The Parable of the Professor and the Bucket
A philosophy professor and his student stand in a warehouse. A large tin bucket and several boxes are in front of them. The professor picks up a box that contains large rocks, each one about four inches in diameter, and pours them into the bucket. The stones reach the top…
READ MOREDeliberate or Decide?
Here’s a statement worth thinking about: “The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in the long, drawn-out vacillations, and the effect of decisiveness itself makes things go and creates confidence.” That’s from Ann O’Hare McCormick, a writer who understood how easy it is to waste time…
READ MOREThe Self-Confidence Question
I have an entrepreneur friend who is an engaging speaker. He always gets high marks on audience evaluations. On stage, he comes off as quite confident. Watching him, you’d think he was loaded with self-esteem. In fact, the opposite is true. And at a recent presentation, he let his audience…
READ MORE5 Ways to Make Your Meetings More Productive
1. Start on time. 2. If there’s someone with a reputation for tardiness without whom the meeting can’t take place, schedule a briefing with him 15 minutes beforehand. If he gets there on time, use that 15 minutes to discuss the big issues. If he’s 15 minutes late, he won’t…
READ MOREHave You Done That One Great Thing? NO? What Are You Waiting For?
Time passes so damn quickly. And as you get older, it speeds up so much that, if you don’t do something about it, your life will take place without including the person who’s buried deep inside you. You know the person I mean. The dreamer. The bright, starry-eyed optimist who…
READ MOREWho Do You Work For?
As a development manager for a real-estate project I consult with, SB takes direction from three people: a profit-center manager, a project manager, and me. Most of the time, our advice and recommendations work together. Sometimes, however, we disagree. And when we do, it throws SB into a frenzy. SB…
READ MOREEliminating the Weak End of Your Product Line
If you want to increase profits, trim low-profit-margin items from your product line. They are probably eating up limited and valuable resources that could be better used elsewhere.
READ MOREUse Your Time to Make Real Money, Not Count Small Change
One of the stupidest and most damaging myths is that you can become wealthy by pinching pennies. Suze Orman and David Bach should be arrested for perpetuating this idiotic idea. And the media powerbrokers who give them a soapbox to stand on — starting with Oprah Winfrey — should be…
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Your Perfect Day! How to Allocate Your Hours for Maximum Productivity
To find maximum productivity, copy this weekday schedule that has been proven to work for high-performers and watch your goals fall into place.
READ MORE4 Simple Strategies for Maintaining Your Success
Way back in January, you set a goal for yourself. Let’s say you wanted to lose 10 pounds by July 1. After months of hard work and discipline, you’re down nearly 12 pounds! Success! Now… how do you keep yourself from slacking off and erasing everything you’ve achieved so far?…
READ MORE3 Steps to Keeping Your Energy High on Weekends
If you work hard all week, then find yourself “crashing” on the weekend – just when you need even more energy to do the things you love – here are some tips for you: 1. Go to bed and get up at the same time as you do during the…
READ MORESplitting Tasks Between Your Right and Left Brain
Every copywriting or marketing project requires copious amounts of creative, right-brain skull sweat, plus plenty of detail-oriented, left-brain elbow grease. So when I’m fresh and full of mental energy, I focus on the creative tasks associated with the project. And when I’m running a bit low on creative juices, I…
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