place at the same time, but time when you are talking to each other or doing something together – you’ll be amazed at how little time the two of you spend together.
How much quality time is enough time? There is no magic number of minutes or hours to aim for. Just keep in mind that the more quality time you spend with your child, the better off he will be.
There are two ways to increase the amount of quality time you spend with your child. If it is possible for you to simply spend more time with your child, try to increase that amount. And if this is not possible, because of work or other obligations, try to improve the quality of time you do spend together. My guess is that you can probably do a little of both.
I know that you’ve learned how to multitask, but taking care of your child is not something that should be relegated to a side activity. It is better to spend an hour genuinely engaged with your child than to spend two hours with your mind elsewhere. You can be an adequate parent when you are doing something else and parenting at the same time, but you can’t be a really good one. Make sure that a substantial portion of the time you spend with your child is devoted to her and her alone.
That’s what quality time is all about.
Guinea Pig FAQs – Your Questions Answered
Posted by: | CommentsMy guinea pigs are very fond of chewing their water bottles. They have ruined several already. How can I stop them?
To stop your guinea pigs breaking their drinking bottle by gnawing, buy a bottle with a metal spout, and fix it securely to the outside of the cage. For preference, the metal should be stainless steel, as aluminium is softer and a determined guinea pig can ultimately succeed in piercing it. Giving the animals plenty of hard things to gnaw on should switch their attention away from gnawing the spout.
Check also that the water is flowing satisfactorily through the spout. Some guinea pigs are thirsty little creatures and it could be they are having difficulty drawing enough water down through the spout.
My guinea pigs seem prone to skin infections. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?
A skin infestation by a small mite, similar to that which causes mange in other animals, is a scourge to many guinea pigs. Most carry the mite, but it usually only shows itself in animals that are less than fully fit, elderly, pregnant or nursing.
The mange causes violent itching and scratching, raw skin from the scratching, and usually a serious loss of weight. A vet can prescribe a suitable skin bath (to be used at precisely regular intervals for effectiveness). If several guinea pigs live together, all must be treated, even though only one has the problem. The whole cage and run must also be thoroughly cleaned.
Should my guinea pigs be encouraged to exercise? Compared with my very active hamster, they seem to lead a very sedentary existence. Guinea pigs are not as regularly on the move as hamsters and certainly do not need an exercise wheel, for instance. But they will be quite active at certain times of the day if they are given sufficient interesting things to do. A really spacious run, or secure part of the garden, with lots of cover, tunnels, etc will demonstrate that in a natural state guinea pigs run about a great deal – in fact their wild relatives are called restless cavies. But a guinea pig confined only to its hutch, with no toys or ‘adventure playground’, will be bored and probably not exercise much.
How often should a guinea pig’s claws be clipped?
As often as necessary, depending on how hard the surface is on which the animal exercises. Check the claws over at least once a week.
What are Dalmatian guinea pigs?
Rather like Dalmatian dogs – spotted black on a white background.
I was very disappointed when my pure-bred pair of Himalayan guinea pigs produced a litter of white youngers, with no colourpoints. What has gone wrong?
Nothing – All Himalayans are born like that. Wait two or three weeks and the points will start to darken until the guinea pigs get their full coloration at around the age of six months.
Is it safe for guinea pigs to eat runner bean leaves?
There is no evidence to suggest that runner bean leaves are poisonous to guinea pigs, so it should be quite safe to feed them this greenstuff. However, the beans themselves can be toxic if eaten raw, so the guinea pigs should not be given access to runner bean plants.
I have seen my guinea pig eating its own droppings. Should I stop it doing this, and if so, how?
Coprophagy, or eating of an animal’s own droppings, is normal for guinea pigs, and is similar to cows chewing the cud. The guinea pig is not eating the hard droppings from the floor of the hutch, but small, moist droppings which it takes directly from its anus. The protein content of these is essential for the animal’s health.
Potential owners should be told about this habit (which is also indulged in by the rabbit), otherwise many parents may worry unnecessarily or even have the guinea pigs destroyed, mistakenly thinking that the animals will transmit disease to their children.
Delegation – Empowerment Produces Efficiency
Posted by: | CommentsEmpowering your staff does not reduce your status or worth in the organization. What it does is to give confidence and a sense of worth and purpose to your staff. It also frees time for you to get on with more important work. Your time should be spent on the goals and activities that are important to you in the workplace and at home. Empowering your staff allows you to concentrate on these. It also improves efficiency within the company so that not only you but the entire organization benefits.
