More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
May 4 - May 8, 2020
5. Identify three people who inspire you.
6. Realize criticism often reflects self-perceived deficits in the critic.
7. Remind yourself of the worst possible outcome of taking action.
First, most news announcements are negative.
A second consequence of this type of addiction is an increased susceptibility to distractions.
Third, your heightened vulnerability to distractions destroys your focus.
Fourth, the more receptive you are to distractions, the more responsive you’ll be to interruptions.
Fifth, a news addiction can cause you to lose motivation that might otherwise inspire you to work more productively.
Action Steps
1. Start a news fast.
2. Write down a list of topics that interest you.
3. Use Google Alerts to deliver a weekly digest of stories that address your interests.
4. Remove all bookmarks in your browser that point to your favorite news websites.
5. Brainstorm a short list of activities you can enjoy in the place of watching the news.
6. Ask your family to refrain from watching the news on television in your home.
Neglecting to prioritize the tasks on your to-do list impacts your workflow in five ways.
First, as noted above, you end up focusing on the wrong things.
Second, you become more inclined to mistake being busy for being productive.
Third, you end up spending your limited time on unimportant items that should be disregarded or delegated to others.
Fourth, neglecting the 80/20 rule eventually leads to frustration, discouragement, disillusionment and burnout.
Fifth, because you’re perpetually busy with low-value tasks, you enjoy fewer opportunities to rest.
Action Steps
1. Create a list of low-value, low-priority tasks.
2. Monitor how you spend your time.
3. Look for opportunities to use the 80/20 rule to streamline other areas of your life.
4. Hire an assistant.
The more you get caught up in drama, the more often you’ll deal with interruptions.
Another consequence of getting involved in others’ conflicts is that you become more susceptible to distractions.
Becoming entangled in drama also tarnishes your image.
Getting caught up in others’ disputes also generates needless friction between you and your coworkers.
Another side effect of involving yourself in others’ drama is stress.
Action Steps
1. Familiarize yourself with the types of personalities that create drama.
2. Limit your exposure to the victims, harassers and rescuers in your work environment.
3. Shun all gossip.
4. When someone attempts to share gossip with you, ask that person to explain his or her reasons for doing so.
5. Allow victims to fend for themselves.
6. If a victim attempts to recruit you to his or her side, empathize and explain that you’re busy.
7. Be clear in everything you say to others.
Neglecting to establish well-defined goals negatively impacts your productivity in seven ways.
First, it robs you of direction.
Second, it wears down your motivation to optimize your workflow.
Third, a lack of clear-cut goals lessens your focus on end results.
Fourth, you’re prevented from benefiting from the valuable feedback loop made possible by goals.
A fifth consequence of working without goals is that you never feel as if you’re making any real progress.
Sixth, without goals, you lack the ability to create a roadmap toward high-priority outcomes.
Action Steps
1. Brainstorm where you’d like to end up concerning every area of your life.
2. Break down your long-term objectives into small, bite-sized goals.
3. Create each small goal using the S.M.A.R.T. system.
