Posts Tagged ‘performance’

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates People

Friday, May 28th, 2010

I found this talk (and video) fascinating and wanted to share it with you. The speaker, Daniel Pink, authored four books about the changing world of work (two of the books – A Whole New Mind and Drive – are New York Times bestsellers). Dan recently spoke at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) about motivation and his latest book (Drive). RSA subsequently created a unique, visually rich video of the talk (below).

This video is notable for several reasons. First, it’s remarkable for its creativity. The visuals move fast, but are easy to follow and nicely support the narrative. More importantly, the video reveals surprising truths about what motivates people.

The video is just under 11 minutes long – and well worth your time to watch.

Are you surprised by what you heard in the video? Do you agree?

If you’re interested, here’s Dan’s talk from TED (last year) (thanks to Ferg for the link – in the comments):

How I Stay Efficient – My Three Hour Rule

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Some people are more efficient than others. There are many reasons for this: ability to focus, complexity of the work, distractions, etc. But while some  have unique skills and intellect to get things done quickly, most people must develop systems to help them improve their efficiency and balance many diverse tasks.

Some rely on to-do lists to stay efficient and focused. I’ve tried working with to-do lists and have failed miserably.

Years ago, while managing dozens of complex cases as a trial attorney, I started focusing on three major priorities every day, breaking the day down into 3 hour blocks of time. That system has worked  well for me and has helped me to manage a massive amount of work as an entrepreneur. That doesn’t mean that I ignore small tasks – I accomplish many smaller tasks during the day. But it does mean that I make the accomplishment of three major tasks a key part of my daily routine.

What I do works  well for me but might not work for you. There’s no perfect system for everybody – but everybody could benefit from a regular practice. Here’s what I do regularly:

What do you do to stay efficient?