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Most people, at some point or other, are multitasking. Doing two things at the same time in order to get them done faster. Sometimes, the two activities are similar, and doing both together as one task makes sense. Other times the various activities in the ‘multitasking pool’ are vastly different ~ making it unclear whether multitasking is, in reality, saving any time at all.
There are different ‘forms’ of multitasking. One form is where you yourself are the only person involved with the multitude of tasks. The other form is where there are more people than just you involved...
It seems that one of the most common multitasking events is to carry on a conversation while doing something else ~ talking about something while doing the dishes, folding the laundry, watching TV ~ but also while shopping, taking a walk in the park etc. now that cell phones are everywhere...
And usually, this seems to work pretty well.
Have you noticed though that every time you are focusing on one of the activities, the other seems to stop for a moment? If you really want to get your point across in the conversation, your hands stop doing dishes, folding laundry; you probably even would look up from the TV ~ and feel a sense of frustration when the other person doesn’t look up, doesn’t appreciate the importance of what you have to say.
Suddenly, what started out as ‘multitasking’ has become an issue of respect for one another; and for the conversation you are engaged in. After all, nothing spells “What you are saying is not important to me” than keep staying focused on ‘the other task’ you are involved with.
And doing things while talking on a cell phone brings up other things that can be disrespectful, and even quite dangerous ~ but which certainly take away from your being aware of what is going on around you at that time.
So what does this say about ‘multitasking’ as an activity? Does it make multitasking ‘good, bad or indifferent’?
Or does it just create a division between forms of multitasking that are morally acceptable, and forms of multitasking that are being frowned upon ~ or even made illegal like using a cell phone while driving?
At any rate it shows that some tasks are more suitable for multitasking than others. It does seem to suggest that, unless ‘watching the kids’ is one of the tasks at hand ~ you should be the only person involved with your multiple tasks at hand.
And some things should just not be part of the multitasking experience. Like driving, or interacting with others.
We owe that to ourselves, and to others around us.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Target market
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Defining your target market is essential when you are setting up your business. It means you need to sort out who you are going to help, and how you are going to do that. Or who you are going to supply with what product.
And with any luck, your chosen target market, your decision who you are going to help and how you will go about doing that, coincides with the things you like best doing.
It seems that going through that process does have certain pitfalls.
For instance, it appears to be quite easy to first look at what you like doing best, and then focus on finding a target market for what you have to offer. And although this sounds like a good idea ~ and perhaps really is a good idea ~ the problem may be that you start focussing more on your need to do what you like to do, than on the needs of your target market.
When you look at an art like painting, there may be two types of painters. Those that paint ‘commercially’, and those that paint expressively. The first group will create paintings a client wants to have, the second group creates pieces of art out of the inner need for creative expression. And yet, both groups may define their target market in a similar manner; like art-loving, forty-something ‘two kids and a dog’ type clients.
At first glance, the first group seems more likely to be successful, as they are willing to supply their clients with what they feel suits them best. Yet, the second group may strike it big when their specific, inner self driven, creative expression hits a cord with, for instance, someone who is well known...
In reality, working with your target market may work best when all aspects come together in a balanced way. So what you do is something you like doing, or even something you have an inner drive to do ~ while you do it for people that really need what you have to offer. It means that while it can be tempting to only look at what you feel you want to do, you will have to observe the world around you in order to see what service or product the people ‘out there’ feel they need. In order to make your business successful, you will need to be flexible enough to adapt to what is needed in the market place.
I firmly believe that it is possible to build a successful business doing the things you like best doing. And in a sense, whether it is best to put your focus on the target market or on the inner drive to do what you like doing best is a ‘chicken and egg’ thing. Ultimately, both will need to come together in order for your business to work, and to bring you the fulfillment you need...
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.
Defining your target market is essential when you are setting up your business. It means you need to sort out who you are going to help, and how you are going to do that. Or who you are going to supply with what product.
And with any luck, your chosen target market, your decision who you are going to help and how you will go about doing that, coincides with the things you like best doing.
It seems that going through that process does have certain pitfalls.
For instance, it appears to be quite easy to first look at what you like doing best, and then focus on finding a target market for what you have to offer. And although this sounds like a good idea ~ and perhaps really is a good idea ~ the problem may be that you start focussing more on your need to do what you like to do, than on the needs of your target market.
