How to Better Yourself One Day at a Time

CM Smith

There are so many things in your life that you want to get better at, but for some reason you keep
falling short of your own (an other’s) expectations. Why is that?

The problem is that we tend to try to better ourselves all at once, rather than concentrate on one
important thing at a time, allowing ourselves to build up momentum over months and years. One day
at a time turns into a lifetime of change and getting better. We can eventually become a better overall
person if we have a day to day plan and stick to it.

Here is how to better yourself, one day at a time.

Identify your strengths and weaknesses

First, to better yourself on a consistent basis, you have to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Maybe you are awesome at working out or getting some exercise everyday, but your eating habits
need a makeover. The idea here is to look at yourself realistically. Only from a realistic outlook can
you create new habits and small changes in your life that will eventually stick.

Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. This will be a great list to use while you better yourself
as well as something to look back on after months and years of life changes.

SEE ALSO: 42 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself

Pick a topic to work on

Now that you have a list of things that you are strong and weak at, go through the list and choose one
simple thing you want to get better at. I suggest something that won’t take too much effort or time at
first. This is because you want to set yourself up for success, at least initially, when it comes to
bettering yourself.

A few good “starter” topics would be:

 Do a light workout 3 times a week for 20 minutes each

 Cut out one or two bad foods in your diet in the next 30 days
 Drink 8 cups of water every day

These topics are good because they don’t require too much effort and are trackable. Remember to
only pick one. We will be working on this for some time, so you shouldn’t bite off more than you can
chew.

Wake up early
There is no better way to start the process of geting better at something than to wake up earlier.
Getting up early has a ton of benefits. It’s quiet, dark, and peaceful. You can be by yourself and you
can truly concentrate on the change you want to make one day at a time.

Become mindful and aware of your topic

The more mindful we are of what we are trying to change in our lives, the more stock and momentum
go into changing it. To become aware of what you are trying to get better at you can make small
reminders throughout your day with a fewreminder apps or just post a few sticky notes in certain
strategic places that will remind you of the thing that you want to change.
Shining light on the topic you want to get better at is the best way to become mindful of it and actually
make the change.

Be accountable
Being accountable to yourself and others around you is a tactic that many miss when trying to better
themselves. Let your friends and family, your social networks, and sometimes even your work
buddies know about the change you are making.

This will help you become more serious about your daily change, and could even prove to be a
benefit for others around you as they may decide to join you in the topic that you have chosen. It’s not
a bad thing to have a workout buddy!

Track your time and actions

If you can’t track something, you can’t manage it. In the process of bettering yourself you should track
the days, hours, or minutes spent on the life change that you are making. This gives you data to look
at during your review that you can use to decided if you are

Write and review

The only way to become better at something, day-in and day-out, is to stay on track. And you can’t do
that without some sort of daily or weekly review. If you are a GTDer, than this will fit in perfectly with
your weekly review that is already in place. If not, just set a time every day or week where you can
write about and review your successes in making the change that you have set out to make.

By doing this review, you will be able to tell where you need to improve as well as when you are
actually “done” making the change.

Rinse and repeat

Now that you gotten better at something, there is no need to stop at just one thing. Take out your
strength and weaknesses list and identify something else you want to get better at. Maybe this time
you will choose something that is a little more difficult, like playing guitar, learning German, or running
10 miles. Whatever it is, you now have the framework in place to better yourself one day at a time.

20 Quick Time Management Tips to Super Boost Your Productivity

Celestine Chua

Are you usually punctual or late? Do you finish things within the time you stipulate? Do you hand in
your reports/work on time? Are you able to accomplish what you want to do before deadlines? Are
you a good time manager?

If your answer is “no” to any of the questions above, that means you’re not managing your time as
well as you want. Here are 20 time management tips to help you manage time better:

1. Create a daily plan

Plan your day before it unfolds. Do it in the morning or even better, the night before you sleep. The
plan gives you a good overview of how the day will pan out. That way, you don’t get caught off guard.
Your job for the day is to stick to the plan as best as possible.

2. Peg a time limit to each task

Be clear that you need to finish X task by 10am, Y task by 3pm, and Z item by 5:30pm. This prevents
your work from dragging on and eating into time reserved for other activities.
3. Use a calendar
Having a calendar is the most fundamental step to managing your daily activities. If you use outlook
or lotus notes, calendar come as part of your mailing software.

