Do you ever strum your fingers on the desk top as you look down at your work and think, 'Right, how can I do all this lot without really working?'
Brought up in an era with a cliché that went: 'You must work hard for a living' my attitude to work conflicted with what I'd learned from my elders and peers. I felt 'wrong' because I wanted to be lazy. I felt 'guilty' for wanting to do as little as possible and 'unworthy' in my role as office manager for an insurance brokerage. But I tell you I've cracked it! I've discovered how to maximize my results without working like a dog.
When I tell you how easy this is, you might not believe me. When I tell you how easy this is you'll probably think that the idea is so alien to your 'work hard for a living' ethics that you won't want to believe me, so before I share my secret to success with you, let me first tell you something worth bearing in mind?
Every day doctors prescribe more and more anti-depressants, Every month more and more couples separate or divorce; and Every year more and more employees take time off work because of one stress disorder or another.
We work too long? we work too hard? we get tired? we get stressed? and we die too young.
So my first secret of success is this: if your work hurts you or depresses you then it is killing you. And I'm willing to put money on it that you'll find yourself much less effective as a dead person. But you know that there is something inside of you that makes you feel good, something that excites you, something that will bring you life if only you discover how to get to it.
Some people have heart attacks or get cancer with the stress of overwork. It's a pretty rude awakening. Some people review life when they find out they might die soon. My wake up call for working too hard was a fourteen-foot fall, head first onto concrete. The impact hurt?naturally! But more importantly it knocked enough sense into my skull to make me realise how precious life is and served as a reminder that I really needed to get back to creating that system of not working too hard.
My second secret is to substitute the word 'hard' for 'efficiently'. Who wants to work with their nose to the grindstone, their shoulder to the wheel and their ears to the ground? for one thing it's a very uncomfortable position to work! For another I don't believe your posture will help your brain flow with creative ideas. Before I tell you my effective work posture let me just briefly explain what I do for a living.
I'm a writer, author of a novel, Black Water, and two personal development books, Steps to Greater Happiness and Be the Hero in your Own Life. Now you might think as a writer I sit at a desk all day with a pen or a laptop and write page after page, but that's not the case. And here is my second secret.
I work my hardest when I'm flat out, on the couch, bed or floor. I solve more problems, write more dialogue and create much better ideas for plots when I'm not sitting upright bashing away at the keyboard. It's a bit like when you go to bed and suddenly remember something you should have done earlier in the day, it's tapping into the subconscious and working efficiently and not hard.
But I know most of you probably don't work in that kind of environment. You work in a busy office where you're practically chained to a desk. So what do you do? Sit in a park at lunch, listen to the birds, listen to the sounds of people walking by, chill out and then ask yourself what you need to do. Take an extended coffee break, lock yourself in a toilet cubicle and take five. If a colleague comes looking for you tell them you're on your creative thrown, problem solving!
So, the keys to creating success with ease are: find work you love and try out my method of working efficiently.
Neil Millar writes monthly articles for Unstoppable Life's FREE newsletter. He invites you to join the fast growing newsletter aimed at people who want to find greater rewards in their work and more energy in their home-life.
When you sign-up for the newsletter you get a copy of the e-book, Steps to Greater Happiness, as a way of saying welcome and thanks for joining. It's FREE. Sign up now http://www.UnstoppableLife.com
![]() Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:51:33 GMT 1.5 million G1 Android phones pre-ordered - TG Daily
TG Daily - By Wolfgang Gruener Chicago (IL) - T-Mobile’s upcoming G1 may not be the best-looking iPhone rival, it may not have the most complete feature set and T-Mobile may have undersold the device at the recent launch event. Get ready for next-gen mobile HTC G1 Android Phone Racks up 1.5 Million Pre-orders Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:21:21 GMT Fantastic finishes: 5 NFL games down to the wire - Washington Post
Washington Post - Dallas Cowboys' Mat McBriar (1) has his punt blocked by Arizona Cardinals' Sean Morey as Monty Beisel (52) looks on during overtime of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. Blocked punt downs Dallas Backups Burst Through Line and Lift Cardinals in Overtime Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:15:50 GMT Forecast: Summery Sunshine Sticks Around - Washington Post
Washington Post - Columbus Day will feel a lot more like Labor Day as temperatures climb to around 80 degrees. This unseasonably warm weather will continue for the next several days. Enjoy a warm, sunny Columbus Day Beautiful start to the work week Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:03:26 GMT European, Asian markets bounce back - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - LONDON (AP) - European markets opened strongly Monday following Asia's lead in response to the widespread government efforts over the weekend to shore up the world's troubled financial system. The financial crisis A light at the end of the tunnel? World stock markets welcome European bank rescue Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:23:04 GMT Manatee dies before reaching rehab site - Boston Globe
