How to Plan Your Day

On average adults sleep for 7-8 hours a day and16-17 hours spent being awake. You would think that these 16-17 hours of being awake in the day would be enough time to get what you need to do done and sorted? Well for many of us this isn't the case and in fact is very easy for us to not get what we need to have done. Often we start with the intentions to get a lot of things done, but as the day passes us by and we keep delaying to do what needs doing, at the end of the day it feels as if we have wasted our time. It's having the self-discipline to go through with what needs doing and the sought after skill of being able to manage your time effectively that you will be able to produce productive days.
This is where a daily plan can be of use and of help to you to assist you with your daily-life, and is something that I would strongly recommend.

1. It may seem like a plan is a waste of time but it isn't.

It's no good deciding to make a plan if you think it's a rubbish idea and is a waste of time because you are more than likely not going to be able to properly commit to it and not be so strict upon yourself about sticking to it. If you are wanting to set-up a daily plan then make sure before you start it that you know the reasons why you want to have a plan and how it is going to benefit you - this will help to keep you focused upon sticking to your plan and following it through.

Having a daily plan will mean that you will never forget what needs doing, whether that's get some milk from the shop or to put the rubbish out, you won't forget as it will be laid out for you to see - so you will never have any need to remember what to do either.
You will also be able to sort through your tasks and decide which ones would be more effective to do at certain times and how they would be of better use of your time. Another thing is that you will often get through your daily jobs/chores/commitments etc a lot quicker than you usually would as you have everything laid out for you to see, you know exactly whats needs doing at any given moment.

2. Write your plan the night before

It's no good writing out a plan for your day on the day because you are using up valuable time when you could be being productive. There are people who do do this and can still make good use of there time, but creating a detailed plan taking 30 minutes or so is best done the night before. Evenings are also at the end of a day when more people have some a little extra free-time.
If you are not able to do it the evening before then do it at another part of your day when you are free, as long as it's the day before.

For me personally mornings are when I'm feeling the most productive and so I like to get up and get straight-on with the day and am not wanting to sit down and plan what I have to do for the day during my most productive time. Also if you start the day getting straight onto what needs doing chances are you will be more likely to continue as you are in that frame of mind to get things done.

3. Be strict about what you need to get done

Be strict with yourself about what needs to get done and write down all of the tasks that are a MUST for the day. These become your no.1 priority jobs to get completed. Next write down tasks that need to be done but aren't quite as important as your priority tasks.
Doing your priority tasks is of importance as they are things that you NEED to get done, other less important tasks that need to be done aren't as important to get done but are nice to see completed. Doing what you NEED to do and not what you want to do will lead to more productive days and you will be thankful for it.

4. Set mini plans for individual tasks

Once you have your plan set in place for the next day, try expanding upon it and going into more depth with each task, creating a sort of miniature plan for each one. This will mean staying productive and getting through each task will become all the more easier for you. 
An obvious example is with shopping - creating a shopping list. This will enable you to go through the store at a quicker rate and also helping you to not forget the things that you need to buy. 

Now I'll give you a personal example. I use my phone to help schedule my daily events and plans, on which I put most things. One of the things I put on is 'work' and also 'prepare for work'. I schedule in time to get myself ready for work and also have a further list which tells me exactly what I need to do. So for instance I have listed: get dressed for work, name badges, pen, bottle of water, wallet, etc. I do have more things listed on there that I do but it gives you an idea. I've seen an improvement to the time it takes me to get ready for work since following a list, allowing me to go from one thing to the next with ease and never forgetting to do anything. :)

5. Chunking

This is an effective technique that a lot of schedule-users like to implement as it allows you to make better use of your time. Chunking is where you group tasks into groups where you can then get them all out of the way at once. For example: You may need to go food shopping (with the help of your list) and you may also need to pick up your children from school which is near to the shops. So you could go food shopping and then pick up your children saving you from having to make two journeys. I also put shopping before picking the kids up as I know shopping with children can be a little stressful sometimes. :)
So have a look through your daily plan and see what you could chunk together to get out of the way on one clean swoop.

