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| Motivation Information |
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Death by Overwork: Motivationally Speaking Its a Zero
The Japanese have a word for death by overwork: Karoshi. A recent survey said 40 percent of all Japanese workers fear that they will actually work themselves to death. Karoshi is not my idea of success. Sure, I talk about "Never Settling for Success," but that's not a prescription for becoming an obsessive or a workaholic. That type of single-mindedness is more likely to lead to burnout than peak performance. Never settling for success simply means that you commit to maximum effort within the hours of your life that you've allotted for pursuing a particular pursuit. And you do that in spite of the 1001 excruciatingly attractive reasons, excuses, distractions and temptations that you can find for doing less. Tip: Focus is a good buzzword. Multi-tasking is a bad one. Computers multi-task, and usually lose efficiency when they do. When people do it, it's usually not multi-tasking at all; it's usually that older cliché, spreading yourself too thin. Tip: During working hours, consider working. Tip: During non-working hours, consider doing something else. Now obviously given the realities of life today, there are likely to be times when you are going to have to work during what you would like to be non-working hours. Sometimes. But you'll never fill the glass unless you can find a way to be comfortable with the amount of your life you are devoting to the job. Then you make those hours as productive as possible. "If I worked as much as others," Stephen Wright said, "I would do as little as they." There's more than a grain of truth to that statement. Fortunately, as a society we're finally beginning to realize that chronic overwork is not a badge of honor, it's a sign that somewhere, something is wrong. Tip: If you find yourself proudly bragging about your hours or your workload, you are probably putting in more time than you should. Tip: Intelligent people don't brag about being overworked. They complain about being overworked. Tip: If you don't have something in your life more worthy of bragging about, find something. "Working hard has always been a measure of success in the office," says Alie Hochchild author of The Time Bind. "Now we've internalized it. So instead of the boss harassing you to work more, we do it to ourselves." The better the manager, the less time it takes him to do his job. A good worker takes care of his health and his sanity, and is as productive as possible during the hours he is working. An astute company values its people and doesn't abuse them or any other asset. Yet on consulting assignments, I keep hearing remarks like, "Around here, if you don't show your face early mornings, late nights and weekends you are not considered committed." I've seen low level managers cowering in their cubicles, pretending to be busy, afraid to leave the office before their boss leaves: no matter how late it gets, no matter how little they're accomplishing. If they do leave first, it's commented on the next day, either by the boss or by their peers. I remember an executive who made a great show of carrying home armloads of work every night. Sometimes he had so much he had to make two trips to the car. After I got to know him, he admitted he never worked on any of it. He just lugged it home at night, then lugged it back the next day. "Don't laugh," he said, patting the pile he was gathering for that night. "I'm considered one of the hardest workers in the office. And it's always a lot easier to influence the guy I'm working for with reputation than with achievement, believe me." Activity vs Productivity The idea (for those of us who sometimes forget) is to get the job done as well and as efficiently as possible. I'm always in favor of letting your results do the talking. And of measuring subordinates by the results they achieve. When I was an employee I wanted to be so good at what I did that I did not have to worry about trying to impress anybody any other way. That saved me a lot of wasted energy: energy that probably helped improve my productivity. We should never confuse activity with productivity. No matter how many hours someone puts in, no matter how much they appear to be working, the only measurement that really matters is the results. The refreshing news is that, nowadays, among all the people bragging about their long hours, we're also beginning to hear a few executives boasting that they're good enough at what they do to be able to leave at a decent hour, to get more done, and have time to get home and refresh themselves so they can put in another efficient day's work the next day. Tip: Never let your company, your clients, your boss, your boss' boss or anyone else make you feel guilty that you are not a workaholic. Workaholics are people with problems. Do you feel guilty that you are not obsessed by sex (okay, would you feel guilty if you weren't)? Or by chocolate? Do you feel guilty that you don't want to spend your entire life playing golf or loafing, or reading or watching TV? Or that you are not addicted to alcohol or narcotics? Why should you feel guilty that you are too well rounded an individual to want to spend your entire life working? Barry Maher speaks on management, motivation, communication, leadership and sales. His book, Filling the Glass has been honored as "[One of] The Seven Essential Popular Business Books" by Today's Librarian magazine. And when it comes to sales training, Selling Power magazine says, "to his powerful and famous clients, Barry Maher is simply the best sales trainer in the business." Sign up for his free newsletter and contact Barry Maher on his website at http://www.barrymaher.com. For an inspiring keynote speaker, a great workshop or seminar leader, an expert trainer and a first rate motivator for your next meeting, conference or convention.