Boston Globe - By Emily Canal After a 27-hour trip to Florida, Dennis the manatee, rescued from the frigid waters of Cape Cod, died in Orlando yesterday as SeaWorld employees carted the mammal to a rehabilitation center. Video: Rescued Manatee Dies After Mass. Rescue Manatee rescued off Cape Cod dies en route to Florida Sea World Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:21:21 GMT Dodgers stand up to Phillies in Game 3 win - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Ken Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX. LA revitalized at Moyer's expense Kuroda's pitch serves its purpose for Dodgers Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:36 GMT UK government takes stake in three banks - CNN International
CNN International - LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government on Monday said it would make a multi-billion investment in three of the country's major banks to help them through the "first financial crisis of the global age. In quotes: Bank bail-out reaction TEXT-Lloyds TSB terms for acquisition of HBOS Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:18:47 GMT Web Site Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... A Lasting Leadership Lesson: How One Leadership Talk By George... Read More An organization of any size, from the family to the... Read More As a business owner, you are a leader whether you... Read More We pay a high price for perfectionism. "What perfectionism?" we... Read More 7 Awe-Inspiring Leadership Power-Generating Strategies!Here's a really simple way you... Read More Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is... Read More For many of us, asking for help is a difficult... Read More In Part 1, I said that leaders who can't have... Read More "Leaders are born, not made." Right? Let me ask you... Read More Reframing is looking at the situation with a new set... Read More In the hit comedic movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character,... Read More How often have you heard the comment, "He or she... Read More You are a leader. Everyone is a leader. It doesn't... Read More When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to... Read More I had the good fortune (or misfortune depending on your... Read More Women should not be afraid of or feel guilty about... Read More Some think that everything is black and white. I'm beginning... Read More SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is... Read More "Do what you do so well that they will want... Read More Decades ago, as a rifle platoon commander in the Marines,... Read More We have all experienced walls or challenges in our work... Read More It happens easily. You're conducting a meeting and suddenly a... Read More Jonathan was drunk multiple times before ever completing elementary school;... Read More [Abounding Abundant Ample Ways To Boost Your Growth!] This may... Read More A new supervisor is hired to anchor a gardening project... Read More
Adsense
websites
A Lasting Leadership Lesson: How One Leadership Talk By George Washington Saved The Revolution
What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders
Two Vital Abilities Any Leader Must Have
Leadership Skills: Four Ways of Overcoming Perfectionism
7 Awesome Leadership Power Generators!
Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1
Asking for Help
In Leadership, The Eight Ways Of Right Action (Part 2)
On Being A Born Leader
Dissolving Conflict Through Reframing
Is Your Life Ready For Groundhog Day?
Seven Personal Characteristics Of A Good Leader
10 Smart Ways Leaders Can Bring Out the Best in Others
Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders
Why the Squirrel Kept Winning!
Ten Ways Women Can Visualize Themselves As Leaders
Shades of Grey: Government, Religion, & People
Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual
BIG-3 Leadership!
The Defining Moment: The Straw That Stirs The Drink Of Motivational Leadership (Part One)
Leadership Challenges: The Walls In Our Lives
Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 1, General Strategies for Unproductive Behavior
It Begins Like This
7 AAA Ways To Succeed!
Supervisor Training: Helpful Tips to Lead Your Pack
We have all experienced walls or challenges in our work... Read More
I've challenged all leaders I have worked with during the... Read More
Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who... Read More
An organization of any size, from the family to the... Read More
People don't leave jobs; they leave bosses. -- AnonymousCongratulations. You're... Read More
Delegating is a commonly misunderstood concept. Delegating is not about... Read More
The hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made on a flat... Read More
"Do what you do so well that they will want... Read More
Decades ago, as a rifle platoon commander in the Marines,... Read More
What do the major generals who are leading the war... Read More
If you were to build a house, you would begin... Read More
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More
There lives within every individual a power, an energy, an... Read More
SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is... Read More
Why is it that we often wait until we have... Read More
Have you ever wondered what type of person or personality... Read More
Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission,... Read More
Purpose: Learn immediately if you are fostering leadership or ignoring... Read More
This article was published in the Nov. 2003 edition of... Read More
Relationships are constantly facing crisis. Everywhere we look people are... Read More
Right about now, you've made the discovery that... Read More
Last week, as I was standing in the checkout line... Read More
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took... Read More
Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in... Read More
What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may... Read More
Leadership |