In the rhythm of modern life

    It would seem that technological progress has led to the saving of time and manpower. But do people spend the free time on themselves, or use it to become even more busy?

    Here, for example, is what Microsoft president in Russia advises to combat the lack of time:

    • Plan the schedule in such a way as to solve as few secondary urgent tasks as possible, and important ones - to solve before they become urgent;
    • Do what you love with maximum involvement;
    • Consider the principle of life balance as an important personal and managerial task.

    Yes, we cannot pause the world. But we can change the approach to business and attitude to our own lives.




    Steve Jobs, in his famous speech to Stanford graduates, spoke about his own way of always living a happy life:
    Every morning I look in the mirror and ask myself: “If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I'm going to do?” And every time I answer “No” for too many days in a row, I understand that something needs to be changed.

    What are we striving for? To success, to money, fortunately? Do these concepts always coincide?

    Success does not mean happy


    Far from always achieving financial stability and success in business makes a person happy. Money alone does not bring happiness. But when money is scarce or not enough, they play the role of a substitute for happiness.

    It is believed that there is a certain trait after which money ceases to be the equivalent of happiness. American researchers claim that this happens after a person’s income exceeds $ 70,000 per year. We have this figure should be 2-3 times less.

    This statement is confirmed by words from an interview with famous actor Bruce Willis:
    Before I began taking acting classes, I was completely satisfied with my work as a bartender. I made good money by the standards of proletarian New Jersey, and I felt that the whole world lay at my feet. Even when I began to act in blockbusters and earn millions, I did not feel happier or more content than in those years. Funny huh?

    The fact that the Hollywood star seems "funny" for most remains an unattainable dream. People believe that you should work hard and hard to reach the desired heights. It's hard to argue with that. But often hard work turns from a means to an end to a goal. Man becomes a workaholic.

    About workaholics


    Our time is considered the "era of consumption" in which financial success plays a big role. A person at a subconscious level builds a logical chain:

    you want to live comfortably → you have to pay for comfort → to have money, you need to work hard.

    As a result of the implementation of these rules, a person becomes a workaholic.

    The dangers of workaholism were well written by Jason Fraid and David Heinemeier Hansson in their book “Rework”:
    Our culture encourages the idea of ​​workaholics. Every now and then we hear about people working at night. They, in turn, encourage “night vigil” and sleep in the office. It is believed that the medal “For Courage” should be awarded to those who kill themselves on the project. No amount of work is too big.
    Such workaholism is not only optional, it is stupid. Work no longer means taking care of the success of the business or doing more. It only means that you work more.

    As a result, workaholics create more problems than they solve. Firstly, this style of work cannot be stable for a long time. And when a person “burns out”, and this will happen, the consequences will be very serious.

    Workaholics are not heroes. They do not save time, they just burn it. The real hero has long been at home; he has found a faster way to complete his business.

    I completely agree with this, really it is not necessary to work too much. In order to do more, you need to work efficiently, and not enter yourself into a state of constant fatigue. Try to take a break regularly, let's rest your body. Work in order to live, and not vice versa.

    About sleep


    The best rest is not a change of activity at all. The best (and most necessary) rest is a dream.

    Work at the expense of sleep - not right. Try to sleep 7-8 hours a day, keeping to a constant schedule. Do not miss the opportunity to sleep at lunchtime for 20-30 minutes.

    You can only occasionally afford to work out day and night. Regular sleep deprivation will cause a number of problems (from the aforementioned book “Rework”):

    • Loss of ingenuity. People who achieve results many times more effective than most people are distinguished from this majority by not more diligence, but by ingenuity, which allows them to find a solution that requires one tenth of the effort compared to the rest. When you get enough sleep, you lose such an important advantage as ingenuity;
    • The lack of drive. You will be doing something that is not really important, for example, reading another meaningless article. When tired, you lack the motivation to do big things;
    • Aggression. Feeling tired, you cease to be patient and tolerant. The likelihood that others will become victims of your insomnia increases;
    • Bad decisions. It is bad decisions that you are destined to make in a state of fatigue;
    • Stubbornness: in a state of fatigue, it always seems easier for a person to continue to work in the chosen direction, no matter how bad it may be, instead of reconsidering its correctness. The finish line seems like a constant mirage, and it all ends up going too far into the desert.

    What practical steps should be taken to optimize your time and switch to a less stressful mode of operation?

    About goals


    Any action will be much more effective if you break it down into goals, tasks. Tasks are the same goals, only on a smaller scale.

    If the target is not recorded, then it does not exist. You can write it down anywhere: in a diary, on a sticker, on a piece of paper. Many people prefer to use special services, for example, the service of achieving Smartprogress goals . This is one of the best Russian-language services that allows you to record goals, dividing them into stages.

    By registering on the site, you formulate your goal, divide it into stages, and keep a kind of diary, commenting on the passage of each stage and moving towards the final goal. The service also allows you to discuss your and other people's goals with other users, to consult, comment, etc. The result of all this is a visual representation of the process of fulfilling one's goal. Some consider these services to be something like narrowly targeted social networks, and doubt their usefulness. But for many, such a public statement of their goals really helps to achieve them. The 43things.com service is very popular among the English-speaking audience .


    About time management



    Fulfillment of our duties by no means always causes us spiritual enthusiasm and enthusiasm. Instead of working, we read articles that are supposedly useful to us, put things in order on the desktop, etc. In other words, we do anything to delay the start of work on an uninteresting or routine task.

    The most effective way to solve the above problem is the correct distribution of working time, time management.

    A large number of books, articles and manuals have been written on how to organize time. You can easily find a lot of materials on the topic, for example, on the website improvement.ru , on thematic forums and blogs.

    When getting acquainted with the methods of the proper organization of working time, do not forget about the main thing:
    time management for you is not a theoretical discipline, but an applied technique.

    If, instead of working, you only study the methods of organizing it, this is unlikely to contribute to success.
    We are all different, so perhaps the individual way will be better than recommended in any new book? All this you do to make it more convenient for you.

    Total


    In order for life and work to turn from race and stress into a pleasurable, calm process, not so much is needed:

    • Clear formulation of strategic goals and tactical objectives;
    • Correct distribution of working hours;
    • Full relaxation and sleep.

    Indeed, a little, and even something similar to the advice of Captain Evidence. But how many of us follow these simple rules?

    Do you always remember that your most important project is you yourself?

    PS If you do not have an account on the hub, you can express your opinion on this article in our blog - SmartTalks

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