6. Plan larger tasks over a longer amount of time

Now you may have a large task on your plan that you know is going to take a lot longer to complete. It may be a task that will take over your day and prevent you from being able to complete your other tasks. Something you can do to make these larger tasks more manageable and still enable you to carry on with your other tasks is to split it into more manageable pieces, spread out over maybe a few days, or longer. You will have more energy for when you tackle the task each time and will be easier for you to stay motivated towards the task.  

Choosing the Right Chrsitmas Gift

We're coming near to the end of 2012 and it's another year that has yet again flown by at an astonishing rate. Of course now we're at this stage in the year Christmas is now facing us and with it comes the dreaded (well not for some) Christmas-shopping. 

Some people are great at Christmas shopping and manage to do it all way before Christmas comes along, in fact, I'm sure those people have done it by now (maybe there's some who are reading this post), and then there are others that aren't as good at Christmas shopping (I fall into this category). 

For me personally my problem is not leaving it until the last minute but instead with trying to find the right gift for someone. And it's not just me who has this problem of finding what to get someone as many go through this same experience. So I thought as Christmas is close to arriving I would write a post including some tips to help choose the right Christmas gift for someone. 

1. Get something that they're into 

This seems like common sense but many of us still ignore it or have done in the past. If you choose a gift and it has nothing to do with what that person likes - don't get it...simple. 

For example: If you're buying a present for someone who hates sport and never likes to immerse him/herself into the sporting world, don't go and buy them something like a football or a rugby-ball. Instead get them something they're more likely to appreciate.

2. Ask them what their interests are

If you already know the persons interests then ignore this tip but if not then read on. After deciding to get them something that is of interest to them you next need to find out what these interests are so you will at least know what sort of area to search in, and that at least will narrow it down a bit. 

3. Watch out for hints

Sometimes people will drop hints (normally this is family or partners who do this) so watch out for them. If you hear this person mentioning about something that they want or mentioning a particular thing on more than one occasion, it may be hint. It may be something as subtle as "so what do you think of this" and if you know that this person knows that you would never want this thing, then it could be a little hint for what they want. 

4. Ask them what they want

Even though most people will not tell you what they want as they would feel rude, there are some people who will answer your question with an honest answer. I like it when a person just flat out tells me what they want as I know exactly what to get them...unless it is too expensive in which case I don't like it. :) 
On the other hand it also ruins the element of surprise.

5. Be Observant

When buying someone a gift (or in this case planning to buy a gift) it's useful for you to use your observational skills. Maybe this person's shoes have seen better days or maybe they've always given compliments about something that you own? Being observant can often be the difference between buying a good gift instead of a not so good one, however it is always nice of someone to give, whatever the gift - unless it's meant in an offensive fashion. 

Conclusion

I'm sure that whoever it is you are buying a Christmas gift for will be grateful for whatever it is that you do decide to buy them and hopefully with these tips it will be something good. :)

The Problems of Hastiness

Whilst hastiness can be a sign of enthusiasm, often it just creates mistakes and errors. How many of us have said to ourselves: "I wish I hadn't done that", or "If only I had just taken the time to think". I'm guessing a lot of us have, it's a very common thing to do, which is why it can be so problematic.

A proverb you may want to consider is: 'Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth'. - Proverbs 19:2. While some of you who read this aren't Christians, I think it can still be agreed upon, that this is a good principle to apply in our lives.

That if we're hasty and if we're without knowledge, we're going to make mistakes. 

Now a proverb is a generally true statement, and I'm not suggesting that every time someone is hasty something bad happens, but on the vast majority of time - this is a true statement.

You may be thinking, 'I've heard things like this before, I don't need them as I'm not going to make mistakes'. Inevitably you will, we all will, and that's why we need to think about what we do before we act.

So often we want to be in on the action, and want to part of what's happening now. Whilst caught up in the moment we don't think about the consequences until it's too late.