Don’t be delegated to
You have now saved considerable amounts of your time by delegating work to others. But suppose you get a lot of work delegated to you. How can you cut down on that?
First of all, only accept if it is consistent with your own goals. As you are likely to get work delegated by your boss.When you do have to accept work, don’t accept blindly. Make sure you understand what is required of you and that clear objectives and standards have been set.
Ask for any information, help and advice that you need. At the end of the work, ask for feedback so that you can evaluate your own performance.
Don’t be afraid to delegate – it will not undermine your authority but will free time for you to do what you do best. Delegate recurring tasks and tasks that others can do better, quicker and cheaper than you. Match the work to the person and don’t just delegate the boring and routine work. Time taken to train, monitor and evaluate delegated work and staff is saved by being able to delegate a similar task the next time it occurs. Letters and phone calls can be delegated and suitable standard replies prepared. You should aim to delegate as much as possible but not to accept much delegated work yourself.
Delegating – How to Train for Confidence
Posted by: | CommentsBefore you let your staff get on with things you need to explain what you want of them. If you are giving them extra responsibilities you must explain why you are doing so and what is expected of them.
You will need to ensure that they know how to do whatever tasks you have in mind for them. Some things you will be able to explain yourself; others you must provide training for. This might be as simple as getting somebody more experienced to show them what to do, or it might mean providing training either outside or in-house to explain specialist techniques. However simple or complex the training needs are, you must make sure these are addressed first so that you can leave your staff to get on with the work you give them in confidence.
If you want them to make more decisions on their own account then they will need the information to do so. Make sure that they have this or that it is easily available. Explain to them what your criteria are for referring decisions to you or dealing with them themselves. They need to know what the perimeters of their responsibilities are.
Set clear boundaries on the work you delegate so that your staff know exactly how much responsibility and authority they have, and when and how you want to be involved. Encourage their independence but make it clear that you want certain standards to be achieved. Be consistent throughout the task about what you want done, and how and when.
When you delegate something, provide all the background information necessary so that there are no surprises when the work starts. Your staff need all the information about a project if they are to assume responsibility for it.
Mastering Your Meetings – Conferences and Lectures
Posted by: | CommentsStrictly speaking, conferences and lectures are not meetings but the chance for people to obtain information and meet others in the same line of work. However, they can be as time wasting as meetings and you need to be aware of this. Before you accept an invitation to any conference or lecture, decide whether it will be of use to you and other people. If only one or two speakers will be of interest, ask for copies of their speeches to be sent to you. If you have been asked to give a lecture but the situation will neither enhance your reputation or be useful enough for you to be present, offer a written copy for conference notes. If the conference has some potential use and interest but you are pressed for time, consider sending a member of your staff. Alternatively only attend one day of the conference.
Make the most of any conference you do attend by listening carefully to the talks that will be of most use. Make sure that you get a copy of the notes for the talk and take your own notes. If you socialize afterwards, take people’s cards and write details about them on the back, together with any notes about their expertise and contact numbers. File these as soon as you return to your office.
Meeting Feedback – Tips and Advice
Posted by: | CommentsThere is no point in holding meetings if you do not follow them up. When courses of action have been decided, follow them up to see whether they have been carried out.
Each meeting should result in a list of things to be done, and each individual should have the complete list with their responsibilities highlighted or initialled. Each action should be given a specific time limit. You should follow up these lists shortly after the meeting. Allow a few days for people to get started, then make a progress check. If they have not started or are struggling, find out where the problem lies – do they need more information? Someone to help them? Advice about where to start? Follow this up a few days later to make sure everything is on track.
The follow-up times can be adjusted according to the times set at the meeting. Make sure that everyone knows what other actions were agreed so they are aware of how they affect their own course of action.
Who will do what and when?
It is not enough to produce action lists. You need to make it clear who is going to do something and when it will be done by. If several people will be involved, make sure that they have arranged to get together to discuss their own share and to liaise. Check on this at regular intervals.
Monitoring progress of agreement
If the aim is to produce agreement by various parties, you must ensure that progress on this agreement is monitored. If there appear to be any problems these should be dealt with immediately so that progress is not held up.
