Great tools to evaluate your productivity

[kamakiri]

I get a newsletter from 'Mind Tools' (mindtools.com) and they have some great stuff every once in a while, and today was one of those days. I though I would give you guys the heads up about it. The post itself was interesting, but the tools they have for free are great.
Effective Scheduling - Plan Your Time. Make Time for Yourself. (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_07.htm)

Activity Logs - Find Out How You Really Spend Your Time (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_03.htm)

And one that I surely didn't need:

Emotional Intelligence - Developing Strong "People Skills" (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_59.htm)

[final_id]

Fun stuff! From the "how to develop emotional intelligence" page:


* Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place, and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.

* Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn't mean that you're shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine – put the focus on them, and don't worry too much about getting praise for yourself.

* Do a self-evaluation. What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you're not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly – it can change your life.

* Examine how you react to stressful situations. Do you become upset every time there's a delay or something doesn't happen the way you want? Do you blame others or become angry at them, even when it's not their fault? The ability to stay calm and in control in difficult situations is highly valued – in the business world and outside it. Keep your emotions under control when things go wrong.

* Take responsibility for your actions. If you hurt someone's feelings, apologize directly – don't ignore what you did or avoid the person. People are usually more willing to forgive and forget if you make an honest attempt to make things right.

* Examine how your actions will affect others – before you take those actions. If your decision will impact others, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? If you must take the action, how can you help others deal with the effects?

Oddly, I believe that I DO all of this already; but, I'm actually very low in emotional intelligence. I don't "read" when others are trying to hint at me; and generally in work situations, that which I understand to be an idiotically humiliating plan which will guarantee our continued failure, is something which other people get excited about. And this notion of "humility" (not seeking reward for your accomplishments) is frankly idiotic -- if you're in a work situation and you exhibit humility, you will be fired for not having accomplished anything. The suggestions are good, but only in theory; they're written by someone who hasn't ever dealt with the moronic NORMAL work situation in North America, and instead thinks that workplaces work the way they're SUPPOSED to work.

Just try some "humility" amid the denizens of "The Office" next time ...

[webgal]

That quote is exactly how I decided to do things years ago. It's such excellent advice.

[Sven]

I think the humility mentioned here meant that what we do for a living is not about us, it's about clients and their needs. Only what they pay is about our needs.

But I also believe that humility in a 9-5 environment can backfire as final-id states.

[Sven]

That was one of those websites with the, in my opinion HUUUUUUGE mistake of the delayed popup....

Aha, can this be interesting? Mmmm, uhuh, Popup, grrrrr, Click, Sven's gone.

[final_id]

All this business about how the market-based work-world is somehow "noble" and "in the service of" ...

News flash: it's not. Anything which is bought or sold is inherently crass and material, and therefore by definition is subject to moral corruption and is highly likely (especially under current North American procedures) to be devalued. It's ALWAYS going to be about one side trying to get more for less, and the other side trying to give less for more, or else it ISN'T IN THE MARKET by definition.

I don't like this fact. That's why I've always found myself going into fields which aren't exactly about selling a product, at least not at some level. Sure, every job requires the pleasing of another human, but some jobs are more commercialized than others. Teaching, journalism, book writing, and now the law: I believe all can be about service, and I'm happy I never went into something more material, with graver moral implications which generally suggest a bigger picture is being ignored, like, say, fire-arm manufacture.

This base assumption is the thing I always bridle against, whenever required to enter into the buy-sell market. The base assumption, that the ACT ITSELF of buy-sell is inherently neutral or good, is where I differ. I feel (deep down) it is inherently bad. So, even 4HWW, though extremely welcome in my life, is still participating in the wrong assumptions for me. I don't want a better way to give less and get more; I want a way out of getting and giving (of money and products) in the first place.

I want to yell at the world, "Don't commodify me! Value me for my intrinsic worth!" Economists would say, that value is ONLY assessed by the market, and that therefore there IS no intrinsic worth to anything. I see their point.

That's why I want to get away from economists. :)