Working On Me

We often hear of people 'going the extra mile'. This means that they make sure they apply extra effort at the end of a job to ensure the best possible outcome. This is a very worthy aim, but often there isn't time to go the extra mile. But usually there's plenty of time to go an extra metre, to do just that little bit more to improve the outcome. Going the extra metre rather than the extra mile takes little effort and is more sustainable as a habit.

One way you can acquire the habit is to ask at the end of every task, "What one thing could I do to make this better?"

Do you have a 'filing pile'? Is there a piece of kitchen worksurface where you put the dishes when you've taken them out of the dishwasher before you then go an deposit them in a cupboard (or just leave some or all of them where they are for a while)?

Inspired in part by David Allen's Getting Things Done principles, I've been trying a new discipline. Once I've picked something up, I determine to put it down only in the right place. That means instead of putting a paper on the filing pile, I file it immediately. Rather than just dumping the clean washing basket on our bed, I empty it, put the clothes away and return the basket to its home. These are all actions I'll have to take eventually, and procrastinating by putting things down in the wrong place - doing half a job, if you like - actually costs me more time in the long run.

I've only just realised that earlier this week I passed my blog's first anniversary. I'm really proud that I've managed to sustain the blog this far, and that I've managed to attract a small regular readership. To those of you who've commented on posts, a big thank you. Feedback is always motivational, and I value every comment greatly. To those who just read, thanks to you, too, whoever you are. I hope you've managed to take something from my thoughts and ideas.

Creativity is all about connecting things and ideas that haven't been connected before. Just as in any other endeavour, this becomes easier if you practise, so here is one of my favourite creativity exercises.

Go to your bookcase (or to the library) and pick up any three books. Make the selection totally random. Retire somewhere comfortable with a pen, paper and the three books. Flick though them. If one or more is non-fiction, read through the contents page. Now on the paper, list as many connections as you can between the three books. Absolutely anything goes: they're all written by Americans, for instance, they all make reference to journeys or they all have some green on the cover.

When you thing you've got as many connections as you can find, count them. Now set yourself the target of doubling that number. Skim again through some of the text, letting your mind range free and allow the more off-the-wall connections come to light. You'll be surprised how creative you can be.

Those of you who journal can use this as a journalling exercise, too. Rather than listing all the connections, though, just pick one and expand on it, exploring the relationship between the books.

You can never have too many, can you? I have discovered an everlasting supply of prompts that you can tap whenever you want. Have a look at this web page. The author lists 50 things he has learned in 50 years. Some of them are humorous, some profound, but every single one of them provokes thoughts and reactions.

I have a printout of that article folded and tucked inside my journal. Not every day, but whenever I feel like it, I pick an item - the next in the list - write it in my journal and then note my reactions and explain how my experiences relate. This article of fifty points will last me at least three months. Before this one, I worked my way through several similar articles; the web contains thousands of them. Many are themed ('Twenty ways to be a nicer person' or '25 ideas that will make work more enjoyable', for example) and these can provide an interesting focus to your journal for a few weeks.

For the past couple of years, I have been doing all of my family's ironing, and I love it. I do it in a quiet part of the house, for a couple of hours at a time, and listen to audiobooks while I do it. Sometimes the audiobooks are fiction, sometimes they represent study.

I find that the task of ironing leaves just the right amount of mental capacity to listen properly to the book, without leaving enough to wander off and distract my attention. When subsequently reviewing my retention, I find that listening while ironing has been by far the most productive study method for me.

Google Alerts is an essential resource for anyone who has to work for a living. Here's why.

These days, a cv or resume is only one information source for potential employers or clients. Most will now Google your name to find out more about you. You ought to be interested in what they will find when they do so, and most people will periodically Google their own names to see what comes up.

I share a name with a Catholic Priest and an American wrestler, and whilst there's not much I can do about that, it is at least fairly obvious to the casual surfer that these people are not me. But new content is added to the web every day, and you can't know when someone is going to be searching on your name. So to stay up-to-date with what the web says about you (and your namesakes!) set up a Google Alert that will email you with new hits on your name in a digest every day.