Google Calendar is great – I use it. It’s even better if you can sync it to your mobile phone and other
hardwares you use – that way, you can access your schedule no matter where you are.

Here’s more tips about how to use calendar for better time management: How to Use a Calendar to
Create Time and Space

4. Use an organizer
An organizer helps you to be on top of everything in your life. It’s your central tool to organize
information, to-do lists, projects, and other miscellaneous items.

Check out these Top 15 Time Management Apps and Tools and pick the ones that fit your needs.

5. Know your deadlines

When do you need to finish your tasks? Mark the deadlines out clearly in your calendar and organizer
so you know when you need to finish them.

But make sure you don’t make these 10 Common Mistakes When Setting Deadlines.

6. Learn to say “No”

Don’t take on more than you can handle. For the distractions that come in when you’re doing other
things, give a firm no. Or defer it to a later period.

Leo Babauta, the founder of Zen Habits has some great insights on how to say no: The Gentle Art of
Saying No

7. Target to be early
When you target to be on time, you’ll either be on time or late. Most of the times you’ll be late.
However, if you target to be early, you’ll most likely be on time.

For appointments, strive to be early. For your deadlines, submit them earlier than required.

Learn from these tips about how to prepare yourself to be early, instead of just in time.

8. Time box your activities

This means restricting your work to X amount of time. Why time boxing is good for you? Here’re 10
reasons why you should start time-boxing.

You can also read more about how to do time boxing here: #5 of 13 Strategies To Jumpstart Your
Productivity.

9. Have a clock visibly placed before you

Sometimes we are so engrossed in our work that we lose track of time. Having a huge clock in front of
you will keep you aware of the time at the moment.

10. Set reminders 15 minutes before

Most calendars have a reminder function. If you have an important meeting to attend, set that alarm
15 minutes before.

Find out more here about how reminders help you remember everything.
11. Focus
Are you multi-tasking so much that you’re just not getting anything done? If so, focus on just one key
task at one time. Multitasking is bad for you.

Close off all the applications you aren’t using. Close off the tabs in your browser that are taking away
your attention. Focus solely on what you’re doing. You’ll be more efficient that way.

Lifehack’s CEO has written a definitive guide on how to focus, learn the tips: How to Focus and
Maximize Your Productivity (the Definitive Guide)

12. Block out distractions

What’s distracting you in your work? Instant messages? Phone ringing? Text messages popping in?

I hardly ever use chat nowadays. The only times when I log on is when I’m not intending to do any
work. Otherwise it gets very distracting.

When I’m doing important work, I also switch off my phone. Calls during this time are recorded and I
contact them afterward if it’s something important. This helps me concentrate better.

Find more tips on how to minimize distractions to achieve more in How to Minimize Distraction to Get
Things Done

13. Track your time spent

Egg Timer is a simple online countdown timer. You key in the amount of time you want it to track
(example: “30 minutes”, “1 hour”) and it’ll count down in the background. When the time is up,the
timer will beep. Great way to be aware of your time spent.

But besides Egg Timer, you can find more time tracking apps here and pick one that fits yourself the
best.

14. Don’t fuss about unimportant details

You’re never get everything done in exactly the way you want. Trying to do so is being ineffective.

Trying to be perfect does you more harm than good, learn here about how perfectionism kills your
productivity and how to ditch the perfectionism mindset.

15. Prioritize
Since you can’t do everything, learn to prioritize the important and let go of the rest.

Apply the 80/20 principle which is a key principle in prioritization. You can also take up this technique
to prioritize everything on your plate: How to Prioritize Right in 10 Minutes and Work 10X Faster

16. Delegate
If there are things that can be better done by others or things that are not so important, consider
delegating. This takes a load off and you can focus on the important tasks.

When you delegate some of your work, you free up your time and achieve more. Learn about how to
effectively delegate works in this guide: How to Delegate Work (the Definitive Guide for Successful
Leaders)

17. Batch similar tasks together

For related work, batch them together.

For example, my work can be categorized into these core groups:

 1. writing (articles, my upcoming book)
2. coaching
3. workshop development
4. business development
5. administrative

I batch all the related tasks together so there’s synergy. If I need to make calls, I allocate a time slot to
make all my calls. It really streamlines the process.

18. Eliminate your time wasters

What takes your time away your work? Facebook? Twitter? Email checking? Stop checking them so
often.

