Gone are the times when you have to drag yourself to a library to learn something, with the internet and this list at your fingertips, you will be able to gain access to lectures from some of the world’s best colleges, hear some inspirational talks and discover wonderful and useful information.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

1. Academic Earth

Academic Earth, founded by Richard Ludlow, aggregates lectures from some of America’s top universities – including Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Stanford – in to one easy to navigate place.

The subjects range from architecture, to computer science, to Law, to Philosophy. There is also a lively community behind the site, so each lecture is graded and many can be downloaded as well. Sometimes you can even access the contents of entire courses.

2. TED – Ideas worth spreading

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is an absolutely brilliant service. It contains a plethora of talks from innovators, comedians, designers, entertainers and many others from countless field.

The site is extremely easy to navigate, you can sort the talks using a range of categories and subject areas. All talks can be downloaded as either video or audio. Moreover, new talks are constantly being added and I personally guarantee that you will find a talk that will either inspire, entertain or teach you something.

3. LearnersTV

Learnerstv.com offers thousands of video lectures, notes, slides and other resources in a range of topics, though the majority are in science based subjects. I’ve found the natural science, computer science, medicine and management lectures to be particularly good and varied. At the time of writing this article there was a massive 9487 lectures on the site for your consumption!

4. MIT Open Courseware

This is a initiative by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has a whopping 1900 courses on offer with the same materials that they use to teach the undergraduate and some graduate courses.

Obviously a lot of the courses are science and engineering based, but there are plenty on offer in other areas as well (economics, gender studies, literature and more). Admittedly, it’s not as easy a site to navigate as some of the others, and video content must be viewed/downloaded either view iTunes or YouTube.

5. Lonely Planet

Of course, not everything has to be about engineering and literature; lonely planet has the must read guides people who wish to travel pretty much anyone in the world.

Offering practical tips from when and where to go, to history, work & study information to much more. Additionally there is a good range of beautiful pictures and videos.

6. MetaFilter

Probably the odd one out in this list, MetaFilter (or MeFi) provides a day-to-day commentary on news in subjects as wide ranging as politics, science, religion and technology.

The site (actually more accurately a blog) is wholly community based, and a very lively one at that. Of particular note is the askMeFi section, where you get answers to, view and answer useful questions.

Activity: Go and listen/read/watch to at least one lecture or talk. Let me know in the comments which one and how you found it.

Do you have any other resources that’s worth mentioning? Let me know in the comments.

Summary: Apple’s patent lawsuit against HTC is a carefully planned manoeuvre, that some speculate is in fact  a proxy attack on Google.

However, with the rivalries and lawsuits aside it could have a more drastic effect on the consumers. If the courts rule in favour of Apple it could well kill a huge range of HTC produced handsets, and send a drastic blow in the face of Google and the Android platform.

Introduction

On Tuesday 2nd March, Apple announced that they have filed, with the US District Court and the International Trade Commission (ITC),  to sue HTC for infringing 20 patents.

The patents involved range from somewhat straight forward (‘Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image’), to seemingly complicated (Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices), and incoherent (Object-Oriented Event Notification System With Listener Registration Of Both Interests And Methods). Thankfully Nilay Patel, over at Engadget, takes a walk through each of the 20 patents and explains them in ways understandable to all.

As Patel notes, Apple has been very careful in planning their attack – filing for the more rooted and stronger patents with the ITC and the new, weaker ones with the District court.

The more important question is what the effect of these patents, whether the courts agree with Apple or not, is on HTC and perhaps more importantly on the consumers.

Diving deeper

It’s been speculated that Apple’s feud against HTC, is in fact more to do with Google, and the Android platform, than it does with HTC.

Understandably Apple aren’t happy with Google encroaching on their territory, as the NY Times reported Mr. Jobs saying “We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business”.

However, we can argue that Apple has to embrace competition rather than just sue. On the other side Apple is a largely creative and innovative company and if they aren’t able to protect their creations, then they maybe lose the essence of their business. With the latest 74 day sales figures showing the flagship Android phone (the Motorola Milestone – I’m not counting the nexus one as it wasn’t advertised at the same level as, say, the iPhone) selling more than the iPhone; and, the Android platform gaining platform quickly, it’s certainly would be enough to concern Apple.

