Hey, got a Second? How to Stop Being an Interruption Magnet

If you feel like interruptions are constantly holding you back at work then it may be time to admit you have a problem. You're an interruption magnet.

Yes, distractions aren't always your fault. But if you frequently struggle to make headway on priority tasks due to phone calls, passing co-workers, email, and other various distractions, it's possible that you are inviting these work-stopping moments into your world.

For some it's a form of procrastination, while others simply fail to protect their priorities. The good news is, there's a fix for changing your interruption polarity. It begins by learning to close your door… both physically and mentally.

Try these tips for minimizing your exposure to interruptions:

• Task Hours
  Each day, schedule two separate "task hours" when you can close your office door. Hold yourself personally responsible for staying focused on one specific task or project during this time.
• The Critical 2
  Identify two super-critical tasks where undivided attention is a priority. Do this each morning by making a to-do list and prioritizing the various activities – separate what you "must do" from what you "should do but isn't vital today."
• Protect your priorities. 
  Even if it's your specific job to answer to the requests of others, you must define what is in the best interest of reaching your company goals. When a new request is made, take a minute to determine how it compares to the important tasks in your daily plan.
• Don't be a "fixer." 
  Some people just can't say no. They make themselves constantly available to others as a means of boosting job security or feeling validated at work. In the end, it devalues their time and leaves their to-do list full.
• Communicate your limited availability
  Don't be bashful about this. Tell your co-workers by email or with a sign on the door; specify options for reaching you with urgent matters during this time.
• Automate
  Shut off your phone's ringer and create a custom voicemail greeting that details your availability. Include an alternate person to call and what time the caller can expect a return message. People are then rerouted without taking a minute of YOUR time.
• Avoid the Siren song
  Close your email client to avoid the temptation to check-in every time a little chime or bell goes off. If this isn't realistic for you, do it on the 30s. Only check email at the:30 and :00 on the clock.
• Unplug from the internet. 
  If possible, shut down any potential distractions by unplugging yourself. If closing your browser doesn't do the trick, then take the next step and unplug your network cable or shut down your Wi-Fi.

Learning to better manage your interruptions requires minimizing your distractions and disciplining yourself to stay on-task. It doesn't always come naturally, but when you establish specific work as high-importance you're giving yourself permission to shut yourself off from interruptions.

How To Stay Motivated When You Hate Your Job

Let's be honest, work for the most part, sucks. Even if you are part of the 20% of population who actually truly enjoy what they are doing, chances are likely that you would rather be doing something else.

Job satisfaction rates are horrendous and one of the reasons is that people are slowly starting to realize that there is a better way to live. We are wising up to the fact that we don't NEED to work a crappy job and just grind out a living.

There is so much opportunity for anyone willing to take control of their life and commit to living a passionate life.

Is it that simple? I believe it is. Is it easy? Of course not.

Working The Rat Race
hat is it that millions of people wake up unhappy knowing that they have to go to a job they hate? There are a number of reasons including:

1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of success
3. Lack of initiative
4. No clear goals
5. Apathetic towards life
6. Willingness to accept whatever they have

All of the above reasons are garbage. There is no reason for anyone to fall victim to these things. Yet, we do it all the time.

What ends up happening is that we find a job that looks acceptable and get stuck working in it for years. Most of us won't take the time to find something better and will just drift through life with a sub par job.

The end result is having a job we hate. Now, we can choose to quit and find another job or we can choose to suffer through it. Most of us choose the latter.

Staying Motivated When You Hate Your Job
I am speaking from personal experience here. I have lost all interest in my job and would rather go dig holes in the ground all day. Unfortunately, financial obligations will not afford me the luxury of leaving my job right now.

So, I have had to find ways of keeping myself motivated enough to keep my job and perform it well enough to provide quality work. Not an easy task when my days are spent thinking of leaving.

If you have found yourself in a similar spot, here are 5 ideas to keep you motivated (at least motivated enough not to get you fired!)

