Archive for the 'Productivity' Category

Jul292008

Tuesday Top 5: 5 Ways to Rid Yourself of Life Crashing Clutter

The human existence is worsened by clutter. Sometimes the amount of “stuff” stacks up so high that you just want to push the “reset” button. It’s like your brain crashing and getting the “blue screen of death.”

Clutter is everywhere you look: your email in-box, your snail mail box, your computer desktop, your voice-mail box -pretty much every aspect of your life on planet earth in 2008.

Clutter can be defined as any form of communication, correspondence, task or process that adds no value or gets in the way of adding value. Examples are everything from benign emails (most are), snail mail (mostly bills and credit card offers) to digital junk. Clutter is insidious, so you have to be vigilant.

Here are five ways that I actively use to get rid of all the clutter and junk that gets in my way of getting the truly important things done:

1. Delete everything

That’s right. I delete 99% of all email every day. If I receive an email that requires action, I will respond and then delete the thread. This forces me to be as clear and concise as I can be in my email, thinking through everything and putting any issues to rest. Chances are, if someone replies back to you again, the previous emails will all be in the thread. If not, you are talking about different subject matter anyway - so you just saved yourself some time and in-box space.

The more email I keep, either in my inbox or archived, it seems the more I have to do. Even though something might not need action, you still feel compelled to act. This is anti-productive.

2. Throw everything away

Every piece of mail I get (as long as it’s not a birthday card or money) ends up in the garbage. I do all of my bills electronically or through auto-pay. There is no need to have mountains of paper on your desk, either. The U.S. Army used to have a rule that went like this: “you touch a piece of paper only once.” Stick to this and you’ll be doing just fine. It has worked wonders for me.

This works for non-work related things too. Just picture all the junk you had to get rid of the last time you had a garage sale. There is no need to keep things around that just take up space and nothing more. Do everyone a favor and give it to the local Goodwill store or your some other worthy cause.

3. Send everyone to voicemail

Unless I am expecting a call for a specific reason at a specific time, I let every call go to voice mail. At least half the time there is no voice mail message left, which to me means that the call really wasn’t that important. If there is a voice mail, I can listen to the message and prepare a response (or possible responses). This helps take me out of reaction mode and into proactive mode.

4. Be anal about organizing your digital files

I am pretty liberal about the delete key on my computer. As far as files go, I try to use as few as possible. It is amazing how much hard drive space you can chew up in a matter of 12 months. No wonder they keep making these things bigger and bigger (or, maybe it is because they keep making them bigger that we keep using more and more space?). Immediately prioritize the files you need to keep and those which you can discard. By the way, don’t lie to yourself and say that “I may need this one someday…”

Also, be sure to keep the digital files you do keep in an organized file structure. You should have specific folders set up for specific things, and stick to it rigidly. I’m only telling you from experience - you can easily spend 15-20 minutes at a time looking for a file that you really do need.

5. Get things off your plate like a hot potato

Anything that requires action on your part should be dealt with in a timely manner. You don’t need me to really tell you this, but I think it’s worth a friendly reminder. There is a tendency to let inertia rule your daily actions and if the momentum is not on your side, your “to-do” list piles up quickly. This leads to overwhelm, which develops into clutter very quickly. Soon, you can’t see the forest through the trees.

If you commit yourself to dealing with important items right away (and discern what is truly important), then you will be able to free yourself from the minutiae that confounds your peers.

___

As always, take today’s Top 5 for what it is: some practical insight on what works for me and what I think can work for you. Take bits and pieces or only bits if you like. The over-riding goal is to drive success levels higher - namely yours and mine.

Published
by
Adam Davis
on July 29, 2008
in Productivity
. 1 Comment
Jul222008

Tuesday Top 5: 5 Minutes a Day to Results

I was talking to a real estate investor the other day and something he was saying during the conversation kept jumping out at me. At first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. I leaned in, listening closer and closer. Still nothing.

Driving home later that day it hit me - this investor was telling me everything they were doing, but I couldn’t tie any of it back to an end result that made any sense (sense in this case equating to profitability). This individual was going to implement a certain system for ‘X’ or a process for ‘Y’ and so on. I could definitely tell that they had spent some time as an indentured servant in cubicle-ville.

I reflected on this for a while and realized that it wasn’t really all that uncommon that former employees turned entrepreneurs struggle with being 100% results focused. They never had to be at their jobs - they just had to be good at their part of the process, perhaps not even knowing what the end result or ‘big picture’ was.

