Greetings!
Welcome to Clear Thoughts from
Uncommon Clarity
Problem Thoughts - A Secret Formula for Answering Tough Questions |
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I have a secret formula for getting the
answers to
your toughest questions. Interested?
There's one catch. The formula will work
only if you
search for answers to very specific
questions. No
general questions will do. You must articulate
exactly what it is you don't know, but need
to know.
To put you in the right frame of mind to get
specific,
imagine that you are going to ask your
question of
someone who is known to be monumentally
impatient,
tremendously helpful if you come prepared, and
absolutely unwilling to grant second chances
to those
deemed lazy.
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Process Thoughts - Interruptions Reconsidered |
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Interruptions! The bane of productivity!
Cell phones, email, text messaging, PDAs, IM
and more have brought interruptions to a
whole new
level. Which interruptions do you
think are
most disruptive?
My answer: none of the above. These devices
have changed the way we work and play, and as a
consequence, have created another, super
disruptive
force - ourselves. With instant
communication and
access to information at our fingertips, we have
learned to interrupt
ourselves constantly. -
Do you check email countless times each
day?
-
Do you make that quick call when a question pops
into your head? No need to wait until someone
gets
back from somewhere anymore, thanks to cell
phones!
-
Do you let that random thought send you
surfing? No
longer a need to file it away until later at
the library
or bookstore or home.
But think beyond these examples. Watch
yourself for
a few days. The more wired you've been, the
more
likely it is that you jump from activity to
activity,
from project to project, without any outside
interruption.
Many of us are proud of our ability to
multitask. But I
think we have to wonder about the
productivity lost
by dis-engaging and re-engaging from an activity
repeatedly, rather than just getting it done.
Or
consider what we may be losing in terms of
the depth
that only comes with immersion.
Perhaps it's time to swing the pendulum back the
other way and look for ways to develop
concentration skills and create environments
that
discourage multitasking.
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People Thoughts - Motivated by Money? |
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Here is something I read in a May 2006 issue
of "The
Week" magazine:
"A new study suggests that higher pay improves
productivity only for a short time. The
University of
Chicago researchers promised to pay a group of
data-entry workers $8 more an hour than their
expected $12-an-hour rate. The overpaid group
outperformed the control group by 27 percent
- for
about 90 minutes."
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Parting Thoughts - Frogs and Time Management |
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"If you have to swallow a frog, don't look at
it too
long. If you have to swallow two frogs,
swallow the
big one first."
- proverb, frequently, but not always,
attributed to
Mark Twain
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Ann Latham
P.S. If you enjoyed this edition of Clear
Thoughts, please forward it to others who
may
be interested.
� 2006 Uncommon Clarity, Inc.
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Introductory Thoughts |
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"Minimize detail, maximize results." Not my
words,
definitely my style.
Consider the opposing forces. Today's
example: "To
every purchase, there is a season." Buy plane
tickets on Wednesdays for the best deals. Is
telling
me this really doing me a favor?
Isn't it great to know that on the autumnal
equinox
this week, night and day will both be twelve
hours.
Predictable, reliable, simple. We need more
of that.
Does your organization need help reducing
waste,
pain or customer disappointment?
* Wasted time, money, energy?
* The pain of confusion and inefficiency?
* Missed opportunities to win customer
loyalty?
We bring clarity and cohesiveness to purpose,
process and people.
Please contact us for help in achieving
your business objectives.
Visit our website to learn
more:
www.uncommonclarity.com
- Ann Latham
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