1. Know Your Future. 
   If you have a clear understanding of where you want to be in 1,3, or even 5 years, then your job will become much more tolerable.
   
   Having something to look forward to can mean the difference between hopelessness and determination. Make sure you choose determination!
2. Do not take your loathsome job home with you. 
   The sooner you can forget about your job the better. Far too often, and I'm guilty of this too, we take our bad attitudes home for the family to enjoy.
   
   Well, they don't. If you have children, then it's especially important to leave your misery behind. Our kids do not need to learn that a job equals unhappiness from us.
3. Enjoy your passions. 
   If you're lucky enough to know what really makes you happy, you need to go do it! Even if it's for an hour each week, you have to.
   
   I'm not talking about a hobby here or shopping at the mall, I'm talking about spending time doing something you love.
   
   Why is this so important? Because it just might keep you from snapping and doing something stupid like bitch slapping your boss and quitting.
   
   If you were in the financial position to quit, you probably already would have, so don't go and get yourself canned.
4. Be better than your job. 
   If your job sucks and you allow yourself to think that you suck too, then you're sunk. Do not allow yourself to be a byproduct of a miserable job.
   
   Know in your mind that this job is simply a means to an end and that some day you will be doing something better. Also know that you are not your job. You just work there. Don't confuse the two.
5. Plan for your release date.
   I would imagine that someone serving a long prison sentence would spend an enormous amount of time planning for their release date.
   
   What they're going to do, how they're going to do it, and how it is all going to go down, are all things that will probably be consuming their thoughts each day.
   
   A miserable job can feel a lot like a prison sentence. While we are not trapped per se, we can often feel like we are because of things like a poor economy, high unemployment, and too many financial obligations.
   
   Planning for the day you can walk away from your job and do something else should be something you spend a lot of time thinking about. Without a plan, you might just end up working another job just like the one you quit.
6. Keep It Together
   Knowing you have to go to work tomorrow and waste another day of your life is an awful feeling. Doing this for an extended period of time can lead to problems with depression, substance abuse, and marital issues.
   
   You need to keep it together! For your sake if nothing else. If you have a family that depends on you, please don't let your job become interfere with your quality of life at home.
   
   Find a way to make your job tolerable until you're ready to move on with your life.

My question to all of you is this: What if we actually took the time to figure out what we really wanted to do with our lives and then did it? Imagine that...

What Frugality REALLY Means: It's Not About Being Cheap

Frugality. It's not exactly an alluring word, is it? Most of us worry that being frugalmeans living a bleak, depressing life, missing out on "normal" society.

The truth is, frugality simply means applying a bit of thought to how you spend your money. It's not about being cheap or miserly; it's about taking control.

Why You Should Give Frugality a Second Chance
Don't you just hate it when you end up wasting good money because of a dumb mistake?

Maybe you left your phone on the bus and had to buy a new one. Or you forgot to deposit that check into the bank for so long that it wasn't valid any more. Or you had to pay a fine because you forgot to take your library books back.

And don't you just love it when a bit of cleverness saves you a ton of cash?

Maybe you found a fantastic dress on ebay – for half the price as in the shops. Or you compared the price of that new television in a couple of different stores, and saved $100. Or you found out how to fix something, instead of buying a new one.

Well, hey – you've got the hang of the frugal mindset already.

Being frugal means:

• Caring about your money, and trying not to waste it – whether that's in noticeable ways (like losing your wallet) or less obvious ones (like paying your bills by check when you'd get a discount for using direct debit)
• Stocking up on your favorite foods when they're on sale.
• Borrowing books from your local library or using Amazon's second-hand sellers, instead of buying every single book new.
• Cutting out things which are pricey but which you don't really enjoy.

It's about valuing your money and getting the most from it – ensuring that you get to spend on the things which you reallywant.