Google, of course, is not a company that is easily intimidated (if its even possible), and they will certainly not back down from a fight. So far, of course, they are not party to the lawsuit, but this is more of a question of time then anything else. In any case Google at least support HTC. A Google spokesman confirmed Google’s support to Techcrunch, “We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it”.

Two sides of the coin

All the “healthy” competition and rivalry aside, an important question arises – so what does this all mean for consumers?

On one side, by Apple aggressively protecting their patents, this should (theoretically) lead to more innovative technologies.

So instead of the utilising ‘swipe to unlock’ mechanism, it forces manufactures to develop a new method. From that perspective, better innovation means better technology, and happier consumers.

On the other side, using the same example of ‘slide to unlock’ – what if the steering wheel was patented or the handlebars on a bike, and manufactures were forced to come up with something different? I can see the point of fighting for a unique patent for an operating system or microprocessor but it doesn’t make sense to argue for something so versatile.

This has the opposite effect, where consumers are denied choice – why can’t we have the best features from one phone also available on another. Not to say that we shouldn’t have unique products, but instead to have the common best features available to masses.

Of course only time will tell what will happen, a ruling in favour of Apple could mean that HTC may have to kill certain phones. For now though, we just have to wait – as it’s become almost customary in these cases – it’s most likely that HTC, or even Google, will file a countersuit.

In any case this one is one to watch.

Reading around:

• Engadget – Apple vs HTC: A patent breakdown
• NY Times – HTC ‘Disagrees Strongly’ with Apple’s patent claims
• NY Times – Apple’s spat with Google is getting personal
• Ars Technica – Apple vs HTC: proxy fight over Android could last years

• Cloud computing will explode: Cloud computing is basically the process of doing what you do on your desktop, online. Whilst many services are already in place (Google Docs), it requires users to trust their data with 3rd Party companies. The benefit is obvious: you’re able to access the information anywhere, providing there is a internet connection. With release of Office 2010 later on the year, and Microsoft allowing free access to a lightweight online office suite, more people will be doing more things on the cloud.
• Facebook and twitter will take over the world: killing all other services in the process. And, and all th while people will keep publishing more and more personal information then complaining that others saw it.
• Netbooks will take a back seat to smartphones: netbooks are great, to many they provide a virtual home away from home, but in the end it’s a separate piece of equipment to carry. With the smartphones getting more powerful and more capable (I’m rooting Google Android), and of course more portable I think netbooks will have pretty stringent competition.
• Android will be accepted by the masses: I think maybe 2010 will be the year when people realize that the the platform matters a lot more than then number of apps available. Don’t get me wrong I’m not hoping for an iPhone killer but a harmonious world where the two can live happily together. Wishful thinking,
• Apple will breath new life into tablet PCs: If the rumours are correct, and lets hope that they are, then Apple will be releasing a tablet PC later this year rumoured to be called ‘iSlate’. Looking at Apple’s past success this could finally breath new life into tablet PCs. Additionally, as supposedly the iSlate is suppose to be an excellent eBook reader, this could mean some healthy competition to the Amazon Kindle and co.
• The web becomes even more influential: With the growth of twitter and facebook (see above) and the inclusion of real-time search results by Bing and Google, people will have instant access to each others opinions.
• Television grows up: with 3D movies becoming a common sight, it should help carry the 3D market to out living room with affordable 3DTV’s. Couple this with integrated internet and we have on-demand TV like never before.

Of course these are all what I’m hoping for to happen in 2010, but with technology and more so the tech companies being as spontaneous and unpredictable as they are, anything is possible.

“People who achieve the most are selective as well as determined.”

- Richard Koch

Although the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle, sounds like a statistical formula, believe me its far from it. The 80/20 rule is something that I came across a little while ago, and it has c0mpletely changed my thinking. I believe that it is vitally important principle wheter you apply it in personal life or in your business.

