Archive for category Self improvement

More learnings from Thailand

Oct 7

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Self improvement, Wellbeing, Yourself | No Comments

In the previous post I discussed how the Thais seem to have the life/balance thing pretty much sorted out. Yes, I know that many Thais have a tough life (so do many Aussies, Kiwis etc.).

Ko Samui sunrise

Ko Samui sunrise

I think my main learnings from my recent fortnight in Samui was regarding simplicity and frustration.

One of the books I read whilst relaxing on the beach was The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton. In this book de Botton illustrates how the works of Epicurus, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Seneca, and Socrates can help us deal with the trials and tribulations of our lives. One chapter deals with frustration (Seneca) and how it generally stems from over-expectation. By expecting too much from life and from those around us, we set ourselves up for frustration. This was an epiphany for me (yet completely obvious at the same time). I’m now trying to apply this to my life.

Outside the world of books, I revisited my “keep it simple” philosophy by watching and learning from the locals. (I touched on this in the previous post.) I contend that it is the clutter and complexity of our lives that is the root of our troubles (mine included). When you remove the complexity (on a beach in Thailand) you sleep better, get more done, relax, enjoy…

Too often we struggle through life without direction or with outrageous expectations and thus feel lost, unloved and jaded. I am developing a personal philosophy that is based upon simplicity and clarity in the hope that my frustrations will diminish and I will be content and therefore happy as I grow older.

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Babylon

Aug 2

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Self improvement, Yourself | 1 Comment

A few posts back I wrote about money and worry. I don’t think that I know anyone who isn’t at least a little worried about money. They’re either worried about the recession/depression, their debt levels, the fact they don’t own a house or that they can’t afford a shiny new watch. Seems to me that we’ve got our heads screwed on the wrong way…again.

Earlier this year I read The Richest Man in Babylon by George Classon. It is a collection of stories that teach you how to get out of debt and become wealthy. And it’s not a bunch of crap like a lot of books on wealth. No get rich quick silliness. Just a lot of ideas that are so sensible they’ve been forgotten and are now uncommonsense.

Here’s the basic premise: of the money that you earn (no matter how much or how little) allocate 10% to savings, 20% to debts and the rest to living expenses. Never pay more than 70% for living expenses and never fail to save and repay debt. This method will get you out of debt, build savings and allow you to live comfortably (although you may have to forgo things you want in the immediate term).

It works. It’s not fast. It’s a simple concept that might be exactly what you need.

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Money = worry

Jul 9

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Self improvement, Yourself | 4 Comments

I’ve worked out over the past few months that the only thing that I actually worry about is money. And I know I’m not alone.

When you break it down there are so few things that we actually really worry about. If you think about your worries I expect you’ll find out that 80% or more are related to money.

The silly thing is that there is heaps of money about. It’s just that you don’t ever seem to have enough of it.

I remember when I was at uni. I earned about $6000 for the whole year in 1995. And amazingly, I was able to go out on the turps, buy piles of CDs and generally have a good time. And I even saved a few dollars. (Yes, I did get a Government allowance too.)

Fast forward a few years I’m earning over $40K as a software developer and I seem to have less money to use freely. What the?

Sound familiar?

Perhaps the problem is spending rather than earning. Perhaps we are too keen to have everything now. Perhaps we really do have enough money and too many wants.

So, what to do? Delay gratification. Earn now, spend later.

And stop worrying damn it!

(I promise I am trying to follow this advice too!)

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The efficient use of time

Jun 26

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Self improvement, Yourself | No Comments

It seems that everyone is intently focused on money. And not so many people are focused on time.

It seems to me that money – for individual purposes – is all but infinite. Time – on the other hand – is not.

Time: you can only spend it once

If we do what we should be doing we will find ourselves possession enough money. We may  however find that we run out of time. The amount of time we have not something that we can accurate foresee. Therefore, we must be ruthlessly efficient with the time that we have.

Take a moment, to think about how you spend your time. I do mean spend. Once you’ve done so, it’s gone forever. You cannot get back the time that has already passed.

Do you really spend your time efficiently? Could you get more done if you planned and executed better than you do right now and have done in the past? There’s no use worrying about the past or the future (a topic for another post) but you can learn from what has passed and improve your future.

So, what can you do to get more done in the finite amount of time that you have? Here are a few ideas:

  • Listen to audiobooks in your car or on the train – You probably spend about an hour a day travelling. Use this time wisely. Listen to self-improvement books, business advice, biographies, industry podcasts … whatever will increase your understanding of you and your business.
  • Complete the toughest tasks first - Lots of us procrastinate and avoid the tough tasks but these are often the most important (read: mission-critical). Don’t do the fluffy, easy stuff. As Brain Tracy says, “Eat That Frog“.
  • 80/20 everything - Use the 80/20 Principle to ensure you only complete the most important tasks (you can delegate lesser tasks to others). Learn more about the 80/20 Principle in Richard Koch’s excellent book.
  • Remove distractions - Don’t read personal email, don’t answer your phone, don’t get distracted by colleagues, close your office door … do whatever you must do to focus solely on the task at hand. See my previous post.
  • Redefine meetings – Ask “do we really have to meet?”, “is there a better way?”, “will an email suffice?”. If you have to meet have a clear agenda, set a finish time and stick to it, never meet longer than 30 minutes and act on the results.

How long did it take you to read this post? Was it worthwhile? If you got something from it then come back for more. If not, then don’t return because it’s not worth your time, spend it doing something more important. I won’t be offended because it would sho you did learn something.

Be ruthless! Be efficient.

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Catharsis and the art of reducing stuff

Jun 15

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Self improvement, Yourself | 3 Comments

Does you own stuff or does stuff own you?

I once had this grand idea that I’d be able to pack my whole life into a 6×4 trailer and move to wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. A fanciful dream it seems because now – at the age of 32 – I have amassed a clutter of absolute crap.

It was never meant to be like this. I’m all for owning the things I need – a hammer, a screwdriver, a few pairs of shoes – you get the idea. So, how did I end up with all this stuff? I think I succumbed to the consumer lifestyle. I wanted it all, and I wanted it now. Thank God I didn’t allow myself to use credit. Perish the thought.

Anyway, I’m midway through listening to Timothy Ferriss’s enlightening book called The 4 Hour Work Week and it has made me take a good, hard look at my accumulated clutter.

So, yesterday, I put on my ruthless hat, told my wife to hold onto our son and clear a path. I was on a mission and I was going to break for no man (or woman). First on the list was my magazine collection, why did I still have magazines from 2003? Out they went. Then I took a look at my bookshelf. I hoarde books. But no more. Out went everything that I merely suspected I’d never be interested in reading again (I kept the ones I love). Then I sifted through the 50 or so books I’d collected and hadn’t read yet. About half I probably will never read, so I’ve sent them off to friends or boxed them up for charity. Then there was my CD collection. Somewhere over 350 CDs and I’ve culled about 30% (I’m going back for more this evening).

And, you know what, I feel great. I was dying under the weight of all my stuff. I was guilty for not reading, listening and watching. But now I can just relax. I’m not doing anything because my stuff demands it.

Feel the catharsis. Go forth and cull. Ruthlessly! And have fun doing it.



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