Do You Want to Be Rich?
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't say "no" to having more money in the bank, without working a single extra hour. That's what frugality can bring you – even if you're on a pretty low salary.

Conversely, even if you earn hundreds of thousands, you could still end up with huge financial problems if you've got no idea about how to control your spending.

Don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe these two guys:

"Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality." (John Tyler, 10^thPresident of the United States) – 19^th century

"The way to wealth depends on just two words, industry and frugality." (Benjamin Franklin) – 18^th century

Being frugal isn't some newfangled 21^st century idea. It's a tried-and-tested way to live a happy, rich life.

But … Frugality Doesn't Mean Being Cheap
Cheapness is different from frugality.

Cheapness is when you have enough money but you still:

• Refuse to spend money on things which you really need (like new clothes).
• Buy shoddy, low-quality goods – which end up costing you more in the long run.
• Let friends foot the bill when you go out.
• Act unreasonably, expecting or demanding a discount (negotiating is different).
• Refuse to tip in restaurants.

That might mean cutting out the daily latte which you barely even taste, so that you can have an extravagant meal out once a month. It might mean buying one great quality pair of shoes instead of three so-so pairs.

Being frugal means having more money for what you really want. So tell me, what's so bad about that?

5 Lessons That Professor Failure Taught Me About Success

Failure has become a faithful friend throughout the years. Early on in my life I thought failure was my mortal enemy. But life’s experience has taught me that Professor Failure is on the academic staff of my personal University Of Success that I attend.

He is a vital necessity for my training, in order to become someone who will reach his full potential, and even go beyond what he personally thought possible. And why is that? Because I have learned to ask a simple question of my professor after every failure, ‘What is the most important lesson that I can learn from this mistake?’ 

Those lessons then become the building blocks for the success I have experienced to date, and the success that will accompany me for the rest of my days.

So please allow me to share with you just 5 lessons that Professor Failure has taught me about success.

1. The Importance Of Obsession
   If you ever want to make your mark on this world, you are going to have to break free of mediocrity and be obsessed.
   
   If I was to ask you as to what is your magnificent obsession, how would you answer?
   
   It must resemble a burning desire, a fiery ambition, something that keeps you up at night and wakes you early in the morning. It’s the thing that if you don’t do it, while you’re alive on planet earth, it just won’t get done. It’s your unique mission and contribution. It’s your executive orders issued to you by the General of the Universe to complete.
   
   Wishy-washy, directionless human beings have filled our graveyards for centuries. But may I challenge you to step out from amongst that company and be the extraordinary human being that you were created to be, and make your mark.
   
   Let the personal graffiti of your life be plastered on every door post, declaring, ‘I am, I was, I conquered.’
   
   Others may call you weird, strange, out of the extraordinary, single-minded, and one-eyed. But it is the obsessed of this world who have brought us the motor car, flight, freedom, the Internet, Facebook, and so much more. They have changed our world. So be obsessed and be a world changer.
2. The Need For Persistence
   I recall the time when I’d written my first book and was about to self publish it. My first book sale yielded me more than $100,000. At the time I was filling shelves at our local super market. Even before I knew that I had made that sale I continued to work late nights and early mornings with a joy in my step.
   
   I made it a point to be the best shelf filler in that organization.
   
   Why was I so happy?
   
   Because I knew, because I knew (yes I’ve doubled those words for emphasis) that I was born to succeed. Sure, failure had knocked me down on a number of occasions throughout my life, but I was destined to succeed because I understood the power of persistence. And that persistence paid off. And what joy success was when I handed in my resignation and invited some of my shelf-filler buddies to my first book launch.
3. The Necessity Of The Dream
   Without a dream and without a vision you are nothing but a lifeless void.
   
   Dreams are not just for the confines of your sleeping hours. Dreams should be the invaders of your waking moments. Upon these dreams, for a better future, are based our hopes, and at the same time they’re the fuel that will drive your productivity and the profitability in everything you do.
   
