The golden rule of true productivity

The golden rule of true productivityThe golden rule of true productivityMany people easily confuse busy and productive.They occupy their time with too many things and end up doing nothing that really gets them closer to their goals.Busy is time-consuming and stressful.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraYou simply cant do it all and respond to everything and everyone.Busy work makes you feel like you are moving quickly and being productive in the process. But in effect, you are not.You are choosing quantity over quality the worst thing you can do with your precious time.Cramming as much work into the day as you can isnt necessarily the best strategy for productivity.Rushing through as many tasks as you can seem like the best thing to do but you could end up sacrificing your high-value goal.Being productive doesnt necessarily mean getting everything doneTime management is a qualitati ve lens instead of a quantitative one.Quality over quantity is an age-old lesson that too many of us choose to ignore. It works in life and business.Quality time rebuilds your fractured focus and stretches your attention span.When you picture a productive day, what does it look like?Most people face the saatkorn question every dayShould I focus on getting more done (quantity) or getting one thing one done (quality) better?Doing one thing meansnotdoing something else. And there is a big difference between the things thatshouldbe done and the things thatmustbe done.An empty inbox and a blank to-do list are not true indicators of your productivity levels.Your time is limited. Doing everything is not an option.In an era of extreme busyness, the only conceivable way to make the most of your time is to stop doing busy work.What is the most efficient use of your time today?That simple question can help you choose your most important things to focus on every day.Making meaningful progress s hould always be the aim.Without focus, you can quickly run out of steam because you are chasing too many things at a time.We live in an infinite world, says Tony Crabbe, author of the bookBusy How to Thrive in a World of Too Much.There arealwaysmore incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, more ideas, projects and work to follow up.The result, inevitably, is feeling overwhelmed.Were finite human beings, with finite energy and abilities, attempting to get through an infinite amount. That never works. And its not sustainable.Single task on purpose and block out the distractions.Or better still, plan your reactions to other demands on your time at specific times if you cant avoid them.To increase your performance, compress youractionConcentration amplifies performance.The beauty of single-tasking is that you can do packed compressed action in succession to boost your daily performance.Write your MIT (the most important thing) down and split it up into compressed actions. Id entify and list the actions you need to take to achieve it.Prioritize based on importance. Everything cant be a top priority.Divide your hours into compressed actions.Find common patterns in tasks and set a working system that allows you to finish similar tasks in a single action.You can allow 30, 40 or 60 minutes of time to focus on each compression.The best time lapse Ive found to be effective is 40 minutes. But stick to what works best for you.Allow five or ten minutes between each compressed action.Compressed action can have a significant effect on your results.Key takeawayIf you want the absolute best gunst der stunde to succeed at getting things done better, your approach should always be the same focus on quality work.This means recognizing that not all work matter equally.Shifting from one task to another in rapid succession, with the aim to get more things done is not sustainable.Focus on quality work that contributes to the bigger goal. Dont compromise the quality of your work.Prioritize your tasks and projects. Choose your actions and compress similar activities, setting a timer if necessary. Take breaks for mental recovery in between actions.Get smart with your time.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

William Shatner The real world is both beautiful and ugly

William Shatner The real world is both beautiful and uglyWilliam Shatner The real world is both beautiful and uglyBelow are excerptsfrom William Shatners commencement address to New England Institute of Technologys Class of 2018I want to talk to you about hope. I want to talk to you about dreaming, about utopia, about ambition. Youre about to step into the real world. And the real world is both beautiful and ugly. You can see the beauty from the windows of the university far more easily than the slums of the city. You can see the beauty of pure learning, the theoretical possibilities, the cleanliness of democracy from these hallowed halls far easier than in the grimy corridors of life downtown.- - - Yes, the real world has many facets and the graduating student can get lost in the grind of the moment. But there is also another side to life and to me that aspect is hope. Hope for the future, hope for relationships, hope for useful work, hope for happiness.- - - You have been given a piece of paper that represents a lot of hard work your degree. And if you roll that piece of paper up and hold it to your eye, it becomes a telescope a telescope of hope. You can fixate on the future and look at what you want with focus, precision, with concentration.Itscommencement seasonFollow LaddersCommencement Addresses magazine on Flipboardto watch and read all of the fruchtwein inspiring speeches from this year and years past.Change surrounds us. We are enclosed in a writhing envelope of change. You students getting the bum rush out of the cloistered halls into the cluttered corridors of life need to be on the tips of your toes. You have got to be ready for change. You have got to be ready to seek opportunity where it exists not where you wish it to be.- - - There lies just beyond our fingertips the mystery of life. Just beyond our imagination, a universe of contemplation. We have no idea of anything. Merely glimmers of possibilities. Its up to you to explore those wor lds. Up to you to find some tantalizing curiosity and follow it. Explore it. Enjoy it. It might take you to worlds you havent dreamed of.

