Personal Growth Cafe

May 4, 2018January 7, 2018

Single-Tasking: The Sane Alternative to Multitasking

What do you do when you’re answering emails and suddenly the phone rings?

Do you answer it and try to speak to the person while you finish your emails?

Then the doorbell chimes.

Do you go to the door while still on the phone?

Now you have some decisions to make.

We live in a world where multitasking is commonplace.

But is it the most efficient use of our time?

The Multitasking Myth

A number of states have already made it illegal to talk on your cell phone and drive at the same time.

Some states won’t even allow you to drive and eat at the same time!

These laws are based on the fact that if your focus is divided, accidents are more likely to happen.

Recent studies have also shown that when people are forced to change gears in the middle of a task, valuable time is lost.

The more complex the task, the more time is lost.

The lost time is the time that’s usually spent by the frontal lobe of your brain making decisions and establishing priorities.

So when you multitask, rather than getting a lot more accomplished, you’ll find that the quality of your work diminishes significantly while important tasks actually take longer!

Single-Tasking: the Alternative

Just for argument’s sake, try spending one day where all you do is focus all your energy on one task at a time.

You may be surprised to discover that you’re making significantly more progress than usual as you tackle one job at a time without interruption.

Without interruption? Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s easier said than done.”

If so, here are some tips to help you gain the advantage of single-tasking:

Create a to-do list. Have categories on the list for home, work, etc. Write the items on your list in order of priority.

Organizing your tasks will help you see everything you have to do and give you a definite place to start.

Keep a notebook handy. If ideas for another task come while you’re working on something else, jot them down quickly so you can continue concentrating on your current project.

You won’t have to worry about forgetting your ideas and thoughts later.

Tune out distractions. If possible, turn off your phone or shut down your computer if they’re diverting you away from your present task.

If you feel the urge to check your email, simply take a deep breath and continue working.

Don’t worry; your email’s not going anywhere! It will still be there in the same place when you finish your current task.

Plan your day in blocks of time. Depending on the number of tasks you have to do this can be in hour-long blocks, or just 20 minutes.

Make sure you leave some blocks open for unexpected situations that may arise.

Every now and then, take inventory.

When you’ve completed a task successfully and have a few minutes to spare, use that time to check your inbox for any new situations that may have come up.

You can then re-prioritize your to-do list if necessary.

Single-tasking might take some time to get used to, especially if you’re accustomed to working on multiple projects at one time.

However, focusing your efforts on a single task will help you think more clearly and determine what steps must be completed.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of ideas but these tips will help you get started with single-tasking.

Multitasking can be very stressful.

Wouldn’t it be nice to make your life a little less chaotic?

Single-tasking can do a world of good for your emotional, mental, and even physical well-being. It’s the sane alternative to multitasking!

Have you done multi tasking recently?

How were you able to fully focus on what you were doing?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Also, as your gift for taking this to heart – and this is profoundly important… to us ALL – go to UnitingPlanetEarth.com/ignition/ and do the Uniting Planet Earth 7-Day Quick-Start Ignition Program… and Allow it to Transform Your Life.

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May 3, 2018January 7, 2018

The great thing in this life is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving. – O.W. Holme

May 3, 2018March 2, 2018

How to Find Your Life’s Passion

It seems that we are all in search of our life’s passion, but what is a passion anyway?

In short, it’s the perfect fulfilling combination of career, love, family, dreams and reality.

You may feel that spending a few moments thinking about your passions and dreams is a waste of precious time – what with all the other obligations tugging at your sleeve: career, kids, bills, errands, etc.

However, these few moments might just be the defining moments of your life!

You could discover the one thing that enables you to find true happiness!

In fact, most of us could benefit by spending more time considering our life’s passion.

Here are 8 tips to help you discover your life’s passion so you can live a fulfilling life:

What do you feel is lacking in your life?

What do you have that fulfills you?

Make a list, and consider options that bring you what you lack.

Feel gratitude and appreciation for the good things you have that fulfill you.

Set goals. Write out your most important short and long-term goals and dreams, along with a plan to achieve them.

Divide your plan into small steps that you know you can accomplish.

For example, if you always wanted to open a clothing store, start taking classes on business or fashion at the local college.

Small, achievable steps assure your success!

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Decide which of your stressors are small issues and which ones are large.

Is that loud neighbor a real concern or can you let that one go?

By letting the small stressors go, you can free up your mind to strategize ways to reduce, eliminate, or cope with what stresses you the most.

Analyze your time. Which activities take up most of your time?

Do you desire more time for other, more enjoyable activities?

If so, then develop a plan to restructure the time allotted for each activity.

Make a schedule with your priorities and stick to it.

Consider your fears. What is stopping you now from taking steps towards what you want in life?

Is it a fear that you won’t succeed or that others will think less of you?

Do you fear how things might change if you are successful?

Endeavor to fulfill your life despite fear.

Facing your fears will make you feel empowered and more capable.

