效率极低的七大习惯- 第2节

…　Swallow　that　frog。　What′s　this　means　is　simply　to　do　the　hardest　and　most　important　task　of　the　day　first　thing　in　the　morning。　A　good　start　in　the　morning　lifts　your　spirits　and　creates　a　positive　momentum　for　the　rest　of　the　day。　That　often　creates　a　pretty　productive　day。

…　How　do　you　eat　an　elephant？　Don′t　try　to　take　it　all　in　one　big　bite。　It　bees　overwhelming　which　leads　to　procrastination。　Split　a　task　into　small　actionable　steps。　Then　just　focus　on　the　first　step　and　nothing　else。　Just　do　that　one　until　it’s　done。　Then　move　on　to　the　next　step。

…　The　Get　around　to　It　Paraliminal。　I　find　this　guided　mediation　to　be　very　useful。　After　20　minutes　of　mostly　just　lying　on　my　bed　and　listening　I’m　far　more　productive　for　a　few　days。　I　don′t　feel　the　urge　to　sink　into　that　procrastinating　state　or　the　need　to　find　out　what’s　new　over　at　one　or　five　of　my　favourite　websites。

　

3。　When　actually　doing　something；　doing　something　that　isn’t　the　most　important　thing　right　now。

One　of　the　easiest　habits　to　get　stuck　in；　besides　procrastinating；　is　to　keep　yourself　busy　with　unimportant　tasks。

To　be　effective　you　probably　need　some　kind　of　time　management…system。　It　might　be　something　really　simple；　like　using　the　80/20…rule　at　the　beginning　of　each　day。　The　80/20　rule；　or　the　Pareto　Principle　as　it′s　also　known；　says　that　you′ll　get　80　percent　of　your　results　from　only　20　percent　of　your　tasks　and　activities。　So　you　need　to　focus　most　of　your　energy　on　those　few　important　tasks　to　be　effective。

When　you　have　prioritized　using　this　rule　just　write　down　the　top　3　most　important　things　you　need　to　do　that　day。　Then；　from　the　top；　start　doing　them。　Even　if　you　just　get　one　of　the　things　done；　you　have　still　done　the　most　important　thing　you　could　do　today。　You　may　perhaps　prefer　some　other　system；　such　as　GTD。　But　however　you　organise　your　work　it’s　still　of　highest　priority　to　find　the　most　important　tasks　so　you　don’t　spend　days；　weeks　or　months　doing　busywork　that　isn’t　that　essential　anyway。　Just　getting　things　done　faster　isn’t　that　useful　if　the　things　you　get　done　are　unimportant　to　you。

　

4。　Thinking　too　much。

And　thereby　seldom　taking　action。　Paralysis　by　analysis　can　waste　years　of　your　life。　There　is　nothing　wrong　with　thinking　before　you　do　something。　Do　some　research；　make　a　plan；　explore　potential　upsides　and　problems。

But　pulsively　thinking　and　thinking　and　thinking　is　just　another　way　to　waste　your　time。　You　don’t　have　to　examine　everything　from　every　angle　before　you　try　it。　And　you　can’t　wait　for　the　perfect　time　to　do　something。　That　time　never　es。　And　if　you　keep　thinking　you’ll　just　dig　yourself　down　deeper　and　deeper　and　taking　action　will　bee　more　and　more　difficult。　Instead　you　just　need　to　stop　thinking。　Shut　of　your　mind　–　it　just　helps　you　up　to　a　point　–　and　go　do　whatever　you　need　to　do。

　

5。　Seeing　the　negative　and　downsides　in　just　about　anything。

When　you　see　everything　from　a　negative　perspective　you　quickly　punch　a　hole　in　your　own　motivation。　You　find　faults　everywhere　and　problems　where　there　are　really　none。　You　cling　to　details。　If　you　want　to　find　a　reason　to　not　do　something　then　that’s　no　problem。　From　a　negative　viewpoint　you　can　find　ten　reasons　every　time。

And　so　very　little　gets　done；　you　whine　to　anyone　who　wants　to　hear　–　and　many　who　don’t　–　about　how　crappy　your　job；　life　and　boss　is。　Which　bees　a　self…fulfilling　prophecy　as　you　create　the　life　that　is　appropriate　considering　how　think　and　see　your　world。