Photo by kevindooley

In this post we look at exactly what the 80/20 rule is, and how it can be used in a professional and personal capacity. Read on to find out more.

Where it all began

In the early 1900s an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, was studying the distribution of wealth in Italy. Pareto noticed the unequal distribution of wealth, he noticed that around 20 percent of people owned around 80 percent of the wealth.

What is the 80/20 rule?

In the late 1940s Dr. Joseph Juran, working in the US, observed a universal principle – that 20 percent of something usually accounts for 80 percent of the output. He accredited it to Vilfredo Pareto and named it the Pareto Principle.

When 80 and 20 doesn’t add up to 100

If looked at more closely, then the 80/20 has nothing really to do with the numbers 80 and 20. The rule just observes the fact that most things in life are unevenly distributed. The 80/20 ratio doesn’t have to add up to 100. The ratio doesn’t matter, it could be anything, 70/10 or 90/15.

When life isn’t fair

Basically, what the take home message is that a select few individuals, tasks or whatever are responsible for the majority of the result or output. So to put things in perspective this could mean:

• 20% of customers are responsible for 80% of your business
• 20% of customers are responsible for 80% of complaints
• 20% of input creates 80% of work
• 80% of results come from 20% of effort

Remember we said that the 80/20 doesn’t have to add up to 100. So we could have 10 people working on a project, in this case 20% (or 2 people) could be responsible for 30% of the result, or 50% or 90%. We could have just one person actually working, whilst the other nine don’t do anything. In that case that one person (or 10%) is responsible for 100% of the work!

The point is that the 50-50 relationship between two related sets of data is an exception rather than a phenomena. However, we still have this notion that there is a direct correlation between input and reward. The age old saying ‘what you put in is what you get’ doesn’t hold true.

How it can help you

The 80/20 rule is an invaluable principle. Once you understand the principle (and hopefully you have a good understanding now), you will notice the 80/20 ratio everywhere. The key, however, is to determine which or what the key activities are. Your aim should be to stop wasting time on the 80% of the activities that cause you dissatisfaction. Instead devote your resources on the 20% of actives that produce the best outcome.

The 80/20 business

In a business environment, this is usually easier to identify then it is in your personal life. In your work, consider the things you do day-to-day. Only around 20 percent of all of these tasks really  make a difference. That may sound harsh, but I challenge you to analyse your work and I’m sure you will come to a similar conclusion.

Now identify and focus on those 20 percent of things. If you need to push things off your to-do list then make sure it’s not one of the above things. If you’re in a management position, then you may realise that about 20% of your staff are responsible for 80% of the output. Make sure to reward those staff members.

Similarly, identify the 20% of the customers that are responsible for 80% of your revenue, then make sure to look after those customers.

That does not mean that you should fire or stop looking after the other 80% of the staff or customers. Instead, you should focus as much of your time as possible in looking after and improving/encouraging these staff/customers. This may seem somewhat illogical, but you will get better results turning good to better than you will making the better into great.

The 80/20 lifestyle

It can be a bit more tricky to try and apply the 80/20 rule to your life, but it can potentially yield higher results.

This quote pretty much sums it up for me:

You can have anything you want, but you cannot have everything you want

My understanding of this quote is that you should be focusing on a small number of goals, that will get you closer to the dream that you will achieve. As oppose to doing a bit of everything and not really getting anywhere.

So you need to decide on what your true passions are and what your true values are and focus most of your efforts on that.

Most people tend to be working towards something that requires 80% effort  to only produce 20% of results. What you need to do is to slowly start shifting these two ratio’s around. You need to start chasing your passion.

This does not mean that you quit your current job and start your own business (if that’s your passion). But, you could start your business part-time whilst working and start shifting more and more focus on to your business over time. You will not only benefit from the monetary rewards but will also find more fulfilment because now you are focusing on what you want to be doing.

Final thoughts

The point of the Pareto principle is to realise that most things in life are not evenly distributed. Choose to and focus on the 20% of things that are most important. Don’t just work harder but work smarter. And work smarter on the right things.

