Tag: time

Better Use of Time

Image: source

We humans have always dealt awkwardly with time. Some look for new ways to kill it. Others, better ways to fill it.
And the lockdown has really done a number on how we treat time; most likely amplifying our pre-Covid perception of time. So we have either gotten better at killing time (longer binge watching sessions), or a bit more efficient in some ways, to include the added house work (especially in places like India, where a lot of us were accustomed to having house help do a ton of the housework, but suddenly found ourselves needing to do it through the lockdown).

While I toggle between filling and killing time, I have struggled with trying to better manage it. And while I’ve always been aware of how short life is, the number of deaths in the last year have really highlighted the brevity of it.
Here are 4 habits I’ve been toying with in the hope of managing time better; with varying degrees of success:

  • Instagram on Weekends only: Sometime during the lockdown last year, I saw the crazy amounts of time I was spending daily on Instagram and wondered, “WTF?!” While I would see a good meme or funny pic or a picture that helped me connect two random thoughts together, it still felt like a criminal waste of time. So, I got into the habit of installing the app only on weekends, and uninstalling it on Sunday night. No Instagram during the week! At first, you might feel a restlessness and urge to flip through the app. But that restlessness is not about how important Instagram is to your life. It’s more like life asking you why the hell you’re wasting it on seeing mugshots of people, cars and pets, or funny videos, and not on something more worth your while. Now, I don’t miss Instagram at all, and even forget to install it on some weekends. And either way, Sunday night, it has to go. In case some of you wondered why I take forever to reply to Instagram messages; sorry. 😛
  • No Social media apps: Apart from maybe a WhatsApp, and any work related apps (like Slack, etc.) get rid of any social media type apps from your phone. Nothing to do with weekends, just get rid of them forever. Check them on the laptop if you must. No app, no temptation to keep checking them.
  • Don’t Multitask: You’ve probably heard both sides of this. Multitasking is great. Multitasking doesn’t work. Sometime when I started working in the venture capital sector, I finally realized how scattered my attention is. And given the multitude of work tasks, the only solution for me was to run quickly through different tasks. And to multitask. Sure, it helped to an extent. But in the years since, I have also tried ‘not multitasking’. Over time, my verdict is, ‘don’t multitask’. It does not work, because you are half-assing everything, and no one can ever work on or create something they are proud of, with a multitasking mindset. Instead, set limits of 60-90 minutes to dedicate to each task. Do nothing else at that time. Ideally, not even listen to music. And see the difference. The upside to this is also that you’d hopefully become picky (in a good way) about the type of work you choose to do, since it’s easier to focus on work you love, than just random work. Of course, it is easier said than done, and I struggle with it too, but the few times I can, the results justify the effort.
  • Single Topic Browser Tab: Here’s something that works well if you can stick with it. It is to do with browser tabs. Till recently, I prided myself in the diverse things going on in those 40-50 odd tabs that would be open in my web browser. But I’ve come to realize that it is the equivalent of multi-tasking. So what I do now, is starting with one tab, I limit the tabs to only those relevant to the task at hand at the moment. So for instance, if I was checking LinkedIn, only the LinkedIn page would be open – log in, check, reply to messages/comments, logout. Then if I were to research on some topic, if more than one tab is open, it would all be related to the topic and nothing else. Once I’m done, close all those tabs and move to the next. If checking Facebook is next, same deal – log in, check, logout.

Let me know what habits have been helping you better manage your time.

Sell Blankets to Eskimos

Sell Blankets to Eskimos

This post requires you to think a bit. Might be difficult on a Friday night, but do give it a thought over the weekend.

We all know how challenging the life of a salesperson can be. Unrealistic sales targets, unwelcoming prospective customers, unending follow-up calls and meetings. And then demoralizing posters outside offices and the crushing pressure of time as end of the month approaches. Not to mention clients who like the thrill of being pursued by multiple businesses.

Salesperson 3

image: glasbergen

And if all that was not bad enough, there are the trials of making it through the day with erratic food timings. I have spent a grueling stint in a Marketing role, and while I had the luxury of driving for meetings, lunches were more like a mirage in the desert. I always had 6-7 bottles of water stacked up, and that usually kept me going. From skipping lunch to spending time explaining a concept to a prospective client, to pecking at food at god-forsaken eateries, to the thrill of eating after a chain of hopeful meetings.

The internet connection at home was down recently. Finally when the engineer showed up, it turned out that the re-configuring would take about an hour. There was a big mug of tea waiting for me, so I offered the engineer some. He declined, saying he suffered from acidity, and tea would only worsen it. Something I am very familiar with, thanks to the poor eating regime I’ve followed over the years. But, it got me wondering about the thousands of sales people and field engineers who spend long hours chasing prospects or fixing things, resulting in them neglecting their own health. So I wanted to ask you, for ideas on how we could find a solution to the people who sell all the awesome stuff, and for those folk who fix our gadgets and appliances whenever they act up.