To break yourself of this mindset, take 5 Minutes each day and do the following. This has helped me tremendously.

zen

Minute 1: Clear the mechanism

Push all the junk out. You mind becomes cluttered beyond imagination. I think if you took an X-ray of most people’s minds it would look like the belly of a Great White Shark.

Minute 2: Reflect

Take stock of what your strengths are, what makes you unique and give you an edge.

Minute 3: Visualize

Picture where you want to be, what you want to be doing. If you want to move past a certain physical obstacle, picture yourself beyond it already in your mind’s eye.

Minute 4: Focus

Focus on YOU and become cognizant of the fact that you have all the tools within you to realize your vision. All of your collective experiences, thought processes and knowledge are ready to be tapped at any time.

Minute 5: Get energized

When you have a clear focus and sound mental picture, your energy level will automatically increase.

You need not be a Zen master to get something out of this practice. Sometimes, just being still and in the present moment will benefit you greatly. You may even take more than 5 minutes with it.

This practice has helped me re-tool each day and strip everything down to a ‘bare bones’ level of importance. Knowing what is truly important and key to your objectives will do more to drive results for you than anything else.

Published
by
Adam Davis
on July 22, 2008
in Productivity and quitting your job
. 3 Comments
Jul12008

Tuesday Top 5: 5 More Reasons to Start Outsourcing - NOW

If you are still on the fence about outsourcing and making yourself more virtual, the time to get off the fence is now. Outsourcing has become more and more a part of my business and personal life in the last six months - I wonder how I ever got things done before.

I’m pulling out my crystal ball and predicting that there is going to be a growing disparity in the productivity of entrepreneurs and professionals that utilize outsourcing and those that do not. The most obvious spot that this disparity is going to show up is on the bottom line. Businesses that outsource, separate and delegate non-core functions are going to become more significantly more profitable than those that do not in the very near future.

Just for fun, I am kicking out 5 more reasons why you need to start outsourcing right now…

1. Make ‘work from anywhere’ a reality

The Four Hour Work Week need not be just the title of a book. Outsourcing should be one of the main components in your strategy to achieve flexibility and geographical freedom in your business or profession.

If you are tied to employees or an office, it’s pretty hard to manage from a distance for extended period of time. Using outsourcing service providers, on the other hand, will allow you to build your business with an inherent flexibility - you can ‘plug & play’ on certain type of projects, tasks and ongoing operations (just like when the A-Team was getting ready to get things done).

ateam

Increased peace of mind and confidence will befall you when you know you can pick up your computer and work for a few days (or weeks) from the poolside in Las Vegas.

2. Get 10 times as much done

Surprise! Surprise! Unloading tasks from your plate and freeing up your time to put your focus where it needs to be = making money. The more you focus on what you are good at, what you like to do and what makes you money the more higher your personal satisfaction will be and the better your business will perform.

Perhaps this sounds like garbled business cliche to you. Rest assured, it has rung true time and time again in my business. As my businesses have grown, there have been times where I wondered ‘where did this day go?’ It’s often hard to measure your productivity as a business owner - you are forced to wear so many hats. I feel that any advantage I can get from clearing tasks and processes out of my way (or out of the way of my company’s daily internal functions) is going to be beneficial - financially and mentally.

3. Get a global perspective

3d

Just about every entrepreneur I know is either:

a. not focused on taking advantage of the global economy or,

b. blissfully unaware of the effects of globalization on their business.

No matter what business you are in you are affected by the global economy. I think this is a good thing. Entrepreneurs that ignore or fail to take stock of this fact are in for a rude awakening; either in terms of lost opportunities or vanishing customers.

The more you think of your business as a global business, the better off you are going to be. The more you outsource, the more you will come into contact and work with service providers from across the world. When you start working with companies and individuals from countries like: India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Romania and others you will get a glimpse of what is going on around the world of global business and this will make you a better business leader.

4. Cocktail party conversation

You’ll have something more interesting to talk about at your next chamber of commerce or networking event when you start outsourcing. Gone will be the days of witty banter about the new property tax credit legislation or the donuts they served at the last event. While you might not want to gush the details of your business operations to others, you will definitely be more in tune with the market and your customers because you will have had more time to focus on it (since you are spending less time on the junk, non-value added work).

5. Intellectual growth capital

Outsourcing will force you to learn more about: communication, technology, business processes, management and will make you a better leader of your business. Combine all of these things on an accelerating path and you will have a force to be reckoned with.