When you look at an art like painting, there may be two types of painters. Those that paint ‘commercially’, and those that paint expressively. The first group will create paintings a client wants to have, the second group creates pieces of art out of the inner need for creative expression. And yet, both groups may define their target market in a similar manner; like art-loving, forty-something ‘two kids and a dog’ type clients.
At first glance, the first group seems more likely to be successful, as they are willing to supply their clients with what they feel suits them best. Yet, the second group may strike it big when their specific, inner self driven, creative expression hits a cord with, for instance, someone who is well known...
In reality, working with your target market may work best when all aspects come together in a balanced way. So what you do is something you like doing, or even something you have an inner drive to do ~ while you do it for people that really need what you have to offer. It means that while it can be tempting to only look at what you feel you want to do, you will have to observe the world around you in order to see what service or product the people ‘out there’ feel they need. In order to make your business successful, you will need to be flexible enough to adapt to what is needed in the market place.
I firmly believe that it is possible to build a successful business doing the things you like best doing. And in a sense, whether it is best to put your focus on the target market or on the inner drive to do what you like doing best is a ‘chicken and egg’ thing. Ultimately, both will need to come together in order for your business to work, and to bring you the fulfillment you need...
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Regaining Balance
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During times when a lot is going on in our lives, it is important to stay balanced. Not necessarily balanced with all the things that are going on, but balanced within ourselves. Centered, or even grounded.
This is something that is easier said than done!
It is also something that works differently for different people; there is no one recipe that works for everybody equally as well ~ although it does seem to be really important to not keep everything bottled up inside yourself; it is a good idea to do something to place it outside of yourself.
And there are guidelines as to what way might work best for you that are based on your astrological sun sign.
For ‘Air Signs’ (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) talking it out or writing it out, putting your thoughts to paper, may be a good way in which a potential overload situation is put outside of Self.
For ‘Fire Signs’ (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) walking ~ or dancing, or running ~ can be a suitable way to regain balance.
‘Water Signs’ (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) may want to write or make a drawing of whatever they feel has brought them to be overwhelmed.
And ‘Earth Signs’ (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) may be best off rebalancing themselves while sitting down with a cup of tea...
For me, being an ‘Earth Sign’, today is a day to sit down with a cup of tea.
After a couple of really busy months, it is time to sit back, to take a deep breath, a cup of tea, and to regain my balance. To center again in the core of my Self so that I can evaluate whether my time and energy has been spent productively...
For instance, have my activities over the past months brought me closer to my goals? Or have I just been ‘putting out fires’, while every time I solved a problem another situation came up to take its place? Have I burned the candle on both ends, spinning my wheels, without ever getting closer to my goals ~ let alone getting closer to fulfilling my dreams and desires?
Those are questions we probably should look at every once in a while.
Because taking an honest look at where we are applying our time and energy allows us to see the direction we are going. If we like which direction we are going, a couple of really busy months are just that ~ and likely they have brought us closer to our goals.
If we don’t like the direction we are going, or if we feel like we are treading water, it is time to see what we can do differently in order to get moving in any direction we desire to go!
.
.
During times when a lot is going on in our lives, it is important to stay balanced. Not necessarily balanced with all the things that are going on, but balanced within ourselves. Centered, or even grounded.
This is something that is easier said than done!
It is also something that works differently for different people; there is no one recipe that works for everybody equally as well ~ although it does seem to be really important to not keep everything bottled up inside yourself; it is a good idea to do something to place it outside of yourself.
And there are guidelines as to what way might work best for you that are based on your astrological sun sign.
For ‘Air Signs’ (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) talking it out or writing it out, putting your thoughts to paper, may be a good way in which a potential overload situation is put outside of Self.
For ‘Fire Signs’ (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) walking ~ or dancing, or running ~ can be a suitable way to regain balance.
‘Water Signs’ (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) may want to write or make a drawing of whatever they feel has brought them to be overwhelmed.
And ‘Earth Signs’ (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) may be best off rebalancing themselves while sitting down with a cup of tea...
For me, being an ‘Earth Sign’, today is a day to sit down with a cup of tea.
After a couple of really busy months, it is time to sit back, to take a deep breath, a cup of tea, and to regain my balance. To center again in the core of my Self so that I can evaluate whether my time and energy has been spent productively...