Master Your Meetings – Meetings by Other Means
Posted by: | CommentsIf a group discussion seems necessary, think of other ways of dealing with it. If the responsibility is yours you can use these ideas, otherwise suggest them to the relevant chairperson.
Modern technology means that it is possible to hold meetings without leaving the building. You could hold a discussion with all the participants by telephone (teleconferencing) which can be arranged by the phone company. This is not only useful in large companies where everyone’s time is valuable but also when participants live in distant parts of the country or abroad.
Another option which saves travelling time for people who would otherwise have to travel long distances is video conferencing. In this case, you can actually see the person you are taking to. You might be able to arrange this to take place in your own company building; otherwise the phone company can arrange it at special local centres.
Computers, too, can be set up so that communication is possible across vast distances. With a modem, access to the Internet and the right kind of software, you can ‘talk’ to people anywhere in the world by typing words onto the computer screen and reading the immediate reply.
To save time and tempers at these kinds of conferences, make sure that you and other participants prepare beforehand as if you were all meeting in one room. The same care in reading documents beforehand and having the relevant material to hand is just as necessary. You must agree a chairperson and secretary. Take time differences into account when making arrangements and start the meeting on time. It is even more important that the meeting is kept to the point because of the cost of using these systems.
Delegate the delegate
Don’t go to meetings if you can send someone else. A properly briefed and equipped member of your staff might be the best person to send. They can report back to you in your own time and you can make any decisions in peace.
You would be failing in your duty if you did not give members of your staff the opportunity to go to meetings. They need to extend their experience and skills and you need staff who can step in when the situation requires and handle all kinds of situations. The more you empower your staff, the better they become and the more productive you will all be.
Make use of your staff’s talents. Frances noticed that her personal assistant in the employment agency, Annie, was good at communicating and taking detailed notes. She gave Annie some training and sent her to the next area managers’ meeting. Annie coped so well that she now attends all but a few meetings on Frances’s behalf. Frances can rely on Annie to put her views forward and report back accurately. Her time is freed and Annie is benefiting from extending her work experience and is destined for a junior manager’s role.
Subdue Your Phone – Taking Notes
Posted by: | CommentsMake sure that you, your secretary and your staff know how to take good messages from phone calls. Use a specially designed phone message sheet to ensure that no vital information is lost. Listen carefully to the caller and find out what they really want before trying to answer them. Take full notes so that you can refer back to them and can initiate action from them. If you want your secretary to deal with calls for you, make sure that their note-taking skills have been learnt well.
Any action to be taken should be noted on the message sheet. If the person who has taken the message can deal with it (your secretary, a colleague, a member of your staff) they should be empowered to do so. You should only be given the sheet when action needs to be taken by you. Your secretary, of course, should list the messages daily and note any action that was taken and by whom, for your information.
Make sure that any message sheet you design or that your company provides is large enough to take all the information and contains enough room for the message and action information. You will not save time if you have to search for another piece of paper because the sheet is too small.
Put copies of the phone message pad where everyone can see them and will use them, for example next to every phone, including your own. Instruct everyone to use them.
If you want to be sure that messages are not mislaid, the telephone message sheet could be printed in a carbon block so that there is always a second copy. Once action has been taken both copies can be destroyed.
If your telephone messages keep getting lost use a carbon-copy pad. Throw the spare copies away once the pad has been used.
Choosing Your Personal Priorities – The 80/20 Principle
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that only 20 per cent of your time produces 80 per cent of your work, or that 20 per cent of your work achieves 80 per cent of results, or that 20 per cent of managers do 80 per cent of the work, or … Examples of this principle are found everywhere. It is also called Pareto’s Law after the Mr Pareto who discovered this interesting ratio.
What this means to you is that just 20 per cent of your time deals with productive activities. The other 80 per cent is lower priority or unnecessary. This shows the importance of working out exactly what you want from life. Once you have defined your goals you must make achieving them the highest priority and use that important 20 per cent of your time and effort on them. That way you will achieve more with less effort.
Your goals will help you prioritize. If something helps you achieve your goals, is an objective or step on the way to one of those goals, then it is high priority. Those important steps will make up the 20 per cent of your work. Put most of your effort into them. The other 80 per cent can be done later, delegated or ignored.