Too often, entrepreneurs get caught up in ‘the now’, the actions we have to do today and lose sight of the future and what we will need to do to equip ourselves for success. Although being too busy to read and study is not an excuse, at least by living and breathing new and faster moving changes in the business world you will be able to keep yourself abreast of what is going on and stay ahead of the curve.

***

I hope you now feel compelled to start outsourcing some tasks and business processes right away. Remember: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single breath.”

Go!

jump

Published
by
Adam Davis
on July 1, 2008
in Productivity, offshoring and outsourcing
. 2 Comments
Jun232008

Tuesday Top 5: 5 Reasons to Ditch Your Blackberry

Warning: this post is written by a recovering crackberry addict.

I knew things were bad when I was in Las Vegas last summer and my friend was getting stitches in the emergency room (don’t ask!) and I was furiously typing emails and instant messages, oblivious to nearly everything going on around me (including my good buddy’s agony).

In the maddeningly fast paced world of global business, “on demand” has gone from being a tagline from an old IBM commercial to a mantra throughout all rank and file in the business world. I think entry-level college grads are even being given Blackberry’s as some kind of cruel, “thrown to the wolves” corporate initiation so that they can be pawns to their new bosses sadistic Sunday afternoon work whims.

My friends at Research in Motion (RIMM) are going to be gunning for me now (I’ll split the price on my head with somebody).

crackberry

“Crackberry’s” and their ilk, epitomize the perverse notion that we can make everybody happy all the time. The novelty effect is huge (did anybody ever get more done with “daytimers” or Palm Pilots?). At any rate, here are five reasons that I have come up with to help show you the light in ditching your Blackberry and the entire business paradigm they represent.

1. Your productivity will improve

“On Demand” business just doesn’t work for entrepreneurs. If you work for Big Blue, than so be it - bind yourself to the corporate leash. But, if you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, take it from me, the more you condition your customers/clients, suppliers, employees, shareholders, etc. to expect instant results from you - the moment you fail do deliver that instant gratification will mark the beginning of your fall from grace.

There is a mistaken notion in today’s business climate that instant service = good service. This is not necessarily the case. Often, if you have more time to think about a problem or situation, you can put together a better, more thought out response that will end up making you more money.

2. You will see some of your sanity come back

If you’ve ever heard of the stories of wives divorcing their husbands or relationships going into counseling because of crackberry addiction, they are probably all true. Rarely have I seen someone who owned a crackberry who had a good sense of balance (or even a sense of self about them).

When you are constantly ‘at the office,’ the lines between work, family and fun begin to blur. You are always at the office, even if it’s 10:30 on a Tuesday night or 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Not knowing where work ends and where you begin will slowly turn you upside down and inside out.

3. Your thumbs will feel a lot better

Although you may burn a few extra calories as you furiously scroll and type, your thumbs will be glad you saved them the numbing feeling of keying endless emails (who really reads them anyway?)

4. You will definitely look better

The crackberry as a fashion statement is a non-starter. Always has been. Always will be. Men shouldn’t accessorize in the first place, but when you throw the leather crackberry holster in with the business casual ensemble you just look like a guy straight out of ‘geek-fest’ magazine.

**For those of you crackberry heads out there, stop thinking you look important by having your crackberry buzz 50 times with incoming messages during a meeting and then furiously scrolling and glaring at it after the meeting lets out–spare me!!!**

5. Your business will likely improve

This one is from personal experience. When you stop thinking ‘instant response’ and instead think “quality response” you will see your level of customer satisfaction increase significantly. I am now better able to handle client responses in a thorough manner while at the same time being much more productive (getting more done in far less time) than when I was hooked on crackberry.

**Bonus** 6 - Your cell phone bill will decrease

Since we should try to look at all angles, I guess this one should have made the cut for the Top 5, but I didn’t like it as much as the other ones, so I added it here as a bonus. This one is really a no-brainer, because crackberry service puts additional cost on your monthly service plan and also puts you out the higher fees for purchasing the device.

Ahh…now, there it is…I feel much better. It’s theraputic to get things out in the open. As I turn around I am looking to be doused with ‘hater-ade’ like John Madden after a Super Bowl Victory. Let the debating begin and the comments reign in - I am ready.

