"Perfectionism - the poison." 8 insights about personal effectiveness and success strategies

Perhaps only cats and selfie. Only cats and selfie can compete in popularity with posts about the methods of personal effectiveness in social networks. Willy-nilly, and I sin in this genre. In this article I have collected some of the most popular of their posts, written in recent years about personal productivity. All of them have caused some non-zero, the response - and therefore, may not be quite so hopeless.

1. The secret of success - it's not hard work

Lately, for some reason, I reflect on various trivial topics. Well, for example, what distinguishes successful people from unsuccessful.

Successful people like to say that it is hard work. Not true. There is a natural limit of the effective work that a man can give per day. Above can not jump.

There are many people who plow from morning till night, and to no avail. Cashier in the "Auchan" in Biryulovo tired not less than the CEO of the California startup. And how do you think, from his personal performance?

As a result of analysis of different cases - for the benefit of fifteen years in business journalism material accumulated enough - I turned a little list here.

1. Luck. In a serious breakthrough is always an element of luck.
2. Gift. If all spend the same amount of energy that goes forth who to this activity is better suited by nature.
3. Focus. Many people are starting to drop out, start something else. Of two equally talented people greater success comes to those who hammer at a single point.
4. ambitions. Again: to manage one store just as hard as a thousand. But often people do not have enough ambition to aim a blow at a thousand.
5. Courage. If you have the ambition and courage not remain a dreamer. Many successful people are successful primarily because no fucking fear and climb through.

Total. Luck not depend on us. Selecting just your way, we go for it - and there's nothing to be done.

It turns out that the work of success, we can only in three ways: continuously raise the bar for yourself, do not be afraid of anything and do not allow yourself to doubt in the main, to peck at one point.

2. Key resource - energy, not time

The longer you live, the more you feel that a key resource for personal effectiveness - it is not even time, energy. You can have a lot of good ideas, but if you do not have enough gunpowder, very little happens.

Not immediately able to understand that for any task - intellectual, creative, volitional, even the household - person draws its energy from a single source.

Shopping in search of good pants also depletes the energy reserves, as well as intensive work on the manuscript.

If the energy and all depends, how to be, to improve their personal effectiveness? What methods can be used?

At first, save cost.

• Create habits (everything that is done on the machine, burns less fuel).
• Do not do anything that uses energy, but it does not matter (see. Obama jackets, shirts Zuckerberg).
• Change the focus (the longer you concentrate on one, the more the end burns energy).
• Avoid stress, quarrels - they burn energy.
• Save - not necessarily emotionally invested in any action. Learn to be relaxed where the situation permits, to act in certain situations on autopilot.
• Mentally translate the problem from the category of "must" (coercion) in the category of "I want" (wish fulfillment).

Secondly, it is necessary restock.

• Catch a wave, inspiration, courage - all this greatly energizes. As a rule, it needs to put in front of some interesting puzzles for this people, and throw yourself all sorts of challenges.
• Form a perfect circle of communication (there are people who are inspired by the exploits, but there are those who kill the last will to live).
• To a certain extent - in for sports (but if you overdo it, the effect can be reversed).
• Jews were not fools, that invented the Sabbath - it is necessary to specifically allocate yourself time to recharge, not allowed to work.

Something like this.

3. No need to buy anything

Buy something worth only when absolutely necessary. Because any acquisition entails a chain of encumbrances and lowers personal effectiveness. Let's say you bought a cool computer mouse, manufactured by Apple. And it also needs more mat. A more batteries. Well, so do not spend money on batteries - batteries. And to the batteries - battery charger.

Or this watch purchased, mechanical, rare. So every day backwaters. And once in six months or a year, if you please buy a new strap to replace worn out. And then another stuknesh - will have to be dragged to the workshop. And to find a workshop today is not so easy, because everywhere where it says "Watch Repair", usually only the straps so the battery change.

Or a wireless headset. These wire. Every day charge. But sometimes - at the wrong time - they still sit down. So, still need backup in the bag, wired. That is, taking the example, instead of a backpack bags, do not forget to pass those and others. And then back again. Uh, uh... But you can do the same and. In the end, I think so: it is better not to risk anything at all do not buy.

4. Plan two steps ahead

Invented ingenious in its simplicity, the method of increasing personal effectiveness, well and in general getting out of life just what you want.

At any time, you need to have a plan in two steps forward. Type "now here I am doing this, and then I'll do that." So when "it" do "something" becomes "it" and the place "that" comes something else.

I call it "going to the dipped beam." I came to the conclusion that for me it is the most effective control system. Why?

The situation changes all the time, plan the whole day is simply meaningless. But you can not have no plan.

If you know what you'll do then, do not fall into a stupor. reduces the risk wrong decisions.
Humor is also changeable. The challenge is to match the level of energy. At 9 am, you can not predict your mood at 6 pm, but two steps ahead to predict your energy level and find a suitable task can be quite accurate.

In this plan once the second step provides sufficient distance so as not to succumb to the entire mood, it helps to see the future, to prioritize.

