60 useful seconds with kalaboukis

You probably have a long list of tasks to do. Some say to do the easiest first, just get those over with. I say the opposite – do the worst first. Get them over with first, and the rest is easy. This is why I always want to be the first in line to do anything that I dread. Another trick when you are dreading something: focus on what you will do AFTER this thing that you are dreading. I used to hate going to the dentist when I was younger, but then when I focused and visualized my life in the afternoon after the visit, either having lunch or studying or working, the dread lessened. Focus on your life AFTER the event, whether you are speaking to a crowd, bungee jumping, or making sales calls, it’s a great way of past something you are dreading.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Look at the next task on your list. Do you really need to do that? Will it help you to progress forward towards your goals in life? Will it really take you to the next level?  Is it something that you really need to do? If not, then you have full permission to just delete it. If you don’t have to do it, then simply don’t. Also, try not to spend too much time agonizing over your decision to do it or not – just make a judgment: is completing this task in line with my goals or not? If no, delete.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Torn from the pages of Agile Software Development, the daily standup is a daily team meeting where everyone goes around the room (typically first thing in the morning) and reports (while standing) three things: 1) what you did yesterday? 2) what you plan on doing today? 3) if there is anything stopping you from doing what you plan to do today? Do this with yourself, in the morning, in the mirror, as soon as you wake up. You’ll find that it’s a great way to reset your intention for the day. Don’t read off a list of things, just focus on the one or two most important items that you must finish.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Just learned this one the other day and as an avid reader, I am loving it. I don’t like not finishing books, no matter if they are fiction or nonfiction. Even if the book is not that good, I keep pushing through. Now, if I’ve read 50 pages of a book and I still don’t want to continue, it’s a natural place to stop. Most books today are oversized blog posts disguised as books anyways, they very rarely have enough content to fill their 200 odd pages and are full of filler.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

From the desk of Marie Kondo – your home is filled with gifts that you might feel like you don’t really want to get rid of, but the gift really was in the giving. The gift fulfilled its purpose of giving when it was given to you. If you don’t use it now, it doesn’t bring you joy now, then give it away to someone else. It’s just another thing you have to move (or walk around) while looking for something else. Return it, regift it, or Goodwill it. Let someone else get some joy out of it now.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Every moment counts – why bring your mail in to read it when most of it is bound for recycling any way – save the trip.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

As above, it’s the same for the AM. Try to wake up at the same time every day – don’t use snooze, and get out of bed and stretch. Try to create a morning routine as well – maybe including exercise, meditation, planning, journaling, etc.    support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

I used to sleep in on the weekends and it really messes up your sleep schedule. Your body doesn’t really know the difference between the weekdays and the weekends. Do it a favor and try to go to bed at the same time every day. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to have a standard nighttime routine which cuts out all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before lights out. You can always read a paper book or Kindle for those last 30 minutes before you turn out the light.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Everyone’s gotta eat: you can either grab fast food every day, or take a few minutes to plan and map out your week of meals, buy everything you need, and have it ready. Some people I know cook once a week, freeze their meals and eat over the course of the week. Or if that’s too much, subscribe to a meal service which can bring you healthy meals directly to your house.  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support

Most people use a web-based email solution, but those are terrible at mass deletion. Take my advice and if you are looking to perform mass cleanup of those emails, use a client. It doesn’t matter if you use Outlook, Thunderbird, Astro, or any other email client out there if you set up a client you should be able to rapidly delete a ton of emails. I use the “Sort By Sender” feature to very quickly group email into batches which then allows me to very rapidly determine if these emails come from a source I care about. It’s a great way to unsubscribe as well. Once you’ve highlighted the offending emails, just delete and they will disappear from webmail as well  support the show: https://anchor.fm/60usefulseconds/support