(Just don’t offer me a free dose of crackberry)

Published
by
Adam Davis
on June 23, 2008
in Management, Productivity and communication
. 2 Comments
May152008

The Power of Inertia - Part 1

Inertia (i-nur-shuh): the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force

If you want to start seeing the changes you want in your life or in your business, then you need to understand the power of inertia. In fact, I think that more people aren’t able to make the changes they want in their business, personal or financial life because they fail to understand and utilize this powerful force.

Have you ever heard someone say: “the first step is always the hardest?” Did you ever wonder how this statement came into existence? I have a one word answer: inertia.

Sir Issac Newton was quoted so many years ago saying: “an object in motion tends to stay in motion; an object at rest tends to stay at rest.”

newton

To me, as a non-physicist, I can apply this to my personal and business life. Once you are moving toward something (your goals), you are infinitely closer to achieving them simply because you are moving. I see and hear so many people who want things like more money, more time with family and improved improved health who just can’t seem to get out of the starting blocks. The main reason for this is inertia (think: an object at rest tends to stay at rest).

On the flip side, I see people who careen from achievement to achievement, bewildering all those observing. They make more money, have better health and enjoy a more fulfilling life. Inertia has a lot to do with this as well (think: an object in motion tends to stay in motion).

In the his classic book Good to Great, author Jim Collins talks about the ‘flywheel effect’. Essentially, the ‘flywheel effect’ is when an organization, product or idea gains steam (e.g. market leadership, profitability gains, etc.) after months or years of steady work or ’small pushes on the flywheel.’ By their nature, flywheels take repeated effort to get up to speed, but then are able to generate high levels of energy. What should be noted about the flywheel effect is that it takes movement to get going and then the power of inertia takes over.

flywheel

No, I am not trying to make everyone relive 9th grade science class. My hope is to alert to the fact that there are forces of nature that effect the level of success you have.

Did you ever have one of those days where everything felt right and went right? Where all objects felt like they were moving in slow motion and you were able to deftly handle problems with the greatest of ease? Perhaps you gained a new customer or did exceedingly well at your job? Do you remember the feeling? Like maybe you were just ‘rolling?’ If you have ever felt this way then you know what I mean about inertia. Momentum was on your side.

Let’s flip it around: did you ever have one of those days where absolutely nothing went right? Problem after problem arose and compounded on you? You kept repeating to yourself: “when it rains, it pours.” Inertia was in effect here too, except it was working against you.

I am begging the question: how can you make inertia work for you?

In part one of my treatise on this subject, I am going to throw two things out there that work for me (though I don’t by any means claim to have this all figured out)

Habits Fuel Inertia

Your habits will define your life. Humans are indeed creatures of habit. You can either build good habits or bad habits. When I talk to people about making changes, and radical changes at that (why ‘radical’ changes? because who wants to just be a little bit better..why not be A LOT better?) I often try to discern what their habits are.

For example, if someone tells me they are trying to lose weight, yet they eat irregularly and exercise only once in a while I start to wonder how serious they are. It’s hard to lose weight when you can’t break the habit of picking up the remote control every night when you get home from work.

Recognize Momentum Swings

Becoming more conscious of momentum swings is a great start toward making it work for you instead of against you. You can start to pick up on trends in your day or your activities that are driving momentum one way or the other. If you start to feel a chain reaction and momentum swing against you, you should stop and change direction. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

If you have a some good momentum going, ride it out all the way. Here is a prime example:

When we strike paydirt and land a great deal, the next thing we do is re-double our efforts the next split second later to nail another one. Good things come in bunches and riding the positive momentum of a great deal can carry us through and generate all kinds of other good things right in a row (new relationships, more possibilities for revenue, etc.). If you make a sale on the phone in the morning, you should keep right on dialing the phone - chances are you will knock out a few more. Remember that feeling. Try to capture it, harness it and put it back into action the next day.

I will revisit the Power of Inertia in future posts. For now, I trust this is enough food for thought (and, probably enough science!) to go out and start making some radical changes.

Published
by
Adam Davis
on May 15, 2008
in Inspiration, Productivity and Success
. 5 Comments
May62008

Tuesday Top 5: Practical Outsourcing Tips for Part-Time Entrepreneurs

After a brief hiatus, The Weekly “Tuesday Top 5″ is back (hey, give me a break, business is on fire here!)

Some of the qualities that I value most in business are: clarity and focus. This is the impetus for the Tuesday Top 5: it is my attempt to provide some nuggets for you to use right away. If you have noticed from my prior posts, I am a very action oriented person. Having something clear and concise to work with does wonders for my psyche.