Make a daily success plan. Think of small changes you can implement each day to improve your life.

Each day’s accomplishments will show you that you are, indeed, moving toward fulfilling your life’s passion!

Leave regret behind. Once you start feeling success in pursuing your life’s passion, you may wish you had started earlier in your life.

Push these thoughts of regret out of your mind.

To eliminate regret, remind yourself of this wonderful opportunity you’ve discovered that is changing your present and future!

Seek positive advice. Talk to anyone and everyone you can think of to glean positive tips, advice, and experiences.

Seek out those people that you feel have it all – everything you may be looking for in life.

Find out their secrets, their perspectives, and the thoughts that motivate them.

Pursuing your life’s passion can start you on a journey that brings you more joy than you have ever imagined.

Following these tips and techniques will help you to develop a successful strategy for turning your hopes, dreams and desires into your reality. Enjoy!

What are you passionate about in life?

How does your passion bring additional happiness in your life?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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May 2, 2018January 7, 2018

A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart. – Unknown

May 2, 2018January 7, 2018

How to Gain the Respect of Your Co-Workers

Whether you work for a small company or a large one, whether you are in management or an entry-level position, gaining the respect of your coworkers is a smart career move.

In today’s competitive job market, looking ahead and planning a career path is essential.

Following that path requires respect from your coworkers.

These tips will help you gain more respect at work:

1. Take responsibility for your actions. No matter what happens, take responsibility for your actions – both good and bad.

It’s okay to point out when you do something good.

However, don’t spend all your time bragging about yourself.

It’s just as important to acknowledge when you might have acted wrongly.

If you feel that your actions resulted in negative consequences for someone, always make amend and ask if you can help repair the situation.

2. Avoid taking things out on coworkers. One of the traits of well-respected people is the ability to control their emotions and attitudes.

As you go through your workday, there will be situations that annoy and frustrate you.

Make sure you don’t vent your frustrations on people who don’t deserve it.

3. Treating people fairly reflects well on you. If you have a problem with a coworker, address the problem in a private area or office.

Avoid humiliating a coworker in front of others.

4. Remain calm. The truth is you’ll get bad news from time to time at work.

When you receive bad news, first think about the way you should respond so you can react appropriately.

5. Shouting and losing your cool are the worst things you can do.

Instead, remain calm and gather all the information you need to handle the situation in a composed manner.

6. Take a moment to cool down by going for a walk, getting some coffee, or even just sitting in your car for a few minutes.

Once the news has sunk in, then take the steps needed to get the matter resolved.

Remaining calm on the job is essential to gaining the respect of your coworkers.

7. Give quality information. When you want to advance your career, resist the urge to listen to office gossip.

There’s a lot to be said for an office environment that has an open door policy, but that same policy may also make it difficult to discern correct information from false.

8. Don’t relay gossip. Only pass on information if you know the information is reliable, truthful and necessary for someone else to know about.

Avoid talking about coworkers’ personal lives, especially if you’ve been told information in confidence.

Remember, if a person was standing in front of you and you wouldn’t say something directly to them, then don’t say it behind their back.

9. Give credit where credit is due. When other people have done a good job, make sure to tell them so.

Take the time to speak well of them to others.

Aside from making people feel good about themselves, you’ll soon realize that speaking highly of others will also work wonders for bringing respect to you, too!

Giving credit to your coworkers is honest, fair and it gains you respect. This quality is one of the attributes shared by great leaders.

10. At the end of the day, the most important way to gain respect in the workplace is to respect those you work with.

Treat everyone with courtesy. Don’t talk down to anyone or act condescending towards their thoughts or opinions.

It all comes back to the golden rule: If you treat others the way you would like to be treated, then they will treat you the same way.

How important is your co-workers respect?

How do you show respect to your co-workers?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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May 1, 2018January 7, 2018

Thought is the sculpture who can create the person you want to be – Henry David Thoreau

May 1, 2018January 7, 2018

How to Make This Christmas a Merry, Memorable One!

There are many ways to make Christmas merry and memorable!

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s difficult nowadays to feel the joy through the cluttered maze that has become of Christmas.

Through the years, Christmas has strayed too far from its original purpose and become a highly commercialized event.

When it comes to the holiday season, more people are concerned with buying the “perfect” gift for others and anticipating what they will receive, rather than focusing on the true spirit of the holiday.

It’s time to get back to the basics when it comes to the season of gift giving, love, sharing, and caring.

This year, you can make your Christmas a joyous and stress-free holiday by following these 3 easy tips:

Give of Yourself. If you enjoy providing gifts to others, that’s a nice gesture. However, you should avoid dwelling on it too much.

No matter what you can or cannot afford, there’s always one gift that you can give to others: the gift of your time.

Christmas is only as commercialized as you allow it to be. Although it costs nothing, your time is the most precious gift of all.

