One Last Look at Some Simple Ideas to Improve Business in 2014
As we move into 2014, we've been looking at simple ideas to improve business. To cap off our discussion, here's a list of obvious things that anyone at any skill level, in any type of job can do. Just look through this and pick one or two to work on right away. I'll bet you see positive results pretty quickly.
Manage your time better. You could start by simply thinking about how much time you spend on such things as texting, e-mail, surfing the internet with no real purpose in mind, watching TV, playing video games.
Pay attention to what you're doing. Multitasking has finally been, er, taken to task (ahem) for encouraging a scattered, superficial way of engaging with the world, which applies as well to your work. I'm not saying you may not have to juggle some things from time to time; but do you really want to bounce from one day to the next in a state of semi-distraction, never really fully understanding what you're doing or what's really going on around you. That's, I fear, where multitasking has taken so many of us.
Get a proper night's sleep. That's at least 7 hours, 8 being better. Forget all those stories of people who work 15 hours a day on 4 hours of sleep. They're heading for mental and physical health problems if they're not there already. Oh, and getting to bed by 10 during the work week is better, i.e. more restful, than getting to bed at 11. You can look it up.
Keep Sunday as the Lord's Day. Get to Mass. Don't work if you don't absolutely have to."Remember thou keep holy the Lord's Day": It's one of the Ten Commandments - the third in fact. It's up there above not killing or stealing, in case you somehow think it's not important.
Separate yourself from work when you're not working. If you have to work long hours, join the club. But when you're not working...don't work! Which for most of us means figure out how to keep your mind off your work. There's a whole world of good and beautiful things and ideas out there that will enrich you if you engage your mind with them. Your job or your business won't disappear if you stop thinking about it for more than 5 minutes. Oh, and this doesn't mean watching or listening to mindless entertainment on TV or your laptop or iPad or your smartphone, or whatever. Which brings us to our final suggestion...
Read good books. I'm not talking just Stephen King here. You'll be happy to know that there are centuries of great books available at your fingertips in this age of internet downloads, Kindles, and - yes, it's still there - the public library - never mind Amazon.com. You'll be surprised how much richer your thoughts are when you read good books. If you don't know what I mean by "good books," I'm not sure how to explain that in a few words or sentences, or how to pop up a quick list of good books. Just know that the Bible has traditionally been known as "the Good Book." You can work your way down the list from there.
As with our other ideas so far this year, none of this is rocket science. But the bang for your buck you'll get with even one of these ideas may be immense. And if you think about any of these, and pray on it, you'll find that every one of these will help you grow closer to God. Even just getting a good night's rest will help you grow more holy, since instead of struggling through your day to stay awake and get your work done, you'll have time and energy to not only excel at what you do, but the presence of mind to offer up your work for God's greater glory, to thank God for His many blessings form time to time, to simply think or say the Holy Name of Jesus a few times each day - all of which become not only possible, but eminently doable when you're rested and can therefore think more clearly and not be an emotional basket case.
Okay, you've got a good start on 2014. Thank be to God!
Manage your time better. You could start by simply thinking about how much time you spend on such things as texting, e-mail, surfing the internet with no real purpose in mind, watching TV, playing video games.
Pay attention to what you're doing. Multitasking has finally been, er, taken to task (ahem) for encouraging a scattered, superficial way of engaging with the world, which applies as well to your work. I'm not saying you may not have to juggle some things from time to time; but do you really want to bounce from one day to the next in a state of semi-distraction, never really fully understanding what you're doing or what's really going on around you. That's, I fear, where multitasking has taken so many of us.
Get a proper night's sleep. That's at least 7 hours, 8 being better. Forget all those stories of people who work 15 hours a day on 4 hours of sleep. They're heading for mental and physical health problems if they're not there already. Oh, and getting to bed by 10 during the work week is better, i.e. more restful, than getting to bed at 11. You can look it up.
Keep Sunday as the Lord's Day. Get to Mass. Don't work if you don't absolutely have to."Remember thou keep holy the Lord's Day": It's one of the Ten Commandments - the third in fact. It's up there above not killing or stealing, in case you somehow think it's not important.
Separate yourself from work when you're not working. If you have to work long hours, join the club. But when you're not working...don't work! Which for most of us means figure out how to keep your mind off your work. There's a whole world of good and beautiful things and ideas out there that will enrich you if you engage your mind with them. Your job or your business won't disappear if you stop thinking about it for more than 5 minutes. Oh, and this doesn't mean watching or listening to mindless entertainment on TV or your laptop or iPad or your smartphone, or whatever. Which brings us to our final suggestion...
Read good books. I'm not talking just Stephen King here. You'll be happy to know that there are centuries of great books available at your fingertips in this age of internet downloads, Kindles, and - yes, it's still there - the public library - never mind Amazon.com. You'll be surprised how much richer your thoughts are when you read good books. If you don't know what I mean by "good books," I'm not sure how to explain that in a few words or sentences, or how to pop up a quick list of good books. Just know that the Bible has traditionally been known as "the Good Book." You can work your way down the list from there.
As with our other ideas so far this year, none of this is rocket science. But the bang for your buck you'll get with even one of these ideas may be immense. And if you think about any of these, and pray on it, you'll find that every one of these will help you grow closer to God. Even just getting a good night's rest will help you grow more holy, since instead of struggling through your day to stay awake and get your work done, you'll have time and energy to not only excel at what you do, but the presence of mind to offer up your work for God's greater glory, to thank God for His many blessings form time to time, to simply think or say the Holy Name of Jesus a few times each day - all of which become not only possible, but eminently doable when you're rested and can therefore think more clearly and not be an emotional basket case.
Okay, you've got a good start on 2014. Thank be to God!
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