A Short Guide To Problem Solving And Effective Thinking

Posted by Chris Arribbat | Posted in Goal Setting | Posted on 17-05-2010-05-2008

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Problem solving is a pretty broad topic of discussion. This could mean anything from figuring out how to pay your bills this month to determining who’s spreading gossip at the workplace. We solve dozens of problems every day, but some of them get a little overwhelming at times. When this happens, we really have to put our abilities to the test and think our way through the situation.

The best way to solve problems is with an ordered, logical, step by step approach. The particulars, the specifics of each step are as infinitely varied as the possible problems you might be facing, but in a broad sense, they always come down to three acts…

Isolate the Problem

You can’t fight what you can’t see, as they say, so before you take any steps to actually solve a problem, you need to figure out what, exactly, it is that you’re up against. You need to figure out exactly what it is that’s bothering you, exactly what it is that’s standing between yourself and your goals. Identify it and isolate it. For example, if your car is acting up, this could mean doing a diagnostic on your engine to figure out what part is preventing the vehicle from running at its best. If you’re playing Chess, this could mean figuring out which of your opponent’s pieces is in the best position to thwart your victory. Again, it could mean literally anything, but by looking at all of the factors and thinking it through, you should always be able to figure out exactly what the real problem is.

Identify the Root Cause

You can treat the symptoms of a problem, but you should really get to the bottom of it. So if you have trouble making rent, the problem might be that you’re always coming up a hundred bucks short. This can be solved one month by selling some old jewelry or a guitar you don’t play anymore, but the source of the problem is that you’re not making enough money living check to check. The source is what you want to pinpoint and combat, not just the symptoms of the problem themselves. So if your car keeps breaking down, maybe the source isn’t the part that keeps needing to be replaced, it could be that you’re not getting oil changes regularly enough, or it could even mean that your axle is off and it’s doing no favors to the rest of your car. You need to find the source of the problem and get it at the roots.

Use a PRACTICAL Solution

Whatever your problem might be, whether it affects you mentally or psychologically or emotionally, the root is always practical, and so is the solution. You find the problem by thinking it out, you solve the problem by taking some real, practical steps to solving it. So using the example of impotence, many men go running for the little blue pill, but if your source is stress or depression, then you need to solve that, not the impotence itself. Solve the root cause. With an unrewarding sex life, this could mean just changing your diet, or it could mean talking to a therapist, or if you’re stressed at work, it could mean a vacation or asking for fewer responsibilities. The solution is always to take practical steps to pull the source problem out by the roots.

Learn more about how you can start achieving your goals in your personal and financial life today! You can use the simple strategies and techniques offered and take control of your destiny now!

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Time Management is Your Friend!

Posted by Glyna Humm | Posted in Success | Posted on 14-04-2010-05-2008

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Tired of waking up at the crack of dawn, running around trying to get ready and then sitting in traffic jams everyday no matter what time you leave? So was I until I found the awesome world of owning a home business. Now I make that long trek to my comfy desk chair about 8:00, in my sweats and not having a care in the world about making it to work on time. These are just some of the perks of owning your own home business.

Ok, enough of the pleasantries. As wonderful as working at home is, you must possess some great skills to find success at it. I am talking about time management and organization. If you are not careful, the comfort and distractions of having a home business can also be the doom of the very same thing. You have to find ways to ignore the laundry, cleaning and cooking that seems to be calling you throughout the day and make sure you stay on the task at hand. To help you accomplish just that, I have come up with a few tips that might make your life easier.

1: Be realistic with yourself. – You might want to start with asking yourself a few tough questions. Can I do this? Do I have what it takes to stay focused and ignore all the household distractions? Can I work to meet the deadlines while still retaining my freedom that I worked so hard to achieve? Freedom is great but it doesn’t pay the bills and if you don’t have the focus you need, this could be a disaster waiting to happen. Before you give a home based business a try, ask yourself the tough questions and try your best to answer them realistically.