Salesperson 2

image: TrinityMarketingSystems

Can you think of ways by which sales and support folk can have their meals on time? Especially when they’re doing the rounds?

To get the ball rolling, here are a few initial thoughts that came to mind…

  • a very basic concept of a reminder app on the mobile, reminding the person to drink water, or have lunch, etc.
  • food delivery services specially focused on delivering to sales & support personnel on the go. They should deliver to anything from the crossroads at ABC junction, to outside XYZ company’s office, or outside the PQR store
  • this one’s my favorite, something I’ve personally been longing for, to streamline my eating schedule. Food in capsules. Just pop a few in, and you’re good to go. Beats even the army’s combat ration MREs

Let’s have your ideas, and hopefully someone can actually start working on a business service that’s focused on selling to those who sell.

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Who’s right, who’s not, and when?

Here’s a joke a friend had forwarded some time back. While I found it extremely hilarious at the time, and still do, I just realized a thing or two that we could learn from it, based on my dealings with some people I’ve had the (mis)fortune of interacting with in the past.

You go ahead and enjoy the joke; I’ll get into more detail after the joke.

Best Divorce Letter.!

Dear hubby,

I’m writing this letter to tell you that I’m leaving you for good. I’ve been a good wife to you for 7 years n I have nothing to show for it. The last two weeks have been hell. Your boss called to tell me that you’ve quit your job today & that was the last straw. Last week, you came home n didn’t even notice I had a new haircut, cooked your favorite meal n even wore a new silk dress. You ate in 2 mins, n went straight to sleep after watching all of your games. You don’t tell me you love me anymore, you don’t want anything that connects us as husband and wife. Either you’re cheating on me or you don’t love me anymore. Whatever the case, I’m gone. Don’t try to find me. Your brother and I are moving to Paris together. Have a great life.!

Dear ex-wife,

Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It’s true you and I have been married for 7 years, although a good wife is a far cry from what you’ve been. I watch my games so much because they drown out your constant nagging. I did notice your new haircut last week, but the first thing that came to mind was ‘you look just like a boy’. Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can’t say something nice, I did not comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with my brother, because I stopped eating pork years ago. About that new silk dress, I turned away from you because the $49 price tag was still on it, and I prayed it was a coincidence that my brother had just borrowed $50 from me that morning. After all this, I still loved you and felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for $10 million, I quit my job and bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica. But when I got home, you were gone. Everything happens for a reason. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won’t get a dime from me. So take care. Signed, your ex-husband, rich as hell and free.!

P.S.: I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my brother Carl was born as Carla (a woman). I hope that’s not a problem  😀

Now, just like the wife in the joke, you will sometimes have to deal with people who, despite being in the wrong, will convincingly accuse you, to the point where you will start to question your actions or intentions, feel guilty even.

As Rudyard Kipling rightly warned us, “If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken, twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.” As distressing as that can be, it is also calming to know and rather interesting to see how, given enough time, things go full circle and bring you back to the pinnacle of the situation. Only this time, the basis of your actions and intentions will be proven right and acknowledged, thus renewing your faith in your actions and intentions.

So, essentially it’s all about doing the right thing, at whatever cost, and having the patience to wait for when you can sit back and enjoy the moment when time proves you right.

Multiple Copy Paste

Multiple Copy Paste

Ever felt the need for a double or second ‘Copy-Paste’ option on your computer, tablet or even mobile phone? That is, when you could copy 2 different things one after the other, and then paste them back in sequence. As opposed to doing a copy-paste and copy-paste.

I’ve seriously felt a desperate need for it on several occasions, like say when you have to do multiple copy-paste from and to different locations (say different word files), or more importantly, when say you wanted to type a really funny message and be able to send it in 2 parts, with just that fraction of a second of time interval between them to have that killer punch. Instead we’d have to either send the whole message together, or take a while typing out the second half by which time the joke would’ve lost half the effect.

Is it so difficult to have a double ‘copy-paste’? Perhaps a <Ctrl-C-1, Ctrl-C-2> and <Ctrl-V-1, Ctrl-V-2> or whatever other simple easy-for-your-fingers combination (you’d have to figure it out on touchscreen devices). Of course, more than a double copy-paste might get a little confusing to work on. “Where did I have to paste ‘Copy 4’ now?” Or “Say, what was ‘Copy 4’ about?”  😉

But imagine the benefits, the little bits of time and effort we’d save,  and how we could make chat a little bit more fun.!

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