I don’t have time’ is the most common statement used in professional and perhaps personal life. Not replying to e - mails in time, delayed work, reaching late for appointments et al and for every no show the most common excuse is ‘I am very busy, I don’t have time’.
Everyone seems to be very busy. There are some who pack many things in a day’s work where as there are others who remain busy all the time, complain constantly about lack of time and ultimately achieve nothing much in a day. On introspection, we would realize that those who make the worse use of their time are the first to complain of its scarcity. What is wastage of time? Is working, relaxing, reading, talking, playing wastage of time? None of these. It is not the quantity but the quality of work that is important. Bad or no planning, not prioritizing the work, procrastination, habit of not saying ‘No’ and other such time stealers tick away the time to nowhere. By the time you realize, it is already end of the day with hardly anything substantial done during the day. Though we talk about doing many things in a day but ultimately we really don’t do too many things in a day. We remain busy because we are only talking about them and taking unnecessary stress.
Showing posts with label Make life less complex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Make life less complex. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Cell ored
Just a decade ago, owning a mobile phone was a luxury. Today, it is neither a luxury nor it is just a phone.
Forget about mobiles. There was a time not so long ago when one had to measure the red tape length wise for eight to ten years to get a phone connection. In this fast track age, mobile phones have become indispensable for us. We wonder how life existed without cell phones. Today’s fast paced world requires us to multi task not only to stay ahead of the competition but just to stay afloat. Mobile phone is one of the innumerable technological devices that help us keep in touch not only with the outside world but with our inner self. With time, they are becoming smaller in size but better and wider in features. Rightly so, you can judge a person by the mobile phone he keeps. While on my way to office every day, on the six km stretch I marvel at the sight of people balancing their tiny handsets between their right ear and neck. Doing this while riding a two wheeler is a true test of their driving skills and requires courage and speaks volume about their ‘I care a damn attitude’. Causalities in the road accidents due to cell phone usage become mere statistics. We are capable of using our cell phones all the time and don’t feel shy of using them during presentations, interviews, lectures just to communicate ‘I am in a meeting and will speak to you later’. We often forget that all mobile phones come with a key to put it on silent mode. Mobile phone was invented to improve our communication but has this really improved communication? Have we made new friends or are our relationship better just because it is anytime anywhere communication now? Definitely not.
Earlier we made an effort to remember the important dates and numbers, now this is done by our computer or phone. Our life revolves around this tiny gadget. We can live without our family or friends but not without our cell phone.
Forget about mobiles. There was a time not so long ago when one had to measure the red tape length wise for eight to ten years to get a phone connection. In this fast track age, mobile phones have become indispensable for us. We wonder how life existed without cell phones. Today’s fast paced world requires us to multi task not only to stay ahead of the competition but just to stay afloat. Mobile phone is one of the innumerable technological devices that help us keep in touch not only with the outside world but with our inner self. With time, they are becoming smaller in size but better and wider in features. Rightly so, you can judge a person by the mobile phone he keeps. While on my way to office every day, on the six km stretch I marvel at the sight of people balancing their tiny handsets between their right ear and neck. Doing this while riding a two wheeler is a true test of their driving skills and requires courage and speaks volume about their ‘I care a damn attitude’. Causalities in the road accidents due to cell phone usage become mere statistics. We are capable of using our cell phones all the time and don’t feel shy of using them during presentations, interviews, lectures just to communicate ‘I am in a meeting and will speak to you later’. We often forget that all mobile phones come with a key to put it on silent mode. Mobile phone was invented to improve our communication but has this really improved communication? Have we made new friends or are our relationship better just because it is anytime anywhere communication now? Definitely not.
Earlier we made an effort to remember the important dates and numbers, now this is done by our computer or phone. Our life revolves around this tiny gadget. We can live without our family or friends but not without our cell phone.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Back to school
The holidays are over and the children are back to school. There is a routine in the house and the life for us mothers is more structured and disciplined now. What a relief! …But relief for whom ? Definitely not for the children. Stress is not the prerogative of adults alone. Children average or above average lead a very stressful life now a days. Not only academics, they are expected to excel in everything they put their hands into be it theatre, dance, sports, drawing. The day we enroll our child for tennis, we expect him/her to play US Open one day. Though we tell ourselves we don’t pressurize our children but the undue anxiety by mothers shows it all and they understand our expectations from our body language.
There is a constant struggle in their minds to do well because doing well is the sign of getting accepted. An average child finds it very difficult to cope up with the competition. If they are unable to reach the bar created for them, it leads to stress. Studies show that most of the children are with average intelligence, the percentage of children with below and above average intelligence is very less.
I know a young mother whose son has just joined first grade. The child doesn’t like to write and writes very slowly in the class; he is unable to finish the class work in the class. The young mother is so worried about his future as if his slow writing may lead to his failure in life. Her undue anxiety does reflect in her body language
Monday, February 11, 2008
Call me by my name
They say what’s in a name; I say everything is in the name. You may call rose by any other name, for sure it will smell as sweet but ask rose - will it liked to be called by any other name such as Blacky or Creepy . Definitely not.