Many entrepreneurs start their businesses part time. They work a full time job and run their business at night, from home and through email and cell phone calls during the workweek. What I want to do is to give some practical guidance that will help part-time entrepreneurs be more productive so they can drive revenues higher and fire the boss once and for all.

1. Delegate non-marketing/sales functions

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, marketing is the single most important activity that you will undertake. Therefore, you should start outsourcing any activities that prevent you from spending 75%-80% of your time on marketing and selling. Some of these activities include: accounting/bookkeeping, payroll/human resource management, order fulfillment, inventory management, logistics, etc.

You will find these areas to have more redundancies and you can make them system and process dependent much faster and easier as a small business than the marketing and sales functions.

2. Go for quality over quantity

I often talk about using ‘best cost’ providers instead of ‘lowest cost’ providers. What does this mean? It means that you need to chose service providers that give you the best ‘bang for your buck’ - in terms of price, turnaround time, quality and professionalism and communication. The level to which you ignore this principle will directly correlate to dollars drained out of your bank account. Trust me.

3. Use a consistent method of communication

Chose a communication medium that works well for you and your service provider. Examples are: email, private message board and instant messaging services. I strongly advice you to use the same communication method for all interactions with your service provider. This will come in handy if there are ever any issues or problems because you can refer back to prior conversations to sort out any problems in communication or instructions or feedback.

4. Use escrow payment methods with your service providers

Escrow payment methods can provide protection for you if you feel that your service provider has not performed to the agreed upon terms and metrics. Websites like elance and guru provide this service for free and also provide a good website community.

5. Don’t be afraid to fire your providers

You must demand that your service providers perform to your expectations. Make sure you outline your expectations and performance requirements at the beginning of the business relationship. If your system breaks down with an outsourcing vendor that you are using make sure you fire them right away. After all, you are paying them - not the other way around. There is a big world of potential providers

Remember: always focus on revenue generating activities. As an entrepreneur you have to relentlessly focus on your top line and managing your cash flow. Far too many start-up businesses put the brakes on marketing and sales only to see their pipeline dry up at the most inopportune times. Keep stoking the fire.

The Top 5 for today should give you some serious ammunition that will allow you to focus more on sales and marketing. Don’t forsake this aspect of your business. To me, outsourcing is the best weapon that entrepreneurs to focus on the truly important aspects of building a business.

Here is an example of what I am talking about in action in our real estate investing business:

Our revenue generating activities surround providing both experienced and new real estate investors the best deals that fit their financial parameters and investing goals. Our daily activities focus on obtaining new investor relationships and cultivating existing relationships.

As you might guess, there can be a lot of paperwork and administrative overhead involved with real estate. It is very easy (I know from experience) to get bogged down in the process of buying and selling houses (not our business) instead of focusing on the people (this is our business). Our business is about helping people achieve their wealth accumulation goals through real estate investing. Therefore, we outsource any function we can that does not help us reach more people and bring them closer to what they need with real estate.

Since technology has opened the floodgates of globalization, we can focus more and more on helping our clients. This has the added benefit of increasing our productivity and standard of living (we can work from anywhere if we choose).

My challenge to you is to implement today’s Top 5 with gusto. Give me your feedback and make sure you email me with questions or problems you have in the process.

Published
by
Adam Davis
on May 6, 2008
in Productivity, outsourcing, quitting your job and time management
. 3 Comments
Mar62008

30 Second Thursdays - Volume 8 - Check Your Cultural and Country Biases at the Door

Most people that I talk to about outsourcing have stereotypes (maybe unconsciously) about service providers and locales. For example: “India is only good for IT and data entry work.” False. I have found fantastic outsourcing partners in the creative fields from countries like India, China.

This week’s 30 Second Thursday Addresses this critical point:

Published
by
Adam Davis
on March 6, 2008
in Productivity, offshoring and outsourcing
. 0 Comments
Feb142008

30 Second Thursdays - Volume 6 - Look at Your Own Backyard for Providers - You May Be Surprised

There is a world full of great outsourcing service providers to help you take your business to the next level. That world includes freelancers right here in the USA. When most people think of outsourcing, they think of rooms full of brand new graduates from colleges in India or a machine shop in China.

The truth is that there is a TON of outsourcing activity going on with freelance service providers in your own backyard as well. There can be advantages to working with someone domestic, particularly on creative projects (graphic, movie, industrial design).

As long as you focus on finding the BEST provider for your needs, you will be clear on your way to more vacations (or mini-retirements) in no time.