It is important to understand that the Pareto principle is only a rule, and not law. It doesn’t apply to everything. if you’re seeking quality then you need to focus on all the detail, you need all 100%. However, If you’re trying the get the most bang for your buck then focusing on the critical, high yielding information is the best strategy.

Lets hear from you. What are your thoughts on the 80/20 rule? Do you think it applies to you?

We have been learning, thinking and making notes from very early on in our lives, however we never really learn how to retain this information or how to develop better ideas. These essential skills are not taught at schools.

Photo by: quartermane

Mind mapping allows us to do just that – to think creatively, assimilate information,  take effective notes and to accelerate learning. This phenomenon, popularised by world renowned pop-psychologist Tony Buzan, has been around for more than 30 years.

Mind maps are a way of graphically organising information and developing thoughts and ideas. The idea is to create a diagram that presents ideas, tasks and anything else radiating around and outwards from a central theme.

What are the benefits of mind mapping?

Mind mapping is a extremely useful and effective method of identifying and understanding key information about a given topic. Using mind maps you can construct detailed, yet concise topic diagrams.

What really sets mind maps apart from everything else is their ability to break away from linear, one dimensional thinking (lists) in to multi dimensional thinking. They make use of both sides our brain by integrating colours, shapes and imagination.

Additionally, here are a couple more advantages of using mind maps:

• Abandon lists
• Quick to review
• Effective mnemonics
• Encourages creativity
• Utilizes both sides of our brain
• Shows links between several related topics

What can you use mind maps for?

Due to their versatility and possibility of customization they can be used for any number of things. Some of their uses include:

• Planning tasks
• Problem solving
• Note taking
• Exam Revision
• Study skills
• Summarizing information
• Breaking down complex problems
• Idea generation
• Presenting complex information in a manageable format

How to create mind maps?

The examples below give you some ideas of what mind maps look like, but to create one for yourself here are the basic steps.

• Start with a blank piece of unruled paper, in landscape.
• In the centre of the page write down/draw your central theme, title or question
• Think of ideas, associations, actions and strategies relating to your central theme. Let these branch out from the centre, create a new branch for each key point. These are your level one subdivisions.
• Now, focus on each of the key points and create branches from each. Create as many subdivisions as required.
• Be open and creative, no idea is too dumb. Write everything down. Don’t worry if you’re missing information – you can keep adding more detail as you think of it.
• Think outside of the box. Make your mind maps as colourful as you want, include cartoons and pictures. Make them what you want them to be.

A finished mind map may have topics and ideas radiating in every direction. Think of mind maps as a tree, where your central theme is the tree trunk, and ideas radiate as braches, twigs and leaves.

Some examples

To show the effectiveness of mind maps, here are some examples of my mind maps and some others have done. In fact this site was planned and developed using a mind map, and I frequently use mind maps to plan posts and generate ideas.

Actually its interesting to note that a lot of my mind maps don’t conform to the guidelines set by Tony Buzan, because I’ve developed my own system that I find to be more useful for me.

Idea generations using mind maps:

This is one of my initial mind map, when I was thinking about some content for this blog. I’ve now got a electronic version which I add to every time a new idea occurs.

Developing ideas:

From the initial map I take an individual idea and draw up a mind map that becomes the outline for a post. Here are two examples:

The mind map used to write my post on creating better schedules:

Presenting complex ideas:

This is a mind map outlining central nervous system (CNS) infections, taken from the book Mind Maps in medicine by P. McDermott and D.N Clarke.

Summarizing material:

This is hand drawn by artist John Clapp summarizing 65% of the book “Vision + Art: The biology of seeing” on one sheet of paper.

This is a mind map on mind mapping, from Tony Buzan’s website.

