Jeff Davidson's Blog, page 32
December 27, 2014
Books to Explore
Books to explore:
The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies, by Robert Lang, Yale University Press, 2001
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz, Ecco/Harper Collins, 2004
Simpler Living, By Jeff Davidson Skyhorse Books, 2010
The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies, by Robert Lang, Yale University Press, 2001
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz, Ecco/Harper Collins, 2004
Simpler Living, By Jeff Davidson Skyhorse Books, 2010
December 19, 2014
December 14, 2014
Voice Mail Messages 101
Many times you'll need to leave a voice mail message for someone. During the boring "instructions on leaving a message," think about what you want to say. If it helps, write down three or four key words on a scrap of paper so that once you actually deliver your message, you can come right to the point.
Speak slowly but leave a succinct message of about 25 to 45 seconds. This might not seem like a lot of time, but actually allows for three to six sentences. There is no need to race, particularly when leaving your phone number. Say it slowly and carefully, as if you were writing it yourself. That's the Breathing Space way to leave a message.
Speak slowly but leave a succinct message of about 25 to 45 seconds. This might not seem like a lot of time, but actually allows for three to six sentences. There is no need to race, particularly when leaving your phone number. Say it slowly and carefully, as if you were writing it yourself. That's the Breathing Space way to leave a message.
December 11, 2014
Cutting off the Catalogs
Even in this "electronic" age, we still keep receiving a flurry of catalogs, especially during the holiday season. TrustedID Mail Preference Service at www.catalogchoice.org helps you "cut off the catalogs" for good. Click and select which catalogs you no longer want rather than having to contact each company separately.
December 9, 2014
A Vision for Everyone
A vision for us all: we have a house on or near a lake or large body of water. We're in a low traffic area with lots of fields and trails. There are travel clubs and groups around that want to take trips, particularly theme trips such as couples, or parent-children. There is sunshine, water, fresh air, great scenery.
Whenever we leave home, we have an easy exit, light packing, low stress, easy travel, early rising, lots of naps, in a child-friendly environment. Our activities are free or low cost. We explore cities and densely packed areas with ease. Thrice annually we cruise to exotic places, have a great time, intimacy, and breathing space. We accomplish "nothing." We are rested, trim, relaxed and happy. This repeats over and over.
Whenever we leave home, we have an easy exit, light packing, low stress, easy travel, early rising, lots of naps, in a child-friendly environment. Our activities are free or low cost. We explore cities and densely packed areas with ease. Thrice annually we cruise to exotic places, have a great time, intimacy, and breathing space. We accomplish "nothing." We are rested, trim, relaxed and happy. This repeats over and over.
December 3, 2014
A study published by U.S. Travel Association indicates sp...
A study published by U.S. Travel Association indicates spending more time at work often doesn't pay off:
"Workers who left 11 to 15 days unused during a year were 6.5 percent less likely to receive a raise or bonus than those who used all of their vacation days."
Another study conducted, by an audit organization known as EY, shows that annual performance review scores increase 8% with roughly every 10 hours an employee takes on vacation.
"Workers who left 11 to 15 days unused during a year were 6.5 percent less likely to receive a raise or bonus than those who used all of their vacation days."
Another study conducted, by an audit organization known as EY, shows that annual performance review scores increase 8% with roughly every 10 hours an employee takes on vacation.
November 12, 2014
Giving and Receiving
We must be as good at receiving as we are at giving so that we stay in balance
November 10, 2014
Balance
We must be as good at receiving as we are at giving so that we stay in balance.
October 30, 2014
Filing for Fun and Profit
If you're facing volumes of information, divide and conquer. You may be facing a ten-inch pile of information. Put it into file folders, and group like items together. Eliminate duplicates and prioritize the important items in a given file. It's harmful to ingest too much information
at once. At least half the job of dealing with most information is simply dividing it into piles, categorizing, or putting it into various directories on your hard drive.
at once. At least half the job of dealing with most information is simply dividing it into piles, categorizing, or putting it into various directories on your hard drive.
October 29, 2014
Life Mastery
What does "mastery" of information overload look and feel like for me? As author of
Breathing Space,
people ask me.
* Keeping my desk clear, because clear spaces are an invitation for me to create.
* Having my email inbox periodically at zero because I've allocated everything.
* Maintaining a few key subscriptions via mail and a few online services.
* Focusing on the handful of key indicators that tell me how I'm doing.
* Staying in touch with knowledgeable peers, people who can share with me
* Forsaking megalomania – developing the ability to let go, not be on so many lists, not receive so many subscriptions, not have handle to much information.
How do we each to whittle down the number of choices?
* If you have too few choices in life, if you’re socially or economically disadvantaged, at any given time you tend to feel stressed and anxious. You don't have a lot of control.
* If you have too many choices, too many places to go, too many people to meet, and it's like this all the time, paradoxically, you also feel stressed and anxious. You get to the point where too many choices leads to a condition that Alvin Toffler called "future
shock."
* In any given field, if you have 12 trade magazines, you want to immediately narrow down the field to maybe 2 to 4 and form a smaller subscriptions list. It's possible for you to not only stay on top, but to also feel more comfortable.
* Who are the best and brightest in your industry or your company? What are they reading? What have they selected and why? That's usually a pretty good indicator that those publications are highly viable information sources.
* When the number of choices starts to climb, your quest is to narrow the field to a manageable few.
* Keeping my desk clear, because clear spaces are an invitation for me to create.
* Having my email inbox periodically at zero because I've allocated everything.
* Maintaining a few key subscriptions via mail and a few online services.
* Focusing on the handful of key indicators that tell me how I'm doing.
* Staying in touch with knowledgeable peers, people who can share with me
* Forsaking megalomania – developing the ability to let go, not be on so many lists, not receive so many subscriptions, not have handle to much information.
How do we each to whittle down the number of choices?
* If you have too few choices in life, if you’re socially or economically disadvantaged, at any given time you tend to feel stressed and anxious. You don't have a lot of control.
* If you have too many choices, too many places to go, too many people to meet, and it's like this all the time, paradoxically, you also feel stressed and anxious. You get to the point where too many choices leads to a condition that Alvin Toffler called "future
shock."
* In any given field, if you have 12 trade magazines, you want to immediately narrow down the field to maybe 2 to 4 and form a smaller subscriptions list. It's possible for you to not only stay on top, but to also feel more comfortable.
* Who are the best and brightest in your industry or your company? What are they reading? What have they selected and why? That's usually a pretty good indicator that those publications are highly viable information sources.
* When the number of choices starts to climb, your quest is to narrow the field to a manageable few.
