Trouble Studying or Concentrating?

If you or your children are having trouble studying or concentrating in our over-information society, here's a brief, helpful video.

Sane Cell Phone Use

As cell phones take over the earth, it's vital to remember that you control yours, and not vice versa. As often as you possibly can, keep your cell phone off and only use it for making outgoing calls or when you are expecting an important call from someone in particular. You really do not
want to be available to everyone all the time - that's a guarantee you won't even be able to think straight.

Don't freely give out your cell phone number, except to those you actually want to hear from such as loved ones, clients, and prospects. This should be a relatively small universe. If you can live without it, don't put your cell phone number on your business card, and don't advertise that you have one. People can call your office number and be assured that calls will be returned in a reasonable amount of time.

"Public" Discourse and Disclosure

A report from the Associated Press is distressing. "We're the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce. Some
prominent New York divorce lawyers couldn't think of another case where a spouse -- in this instance, the wife of a major Broadway theater operator -- had taken to YouTube to spill the secrets of a marriage in an apparent effort to gain leverage and humiliate the other side."

"This is absolutely a new step, and I think it's scary," said Bonnie Rabin, a divorce lawyer who has handled high-profile cases. "People used to worry about getting on page six of the New York Post, the gossip page. But this? It brings the concept of humiliation to a whole new level."

Jeff's take: if only it would stop here. From high school beatings, to beheadings, to crime sprees, to what have you, the level of public discourse and disclosure is taking some severe and sordid turns. Should we all now tread as if candid camera is lurking around every corner?

Pervasive Technology Overload

Here is a timely article that ran on 200 NBC TV news affiliates on the growing phenomena of something we all face, technology overload.

The news story is accompanied by a short video: once you're on the NBC site, click on the little red camera to the right of the screen.

Roasting the Sacred Cows

In my books and keynote speeches, I describe six "sacred cows"of time management that need to be forsaken.

The six "sacred cows" briefly listed below represent conventional time management wisdom. In contrast to each bit of "wisdom" are Breathing Space principles that serve as action guides.

1. Handling Paper -- Wisdom: "Handle Each Piece of Paper Once."
2. Reducing Clutter -- Wisdom: "When in Doubt, Throw it Out."
3. Being More Efficient -- Wisdom: Speed Reading, Listening, Learning.

4. Beating the Competition -- Wisdom: "Work Smarter, not Harder."
5. Managing Your Schedule -- Wisdom: Use Sophisticated Scheduling Tools.
6. Staying Informed -- Wisdom: Read Key Executive Publications.

While time management was a set of rules that worked well in a relatively finite setting, Breathing Space principles will prove to be far more effective for the ever changing multi-variable situations that executives and managers face today.

Harvey MacKay on Handling Stress

"Swim with the Sharks" guru Harvey MacKay writing in the Rochester Post-Bulletin offers a long list of tips on handling stress, streamlined here:

• Be completely present for whatever you are doing

• Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue

• When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane

• Keep your pace relaxed, and go outside once a day

• Take notice of the tension in your body

• Find a safe place where you can express and embrace your feeling

No Joy in Heavy Personal Debt

An AP report indicates that "Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double- digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come." Analysis of financial data from the country's largest card issuers also found that the greatest rise was among accounts more than 90 days in arrears.

Racking up heavy personal debt is the antithesis to Breathing Space!