I have an excellent memory , can remember phone numbers , flight numbers and anything and everything about a person but when it comes to remembering names , I am a complete blank. I remember everything about one acquaintance I bumped into at a coffee shop recently … I remember everything about her… the color of her dress, type of jewellary she was wearing (I am sure all women are good at that!), how many children does she have, which class/ school do they go it, her phone number, where does she live etc etc but don’t ask me her name. Sometimes it is very embarrassing when I fail to remember the name of person with whom I have spoken nth number of times, had lunch also. I have tried all tricks like associating the person’s name with some incident or famous personality but nothing seems to work. Suggestion any one?
I have an excellent memory , can remember phone numbers , flight numbers and anything and everything about a person but when it comes to remembering names , I am a complete blank. I remember everything about one acquaintance I bumped into at a coffee shop recently … I remember everything about her… the color of her dress, type of jewellary she was wearing (I am sure all women are good at that!), how many children does she have, which class/ school do they go it, her phone number, where does she live etc etc but don’t ask me her name. Sometimes it is very embarrassing when I fail to remember the name of person with whom I have spoken nth number of times, had lunch also. I have tried all tricks like associating the person’s name with some incident or famous personality but nothing seems to work. Suggestion any one?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Write - Don't write it off
Shivram Gangadhariah has sent a lucid write up on why we should insist on written messages when it comes to official and important communication and just not depend on the vagaries of sound waves.
At a crucial stage in Mahabharata, when asked for confirmation of the news, Dharmaraya announced to Guru Dronacharya "Yes, Ashwatthama, the elephant, is dead". Lord Krishna blew his conch in the middle of the announcement, ensuring that Drona only heard "Ashwatthama is dead". Heartbroken by the news of the death of his beloved son, the hitherto rampant Drona withdrew from the battlefield of Kurukshetra, thus changing its course. Now, if Dronacharya had insisted on a written statement instead of verbal communication, there would have been no scope for manipulation and confusion. Of course, it is not feasible to insist on written communication in mid-battle, but the above story shows the inherent risk in verbal communication.
It is quite possible that you work late hours to meet the client’s deadline and successfully complete module 13, only to find the client unhappily informing you the next day that he actually wanted module 30 done ASAP, not 13. Needless to say, the communication was all verbal, with no documentation whatsoever. It is pointless to argue with the client that “yesterday you had said 13, now you want 30 – how come?”, because client is always right (as is the boss, and the wife!). A short follow-up mail from you to the client immediately after receiving the verbal instruction, stating that “working on module 13, as per your instruction – please confirm” would have done the trick. It would have elicited a response from the client saying “OK, go ahead” or “Correction! I want module 30, not 13”. That would have resulted in a job well-done, and put smiles on all the faces that matter.
In intra-office affairs also, written communication helps avoid unnecessary headache. The strange notion that seems to be floating around of late, that mature people depend on verbal instead of written communication is … well, strange. Written communication does ease your work, but take care not to overdo it, like it is often done in Government offices. One of my previous employers, in the pre-email era, had intra-office memo with the catchy legend printed at top: “Don’t say - Write”. It did help reduce confusion, and the resulting friction.
At a crucial stage in Mahabharata, when asked for confirmation of the news, Dharmaraya announced to Guru Dronacharya "Yes, Ashwatthama, the elephant, is dead". Lord Krishna blew his conch in the middle of the announcement, ensuring that Drona only heard "Ashwatthama is dead". Heartbroken by the news of the death of his beloved son, the hitherto rampant Drona withdrew from the battlefield of Kurukshetra, thus changing its course. Now, if Dronacharya had insisted on a written statement instead of verbal communication, there would have been no scope for manipulation and confusion. Of course, it is not feasible to insist on written communication in mid-battle, but the above story shows the inherent risk in verbal communication.
It is quite possible that you work late hours to meet the client’s deadline and successfully complete module 13, only to find the client unhappily informing you the next day that he actually wanted module 30 done ASAP, not 13. Needless to say, the communication was all verbal, with no documentation whatsoever. It is pointless to argue with the client that “yesterday you had said 13, now you want 30 – how come?”, because client is always right (as is the boss, and the wife!). A short follow-up mail from you to the client immediately after receiving the verbal instruction, stating that “working on module 13, as per your instruction – please confirm” would have done the trick. It would have elicited a response from the client saying “OK, go ahead” or “Correction! I want module 30, not 13”. That would have resulted in a job well-done, and put smiles on all the faces that matter.
In intra-office affairs also, written communication helps avoid unnecessary headache. The strange notion that seems to be floating around of late, that mature people depend on verbal instead of written communication is … well, strange. Written communication does ease your work, but take care not to overdo it, like it is often done in Government offices. One of my previous employers, in the pre-email era, had intra-office memo with the catchy legend printed at top: “Don’t say - Write”. It did help reduce confusion, and the resulting friction.
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