Here is this week’s 30 Second Thursday spot to help me illustrate this point a little bit better:

Published
by
Adam Davis
on February 14, 2008
in Productivity, offshoring and outsourcing
. 0 Comments
Feb72008

30 Second Thursdays - Volume 5 - Don’t Always Focus on Cost

Outsourcing your non-core functions, tasks and processes will take your business to new heights. However, far too many people are focused on price alone when choosing a provider. I think this stems from unrealistic (read: unsustainable) price quotes from hungry providers and an overall lack of knowledge of what you REALLY need in an outsourcing partner.

When choosing an outsourcing service provider, take this week’s 30 Second Thursday message into consideration.

Published
by
Adam Davis
on February 7, 2008
in Productivity, offshoring and outsourcing
. 0 Comments
Feb52008

Tuesday Top 5: 5 Ways to Boost Your Problem Solving Abilities

In the game of business and in the game of life, you are going to encounter problems - all the time.  The degree of success you have in either game is largely dependent upon your ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently.   

 Today, I want to share the Top 5 ways that I have found work best to continue solving problems at high levels and to keep sailing in smooth waters:

 1.  Get a fresh perspective

 All to often, when you are wrapped up in trying to solve a problem you become too attached to the issue at hand and you cannot objectively look at what you need to do. In this case, give yourself a fresh perspective. This can mean something as simple as taking a break for a few minutes to soliciting outside help to look at the issue (either paid or unpaid).

trees

You might be calling me “Captain Obvious” right about now, but hear me out. What I am advocating is for developing the discipline to recognize when the situations are arising and frustration is creeping up that will keep you from accomplishing your goals. It is one thing to know that you should get a fresh perspective - putting this into action is quite another.

2. Start at the end and work backward

I find that when I am spinning my wheels on a project, that I have lost focus on the end result. As one of my favorite expressions goes, I: “cannot see the forest through the trees.”

finish

To get back to where you need to be, stop everything you are doing (turn away from the computer, step away from the phone) and speak, out loud, what your desired end result of what you are doing is. Saying something out loud carries A LOT more power than simply having a thought or jotting the thought down on paper. Trust me on this one. .

3. Practice thinking

brain

I know that I have you really confused now. But, ask yourself this: why do people practice everything from sports to speaking in public but do not practice thinking?”This might seem like a crazy question, but if you really think about it (full pun intended) you might realize that your cerebrum could use some exercise just like the rest of your body. This begs the question: “what are some brain exercises?” You only need to work on a few things for a few minutes a day and you will be amazed at the improvement in your critical thinking and analytic skills.

Some examples:

  • Sodoku
  • Crossword puzzles
  • Cryptograms
  • Lateral thinking games
  • Word/vocabulary games
  • Trivia games
  • Matching/pattern games
  • Riddles
  • …there are many more 

You will note that most of these things are a hobby or fun for somebody out there. Super nerdy, no doubt and some of them were the probably highlight of people’s Saturday nights before there were nightclubs. I think a few of them are fun, others I prefer not to do.

However, I find that if I spend a few minutes each morning on a lateral thinking game or sudoku puzzle, that I just feel a little better equipped to handle some of the things thrown my way during the day. Stimulate your brain cells and they might just stimulate you right back!

4. Ask better questions

A great college professor once told a class: “if you want to be brilliant, focus on asking better and better questions…solutions will then reveal themselves.” I can tell you that this has rung true in my personal and business life. All to often, we get caught up on “fixing what is wrong” that we lose sight of what is wrong in the first place. Asking better questions will keep you true to the old KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

question

Just think of the 5 W’s you learned when you were in grade school:

  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Why
  • *How* (this was always thrown in)

This also reminds me of the expert technicians obsessing over what is wrong with a highly complex computer that appears broken when the janitor walks by, finds the machine unplugged, plugs it in and the machine works to the amazement of the ‘experts.’

5. Laugh

Yes, indeed. Laughter is the best medicine for solving problems. Aside from all of the research that has been done showing that laughter can lengthen your life, cure illnesses and increase productivity, it is just common sense that to laugh is to relieve stress and to If you are ever perplexed, take a cruise over to Youtube and watch a stand-up comic, go to comics.com and have a laugh or just take a look at your favorite Dilbert tear-away poster to boost your mood and your output. relieve stress benefits you in myriad ways.

spoon

Well, there we have our Top 5 for this week. Tune in for the Tuesday Top 5 next week and be on the lookout for a killer “30 Second Thursday” spot this week!