One thing you can do is make it hard to check them – remove them from your browser quick links /
bookmarks and stuff them in a hard to access bookmarks folder. Replace your browser bookmarks
with important work-related sites.

While you’ll still checking FB/Twitter no doubt, you’ll find it’s a lower frequency than before.

19. Cut off when you need to

The number one reason why things overrun is because you don’t cut off when you have to.

Don’t be afraid to intercept in meetings or draw a line to cut-off. Otherwise, there’s never going to be
an end and you’ll just eat into the time for later.

20. Leave buffer time in-between

Don’t pack everything closely together. Leave a 5-10 minute buffer time in between each tasks. This
helps you wrap up the previous task and start off on the next one.

12 Rules for Self-Management

Rosa

Management is not just for managers, just as leadership is not just for leaders.

We all manage, and we all lead; these are not actions reserved for only those people who happen to
hold these “positions” in a company. I personally think of management and leadership as callings, and
we all get these callings to manage and lead at different times, and to different degrees.
Considered another way, I believe we can all learn to be more self-governing through
the disciplines of great management and great leadership; these are concepts that can give us
wonderful tenets to live and work by.

For instance, these are what I’ve come to think of as Twelve Rules for Self-Management. Show me
a business where everyone lives and works by self-managing, and I’ll bet it’s a business destined for
greatness.

1. Live by your values, whatever they are. You confuse people when you don’t, because they
can’t predict how you’ll behave.
2. Speak up! No one can “hear” what you’re thinking without you be willing to stand up for it.
Mind-reading is something most people can’t do.
3. Honor your own good word, and keep the promises you make. If not, people eventually stop
believing most of what you say, and your words will no longer work for you.
4. When you ask for more responsibility, expect to be held fully accountable. This is what seizing
ownership of something is all about; it’s usually an all or nothing kind of thing, and so you’ve
got to treat it that way.
5. Don’t expect people to trust you if you aren’t willing to be trustworthy for them first and
foremost. Trust is an outcome of fulfilled expectations.
6. Be more productive by creating good habits and rejecting bad ones. Good habits corral your
energies into a momentum-building rhythm for you; bad habits sap your energies and drain
you.
7. Have a good work ethic, for it seems to be getting rare today. Curious, for those “old-
fashioned” values like dependability, timeliness, professionalism and diligence are prized
more than ever before. Be action-oriented. Seek to make things work. Be willing to do what it
takes.
8. Be interesting. Read voraciously, and listen to learn, then teach and share everything you
know. No one owes you their attention; you have to earn it and keep attracting it.
9. Be nice. Be courteous, polite and respectful. Be considerate. Manners still count for an awful
lot in life, and thank goodness they do.
10. Be self-disciplined. That’s what adults are supposed to “grow up” to be.
11. Don’t be a victim or a martyr. You always have a choice, so don’t shy from it: Choose and
choose without regret. Look forward and be enthusiastic.
12. Keep healthy and take care of yourself. Exercise your mind, body and spirit so you can be
someone people count on, and so you can live expansively and with abundance.

Managers will tell you that they don’t really need to manage people who live by these rules; instead,
they can devote their attentions to managing the businesses in which they all thrive. Chances are it
will also be a place where great leaders are found.

Hate Awkward Silences? 10 Essential Tips To Be a Great Conversationalist

Are you a good conversationalist? What makes someone a good conversationalist?

Being a good conversationalist is important in every context, be it in business, social, or dating. In the
past years, I’ve met a lot of people under different contexts. In particular, my seven-month world trip in
Europe and U.S. in 2011 propelled me into hundreds of social circles all around the world. Networking
events have long become a norm to me as a business owner and self-directed individual. My
recent dating immersion has put me in more dates in one month than I had in the six months prior to
that.

Given that conversing skills is a must-have in today’s world, I thought it would do well to have a piece
on how to be a great conversationalist, since I have not written about communication before.

While I think there is much for me to learn in the area of communication, I’ve been consistently told by
friends and acquaintances alike that I’m a great person to speak and relate to. Often times, people tell
me that they can’t help but share stuff with me that they don’t ever share with others. I also often have
a knack for having drawn-out conversations that could go on forever if not for prior engagements that I
and/or the other person have to attend to.