Motivation - Google News |
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Business Management You Can! "There are only two ways of bringing brightness into your world; either change your attitude or open the closed doors of your brain" The Loneliness of Personal Growth The cream rises to the top. That means that it separates itself from the milk. Perhaps that is what the New Age Movement is really all about. We tell ourselves that it's lonely at the top. Yes, it is. Maybe we have to figure out how to maintain ourselves as cream, but also stay whipped up within the milk? I'm picturing some sort of luscious desert all decadent and wonderful... like hot cocoa with the marshmallows stirred in rather than just floating on top. But then the marshmallow is no longer a unique wonderful treat, it's been broken down into the masses and lost it's integrity. It's a different lesson that comes into play after you've experienced a decent bit of enlightenment and growth. Did You Have A Tough Childhood? Many claim intense childhood trauma "damages" a person in their adult years. 10 Common Money And Success Myths Part 2 Here are a few commonly held beliefs, or "myths," that hold many of us back from achieving success... Every Passing Minute Is A Chance To Turn It All Around Every passing minute. Changing Lifestyles We stood in the kitchen talking. I was discussing my upcoming change in lifestyle. I was excited yet hesitant as I talked about it. We set a goal many years ago to change our lifestyle from one of the hectic city life, working to pay the bills.. to one of a slower country pace, working on our "wanna do's". Yet as I talked to my friend about this, there was hesitation in my voice. Leaving a company where I had worked for over 26 years, leaving friends who have become like family to me, leaving a province where I had lived, raised my children and worked for the last 16 years. I expressed my concerns of leaving a steady paycheck for a much, much lower income. As I talked, that little voice in my head was saying, "what are you doing, will you be able to make it?" Ignite Your Life! Where have you come from this past year? What have you accomplished? Don't like the answers? Wish you had better ones, more fulfilling ones? You can - just one year from now! Motivation: 7 More Musings on Motivation 1. "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to that mountain, move from here to there, and it shall be done. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Jesus Christ. 212 Degrees At 211 degrees, water is pretty darn hot. Success -- The Key and the Fire Self-discipline is a powerful tool that can help you accomplish about anything you can dream or imagine. Self-discipline is the act of controlling our emotions, actions, thoughts, words and personal direction. Some people seem to be naturally self-controlled and some seem to have no self-control at all. Others seem to constantly struggle with self-discipline. 12 Powerful Motivational Tools That Guarantee Success No matter how many years you spend in a classroom or from what social class or lifestyle, motivation is the common factor among those who are high achievers. Fear As you prepare to take your first steps, could there possibly be something holding you back? Nurturing Your Vision There is a new television show, called Blind Justice that will be replacing NYPD Blue. The show follows a Detective who, at the prime of his life and career, loses his vision in a heroic attempt to thwart a bank robbery and save other police lives. The shooting of this Detective results in his losing his eyesight/vision. He refuses the "disabled" label and sues to get his job back. The show doesn't premier until a week or two from now, so I know no more about it. What immediately struck me as I watched the promo for this new TV show was the idea of losing one's vision. Not physically becoming blind, but losing the vision we once had for our lives. Curing the Blues - 14 Feel-Good Ways to Get Out of the Dumps Everyone goes through that "in the blues" feeling once in awhile. The best cure is to be around people that you care about; family, friends; and keeping yourself busy enough to change your mind. Here are some "mood changers" to help you overcome those "down- in-the-dumps" feelings. Gaining Wisdom Wisdom eludes me. The more I learn, the less I think I know. Maybe it's because when I learn something new I realize how much more there is to know. And by that I mean, how much we can know, not how much we must know. It's perpetual. I strive to learn more, but sometimes I feel I don't know enough. The Biggest Mistake Youve Made About Manifesting What is the biggest mistake you have made about manifesting your desires? Practical Ways To Motivate Yourself To Learn A Skill One way to motivate yourself to work hard at anything is to risk wasting your money if you fail to put in the necessary effort. The Rate of Change There have been many discussions and grumblings in the Western world about the ever increasing pace of change and the ability of the brain to accept it. The Internet (something uninteresting that the American Military was developing) suddenly became a required household feature. Digital Mobile Phones suddenly give new meaning to taking photographs and all those gimmicks from James Bond Movies have long since been incorporated, accepted and forgotten about in daily life. The Time To Start Working On Your Dream is Now - Not Later Most of us are hesitant to start anything because we are afraid we might make a mistake or fail. Go ahead make mistakes! Don't wait for more experience or to be good enough to start. You don't have to be good to start, but you have to start to be good. The Toughest Decision of All: Get Out or Get Going! Many of us are influenced by the sports ethic: Never give up! When a basketball team is down by 20 with 30 seconds on the clock, the players never stop working. Spectators might be filing out, and the winning team might be deep into the bench, but the game goes on.
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