For instance, have my activities over the past months brought me closer to my goals? Or have I just been ‘putting out fires’, while every time I solved a problem another situation came up to take its place? Have I burned the candle on both ends, spinning my wheels, without ever getting closer to my goals ~ let alone getting closer to fulfilling my dreams and desires?
Those are questions we probably should look at every once in a while.
Because taking an honest look at where we are applying our time and energy allows us to see the direction we are going. If we like which direction we are going, a couple of really busy months are just that ~ and likely they have brought us closer to our goals.
If we don’t like the direction we are going, or if we feel like we are treading water, it is time to see what we can do differently in order to get moving in any direction we desire to go!
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Waiting Rooms
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Waiting rooms, no matter where they are or what they are for, all have similar energies. On one hand there is a sense of anticipation, while on the other hand there is an apprehensiveness, maybe even a fear... And there is always boredom.
The magazines on the table are usually old ~ sometimes even so old that they are not telling yesterday’s news, but tend to resemble a history lesson... And when you find yourself in a situation that you come to visit the same waiting room on a number of occasions, you may find little changes from one visit to the next.
Granted, some waiting rooms are way better equipped than others. My dentists waiting room, for instance, is a light and open area, it has two big flat-screens on the wall; one with the European news, the other with some documentary. And the magazines are fairly recent and change often.
Still it sparks this feeling of boredom, the idea that there are better things I can do with my time then being there.
Whether the waiting rooms are in doctor’s or dentist’s offices, in city hall, or even the post office (as it has a tendency to resemble a waiting room more often than not) we have a need to be there. To keep our appointment, to get some business taken care off ~ there always is a pressing reason for us to be there, in that waiting room, being bored.
Now, the spiritual perspective says that we create the events we experience in our lives.
The most obvious was in which we create this specific event of waiting in a waiting room is because we made an appointment. And we are there awaiting the time of our appointment. And when everything goes smoothly, the door opens at exactly the time we made the appointment for, and we are called in.
But sometimes, the expected single visit turns into a series of visits ~ and therefore a series of waits. We have a perfectly good reason for being there, yet even when everybody is on time, it becomes a bit of a drag.
Another way to look at it is that events like this reflect a part of our lives.
That we create this type of events subconsciously, because we are anticipating things to come into our lives, but it is not the right timing yet ~ like a trip or vacation.
Or because in some aspect of our lives we feel bored, or even apprehensive.
If the latter is the case, it bears the question: What in our lives are we waiting for?
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.
Waiting rooms, no matter where they are or what they are for, all have similar energies. On one hand there is a sense of anticipation, while on the other hand there is an apprehensiveness, maybe even a fear... And there is always boredom.
The magazines on the table are usually old ~ sometimes even so old that they are not telling yesterday’s news, but tend to resemble a history lesson... And when you find yourself in a situation that you come to visit the same waiting room on a number of occasions, you may find little changes from one visit to the next.
Granted, some waiting rooms are way better equipped than others. My dentists waiting room, for instance, is a light and open area, it has two big flat-screens on the wall; one with the European news, the other with some documentary. And the magazines are fairly recent and change often.
Still it sparks this feeling of boredom, the idea that there are better things I can do with my time then being there.
Whether the waiting rooms are in doctor’s or dentist’s offices, in city hall, or even the post office (as it has a tendency to resemble a waiting room more often than not) we have a need to be there. To keep our appointment, to get some business taken care off ~ there always is a pressing reason for us to be there, in that waiting room, being bored.
Now, the spiritual perspective says that we create the events we experience in our lives.
The most obvious was in which we create this specific event of waiting in a waiting room is because we made an appointment. And we are there awaiting the time of our appointment. And when everything goes smoothly, the door opens at exactly the time we made the appointment for, and we are called in.
But sometimes, the expected single visit turns into a series of visits ~ and therefore a series of waits. We have a perfectly good reason for being there, yet even when everybody is on time, it becomes a bit of a drag.
Another way to look at it is that events like this reflect a part of our lives.
That we create this type of events subconsciously, because we are anticipating things to come into our lives, but it is not the right timing yet ~ like a trip or vacation.
Or because in some aspect of our lives we feel bored, or even apprehensive.
