If You Read One Article About “Threes” Read this One

Our brain has a lot of magic in it. Till now, science revealed only part of it’s function & everyday new research findings are published. One of the study says – Our brain receives million bits of information in a second but it can process only 50 bits in a second. All received information doesn’t need to be externally fed one – it can be retrieved information from stored.

Having said that, information overload will in turn causes counter productive effect in the brain. Instead of increasing productivity, it causes distraction, results in confusion, less or no progress & causes derailment.

I use the technique of ‘Threes’. It is simple technique to restrict yourself not to go beyond 3 items at any given point.

1. I don’t keep more than 3 items in WIP status in my To-do list. If it is more, it is going to be a distraction, creates unnecessary pressure & results in low progress.
2. Even an article suggest 15 items, it is not possible for us to take action on more than 3 items, so I choose only top 3 items to review.
3. In any book that I read, I note 3 top take away as it is easy to remember them when I think about the book.
4. When preparing PPT, don’t use more than 3 points in a slide

Technique of Three de-clutters mind & simplifies life. Try it, you can see a notable change.

The Law of Intentionality – First Law in 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (John C. Maxwell) – Mind Map

Here is the gist of the first law from 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell. In this Law of Intentionality, author establishes “Personal Growth” is intentional & not accidental.

(Click the image to Enlarge)

The Law of Intentionality

Techniques to deal with Desires & Wishes

Desires or wishes are nothing but our thoughts that are formed to get worldly items (it can be knowledge, wealth, pleasure, relationship, etc) that we like to acquire one or the other day. To deal with desires, we are using different techniques. Each one has its pros & cons.

Technique of Indulgence – This technique tells “If you have a desire, Go get it.” In that way, you can make sure it will be achievable in your life. Though we get the desire fulfilled immediately but we cannot say surely that it is removed fully.

Technique of Suppression – This technique tells “Whenever a desire comes to your mind, you tell yourself that it is wrong to have the thought”. Though this helps for short period, but it leads to depression. Also, this is the technique used if indulgence is not possible any more or desire cannot be fulfilled by any means.

Technique of Distraction – This technique tells “whenever a desire comes to your mind, distract it with some activity that occupies it”. Again here it helps for a short time. Many people goes to movie just to practice this technique – forget the worries for couple of hours & comes to old status once they come out of movie theatre.

Technique of Sublimation –  This technique tells “whenever a desire comes to your mind, convert it or transform it to a higher level of need (life goal) instead of indulgence or suppression”. We can practice the technique of setting an ultimate goal in mind & reminding it whenever a distracting desire or wish pops up.

Sigmund Freud says “Sublimation is a mature type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are consciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse”

Sublimation is when displacement “serves a higher cultural or socially useful purpose, as in the creation of art or inventions” – Wade and Tavris

Though we are practicing all the above techniques in life, Sublimation technique is the best as it is transformational in nature with long-term effect.

Key Leadership Skill – Competency

No human being will work hard at anything unless they believe that they are working for competence. – William Glasser

After my induction in my first job, first work assignment I got was to help my corporate trainer in a training program. Trainer sent me a participants question paper & asked me to print 30 copies of it.

The problem was – I didn’t have enough skill to take print out – I don’t know how to connect my machine to printer, how to print a document and even I don’t know where the printer is situated. I was so shy tell him I don’t know this job or ask him right questions to do the activity. I stayed late in the evening & do something about it, but my mind filled with fear & I was not ready to face the trainer next day without completing the job.

I took time-off next day & returned the job the day after. I was hiding here and there to escape from the trainer. During lunch, he met me and asked me “why did you do like this?” I stood in front of him quietly. He told me “If you don’t know the job, tell you don’t know it & ask for help. People will help if it is possible or if it is so urgent, they will get help from others in right time. You wasted my time” & went off.

Though printing is a simple activity, it requires certain basic & sufficient knowledge and skill to produce the printouts. I can read books to get basic knowledge but that is not enough. I need to get the skill to perform the activity by doing it or by trying to do it. Like printing, every activity requires the sufficiency in skills to produce the right outcome.

Sufficient Knowledge & Skill to perform an activity is called Competency. One of the important factor that divide an experienced from an inexperienced is Competency. In a job, Expected Level of Competency varies based on role & tenure in the job (experience). In Project Management, HR Management closely deals with competency. Competency is one of the required Leadership Skills for leaders which I listed in Leadership Champions – Leadership Rubik Cube.

Let me close this post with apt quote from Roosevelt.

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Issue – Demystified

 

Every time when I encounter an issue – I think a lot about the issue, lose time, undergo lot of emotional change till I finish it. Once I move it out of my plate, I feel happy and wish not to get a issue like this in my life. But issues in life is not having any end to it and the cycle continues. Today I decided to write my thoughts about issue. Issue is something you feel disruptive when you expected to lead the life in defined routine.

An issue has a description, root cause, pattern, mindset, its time bound and have solution. Here is a single line explanation about each of those components.

• For any issue clear description is the key. Well defined issue will get well defined solution
• Issue is just an effect & every issue has a root cause for it
• Patterns can be derived if the same issue occurs frequently. Pattern applies to solutions too
• Size, complexity & situation depends on mindset and not in the issue itself
• An issue is an issue only for a particular period of time which may diminish or vanish or resurface after sometime
• Urgency & priority depends on time of the issue occurrence
• Every issue has solution & there could be multiple solution options for single issue which may be suitable for different situation