Archive for category time management
Work Life Balance…
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, spirituality and business, time management on February 11, 2011
Nigel Walsh spoke on TED about Work Life Balance.
What I take from this video:
- I am not 40 yet.
- I want to spend more life with my family.
- I don’t know if my career matches a work-life balance.
- I don’t want to leave it until it is too late.
- Work Life is about the balance of emotions, spiritual and personal relationships and work.
- I work on further concepts and buy his book.
Enjoy.
Don’t leave without your Blackberry Bold
Posted by Volker in personal, time management on October 20, 2009
Ok, might not be the best date to publish that video from Larry David (our 2nd wedding anniversary), but this is hilarious….and, my wife’s probably going to like it 
Blackberry Bold Review
Posted by Volker in personal, time management on August 27, 2009
I now had my Blackberry Bold for just over 2 weeks. Thanks to Vodafone, things got sorted and I absolutely love the Blackberry Bold. I had a Blackberry Curve for the past 18 months and without WiFi and proper 3G connection (I was with T-Mobile), it just wasn’t the same.
What I like about the Blackberry Bold is not only the slick design but the new outline of programmes, e.g. the way the desktop is presented. It comes with Vodafone SatNav free for 18 months. We tried it out and the first time it sent us in circles but the 2nd time it worked very well. So overall, that is great and save us getting a TomTom.
My first Blackberry Bold that got delivered didn’t work properly over the weekend and crashed a couple of times. I had to reset it and re-install the software several times. I then exchanged it and the new one hasn’t had any problems yet. Fingers crossed.
One drawback is the 128 MB limitation for applications. Blackberry Application downloader makes it easy for you to pick and chose applications for your Bold, but after I installed
- Gmail
- Facebook
- Bloomberg Mobile
- SatNav
- Blackberry Maps
- Weather Eye
I am now running at the limit already. And those programmes are what I consider the basics of what you need additionally to the applications that came preinstalled: the document readers so you can work on Office files on the go. However, they are not compatible with the new OfficeXP version. But another step up from the curve.
So my first facit is that the Bold could improve the capabilities of being a bit quicker, but then again any phone could be 
Then a bit more memory for applications. I was even asked to delete some preinstalled language support items to create more space. It is a shame that I cannot install as many applications as my colleagues can on their I-Phone. Surely, this is something Research in Motion (RIM, the maker of the Blackberry) will improve over time.
They really are stepping up the game, and have to, to take on Apple. However, I am a Blackberry Enthusiast and from the looks of it, will stay it for at least another 24 months.
new website live
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, change management, customer service, motivation, NLP, performance, SEM, spirituality and business, time management on December 29, 2008
Hello All,
My slightly revamped cb consulting website is live. What do you think?
Volker
shower curtain
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, house, personal, SEM, time management on November 7, 2008
Another sad story today.
As you know I am working for a multilingual search marketing agency. Whilst this blog is totally private and has nothing to do with my job (most of the time anyway), I wanted to show how work and life can fit together
It might be a sad, geeky thing to have, but my shower curtain is a world map. I got it so I know which countries are where. Also, it gives me inspiration of where we can sell our services or where we can expand our services.
Work life balance I guess 
Have a good Friday and a good weekend.
Organiser
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, personal, time management on October 30, 2008
IScribe? Online Organiser
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, personal, time management on October 26, 2008
All eager to put a new system in place for organising my life, I did a couple of things this weekend.
The influence of the seminar? Most certainly so!
I ordered a new diary for 2009 which allows me to have my weekly overview and plenty of notes on the other side. For less than £10 money worth spent! It should enable me to mind sweep any one time and transfer those notes directly into tasks whenever I am in my todo list.
The latter made me think. I am at work with Outlook, I am at home with my paper organiser and I do not want to log into my work emails all the time to add a personal appointment. There are a few things I could do.
However, I found something called IScribe that seems to solve the problem. An online/offline organiser that allows me to have todo lists, calendars and edit it whilst offline and then synchronises it when I am online. So I can have it at work, at home, on the plane – anywhere. And, it seems to sync with digital and non-digital organisers. Neat!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u3ekzwnYxw]
I now hope they soon take on more beta testers I registered anyway.
Let me know your experience with online organisers! I also use Plaxo which is a neat tool to sync your outlook and backup your contacts and tasks etc. However, you cannot use it offline, which I guess you don’t need to if you have your outlook installed. The premium version for less than £30 offers you even greater freedom.
I keep you updated, once I get IScribe, I think that will be the solution for all my problems Will it though, lol.
Have a great Sunday.
Volker
Seminar GTD (Getting Things Done) by David Allen
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, motivation, personal, time management on October 25, 2008
Hello, good morning.
Early for a Saturday, but my head is spinning full of ideas. Why? I went to David Allen’s seminar “Getting Things Done”. Wow!
