Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post

Konini · 02-02-2008, 10:44 AM

I used to have that problem in boarding school. Are you cooped up somewhere, or are you free to move around. I take you have some pocket money from your job? If not take a second one!

I learnt something very useful from a diamond mine in the desert. Every month they scheduled a "public holiday". Each employee had a three day weekend for them to leave the mine and go shopping (in the neighbouring country). I decide to introduce that for my own staff. Except we had a four day weekend. They took theirs on the last weekend of the month - so they had an 18 day working month. The idea was they would finish a month's work and dump it on me and they could vanish for a long weekend and do all those jobs that pile up: the dentist, getting the car fixed etc. I reviewed their work that weekend and once all the monthly stuff was done (accounts etc) took my four day weekend.

So, you may not be able to take 4 day weekends, but the trick is to block out time for things that you want to do and protect that time ferociously. You will work better as well.

If you are a student you should be seriously considering trying out each of the following and having them as a life's activity:
a group sport
a solo sport
dancing (it is sociable and portable if you move somewhere that does not have facilities for your favourite sport)
an individual cultural activity
a group cultural activity (like bridge or music)
a lifestyle activity like cooking or woodwork
a service activity which might be linked to one of the above but might also be mentoring someone younger or spending time with someone older
something religious or soulful like reading poetry or reading good books or listening to good music thoughtfully
your own family
and expanding your network of friends also with a view of finding a life partner

Add them in one by one and you will soon be working 4 hours a month because you have to be that efficient to have a full life! And be like that diamond mine. Plan your recreation first and fit your work around it.

I did notice that I could take that attitude more easily than my younger colleagues. And since I've had to live in a quasi-refugee state during the last 5 years, it has been harder. This is one of the spiral things common in personal development. You need to feel control to spend time on recreation and when you spend time on recreation, you feel more in control.

I recommend Plan, play and progress in every area of life - Inpowr as a useful recording tool to help you get started. Mindtools also have a goal setting system on a database. If you are any good at Access, you can build one yourself pretty easily. I could also send you a blank copy of mine to get you started.

Thanks for posting. Time for me to stop thinking like a refugee and putting the important pieces of my life back into the jigsaw puzzle. Yes, long overdue.

02-02-2008, 10:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
Konini Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: In Olney, the town where Amazing Grace was written Posts: 6	Planning recreation I used to have that problem in boarding school. Are you cooped up somewhere, or are you free to move around. I take you have some pocket money from your job? If not take a second one! I learnt something very useful from a diamond mine in the desert. Every month they scheduled a "public holiday". Each employee had a three day weekend for them to leave the mine and go shopping (in the neighbouring country). I decide to introduce that for my own staff. Except we had a four day weekend. They took theirs on the last weekend of the month - so they had an 18 day working month. The idea was they would finish a month's work and dump it on me and they could vanish for a long weekend and do all those jobs that pile up: the dentist, getting the car fixed etc. I reviewed their work that weekend and once all the monthly stuff was done (accounts etc) took my four day weekend. So, you may not be able to take 4 day weekends, but the trick is to block out time for things that you want to do and protect that time ferociously. You will work better as well. If you are a student you should be seriously considering trying out each of the following and having them as a life's activity: a group sport a solo sport dancing (it is sociable and portable if you move somewhere that does not have facilities for your favourite sport) an individual cultural activity a group cultural activity (like bridge or music) a lifestyle activity like cooking or woodwork a service activity which might be linked to one of the above but might also be mentoring someone younger or spending time with someone older something religious or soulful like reading poetry or reading good books or listening to good music thoughtfully your own family and expanding your network of friends also with a view of finding a life partner Add them in one by one and you will soon be working 4 hours a month because you have to be that efficient to have a full life! And be like that diamond mine. Plan your recreation first and fit your work around it. I did notice that I could take that attitude more easily than my younger colleagues. And since I've had to live in a quasi-refugee state during the last 5 years, it has been harder. This is one of the spiral things common in personal development. You need to feel control to spend time on recreation and when you spend time on recreation, you feel more in control. I recommend Plan, play and progress in every area of life - Inpowr as a useful recording tool to help you get started. Mindtools also have a goal setting system on a database. If you are any good at Access, you can build one yourself pretty easily. I could also send you a blank copy of mine to get you started. Thanks for posting. Time for me to stop thinking like a refugee and putting the important pieces of my life back into the jigsaw puzzle. Yes, long overdue.