A　solution　is　to　realise　the　limits　of　a　negative　perspective。　And　that　your　perspective　isn’t　some　kind　of　100％　true　picture　of　the　world。　Then　try　other　perspectives。　For　instance；　trying　to　establish　a　habit　of　seeing　things　in　a　more　positive　and　optimistic　light　can　be　quite　useful。　In　that　vein；　you　may　want　to　try　the　Positivity　Challenge。　It′s　not　easy；　but　if　you　do　the　challenge　and　try　to　only　think　positive　thoughts　for　7　days　it　can　give　you　an　insight　in　how　much　your　perspective　and　beliefs　changes　how　you　interpret　your　world。　And　what　results　you　get。

　

6。　Clinging　to　your　own　thoughts　and　being　closed　to　outside　influences。

It　can　be　hard　to　admit　that　what　you　thought　or　believed　was　not　the　best　alternative。　So　you　cling　to　your　thoughts　harder　and　harder　and　keep　your　mind　closed。　This　makes　it　hard　to　improve　and　for　instance　to　bee　more　effective。　Even　really　considering　the　possibility　that　you　can　change　your　life　can　be　difficult　in　this　position。

One　solution；　obviously；　is　to　open　up　more。　To　open　up　and　learn　from　the　mistakes　of　others；　from　your　own　mistakes　and　from　other　sources　like　books。　This　is　easy　to　say　though。　It　can；　as　almost　anything；　be　harder　to　do。　One　suggestion　I　have　is　to；　like　I　said　about　the　previous　habit；　realise　the　limits　of　what　you　know　and　the　way　you　going　about　things。　And　then　just　try　something　new。

Another　tip　is　to　read　A　New　Earth　by　Eckhart　Tolle　and　especially　look　at　the　chapters　about　the　Ego。　If　you　stop　identifying　so　much　with　your　thoughts　and　your　Ego；　as　Tolle　prescribes；　it　bees　a　whole　a　lot　easier　to　let　new　ideas　and　thoughts　e　into　your　life。　And　to　let　go　of　old　thoughts　that　aren’t　useful　to　you　anymore。　On　the　other　hand　I’d　like　to　add　and　counter…balance　with　these　tips：　don’t　get　stuck　in　reading；　in　just　taking　in　new　information　either　or　you　might　bee　a　self…help　junkie。　Use　the　new　information；　put　what　you　have　learned　in　to　action　and　try　it　out。

　

7。　Constantly　on　information　overload。

With　information　overload　I　don’t　just　mean　that　you　read　a　lot。　I　pretty　much　mean　an　overload　in　all　input。　If　you　just　let　all　information　flow　into　your　mind　it　will　be　hard　to　think　clearly。　It’s　just　too　much　stimulation。　A　few　more　potential　downsides　to　this　habit　are：

…　Some　of　the　input　you　receive　will　be　negative。　The　media　and　your　surroundings　often　put　a　negative　spin　on　things　for　various　reasons。　If　you　aren′t　selective　in　what　input　you　want　in　your　life　then　you’ll　be　dragged　into　this　negativity　too。　This　affects　how　you　think；　feel　and　act。

…　It　creates　an　urge　to　keep　up　with　what’s　happening　but　there　are　always　ten　more　things　happening　so　you　can’t　keep　up。　This　makes　life　stressful。

…　It　bees　hard　to　make　decisions　and　take　action　if　your　mind　is　constantly　bombarded　with　information　or　trying　to　sort　through　it　all。　Personally　I　find　that　if　I　get　too　much　information　it　leads　to　a　sort　of　paralysis。　Not　much　get′s　done。　Or　you　get　stuck　in　habit　#3　and　keep　busy；　busy；　busy　at　high　speed　with　low　priority　activities。

To　be　able　to　focus；　think　more　clearly　and　take　action　it′s　useful　to　be　more　selective　in　what　you　let　into　your　mind。　When　you　work　shut　out　as　much　distractions　as　possible。　Shut　off　the　phone；　internet　and　shut　the　door。　It　is　strange　how　much　you　can　get　done　when　you　aren′t　interrupted　every　fifth　minute　or　have　the　opportunity　to　procrastinate　by　checking　your　RSS…feeds　or　favourite　websites。

Now　I′m　not　suggesting　that　you　should　stop　reading　all　blogs　or　newspapers。　But　think　about　what　you　really　want　to　read　and　what　you　read　just　read　to　fill　your　time。　And　have　a　look　at　other　areas　of　input　where　the　doors　are　wide…open。

For　instance；　you　don′t　have　to　let　in　all　the　negative　emotions　from　your　surroundings。　If　everyone　else　are　procrastinating　or　are　anxiously　keeping　themselves　busy　by　doing　low…priority　tasks　at　warp　speed　it′s　easy　to　be　influenced　by　that　mood。　If　you　have　a　door；　then　it　might　be　good　idea　to　shut　it　and　focus　on　doing　more　important　things。