Productivity Voice

Want to recommend a book to someone? Go buy it and send them their way. With eBooks now, I add into the contact card of a person if they prefer a format or other. For example my friend A reads on Kindle as well as T. My friend S and C use the Apple iBooks and my friend K the Nook.
When I want to send them a book, I know the format and can simply send it their way. When in doubt send a paper one.
Receiving a book is one of those things that make you smile, can change your mind, or give you hours of entertainment and answers.
Don’t recommend a friend that they go and read that book you just finish and loved. Send it their way.

Don’t buy it yet. Just add them there. I had stuff on that list that had years there. I want them (at least I think I do).
There is always people asking for what you want, so it’s a good time to open the list and tell them.
The other great thing with this list, especially if you like me, love gadgets and other useless things, is that you will not forget about that cool gadget that gave you that cool idea to solve that not so cool problem, but will provide you a time to settle and later on decided if it is really something to get or not.
i.e. I have a Levenger Leather Index Card holder (The Bomber Jacket Pen Pocket Briefcase) in that list for years. I drool over it every time I get the Levenger catalog. Someday I will pull the trigger. In the mean time, I know exactly where is that little thing I really want.

When was the last time you told someone you care about that you are grateful they are part of your life? You don’t know what’s happening with that person today, and telling them that, can not only make their day better, it can completely transform it.
We all have people that we are grateful that are part of our life, and somehow time pass and we don’t tell them how much we appreciate the fact that they are in our life, that they make our life’s much better.
When we take the seconds that will take you to write that note, email, or text message, you may be changing the course of someone’s day, even week.
Don’t believe me, I wish someone that it is grateful that you are in their life let you know today.
i.e. If you just read this, Thanks! I am grateful that you came here and read this. You are the reason I show up daily.

The first time I recall reading that sentence was from my friend Jason Womack on his book “Your Best just Got Better”. The question in reality was: You are at your best when…
I am a writer, so I see opportunities to write, stories to write, adventures to tell every where I look. When I saw that, I create a list called: I write best when.
Think about it, when you as a Writer write best. Write it down, make sure you add the detail. Then after you have this, after you get a complete image of this, you will be able to reproduce it easier, you will be able to write at your best at will… Can you imagine the power of that!

So you have been giving advice to co-workers, friends, your wife or husband, your kids… Are you following your own advice.
I had a boss that constantly talk about working ethic, but never show any. I had a friend that talk about all those great things he was planing to do some day, but never had done any. I know a writer that never write, but talks about writing someday; a musician that had not touch his guitar in years, but dream to do it full time someday.
Doesn’t matter in what you believe or what your dream is, EAT YOUR BANANA!
i.e. For years I dreamed on write a Novel. Took me years to eat that Banana, in 2011 I publish it. Best Banana Ever!

Nothing you said. If you are right, (and I doubt it) then you need to pay more attention. Pay attention to the learning opportunities around you.
The reason we make the same mistake again and again is that we are not paying attention and therefore we are not learning the lesson.
Pay attention, at least once a week ask yourself if you are learning something, if you had learned something.

Do me a favor, open your Calendar right now. Check the next seven days. How many FUN things are there? How about the next 14 days? Next 30 days?
Don’t forget to have fun. Work Hard! thats fine, but in order to Work Harder you also need to Play Harder!
Many of us, simply don’t have a clue what to do for fun. I am not talking bring others to have fun, I am telling YOU having fun.
Think about it, what will be something FUN to do in the next 14 days. Then put it on the calendar and do it. Rinse and Repeat at least once a month.

I am guilty of kept myself quiet when things are not OK. I avoid conflict, therefore more times that what I should, I keep quiet.
The problem with this is that you are saying that you are OK even if you are NOT.
First there is no way for the other person to know that something is not OK with you if you don’t speak, they can’t guess. It is your responsibility to speak. Not only that, if you keep quiet, the others are not responsible of the fact that you where OK.
You can come next year and tell me that you where not OK. (OK, you can, but you lose already your window of opportunity) If you don’t agree and are not OK with something, you need to speak, otherwise you need to remember that: Silence means you are OK, and you decided to be silent.

Are you aware of the roles and responsibilities you play in your direct family? How about your extended family? How about your in-laws?
This is an area that many people neglect, simply because seems obvious all the roles and responsibilities that you have regarding your family.
The interesting thing is that in family crisis is when you tend to discover some roles and some responsibilities that you didn’t know you had, not because you just got them, simply because you never stop and think for a little bit about it.
Spend a little bit and list all your family (yes, pets included) your parents, siblings, uncles and aunts. Do the same exercise with out in-laws.
After you have the list make sure there are not responsibilities that you have with each of people on this list. Make sure your role is clear.
Save the result of this, and revisit when need it. (or twice a year)

It is that time of the year in which you need to spring your time or it will fall back. But also it is a great time to check and update some stuff around your house and your life.
Use this time and follow this checklist:
– Change the Clock.
– Change Battery on the Smoke Alarm
– Change the Battery of the Carbon Monoxide
– Change Passwords on Main Sites
– Check/replace expired items in your First Aid Kit
– Check items on your car: Lights, Windshield wiper blades
– Backup Computers (Update software since you are there)
– Purge Kids Toys
After you do that, you can forget about this until the fall (or spring if applicable)