Improving your mind maps

Here are some tips that will help you improve your mind maps:

• Use key words, and where possible images
• Use colours to show associations and make things stand out
• Use visual aids, such as icons to show links between different elements
• Use symbols and develop your own conventions
• Make important things stand out, if they stand out on paper they will stand out in your mind
• Don’t limit yourself. If you run out of space then attach more paper and continue rather than start a new map
• Write down ideas as they occur, don’t think whether they are relevant or not – this can be done later
• Think as fast as possible, if you run out of ideas then draw empty lines to encourage more
• Revisit your mind map and add more information if you need to
• Develop your own style
• Have fun with the process

Summary

When you first start using mind mapping, it may not seem as effective as more conventional methods you’ve been using for years. But with practice they will become second nature, and you will wonder how you worked without them.

Mind maps are an extremely effective and efficient method of taking notes, serving as mnemonics, and summarizing information. They not only outline the facts but also show the structure of each idea relative to the central theme i.e. the most important idea will have the most branches.

Additionally, they allow us to think more creatively and use both hemispheres of our brain. Which allows better retention of information and make associations between different topics that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Resources:

Books: The Mind Map book is an excellent starting point and resource to learn more about mind mapping.

Software: Both FreeMind (free, open source) and Mindjet MindManager (commercial) are excellent software if you wish to construct mind maps on your computer. If you want to work on the web then MindMeister is an excellent and free online mind mapping tool.

Others: Additionally you can visit Tony Buzan’s site for more information of mind mapping and other techniques or have a look at a video of Tony talking about mind mapping.

“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday and avoiding today.” - Wayne Dyer

Procrastination is present in every aspect of our lives, and we have mastered it to perfection. We have been practising from soon after we were born. During our younger years (and to for some even now), we procrastinated in doing our chores, we procrastinated in studying at school, college and university and during our adult life we procrastinate during work and other activities.

Picture by: brdavids

In this first post, I outline some of the reasons why I think we procrastinate as well as looking what could happen if procrastination goes untreated. Then, we finish this post with outlining the first few steps that need to be taken to overcome procrastination.

Why do we procrastinate?

Generally speaking we tend to avoid the “why I am doing this?”, and rather just focus on “how do I solve it?” That’s all good and well, but there are times when this question needs to be tackled, especially if the problem is a persisting one and if we want to move forward.

The idea here is to understand why you procrastinate, so next time you are able to identify and overcome it. Here are 9 common reasons of procrastination:

1. You don’t want to do it: sometimes it is just this simple, you don’t want to do something so you keep putting it off until you have no choice but to do it
2. It’s difficult: if something is difficult or you perceive it to be difficult then you are likely to either do a easier task or tell yourself to not do it
3. Time consuming: similarly, if something is going to take up a lot of your time, then you simply keep putting it off for later and reassure yourself that you can’t commit that amount of time on it right now
4. Perfectionism: if everything needs to be perfect, then everything requires a lot of effort. You’d rather miss out the task, then risk doing it so it’s not perfect.
5. Commitment: you don’t understand why you should be doing this, or why it’s important or you might even think that it’s a waste of time. Then would you waste your time on this? Leave it for later, and later and later
6. Failure: if you fail then you’ll have to answer those questions. If you fear that you may fail the task then you will try and avoid doing the task completely.
7. Fear: apart from the fear of failure, there is also the fear of success (if you succeed then you have to repeat your success) and fear of not knowing what to do next. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore the task then think about all of these things
8. Frustration: if you have a especially low frustration threshold, and know something will be difficult, challenging or frustrating in any other way the we just move on to something more entertaining
9. History: we’ve been frustrating for all these years, so why change now

Exercise: brainstorm some of the reasons why you most often procrastinate, if you’re stuck then try asking yourself these four questions:

• What do I usually do instead of doing the urgent thing?
• What would I rather do then working or studying?
• What do I tend to focus on when I sit down to get things done?
• How do I procrastinate?

The science behind it

In 2007 Psychological Bulletin published a paper by Piers Steel, titled “The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure”. In this paper Steel presented a mathematical formula for procrastination.

The equation calculates how desirable a task or choice will be (utility) to an individual. This is done by weighing up the expectation (E) of finishing a task and its value (V) against the persons desire to complete the task and how soon it needs to be done (ΓD).

