Effectiveness

If you truly want to manage your time effectively, stop thinking in terms of amount and start thinking in terms of priority.

Divide priorities into … >>>

I share with you the greatest two-word tip of all time.

President Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful … >>>

“I think; therefore, I am” is perhaps the most famous statement in the history of philosophy. The statement by Rene Descartes, penned in 1637, still has a significant influence on our thinking in the 21st century.

The statement is the foundation of Cartesian dualism that separates the brain from the body. In his book, Damasio challenges Descartes’ pronouncement. Damasio, an M.D. and Ph.D., now at the University of Southern California and adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, is the recipient of scores of scientific honors and prizes. He is internationally recognized for his research on the neurology of vision, memory, and language along with his contributions to the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.

He … >>>

QUESTION:

“Don’t listen to yourself when you’re in a bad mood.”
—Advise from my mother-in-law at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth.

 … >>>

“Win as if you are used to it, and lose as if you don’t care.”

Aphorism on Tile
Restroom
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Boston, Massachusetts… >>>

Schools can increase their effectiveness by holding discussions with the staff and being proactive by setting up a system to use school-wide. The examples in the previous post about setting up a communication system to engender expectations is a very effective approach. Eliciting samples of the levels from students and then  practicing them ensures greater effectiveness.

For eliminating noise when in the hallways, set up the procedure by having students line up and then elicit a course of action in case someone were to talk during the “no talking in the hallway” on the way to the cafeteria.

The importance of ELICITING a “consequence” ahead of time cannot be over emphasized. When students have set up the procedures and then … >>>

There are emotional challenges that all of us have. One of them pertains to worrying about the future. Worry is fear of the unknown. It is negative self-talk. If you reflect on the things that you have worried about, you will conclude that they rarely occurred in reality.

As with worry, some people live with past failures, with past hurts, and thereby bring past negative emotions into the present.

One of the keys to happiness is to practice thinking in the present—rather than dwelling on the worry of the future or negativity of the past.

Controlling our thoughts to stay in the present by redirecting negative thoughts into positive ones is a habit which can be developed. I think of … >>>

"Can you do better?"

This question will prompt students to increase their effort and improve their quality of work.

Asked by parents, this question will prompt their children to reflect on their behavior.

Asked by you at a hotel registration desk may often result in an upgraded room.

The same works with rental car agencies and people working on commission.

"Can you do better?"

The skill of asking such reflective questions is one of the three key practices of the teaching model, the first link at MarvinMarshll.com.… >>>

Giving three options works wonders.

Let's assume your airline flight has been delayed and you finally get to your hotel room at midnight. The hotel clerk informs you that your hotel room has been given to another guest.

Your response is that the hotel has at least three options: (1) give you one of the suites they reserve for their special guests at the rate originally given you, (2) their paying for the transportation AND room charges for another hotel which they arrange, or (3) their calling the general manager of the hotel. The result: You will be given one of the hotel's special room for the amount of your original reservation.

The same approach of giving three options can … >>>

People do not argue with their own statements, and once a statement is made there is a natural desire to defend it.

Here is a simple question for opening the gate to have the person reconsider:

“If I share with you a better approach to achieve your objective, would you be willing to change your mind?

Additional effective questions are outlined in the book that you can link to from my website.… >>>

Admired people have others feel important. When you interact with someone—whether for 30 seconds or for 30 minutes—the test is, “When the person walks away, does that person feel better or worse?”

If you see the person walking away feeling down or depressed, walk after the person and ask, “How about trying that again so that you feel better than when we started the conversation?”

The conclusion is inescapable. When we work with others who prompt positive feelings, our spirits are raised—and so is our motivation.… >>>

Dr. James Sutton, a consulting psychologist and authority on oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and long-time friend, wrote me the following:

Marv, I loved the story about the girl, the newcomer, who refused to make her bed (a story I had previously told). To me, this is about fear of new situations and circumstances, a feeling of being terribly vulnerable, rather than a really deep defiant stand.

I’ve seen it with adults coming into drug and alcohol treatment. When they are terrified of being thrust into a new and semi-threatening situation, their response is almost always one of anger. Although this anger is generally directed at the closest authority figure, it’s not really personal, but it can sure LOOK that … >>>

You don’t necessarily like someone because who the person is.
You like the person because of the person’s effect on you.

Bennett Cerf, the well-known wit and much invited guest,
once said that if you desire to be invited back,
rather than saying, “What a wonderful party,” instead comment,
“You were a most gracious host.”… >>>

I received the following e-mail:

I am trying to put together a way for the teachers at our school to reflect on their year and to self-evaluate. But it needs to be something that is do-able, i.e., won’t feel overwhelming in its scope or the time it would take for them to complete it and would feel meaningful and help guide our work together for next year. Do you have any suggestions for me?

My response was to post the following:

If I were a student, would I want me as a teacher?

If yes, list the reasons.

If no, list the reasons.… >>>

If you want to appear more confident and self-assured, then stop worrying about failure. Very few conditions and decisions represent fatal outcomes or desperate setbacks. If you stop focusing on failure, you begin supporting success.

Come from abundance—never from lack.… >>>

There’s an old story of a young lady who was taken to dinner one evening by William Gladstone and then the following evening by Benjamin Disraeli, both eminent British statesmen in the late nineteenth century.

“When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England,” she said. “But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.”

Disraeli obviously had a knack for making the other person the center of his universe, if only for the evening. If you practice attentiveness to others, you’ll find it does wonders. They will enjoy it, and so will you. You will accomplish much more.

Make a … >>>