I don’t think there are any “tricks” or shady techniques you have to apply to be a great
conversationalist. Below are ten timeless rules I apply to all my conversations:

1. Be genuinely interested in the person. Who is this person? What’s on his/her mind? What
does he/she enjoy doing? What motivates him/her in life? These are the questions I have for
every single person I meet. Since people form the core of my life purpose (to help others
grow), my genuine interest in people, from who they are to what they do,
comes naturally.Such genuine interest, not an artificial one, is essential to making a
conversation fly. If you are not interested in the other person, then why speak to him/her to
begin with? Move on to someone you really want to talk to. Life is too short to be spent doing
things you don’t like.
2. Focus on the positives. Go for the positive topics. Which means rather than talk about past
grievances, opt for a discussion of future goals. Rather than talk about the coffee that spilled
on your table this morning, talk about that movie you are looking forward to watch later in the
evening. It’s okay to talk about “negative” topics (read: topics that trigger negative emotions)
once in a while, but only when you feel it is okay with the other party and when it has a
specific purpose (e.g., to get to know the other person better or to bond with the
person).Principle #4 of 10 Timeless Principles for Lasting Happiness teaches you how to see
the positives over the negatives in every situation.
3. Converse, not debate (or argue). A conversation should be a platform where opinions are
aired, not a battle ground to pit one’s stance against another. Be ready to chat, discuss, and
trash out ideas, but do so amiably. There’s no need to have a conclusion or agreement point
in every discussion; if a convergence has to be met with everything that is mooted, the
conversation would be very draining. Allow for things to be left open-ended if a common point
can’t be achieved.
4. Respect; don’t impose, criticize, or judge. Respect other people’s point of view. Respect
other people’s space—don’t encroach on the person’s privacy unless a common bond has
been established. Respect other people’s personal choices—don’t criticize or judge.
Everyone has his/her right to be him/herself, just as you have the right to be yourself.
5. Put the person in his/her best light. Always look for ways to make the person look good.
Give credit where credit is due. Recognize talent where you see it. Drop compliments where
appropriate. Allow the person to shine in his/her own light.
6. Embrace differences while building on commonalities. Everyone is different. At the same
time, there are always commonalities across people. For the differences, embrace them.
They make all of us unique. Agree to disagree if there are clashes in ideas.As you talk to the
other person, look for commonalities between you and him/her. Once you find a common link,
build on it. Use that as a platform to spin off more discussions which will then reveal more
about both of you. For the new commonalities that get unveiled, build on them further.
7. Be true to yourself. Your best asset is your true personality. Embrace it and let it shine.
Don’t cover it up. It’ll be pretty boring if all you do is mime the other person’s words during a
conversation; there wouldn’t be anything to discuss at all. Be ready to share your real
thoughts and opinions (not in a combative manner of course—see #3). Be proud of what you
stand for and be ready to let others know the real you. Read: Finding Your Inner Self
8. 50-50 sharing. I always think that a great conversation should be made up of equal sharing
by both parties. Sometimes it may be 40-60 or 60-40 depending on the circumstances, but by
and large, both parties should have equal opportunities to share and contribute to
the conversation.What this means is that you should be sensitive enough to pose questions to
the other party if you have been talking for a while. (See #9.) It also means that you should
take the initiative to share more about yourself if the other party has been sharing for the most
part. Just because the person doesn’t ask doesn’t mean you can’t share; sometimes people
don’t pose questions because it is not in their natural self to do so.
9. Ask purposeful questions. Questions elicit answers. The kind of questions you ask will
steer the direction of the conversation. To have a meaningful conversation with the other
person, ask meaningful questions. Choose questions like, “What drives you in life?”, “What
are your goals for the next year?” and “What inspired you to make this change?” over “What
did you do yesterday?” and “What are you going to do later?”. Some questions for your
 perusal: 101 Important Questions To Ask Yourself.Some people may not be ready to take on
conscious questions, and that’s fine. Start off with the simple, trivial, everyday questions as
you build a rapport. Then, get to know the person better through deeper, more revealing
questions—when you think the person is ready to share.
10. Give and take. Sometimes people say pretty weird stuff during conversations. For example, a
critical comment here and there, a distasteful remark, and a bad joke. Don’t judge them for
those comments; treat these blurts as Freudian slips. Give them the benefit of doubt (unless
clearly proven otherwise). I know that I make some random oddball comments sometimes
which leave me wondering why I even did that afterwards. Usually I just laugh or shrug it off; it
makes for funny conversation banter.

What do you think makes a great conversationalist? How can you apply these ten tips to be a better
conversationalist?