I know many of you who are reading this (and myself included), have learnt from previous mistakes, in fact it's one of the best ways to learn. However, when it comes to being hasty, there's something that always catches us out, always trips us up. We don't only have to learn from our mistakes, but from the mistakes of others as-well.

Some of the things I've done in the past as a result of hastiness and lack-of knowledge of the situation, makes me cringe to think about, and I can think of many different (and much better) ways I could have gone about handling the situation.

The next time your faced with a decision, however small or large it may be, really have a good think about what you're doing. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What Are The Costs? 

There might be no immediate costs that cross your mind at first, and it's not just financial cost I'm talking about. 

Relationships with those around us, spiritual relationships, personal costs, and the emotional costs. Consider it carefully, even if you consider it to be a calculated risk.

I had some grandparents who owned a chain of businesses and funeral directors, and they were offered a deal into some hotels. These hotels would have made them millionaires, however, there was only a tiny chance of the deal falling through. Even though the positive outweighed the negative by far, after my grandparents went through with the deal, it did fall through and they lost everything.

2. What do Others Think? 

It's always good (where possible) to get someone else's idea and opinion. Don't choose someone who normally makes hasty decisions themselves and would tell you to go ahead with your plan, only stopping to think about the costs later. Instead, go to somebody who you know normally makes the right choices and seek their counsel.

You can also think about the situations of others you've heard about or know of, that are similar to yours and what happened to them as a result of their decisions.

3. Pros and Cons 

Try to get into the habit of weighing the positives and negatives of every decision you make. This will help you make the right decisions (if you do it wisely).

First go through all the pros, thinking about them hard, and asking yourself if they're really worth it. If they are, then go over to the negatives, and ponder upon them. If you have a gut instinct that tells you that the negatives outweigh the positive - don't do it.

Also, when you're first going through the pros, and you feel that they're not really worth going along with, then don't do it.

If you've done step 1, then you'll probably have a good idea what the negatives are already.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng shui is a Chinese system of geomancy and is thought to improve ones life by receiving (because of feng shui) positive qi (chi).

Feng shui has been used for structures, dwellings and tombs. Since being almost silenced in the 1960's (because of the cultural revolution), it has recently once again gained popularity.

The astronomical history of feng shui is seen in the astronomical instruments that were used. In accordance with Zhouli the original feng shui instrument could have been the gnomon. 

Rituals for using a feng shui instrument required a person to examine current sky phenomena and state, to set the device and adjust their position in relation to the device. The magnetic compass was later invented for the purpose of feng shui.

The goal of feng shui is to take advantage of vital qi by appropriate sighting of graves and structures. In pre-modern China, Yin feng shui (for tombs) had as much importance as Yang feng shui (for homes). For both types one had to determine direction by observing the skies.

Here is a building that has had feng shui incorporated into its design:

The Origin of Feng Shui

While Feng shui's origin is not precisely known, there is a good probability that it was during the Hongshan culture and Yangshao period, which provide the earliest evidence for the use of feng shui.

Feng shui used to rely on astronomy before the invention of the compass.

All capital cities in China (beginning with palatial structures at Erlitou) used rules of feng shui for their design and layout. Graves and tombs also followed the rules of Feng shui (including Mawangdui and Puyang).


I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

11 Tips to Revise Effectively

I hate exams (like a lot of us), and even worse is when I have no idea what any of the answers are. In a position like this it's not surprising to see an end result of a fail or a very low score.

Revising can prevent this feeling (or at least help you to feel more confidant during the exam). I once heard from a academic that anyone can pass an exam with good marks, it just depends if and how they revise.

As I have a few electrical exams coming up and a music theory exam as-well, I thought it would be a good idea to share some revising tips and which one I find the best.

1. Summary Papers 

I thought I would start with my preferred method of revision, and that is to make summarised notes on a page. About 80% (or sometimes more) of the information that we take in when learning is useless, and only 20% (or less) being the key parts. So with this in mind, I divide the page into two long sections (A4 paper,) and start making subtitles with the key points underneath.