3 Job Search Mistakes You Cant Make If Youre Age 50+

3 Job Search Mistakes You Cant Make If Youre Age 50+3 Job Search Mistakes You Cant Make If Youre Age 50+Jewel, I had a fabulous interview and I am positive I really connected with the person. But 4 days after the fact, Im still waiting. Is this a bad or good sign?Well, lets elend wait and lets leid wonder. Instead, lets take action. Action is the vehicle that drives your job search. You control the vehicle, and therefore, you hold mora power than you think. The job search mistakes you cant afford to make especially if youre age 50+ primarily have to do with all this wondering and waiting thats keeping you right where you are. Here are 3 key areas where you can snap out of itDid You Hit The Apply Now Button, And Then Just Wait?The moment you hit apply, is most definitely not the end. There should be some preliminary research, then you should apply, then you should reach out and touch someone almost at the same time. If youre not taking all these steps, the roles youre applying for a re simply disappearing into that black hole we all know as our friendly little Internet.You can find the relevant person on LinkedIn, and send them a SHORT message specifically stating that youve just applied for the role, youre interested in their organization for some specific reason that youve researched, and you have specific areas of expertise personenname what they are that will prove to be beneficial in the role.Are You Looking At Openings, Or Opportunities?Theres a huge gap between whats listed online and whats actually available. I know you cringe when I say hidden job market, what is that, anyway? And how am I supposed to find it? The hidden job market is not as big of a secret as you think.Let me share with you my own personal career path, starting from college In my senior year, I identified people who were working in jobs that I wanted to work. I didnt want to take their jobs. Rather, these were teams and I knew the organizations could use another talented person.I made my ask. I said, Who can I speak to in your organization who may consider me. I got the name and number. I was a tad shy so I wrote a letter (email hadnt been invented yet just snail mail), just 1-page, noting my education and relevant internship experience, what I knew about the organization, and the skills I had that would be a good fit.The 1st such letter I wrote got me a response the next day. I interviewed that week. I started work the following week. I went on to work there for a decade.Well, that was when you were coming out of college, you might say, How can I do that now when Im trying to get a 6-figure role on the VP-level?How can you do that now?How can you not?The fundamentals dont change. They still work.Who Are You Waiting On To Magically Come Through For You?Is your networking actually working for you? It wont go anywhere if youre asking people you know if they, know anybody, or know of any openings. People cant act on vague information. All they can do is tell you th eyll keep you in mind, which is also nice and vague and, therefore, useless. This is not a game in which the more people to whom you mention youre networking or looking, the higher the likelihood that someone will magically come through with that perfect position thats right up your alley.Thats not how any of this works.Specificity is key here. What is the level of position you want? What is the primary function you want to do? What are the top 5 employers youre looking at? Roll those points up into 2 sentences and say that when youre networking. Its a lot easier to get a response when you make a specific statement than when you dont otherwise, youre putting the burden on other people to do the thinking and the work for you.I dont want you to wonder and I dont want you to wait. Id much rather show you how to advocate for yourself to advance your own career. There are some super-simple steps you can take to cut your job search time in half. Thats what I go over in my free presentati on, 5 Secret Job Search Hacks For The Age 50+ Job-Hunter. Register for that today so you just dont waste any more time, or let the interviews you did manage to get just go radio silent.If youre ready to invest in your job search success and would like to find out about the concierge 11 program Ill customize especially for you, simply head over to Job Search Conciergeto apply, and well have a sales conversation about how this program can be of benefit. Only apply for the Concierge program if youre serious about investing in yourself today.