Partly cloudy and boundin..

EB, a friend, decided that he would add some value by sharing links to short videos. And all of a sudden, watching his short videos have become my favorite pastime.

Here are the picks of the bunch –

Partly Cloudy

http://www.220.ro/emb/3faZW1NISp

Boundin’

http://www.220.ro/emb/TcXfk1eAmJ

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There is SOO much to learn from both. I hope you enjoy them! :)

Juggling blogs, writing a book and updates..

Dear Readers,

For a change, this is not as much a learning as it is a status update and letter to you. I’ve found myself getting a tad stretched in trying to maintain 2 blogs of late in addition with adjusting to work-life. So, I thought I’d pause for a minute and pen down updates from my end and keep you posted about what’s going on –

1) Marler’s Observatory: This is my other blog that started out as a place to consolidate initiatives I’ve been working on/plan to work on on the side.
One initiative that I literally stumbled upon and began working on was ‘Book Reviews‘. And I’m happy to inform you that this has been received rather well with quite some (unexpected) traction and lots of encouragement.

2) GTD Guy’s request for Review: The GTD guy, Stever Robbins reached out as a result of (just) 18 book reviews and is in the process of sending in a copy of his new book (releasing this week) for me to review and share with you on Marler’s Observatory. More on this coming soon..

3) Starting on my own book project: As a result of a strong bout of inspiration that came through on Friday, I have decided to begin writing my own book. So, this is going to be a project that will take shape over the next few months.
The book is going to be very related to the ‘A learning a day’ concept and I’m sure you’ll find a lot of content from previous posts but I hope to do this properly and make sure the end product is of good quality. As with any new project, I am definitely nervous about whether you will find the aggregation of these learnings useful.. but let’s hope it works out.
You will definitely hear more in the coming months..

These are the 3 big updates from my end. I will try and get into a schedule of adding in Book Learnings 3 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) on M’s O. As far as this one goes, I have a whole bunch of ideas that are waiting to be posted but I’m trying to improve the quality of the posts as well as not exceed 2 per day. Additionally, I also expect time to get invested into the new book initiative.

In short, LOTS of activity, action and hence, learnings are all set to come your way in the next few months. Thank you all for being fantastic – it is very nice meeting friends from time to time who have nice things to say about the posts as readers. I would love to hear the ‘not-so-nice’ things as well so I can ramp up the quality while hopefully adding value to you..

Warmest,
Rohan

PS: Like any blogger, hearing what you have to say in the ‘Comments’ is equivalent to blogger’s bliss. So, just letting you know that a simple comment goes a LONG way! :) Thanks again..

Letting people be..

It’s amazing how uplifting it is for both the person acting, and the person being acted upon.

My grandmom, for example, reacts to activity by moving around (a lot!). The hustle and bustle is what keeps her going.. now this may not be someone else’s style and even if you do succeed in making her sit, you can be sure she will not be happy.

Letting people be.. it helps!

Feeling alive..

I’ve realized that I tend to feel very ALIVE when all of a sudden all routines, plans etc are chucked out of the window to do something crazy, unexpected and LOTS of fun..

And especially, when that CRAZY fun thing has a lot to do with people you LOVE to spend time with.

And it’s also fun counting on a certain friend who has a history of ‘forgetting’ to keep up appointments to not forget this time..! haha

So, just for a day, try shaking up all those aappointments, throw them off the window and do something crazy and unexpected! :)

Here’s to feeling alive!

Man in the Glass..

A poem I read today.. Simply brilliant!

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what THAT man has to say.

For it is not your father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back in the glass.

Some people might think you are a
straight shootin’ chum and
call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum,
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you dear up to the end. And
you have passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
and get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you have cheated the man in the glass.

By Peter Dale Winbrow Sr.

6 Ways to Supercharge your productivity – HBR

1. Make sufficient sleep a top priority. Schedule your bedtime, and start winding down at least 45 minutes earlier. Ninety-eight percent of all human beings need at least 7-8 hours a night to feel fully rested. Only a fraction of us get that much regularly, in part because we buy into the myth that sacrificing an hour or two of sleep a night give us an hour more of productivity. In reality, even small amounts of sleep deprivation take a dramatic toll on our cognitive capacity, our ability to think creatively, our emotional resilience, the quality of our work, and even the speed at which we do it.

2. Create one to-do list that includes everything you want or need to do, on and off the job — and I mean everything, including any unresolved issues that merit further reflection. That’s the essence of David Allen’s simple but profound work (see Getting Things Done). Writing everything down helps get it off your mind, leaving you free to fully focus on what’s most important at any given moment.

3. Do the most important thing first when you get to work each morning, when you’re likely to be have the highest energy and the fewest distractions. Decide the night before what activity most deserves your attention. Then focus on it single-mindedly for no more than 90 minutes. Productivity isn’t about how many tasks you complete or the number of hours you work. It’s about the enduring value you create.

4. Live like a sprinter, not a marathoner. When you work continuously, you’re actually progressively depleting your energy reservoir as the day wears on. By making intermittent renewal and refueling important, you’re regularly replenishing your reservoir, so you’re not only able to fully engage at intervals along the way, but also to maintain high energy much further into the day.

5. Monitor your mood. When demand begins to exceed your capacity, one of the most common signs is an increase in negative emotions. The more we move into “fight or flight,” the more reactive and impulsive we become, and the less reflective and responsive. The first question to ask yourself is “Why am I feeling this way, and what can I do to make myself feel better?” It may be that you’re hungry, tired, overwhelmed, or feeling threatened in some way. Awareness is the first step. You can’t change what you don’t notice.

6. Schedule specific times for activities in your life that you deem important but not urgent. With so much coming at you all the time, it’s easy to focus all day on whatever feels most pressing in the moment. What you sacrifice is the opportunity to take on work such as writing, strategizing, thinking creatively, or cultivating relationships, which may require more time and energy, but often yield greater long-term rewards.

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Thought this was very apt!

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Check out the original article here