There are many ways that you can give of yourself to others this holiday season:

Be a friend who listens

Spend time with a loved one

Help someone with their household chores

Babysit for a mother or father who really needs a break

Let others know that you are available anytime they may need your help

Use Your Talents.

No matter how nice that watch appears to look in the jewelry case, the homemade pen holder or the homemade blanket that you create for your friend, neighbor, coworker, or family member will be much more appreciated than anything you can buy in a store.

Ultimately, handmade gifts are priceless, whereas the store bought gift will lose value over time.

Sure, store bought gifts are nice, but people will value your handmade gifts more due to one reason: you put your time, efforts, and love into creating those gifts.

When the receiver thinks about your hard work and dedication in creating the gift, it will become more and more cherished.

Here are some ideas of homemade gifts you can make:

Fresh-baked cookies, pies or jams

Hand sewn quilts or crocheted scarves

Framed photo collage

Personalized scrapbooks

Custom made jewelry

Cherish Your Time Together. In the end, we can’t take back time. Our time is lost in so many ways on a daily basis – especially around the holidays.

It’s time to place our priorities on our family and friends rather than on the shopping and holiday preparations.

Why fight the crowds on Black Friday when you could be enjoying your kids’ day off from school together?

Wouldn’t you rather create some warm, happy memories?

If you and your spouse don’t enjoy spending your day standing in long lines at crowded stores, then change it!

Spending the night baking alone when your elderly mother is in town is such a waste.

Plan your baking so you can enjoy each other’s company while things are in the oven.

If you want to make your holiday truly merry, remember to spend the time that you have with your loved ones enjoying each other.

Make joyous memories instead of a frenzy of worrying, shopping, cooking, buying gifts and over-stressing.

If you follow the steps listed here, you’re sure to have a merry, memorable Christmas this year and every year!

What do you do to make your holidays extra special?

How does the holiday season bring your extra happiness?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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April 30, 2018January 7, 2018

Overcoming the Temptations of the Holiday Season

Overcoming the temptations of overeating, overspending, and under-appreciating during this holiday season can be challenging.

When it comes to the holidays, all of these issues tempt us more than usual.

However, you’ll be pleased to discover that there are ways of coping with these stressful situations during the holidays.

Here are some ways to help you avoid the temptations so you can start the New Year happy and stress-free:

Overeating

When the holidays roll in, decorative and highly tempting food platters roll out to greet us with tantalizing turkeys, decked out hams, sides, and every dessert imaginable!

You know as well as I do that it’s really hard to pass on the food when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In many cases, even New Year’s Eve continues the scrumptious dinners and pastries.

Unless you want to be sporting a new bloat come the New Year, it’s important that you learn to resist the urge to indulge in too many of these foods.

To avoid overeating, try these tips:

Avoid the urge to stockpile the food on your plate. Start with small helpings and eat your meal slowly.

Have plenty to drink with your meal. In between bites, sip on a glass of ice cold water, low fat milk, or healthy juice.

This can help fill you up quickly so you won’t be tempted by second and third helpings.

Eat a healthy snack prior to going to a family gathering or holiday party.

Munching on fruits, vegetables or yogurt will help fill you up so you won’t be starving at the party.

Overspending

It’s so easy to spend more than you anticipate or can afford during the holidays.

It’s important to budget your money appropriately so when the New Year comes along, you’re not burdened with debt.

Remember that you do not have to spend a lot on Christmas gifts!

You can buy inexpensive gifts or create wonderful and precious homemade presents.

No one wants you to go into debt buying gifts for them!

Keep this in mind as you shop so you can limit your spending this holiday season.

These tips will also help you to avoid overspending:

Use cash only. Leave your credit cards at home and only spend what you have in your wallet.

It’s a wonderful feeling not to have large credit card bills in January!

Chip in on a gift with another family member. If you know the perfect gift for dad is out of your budget, ask a sibling to split the cost with you.

Make a list and stick to it. Only go into the stores where you know you’ll find your gift items and keep the focus on your list.

If you don’t have a need to go to the electronics or clothing section of the store, then stay away.

Set a strict budget. Setting a dollar amount for each item can also keep you focused and away from the more expensive gifts.

Under-Appreciation

Once the holiday season begins, it’s quite common to put wish lists together and forget about all the things we already have!

Remember to be grateful this holiday season.

There are many things that we can be grateful for – our job, home, friends, family members, and more!

Remember to be appreciative at all times and you’re more likely to enjoy the holiday season.

Christmas isn’t about what you can get or what you didn’t get. It’s a time for sharing and making warm memories together.

The attitude that you end this year with is the attitude that you’ll start the New Year with.

A grateful attitude will bring more things in the New Year for you to be grateful for!

If past holidays brought too much temptation to overeat, overspend, and even to be a little greedy, you can make changes to your holiday season this year to avoid these temptations.

The strategies listed in this article can bring you a happier and guilt-free holiday season.

What temptations do you always give in to during the holidays?

How can you work on overcoming them?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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