David is an inspirational speaker and trainer. After reading his book I noticed that I have put 80% into practise and that I need another 20% to achieve excellence. I now know how – I just need to do it. How does it stick, how do you motivate yourself, and, how do you not lose that motivation.
Latter will be key, but is key to anything. Stopping smoking or starting to play Golf.
What is so good about GTD?
David developed his system over 25 years. Looking at it, it is simple. Baby Steps. All he does is breaking down purpose in live (50,000 feet), vision (40,000 feet), goals (30,000 feet), Area of Focus (20,000 feet), Projects (10,000 feet) into direct ACTIONS that then need tasking. And, he developed a great way of tasking in various categories, e.g. home, office, plane, calls etc.
The powerful way of combining control with perspective. Motivation with Coaching. Without trying to simplify, but there is the coaching aspect of setting goals and visions and breaking them down into steps/actions. There is the NLP component to motivate, organise and re-focus/re-frame actions. Also, you find the “normal” time management component of having the yearly, monthly, daily, hourly view of things.
So, could anyone have come up with the system? I think so. Sorry, David, that is not meant disrespectful. I guess I was too late to develop my personal system into a GTD and as a second to market it would not wor k Why should I anyway, I rather support yours!
David Allen is a great speaker, a great leader and inspiration of setting up your own system using the right tools. And, there are still the 20% I need to improve my system with. 20% is a lot! And, with things getting busier around business, I need to have this extra edge to free up more time to pursue my visions.
So, not only congratulations to David on inventing a system that works but also to teach it the way he does. I have a lot of respect for you!
Thanks
Volker
PS: if you have not read his book, you find it here.
How many web services do you need?
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, personal, time management on September 20, 2008
My friend Don K posted an article on Facebook and I would like to share this article with you.
It is about how many web services one person can use?
I agree. Looking at myself:
- at least 2 email addresses I check privately
- 1 email at work
- Balamadana
- Search Food
- Volker’s blurb
- Plaxo
And, if that was not enough, what about things like twitter or flickr. Should I or shouldn’t I? Do RSS Feed count? If so, add another 10 I read regularly and at least 10 on top occasionally. No wonder people complain about information overload. I of course forgot my personal homepage, too.
Then, the question is, do homepages count as web services? Somewhat I think yes, because you would want to update it as it is a personal profile on the web, isn’t it?
Be selective, I guess, is the way forward. Keep it simple. Focus on what you really need instead of trying to get as much information as possible.
As an example. The other day I registered for ALL newsletters from an US online magazine, Media Post. Then I got 20 emails a day and now cut it down to the 3 most important newsletters. You have to be very selective – by the way, good newsletters they are.
Let me know your views! Leave a comment.
work life balance
Posted by Volker in Buddhism, cb consulting, change management, health, motivation, performance, personal, time management on August 29, 2008
I think the last time I wrote about work life balance was regarding the entrepreneur and intrepreneur.
A thought I had was when I have been working from home, which happens occasionally, whether I have a better or worse work-life-balance.
And, the answer is difficult. I remember that studying for my MBA we discussed that if you work from home, you should get your own room/desk and area in the house. This way you could “go home” after work and relax, e.g. getting your life.
However, for me as an occasional “working from home” person, it is not that easy. A small house with only one proper desk, it is like you are in your living room all day.
Often, when I discuss that with clients, I get the answer of “I would get too distracted at home” – I agree, some people can. For me it is usually the other way around:
I get up my usual time and sit on the laptop about one hour earlier than I usually do. Then, from a lunch point of view, I eat whatever is around and never really feel hungry, ergo do not have a proper break until the late afternoon. Which is, when I go back to my desk and deal with some work over in the US and end up shutting down the laptop around 7 or 8 pm.
Wow, that makes it a full 11 hour day (only noticed that now). And, my way home is quick. I just sit on the other side of the table and end up being home
Now, there are two sides to that:
I personally get more distracted by work than by home, e.g. I enjoy working and what I do, so end up working more at home but cannot really escape work physically. But, I have enough confidence to turn things off if it is getting too much.
Finding the right balance is important. And, as long as you enjoy the work you are doing, working from home occassionally is fine. However, I actually enjoy being in the office too – even if I am alone in the office. Just to get away from home Is that double minded?
I read “big brother’s” comment about life-life balance. There are so many discussions about what is right or wrong and I believe nothing is right or wrong as long as it works for you (and ultimately for the person you work for). If you cannot turn off the laptop when it’s time and you cannot turn off your blackberry when needed, then you do need to work on your priorities. You need to enjoy what you are doing, that is really the key.
Some more Buddhist thoughst on life-life balance can be found at balamadana.
Enjoy a relaxing weekend.
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