Maximise Potential

Who wouldn’t want to become Smarter, Faster and Better? Considering the number of time management books published every year it seems like the biggest preoccupation with people is how to get control of their lives by managing their time better. As Peter Drucker said a long time back don’t manage your time. Instead manage yourself.  Charles Duhigg is obviously an excellent writer and his journalist background shines through in this book titled "Smarter Faster Better." When you pick up a book like this you want concrete steps to become smarter, faster, better. This book may not be for those who want straightforward point by point tips for higher productivity. However if you want to learn something and at the same time be entertained with stories then this book does work big time. His earlier book “The Power of Habit” was a massive best seller and was also very well written.  Here are the 8 principles with a brief summary. Motivation  –The author mentions Atul Gawand...

Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool is an absolute gem on how we can all become exceptional performers. If you have read Outliers or Talent is Overrated you know the 10000 hour rule. Well this is based on the research Anders Ericsson did in 1993. His basic argument is 10000 hours was only an average and it was based on his study of great violinists. The point he makes is this was the amount of hours the best violinists in his study put by the time they reached age 20. However he cautions that this was only an average which means there were people below and above that number. He says that Gladwell mentioned that all of them in his study put in 10000 hours which is not correct. He also says this doesn’t mean they were experts based on his observations. In fact he said they still had scope for improvement. His other major point is it is only by age 30 most pianists reached expert level and became internationally acclaimed which means it would have taken them...

We just had one of our most relaxing vacations last week in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it created a nice shift in perspective for me on life in general. I thought I would jot down what I liked and learnt. Here are my lessons from the trip. Don’t cram too many activities  – It was a refreshing change and one of our best vacations because we decided that there was no schedule and we are not going to cram activities. It was a vacation from the schedule and it was refreshingly relaxing. Letting go of schedule pressures and just being in the moment is pure joy.  Don’t be in a hurry  –I confess I needed a reminder on this. Our informal tour guide reminded me that it is island time here even a coffee might take time to be served. He just told me to relax. I guess this is a great lesson for me. Sometimes we are in a hurry to get everything done and then do even more. However this was a good reminder to just let go.  Be present ...

I have identified 10 keys if followed consistently can surely help us achieve lasting success and fulfillment on our own terms. Here are the 10 Keys to make your life a masterpiece. Define your mission  - Without a mission it is very difficult to be excited about life. A few years back I defined my mission as "My mission is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs." This has driven me to read, learn, write and share whatever I have learnt. It has also helped me feel excited nearly every single day which is the biggest gift from having a mission. Stephen Covey mentioned this way back in 1989 with his habit "Begin with the End in Mind" and I think that is still valid today as it was then. Figure what you really want your life to stand for and you will automatically be excited about life. Define your values  - Just as an organization has values as individuals if you define values for your life you feel better aligned to your purpose. Some values ...

Delegation is a key skill of managers and individuals alike. Delegation moves you from what you can achieve individually to what you can achieve as a team. Delegation helps you multiply yourself and get more done in lesser time. Here are seven keys to effective delegation Assign the job to the right person  – You have to understand the strengths of each and every individual reporting to you. Once you understand that you can then match the job to be done with the capability of the individual. Once there is a match assign the task to them and your confidence in getting the work done will improve.  Don’t Micromanage  – Micromanagement is a term no one likes and that’s how it should be. I think once we follow the earlier step of matching the person to the job then the need for micromanagement decreases. The biggest sense of accomplishment that employees get is when they know that they are being entrusted with both accountability and responsibility. It also sho...

Happiness can be achieved only in the present moment because that’s the only moment we have. Most of the time unhappiness results from going through a negative event in the past or worrying about something that might happen in the future. Both of these thoughts are not constructive and will not result in long lasting happiness. The only way out of this is to be happy in the present moment. I recently read the book the Happiness Track by Emma Seppala and it was a good book. There was a mention of the six keys to live in the moment. Here they are with my take on each. Tap into your resilience  - Resilience is one of the most important qualities any one needs to succeed in an ever changing market environment. It is the ability to bounce back in spite of the inevitable setbacks. Some of the ways to develop resilience are craft a mission statement for your life, define your values, maintain an optimistic attitude and develop a high appreciation for life. Check out my article on 1...

Mandy Oaklander is one of my favorite columnists of Time Magazine. Earlier she wrote about resilience and now her latest article on new ways to improve well-being at work is timely and some of the strategies are counter-intuitive. As per this article a recent analysis of American workers found that disengagement at the office costs U.S. $550 billion each year, and work-related stress tacks on an additional $300 billion. Reb Rebele, a researcher with Wharton People Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania says “If your goal is feeling better, you need to get your head out of work.” Here are 8 ways to improve well-being at work as per the experts with my take on each  Do someone a five minute favor  – It has been well established that when we do something kind for someone else we feel better about ourselves. This means helping someone at work with their task or buying something for them actually makes you happier.  Play with a puppy  – Studies have shown ...