If the latter is the case, it bears the question: What in our lives are we waiting for?
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Time
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All my clocks but two were stopped this morning. It took me a while to catch on to that fact (I’m not a ‘morning person’).
As I woke up, my alarm clock was flashing due to a short power outage that had occurred. A bit alarmed I went to the clock in my work room, only to find that the ‘seconds-arm’ was making its last feeble attempts to move at all - the time stuck at 7.15... AM or PM ~ no idea... The next clock, the one in the bathroom that worked fine yesterday, had even given up on its last attempts on keeping time at 8.45
The clock in the living room was still dutifully ticking the seconds away, showing that 8.45 AM indeed was the right time.
A sigh of relief. Not too late to get things done and to make it to my appointments for the day in time.
It made me think though ~ how much of our lives are ruled by keeping time. The appointments we set up with others rely on being there on time. But there are also the times in our day that are our anchors; divisions between one activity and another, like ‘dinner time’, time to watch the ten o’clock news, etc.
Somehow, keeping track of time gives us a sense of control over our busy lives.
As long as we are in time, there is order and structure in our lives.
To maintain this structure, we set aside time to perform our chores, we make time to visit friends, we loose time when we get stuck in heavy traffic, we run out of time as a deadline approaches... Time has become the measuring stick with which we measure the amount of control we have over our lives.
At the same time, time itself has a fleeting aspect to it. When we have all the time in the world, it tends to disappear like sand running through our fingers. Time doesn’t seem a constant, it can stretch and move ~ when we are doing something that inspires us, time seems to go much faster than when we are doing something we really don’t like doing all that much.
And at some point we ask ourselves, where did the time go?
Yet time is.
In some sense there are only three points in time that have importance: the past, this moment, and the future.
The past is the path that has brought us where we are now, in this moment. The future is the direction our minds are going in order to shape and form the moment we are in...
Dwelling on the past is unproductive ~ could-have-beens and would-have-beens are bygones.
Worrying or doubting about things in our future is unproductive as this takes our awareness away from the moment that is ‘now’.
When we surrender control and allow ourselves to be in this moment as it unfolds, we shift into universal structure. And chances are, we are right on time!
.
.
All my clocks but two were stopped this morning. It took me a while to catch on to that fact (I’m not a ‘morning person’).
As I woke up, my alarm clock was flashing due to a short power outage that had occurred. A bit alarmed I went to the clock in my work room, only to find that the ‘seconds-arm’ was making its last feeble attempts to move at all - the time stuck at 7.15... AM or PM ~ no idea... The next clock, the one in the bathroom that worked fine yesterday, had even given up on its last attempts on keeping time at 8.45
The clock in the living room was still dutifully ticking the seconds away, showing that 8.45 AM indeed was the right time.
A sigh of relief. Not too late to get things done and to make it to my appointments for the day in time.
It made me think though ~ how much of our lives are ruled by keeping time. The appointments we set up with others rely on being there on time. But there are also the times in our day that are our anchors; divisions between one activity and another, like ‘dinner time’, time to watch the ten o’clock news, etc.
Somehow, keeping track of time gives us a sense of control over our busy lives.
As long as we are in time, there is order and structure in our lives.
To maintain this structure, we set aside time to perform our chores, we make time to visit friends, we loose time when we get stuck in heavy traffic, we run out of time as a deadline approaches... Time has become the measuring stick with which we measure the amount of control we have over our lives.
At the same time, time itself has a fleeting aspect to it. When we have all the time in the world, it tends to disappear like sand running through our fingers. Time doesn’t seem a constant, it can stretch and move ~ when we are doing something that inspires us, time seems to go much faster than when we are doing something we really don’t like doing all that much.
And at some point we ask ourselves, where did the time go?
Yet time is.
In some sense there are only three points in time that have importance: the past, this moment, and the future.
The past is the path that has brought us where we are now, in this moment. The future is the direction our minds are going in order to shape and form the moment we are in...
Dwelling on the past is unproductive ~ could-have-beens and would-have-beens are bygones.
Worrying or doubting about things in our future is unproductive as this takes our awareness away from the moment that is ‘now’.
When we surrender control and allow ourselves to be in this moment as it unfolds, we shift into universal structure. And chances are, we are right on time!
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