   My dream is the guiding compass that has carried me through packing shelves, cleaning houses and factories, mowing lawns, publishing books, being CEO of my own web design company, business coaching, professional speaking and now being the owner of multiple businesses.
   
   I have never been overly concerned as to what I did, but rather how I did it. Happiness has accompanied me as much while cleaning toilets as it has conducting board meetings.
   
   Why?
   
   Because of the dreams planted firmly in my heart and mind.
4. The Vitality Of A Plan
   Without an architecturally designed plan a builder cannot build a structurally sound house. So too for life. You must take out some time to construct a plan for your life. For as someone once wrote, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’
   
   There are many words that I could write about planning, goal setting, and life goals, mission statements and more. But let me simply share 6 points in brief that Napoleon Hill – the author of Think and Grow Rich - wrote way back in 1937.
   
   1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. Be definite as to the amount.
   2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire.
   3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
   4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
   5. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
   6. Read your written statement aloud twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once arising in the morning. As you read – see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.
5. The Power Of Faith
   Any great man or woman, who has ever lived, has had to pass through the refining fire of failure in order to rise as the Phoenix – to become those whom we call successful.
   
   Faith sees things as they are not. So it is during the periods where things seem impossible and insurmountable that faith is provided the perfect platform for development.
   
   As I cleaned dirty factory floors and toilets I dreamed that I would one day reach a global audience with the creative gifts that lay dormant within my being. I wanted to live a life of influence. I wanted to help those who may currently be in the depths of despair, depression and debt – and yet through my words lift them up so that they too can be instructed by Professor Failure and rise and obtain ‘High Distinctions’ in the University of Success.

So that is my call to you today. Do not allow failure to destroy you. Use failure rather to build you, to transform your character, crystallize your dream, and transfix your determination to succeed through the power of persistence and the fortitude of faith. This is your greatest hour. Grasp it with both hands and be the butterfly – and fly, fly, fly.

Are there any other lessons that Professor Failure has taught you, and could help others to graduate from the University of Success?

Motivational Memo: A High Distinction obtained in the University of Success is yours if you allow the seed of failure to do its work within you.

50 Very Simple Ways to Be Romantic

Here are a list of 50 things you can do to express your love. If things aren't good between you and your partner right now, this might be just the thing to slowly melt the ice between you both. If things are already good, this will strengthen your relationship further. By the way, there is nothing expensive on this list so there is no excuse not to give this a shot.