If a tasks is not urgent, nor do you have the necessary skills or knowledge to complete the task then you are more likely to procrastinate. On the other hand, if you are confident in your ability and the task carried a tight deadline, then you would be less likely to procrastinate.

By the way, if you wish to read this article you can either download the PDF version here.

The procrastination cycle

The procrastination cycle is a simple idea that I scribbled down when brainstorming this post. I’ve decided to include it here to show the effect procrastination can have, and has on your work, life and health.

A couple of things to note from the diagram:

• There is too much stress
• There doesn’t seem to be any management
• There is illness
• By the end of the cycle the initial task is not done but discarded

We can, probably, never fully stop procrastinating, just like we can never realistically avoid stress. So the take home message is to learn how to manage procrastination and stress so it does not have a detrimental effect on your life or health.

The first step

Now we understand why we procrastinate and the effects it can have, it’s time to take action and overcome procrastination.

The very first step in working through procrastination is accepting the fact that you choose to procrastinate. Sure when asked, we all defend ourselves and usually start the first round of the blame-game. However, keep in mind that there is a fine line between taking responsibility and being too hard on yourself.

Make a conscious decision to not procrastinate any more or to at the very least reduce your procrastination to as little as possible, after all we’re not perfect! Ask yourself, “In what ways and where do I procrastinate?”.

Personally I find that I procrastinate more when I have a lot to do, and I procrastinate by doing the less urgent stuff. For example, I am procrastinating right now by working on this post instead of writing up a report I have to submit tomorrow!

We all procrastinate; don’t beat yourself up over it, sulking and drowning in your own tears! Admit it, accept that it is a problem, decide on what you will do, and then do it.

That’s it for part one, in part two of this post I go through a number of tips that can help drastically reduce procrastination. Don’t want to miss the next part, then you may want to subscribe to be notified when it’s published.

Project management skills are essential whether you are a high profile project manager, a student or any other individual. Most of my experience in project management has come from my student years, but I have noticed that no matter what level of management you are involved in the fundamentals remain the same.

Here I discuss some of the key processes for success in project management. These can and should be applied at any and all levels of management and I especially encourage students to use these when taking on a big project (dissertations, thesis etc).

Photo by perhapstoopink

Why project manage?

Projects come in all shapes and sizes from the simple and straight-forward to the large and unmentionably complex. With most projects a multitude of outcomes are possible and project management is needed to carefully plan, analyse and deliver the result you (and/or your client) want.

However for most people when project management is mentioned, they quickly think of large organisations and highly specialised, and usually miserable, individuals – “the suits”. But, project management exists at all levels and concerns just about everything.

The project management process

I found that by applying a few simple, and ofttimes obvious, project management techniques the entire project can be completed with ease, without much stress and usually ahead of time. These techniques are applicable as much to the micro-projects as they are to the larger more upscale projects.

1. Define the project: This is where you describe the project itself – what are the aims of the project and what you wish to deliver. State the basic parameters (timescales, budget etc.) as well as any other details (frequency of meetings, for example) and most importantly decide how progress and results will be measured.  If working within a large team you want to create expectations for each member of the team, by which they will be judged – this not only helps everyone get a good idea of their roles but also helps later on if people start blaming each other incompetency.
2. Plan the project: It is usually more helpful to work backwards, with the end in mind. This is even more important with the larger projects, where several activities will be running parallel and some activities must be completed before another begins. But whatever the size of the project you’re looking to plan the following:
   • Timescale – how long do you have to complete the project and how much time can be spent on each stage. Plan this so you have at least some time left at end as most projects tend to overrun
   • The team – the most important step here is to carefully select your team based on individual expertise. This should be done as soon as possible, so that your team is able to contribute right from the start.
   • Other tools – there are many project planning tools available and two of the most popular are by using Critical Path Analysis (CPA) charts and Gantt charts.
   • Contingency planning – this is crucial in projects where results cannot be absolutely guaranteed. Contingency planning all about preparing fall backs, and answering the questions “what if this goes wrong”? Ideally you want a contingency plan allows for additional budget, resources and time.
3. Delegate project actions: As a general rule, the bigger the project the more people will be involved, and without careful delegation it is likely the project will either fail or will not be completed to required standards. For each task that needs to be delegated following a few simple guidelines will make sure that everyone is happy.
   • Define the task – does the task really need delegating?
   • Select the best individual(s) – does it require one person or a team? What will they get out of it?
   • Give reasons – explain why you are delegating and why to that particular individual/team?
   • Agree – both parties must agree on realistic deadline and desired result. You must both have a clear idea of the finished assignment and exactly when it needs to be done.
   • Feedback – this is the one stage that is often overlooked. How are they doing? What can they improve? What are the strong points? This must be done throughout the task, not just at the end
4. Communication and support: Constantly keep in touch with everyone involved in the project – offer support for any issues that arise and praise for job well done. This will help you gauge how will the project is progressing as well as allow for any adjustments to be made
5. Project review: Having successfully completed ahead of time, congratulate and reward those involved. Give feedback on what was done well and what could be improved next time around; refrain from assigning blame. Note any follow issues and delegate as necessary.
6. Move on to the next project.

