Focus Trouble

What happens when you focus intensely?

How often do you forget everything else?

How often does this get you into trouble?

How often is intense focus worth the trouble?

When we focus intensely, we forget everything else.

Even important things may fall victim.

If they do, we will be in trouble.

Yet, often the trouble is worth the results.

Yet, sometimes the results are not worth the trouble.

Learn to know when the results are worth it.

Communicate it all

How do you communicate?

How much can you tell with your words?

How much can you tell with the words left out?

How much can you tell with your actions?

“The things said and the things not said. In the space in between, a thousand worlds. A thousand worlds.” - The Malazan Book of the Fallen 10

Communication is much more than what we say:

It is what we do not say,

It is what we do and don’t do,

It is how we move and stay still,

It is the look in our eyes,

It is our expressions,

And the spaces in between all that.

Performance Volatility

How volatile is your performance?

When do you perform badly?

When do you perform well?

When and why do your skills deteriorate?

Everyone’s performance is volatile.

For some more and for some less.

There are days when we do badly at our strengths.

There are days when we do well at our weaknesses.

When we are exhausted, we won’t perform well.

When we are well-rested, we will excel.

Adjust your expectations of yourself accordingly.

Center of Attention

How often are you the center of attention?

How often do you believe you are?

How do you feel when you are?

What do you do with it?

Everyone is the center of attention sometimes.

Some revel in it, some hate it.

You can use it to your advantage.

Or you can choose not to.

However, often we misjudge the situation,

and wrongly believe we are the center.

Or we misjudge the duration,

for it may have been for just a brief moment.

Deadline Tyranny

How do you handle a looming deadline?

How do you deal with your exhaustion?

How well have you rested yourself?

How do you balance all three?

With a looming deadline, we push on.

However, often we can push no further.

Then the deadline becomes a tyrant.

Exhaustion is the tyrant’s currency.

While rest has become the hero.

Let the hero free you from the tyrant.

Skills That Stick

Which of your skills stick with your for life?

Which skills lose value without practice?

How much confidence is required?

How can you turn a skill into one that sticks?

Some skills we acquire retain their value,

other skills we learn do not without practice.

Some skills will lose their value regardless.

We can turn any skills into one that sticks.

All you need is to find the use case.

Balance isn’t Equal

How balanced are your relationships?

How much critique do you give and receive?

How much praise do you give and receive?

How do you feel about the ratios?

Positive and negative interactions are part of life.

In relationships, the ratio is crucial.

1:1 is no balance, don’t be mistaken.

We need more praise than critique.

The closer we are, the higher the ratio needs to be.

How do you behave in your relationships?

Skilled vs Unskilled

How skilled are your helpers?

How difficult is the task?

How easily do you find skilled help?

How can you make do with unskilled help?

Even in seemingly easy tasks, skill is crucial.

A skilled helper can make all the difference.

Unskilled help can make a mess of things.

Unskilled help needs to be directed more.

Unskilled help needs to be trained.

Skilled help comes at a cost, a cost well worth it.

Futile Endeavours

How often do you participate in futile endeavours?

What are they usually about?

Who initiates them?

Why do you participate?

How frustrating are they?

At times, we will face a pointless project.

We will participate for different reasons.

They come in all shapes and forms.

They come in all areas of life.

Some we will do willingly.

Some we will not have a choice.

Dead Deadlines

How often do you fail a deadline?

What are the reasons for it?

What is the difference when you make it?

How often did you kill it before you tried?

Failing a deadline happens to all of us.

We might have overestimated ourselves.

We might have underestimated a project.

Or we might have given up too early.

You won’t know if the deadline has died,

before you try your all to make it.

Appreciation vs Depreciation

Which of your belongings depreciate with time?

Which of your belongings appreciate with time?

For what reason are you holding onto them?

What else could you buy if you sell them?

Most of us accumulate things over our life.

The majority of things depreciate with time.

Once an item has served its purpose,

we should not hold onto it any longer.

Think of what you need right now.

Items that appreciate have this purpose.

Body Break

How much do you listen to your body?

When does your body tell you it is enough?

How does your body tell you?

How often can you ignore the message?

Most of us don’t listen to our bodies.

Most of us will keep going,

and going and going, till it is too late.

At some point, we won’t be able to ignore any longer.

Take a break when your body tells you.

It will make you take that break forcefully otherwise.

Literal Communication

How clearly do you communicate?

How literal are you in your communication?

How well do people follow your instructions?

How could you improve your instructions?

Often, we do not communicate clearly.

Ambiguity riddles our instructions.

We use implicit speech instead of direct.

Concise, direct, clear yet polite instructions,

are what will deliver good results.

Otherwise, those who follow literally,

will create chaos in your projects.

Decluttering the Mind

How often do you declutter your thoughts?

How often do your thoughts overfill?

How do you declutter your head?

How much can you externalise through writing?

At times, our thoughts are overwhelming.

Our heads are full of information, plans and reminders.

Decluttering our minds is essential.

Externalising information is a great way to do so.

The things that haunt you need to be written down.

The information that you fear slipping away too.

Sellable or Throwable

How do you decide what is sellable?

How do you decide what is throwable?

How much do you need to invest?

How much can you gain?

To sell or to throw away -

is a question we all face regularly.

To sell or give away requires resources -

time, money, energy and opportunity.

It serves to evaluate diligently if it is worth it.

Often, the better option is to dispose of the item.

Value and the Eye of the Beholder

What do you value highly?

What do people around you value highly?

Can you understand others’ perspectives?

How can you balance this?

Each of us values different things differently.

This is why value and price are often not aligned.

It is sometimes difficult to understand others

and why they value something the way they do.

Yet, if you can understand their perspective,

walking through life becomes a great deal easier.

The Tiger’s Eye

Are you looking the tiger in the eye?

How frequently do you?

How does it feel when you do?

How can you make it comfortable?

We should all do a reality check regularly.

Be it with our health, relationships, or career.

Not doing so will create problems.

For you, your colleagues and your family.

You will miss opportunities in life.

Behind vs Ahead

How much do you have ahead of you?

How does this make you feel?

How much do you have behind you?

How do you feel now?

What is the relationship?

We are often so focused on what is ahead,

that we forget what we have behind us.

The progress we made is crucial.

It shows us that we can tackle what is ahead.

Our past is a teacher, our future is an opportunity.

Unreasonable Demands

How do you handle unreasonable demands?

How do you feel about them?

How well can you see from the other’s perspective?

What is the agenda behind the demands?

We all encounter unreasonable demands.

Sometimes they are only unreasonable for us.

Sometimes they are indeed unreasonable.

Often, they are made to pressure us.

Or they have a hidden agenda.

Be careful in how they make you feel.

Denied Wishes

What do you do when you are being denied?

How do you react to it?

How hard do you fight for it?

How do you try to achieve your wish?

At times, our wishes are being denied.

Often, it has nothing to do with us.

Sometimes we might be the problem.

It rarely serves to give up fast.

Often, there is a route to your wish.