2: Treat it like a job. – This may sound simple, but it can slip your mind easily if you can’t find the concentration you need. This is definitely a real job and is what you are counting on to pay your bills. Clock in and out just like you would a traditional business. Schedule your week and put it on a calendar you can follow daily. Schedule breaks and lunch like you normally would if you worked for someone else. Try not to detract form your schedule if you wan to find real success.

3: Is accountability your strong suit? – If it is not and you do get distracted easily, you may want to appoint an accountability partner. A spouse fits that description well, because they are looking out for what is best for you and the family as a whole. Check in with each other a couple of times a day to get a status report and use it as a way to gauge your activity.

4: Separate church and state. To manage your time working at home efficiently, you have to decide what you spend your hours on. Sometimes it is hard to explain to your family the difference between work time and family time. Once the workday is over, focus entirely on your family, and don’t let business intrude on your time with them.

5: How organized are you? – This is another very important question you need to address. De-clutter your home business surroundings. Concentrate on putting things away when you are finished with them, both on your computer and in your filing cabinet. Label everything in folders both online and offline. Being organized can lead to your success more quickly.

I hope these tips will help you with managing your time when it comes to your home based business. Having the right frame of mind and organization can be the real difference in your success.

Glyna Humm helps online marketing owners obtain success through step-by-step teaching, marketing ideas and strategies. To learn more about one of her unique, proven opportunities visit Let Me Help You During These Tough Economic Times

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Insights into Simplifying Life

Posted by Hans S Delane | Posted in Success | Posted on 07-12-2009-05-2008

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In between having a career one must also stop to introspect that what kind of life we are actually leading. One feels overjoyed while rushing between meetings the whole day, but it can be tiring also. What type of life do we want then?

You need to think about what is precious for you. Your circle of family and friends will always be there to help you out during tough times. But at times, you need to experience real adventure, fun and freeness to see that life is full of fun and there is much more than only work. Take out time to appreciate what is happening in your vicinity.

Reinventing your own life may not be the perfect solution, figure a way out to ease your life. Take a decision on what you consider to be most precious, have a life centered around those values and reduce the mess that doesn’t help you reach your goals. First and foremost, think of what is valuable, and before you start simplifying it, you need to qualify what are the determinants of a high quality life.

We have a consumerist attitude of living life, which tends to contradict the whole idea of simplifying life. As we keep living, we tend to accumulate more and more over a period of time and the world thinks that we are extremely interested in possessing objects and material wealth. It could be more than the physical items as well. One could be collecting activities also. This behavior makes us like a rat, which is always racing from one experience to another. Even though, this gives us importance and desire to be possessed, we are not always happy and satisfied.

There is an emergence of movement of simplicity in the flood of stuff. While we work rapidly and constantly, we become a hamster on a wheel. A large part of our salary goes in meeting our regular expenditure and we only save a handful of our income. We all need to keep remembering that life is short.

You need to come up with an objective that will make you happy and content. This same principle can be applied to your day to day routine. Try and take out time on a daily basis for new opportunities. Leverage time management which means one needs to do lesser things of higher importance. At the end of the day, simple living is all about a philosophy.

Living life simply means unburdening our lives and making it more light and clean. The goal should be to create more rounded, simple and lateral relationships with all the key aspects of our life: which includes the activities we accomplish, bonding with people in our contact and our connections with the world at large. This is in a profound sense a life which is straight on the outside and rich inside.

For many people, living life in a simple fashion means catering to gardening needs, taking a walk in the park every afternoon or reading one’s favourite books. By doing this, one tends to reduce the worldly possessions to ensure that one is never in a hurry. You can now focus on the world outside because you have lesser distraction to bother you now. Some people believe that life is all about gathering money and power. For people who have been focusing on the opposite, they know that everybody needs some time in the world to reflect, think and also get adventurous. Money and control are nothing in front of happiness in life.

You can learn some useful insights in a free course at Wisdom Insights. Hans S Delane teaches wisdom courses and you can learn more at Happiness Insights.

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