There you have it – project management in a nutshell. Of course the level of detail you apply each step with will vary considerably with the size of the project, for example if you’re working on your dissertation you wouldn’t generally delegate any tasks, but it that case you’d be in constant communication with your supervisor.

Overall completing a project, no matter the size, to the desired specification (time, budget etc) is an amazing achievement, and in my personal experience one that provides the drive for many future projects.

Recommended Reading:

• The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management
• The Definitive Guide to Project Management
  

Time is perhaps the most important resource, and it is certainly a unique one in that once it’s used you can never get it back, and we never know exactly how much we have left. However, it seems that a lot of us take this precious commodity for granted.

Photo by apesara

There are many ways to make the best of your time – stop or lessen how much you procrastinate, schedule better, set goals and increase your productivity. Here I share some tips that I found to be quite useful in increasing my productivity.

Increases your productivity

So, what exactly is productivity? Productivity is that perfect balance between effectiveness and efficiency. Here is better productivity in three simple steps:

1. Be effective: this means being able to accomplish a purpose. So what’s your purpose? A good question to ask yourself is – “Why am I doing this?” Are you happy with answer you get? If not then should you really be doing this right now? Sure you might watch TV to relax, but do you really need to watch TV for two hours to accomplish that?

I personally believe that having an understanding of why we do what we do is quite important. In fact it’s a bit of an obsession for me, because I believe that if I understand that then I will have a better understanding of why we choose one task over another.

2. Invest your time better: Knowing where a lot of your time is being drained, ask yourself what you could be doing to better utilize your time? Do it.

3. Be efficient: You should know be doing something that best utilises your time, now all we have to do is get is done faster and better. I talk about this in more detail below.

More on effectiveness

Most importantly figure out what is important to you and what is not, and the best tool I can suggest for this something called the time management matrix. In order to manage your time well stay mostly in boxes I and II and completely avoid boxes III and IV. Try this for a week and you will see the difference for yourself.

Further efficiency

Here are some tips on achieving greater efficiency:

• Eliminate clutter and distraction: the more clutter there is the more complex the task will seem (as you’ll have to juggle more things around just to get started on your task). Additionally clutter adds a degree of subconscious stress.

If you need more proof:According to the Wall Street Journal (March, 1997) the average U.S. executive wastes 6 weeks per year searching for misplaced information from messy desks and files. That equals 5 hours per week or one hour per day. At $60,000/year in salaries, that is nearly $8,000/year in wasted time on the job.

• Do things smarter: this means getting things done with the least amount of effort but yielding the greatest rewards.
• Use all the tools available: try and automate your tasks as much as possible, by using technology and any other methods you can
• Outsource: There are some things that just have to be done, but you hate doing (I can think of at least a few). Why not pass them on to someone else who actually loves doing it

The question that some ask is why bother being productive? Ultimately, being productive means that we are able to do more of what we really love, more often.

How do you manage your time? Do you have any additional tips, let us know in the comments.