But more often it is necessary to do something, but do not want to do. Then, on the first step of planning something simpler, the second - harder. Execution of light gives confidence and inspires complex.

All is well, only occasionally do not forget to include a headlight, to see if you are there at all prosh.

5. Why postpone important for later

Each has its own life hacking kontrlayfhak.

Here are many smart people write that to maximize personal effectiveness should be the beginning of their working day to devote no urgent business, and important. They say that every normal person has some cherished ideas, which at all times have to be postponed until later under the pressure of circumstances. Many outstanding people achieve extraordinary results because first they always do what they want, not what others need.

I think it's reasonable. With books are often the only way it works. (Because the book - it's a thing that you always want to put off for later. After all, there's always something far more urgent. A book can wait. Donating a manuscript in a year, not before.)

However, I also noticed the reverse thing. Sometimes it is useful to postpone something cherished to the very end of the day.

By the end of the day forces at the end - and force yourself to do some mandatory, but not inspiring routine is simply unthinkable. When you try to squeeze more productivity per hour body simply shut off.

But he, infection, magically cheers if to invite him to do something he was pleased. For the sake of the cherished things villain he is capable of another small leap.

6. The evening news is better morning

Life, excuse me, a sinner, a hack.

I-News junkie with the experience. They are constantly looking for ways to get rid of, if not completely off, depending, at least keep it under control. Otherwise, increase personal effectiveness is impossible.

On the experiment began last week. He forbade himself to read news 19:00. That is passed from the consumption model "morning paper" to "evening".

So, I report on the results.

During the day it cleared so much free time that sometimes even you do not know what to do. Increased energy.

Previously, the day began with a dive into some regular horror (as is known, other news they have for us). In fact, to come up, took a lot of time and energy. That is nonsense turns out some: stupid to waste time on something that does not depend on you, and not to do because of this that can change (or do worse because of the energy wasted in vain).

But completely disconnected from the news can not. This is not an option. Output - "evening paper".

The evening is still not much time to worry. Cases are made. It somehow gives forces. A couple of hours more poperezhivat - and sleep. A fully reboots per night. The morning is not so scary.

In addition, missing a day of news, you pass at the same time a lot of unnecessary nonsense. Someone says something and then denies, then adds, then clarifies, and then it turns out that in general there was nothing. Instead of wasting your life on the vanity in the evening you get acquainted with a summary - and all.

In short, I will continue.

7. Perfectionism - poison

I immediately realized that the important thing in order to achieve personal effectiveness - is to burn a red-hot iron commitment to excellence. Especially if you want to do something worthwhile in life.

It is only at first glance perfectionism - a good alternative pofigizmu. In fact, he is no better.

Having worked with a number of extremely zamorochennyh perfectionists, I can say that the result of them always comes out worse than the one that could be achieved under the circumstances.

actually, perfectionism and prevents: causes and improve the already good (and thus spoil everything or just wasting time waste), work on the details that really do not change anything, and, most importantly, constantly doubt in itself.

Perfectionism - poison.

It should avoid the idea that perfection is acceptable, and even, perhaps, in some ways closer to him as - bang! - immediately get out some dastardly imperfection. And it will be itching. And torture. And to reduce this very effective.

I made like a decent job - but somewhere something is not as imagined, and now the joy seems to be not the same. Because like everything to be perfect! To mosquito nose will not undermine.

I bought like a cool thing, long time to choose, consulted overpaid - and all of it is good, but if not for one little thing, so would all super. But for some reason, will soon begin to think that the little things-the whole point. Already and the rest are not happy, and think only about this nonsense.

In general, everything is the way to eternal torment.

So now I have the motto - good enough. I try to reject perfectionism and accept the new faith. After all, that was happiness, everything - work, things, circumstances - must be perfect, just good enough.

No more.

8. The same method may work, or maybe not

One very cool businessman - of those whose status counts an American magazine - once told me such a thing that most people did not cut one in business history.

Reading about some well-known entrepreneurs, they think it necessary to repeat them. If Jobs, Walton and Schultz do so or commercials, this is the way to success.

But in business there are no rules. The situation is never repeated. What worked in the Jobs, you would not have turned out at Schultz. What was true in 1991, in 1992 alone it would be folly.

Moreover, even the same company can use the same tool - and get completely different results. This business and interesting: here it is impossible to write a training manual for success at all times. This is more of an art than a science.

I remember that. And I think that all this applies not only to companies but also to humans.

We all often try to bring some universal rules and methods of personal effectiveness, which should help us to become more productive, more successful, happier. But the ambush that they simply can not be.

Every man is not like the other. Each has its own head and its alignment. Moreover, each of us is constantly changing, evolving, something rethinking. Similarly, the situation is constantly changing.

So, perhaps, the most important - flexibility. The ability to continuously analyze - ourselves, others, the situation. Adapt to constantly changing variables. Try. Analyze. Try again. Do not lose heart. And move on.

see also

• 15 books that have become nuclear fuel for your efficiency →
• 7 little-known, but it is a cool tool for increasing productivity →
• Why is discipline - the key to success →