1. Write "I love you" in the steam on the bathroom mirror after he takes a shower.
2. Offer a back massage with some good smelling lotion.
3. Write a poem. Then use Google Translator to translate a poem into either French or Italian. Then handwrite it out with the translation on the back side. Or better yet, greet your partner at night and read it to them with passion and then hand them the translation.
4. While in public, declare "I love you, Matilda!" (not Matilda, but your partner's name.)
5. Make a CD with a few songs that are meaningful to your relationship.
6. Invite him to take a bath complete with bubbles, champagne, candles, and maybe a little Barry White. (the music, not actually Barry White in your tub.)
7. Surprise her at work and take her out to lunch, maybe take-out food in the park or maybe to a little diner, for a midday romantic interlude.
8. Put together a little gift on his pillow: chocolate and a note that says "Your love is like chocolate: sweet and delicious."
9. If your partner has a work presentation at an off site location, have flowers and a note of support delivered there.
10. Dedicate a song to him on the radio and send him an email telling him when to listen.
11. Cook a special love meal of your partner's favorite foods. Play his favorite music and turn the lights low for a romantic dinner.
12. Give your partner a pedicure and foot rub.
13. Send a text message or email that says "I love you!"
14. Mail a card and inside write down the top 10 things you love about your partner.
15. Give him a picture of you for his wallet that says "I love you."
16. Leave a love note in her car telling her to have a great day.
17. Carve your initials in a tree.
18. When your partner least expects it, give him a great big kiss, even if it's in public!
19. Go see a romantic movie, sit in the back row, hold hands, and cuddle.
20. King for a Day/ Queen for a Day. Declare that you will dedicate a particular day just to your partner to do whatever they want. Maybe start with breakfast in bed.
21. Buy a tree and invite your partner to plant it with you explaining that this tree represents the love between you both that will grow over the years.
22. In the midst of talking about how your days went, the chores that need to be done, etc. interrupt and say "I have something important to tell you. I love you and here's why." Then list 5 things (or more) that you really appreciate about your partner. Finish with a kiss and say, "Ok, so you were talking about the water heater."
23. Write an old fashioned love letter and mail it. Be romantic and lavish. Have some fun with it.
24. Before going to a party together come up with some secret code words you can use during conversation. You can be telling each other "I can't wait to get you alone tonight!" without anyone knowing!
25. Find a hotel that has a jacuzzi and book it for a one night getaway somewhere close but fun.
26. Place an ad in the classifieds declaring your love. Then take the newspaper, wrap it in a bow, and put a little note on it saying what page to look on.
27. Blindfold surprise. Blindfold your partner and drive them to the place where you had your first date, and have that date all over again!
28. Write a love poem for her.
29. Make an early valentine. Cut out some paper in the shape of a heart. Write something sweet on it in red and put it in her purse or his briefcase.
30. If your partner is going on a business trip secretly hide a love note inside their luggage.
31. Offer to help them with some dreaded chore they must complete and make it into a fun time maybe with some music. (cleaning out the basement, raking the leaves, shoveling after a big snow storm, giving the dog a bath, washing the car, etc.)
32. Do something romantic and spontaneous, like picking a flower and giving it to her right on the spot.
33. Invent a meal and name it after him or her.
34. Buy some body paint and write your love message on your body.
35. Record yourself reading a romantic love poem for your honey. Then give your partner a CD and tell them to play it in the car on their way to work.
36. Make a small postcard sized love collage. Then cover it with clear packing tape. Write a love message on the other side and mail it!
37. Keep a box with mementos of fun things you've done together. Later when the box is filled, arrange them on a board and have it framed.
38. Buy some underwear with special messages on it. Or buy your own and paint a special picture or message with fabric paints.
39. Make a donation to charity in the name of your love for your partner. Give your sweetheart a card that tells how grateful you are to share your life with her.
40. Keep a box with special cards, letters, photographs, and other mementos. On your anniversary or on Valentine's day take a little time to share fond memories together as you review the contents.
41. Create a mindmap of all the things you love about your partner and make it into a card.
42. Take a walk on the beach together. Run up ahead and write a message in the sand, and then call your partner to see what you "found."
43. Say "I love you" often, slowly, and with feeling.
44. Play hooky together. You work hard. Now today take a day to work easy at just sharing some fun time together. Call it an "I love you day."
45. Send an e-card to your sweetie to brighten his day. Here are free e-card resources: Apple iCards, BlueMountain,Hallmark.
46. Make little "I love you" posters with either crayons, markers, collage, paint, whatever. Post them in surprising places: the bathroom, the closet, the car, under her pillow, on her pillow.
47. Create a small website or blog dedicated to your partner. Write a short love message each day for a month...or forever.
48. Complete that chore or favor that your partner has wanted you to do for a long time.
49. Be super kind for a whole day. Act like you would with a new love, a child, or a frail person. Show lots of kindness, generosity, and love no matter what for a whole day.
50. Take an interest in your partner's interests. For a woman it might be watching a football game with your guy. And for men it might be going to see a chick-flick. Do it with a spirit of enthusiasm and love. Have fun.

Print this out and do one each day. Make up your own. You don't have to tell your partner that this is something you are doing. Just do it. Who knows, maybe you'll establish a positive habit of expressing your love on a daily basis.

Please share your favorite ways to tell your partner you love them!