The summaries of each sub-heading may take up only a few lines, maybe a whole page, maybe more, the main thing is that you're just noting down the important exam points.

For my last main exams I took (all about electrics), I had only 12 sides of A4 summary pages to revise - which beats reading through books upon books in my opinion.  

2. No Distractions 

However good a multitasker you think you are, you wont be able to revise effectively with noise and interruptions (e.g. the t.v.).

In order to concentrate fully on the information you're trying to absorb, quietness is the best way to go.

If you're in a position where it wont be possible to revise quietly, then more revision will have to be done so you can ground the information into your mind.

I have heard however that baroque music helps while studying. Here's the link to the page: Music moves brain.  

3. Questioning 

Get your friends and family members to question you, particularly the parts you're struggling with. This is a great memorisation technique.

4. Past exam papers 

Past papers are an excellent resource for revision and definitely help if done correctly.

When I did this in the past I would go back over my test (once completed) and tally up all my wrong answers. I then would correct myself mentally and say the right answers out-loud before proceeding to redo the whole test. I would repeat this process until I had no answers incorrect. I did about sixteen different practice exams in this style, It was long and hard but I think I achieved 100% for the exam I took.

5. Study-buddy

Despite the sub-heading it doesn't just have to be just one person you have to study with, it could be a whole group. 

This can be really beneficial as questions will be thrown this way and that way, resulting in acquired exam knowledge.

The downside is that you may be tempted to muck around, but if you're all serious about revising then it should be fine.

6. Take breaks 

Breaks are essential for optimizing the time you spend revising. You are human like the rest of us and our brains become fatigued if pushed too far. This is why short regular intervals are necessary. Whilst you take these breaks, get a drink of water to keep you hydrated and some fruit for those essential vitamins.

A rough guideline to when one should take these breaks is up to oneself, I suggest every 45-60 minutes.

7. Mind maps 

For people who are visual learners mind maps are great. Choose a heading to start with, place it in the middle of your page and branch off sub-headings from it. Then sub-headings from the sub-heading etc.

Personally they're not my style but for a lot of people they work really well.

8. Diagrams and sketches 

Another great one for visual learners is the inclusion of colour, pictures, diagrams, sketches and the like, can really help to solidify the points in your mind.

9. Repetition 

It's a sensible to decide to revise, however if you're going to revise just the once, chances are that you're not going to remember a lot in the exam. Repetition and consistency must be used in order for you to reach and maintain your peak amount of knowledge on the subject.

If you want to I have a previous post about self-discipline for reading.

10. Revise in plenty of time 

Don't put revising off when you know that you have an exam coming up. Force yourself to study, you'll find that once you start it isn't as bad as you were expecting it to be. Quite often the worst part about revising is thinking about revising.

On the day of the exam you'll be glad you did that revision.

11. Revision cards 

Create your own pocket-sized revision cards to carry around. Whenever you have some downtime take out your cards and read them over. For example: on a train, on a bus, whilst in a queue etc.

If only one thing sticks in your mind afterwards, then it's time well spent, after all it is during downtime.

Like I said at the start, exams are hated by many of us and can bring misery about. If you do revise though with one of the above study methods or a different way that works for you you'll do better.

Remember, you're not the only one who's ever been under this amount of stress.

If anyone who's reading this is taking an exam of some sort, I wish you good luck.

15 Mistakes to Avoid in an Interview

When lucky enough to be asked to attend a job interview, you have confidence that you were invited for a reason. Out of a group of people, you and a few others have made it this far. 

Now all you have to do is impress the interviewer(s) and you're home and dry with a job in hand... This is what you want to happen, however mistakes are very easily made in a high-pressure interrogation and can cost you the job.

One big, simple error, and you can't take it back. It hangs over you for the rest of the interview, probably causing you to make further and maybe even bigger mistakes.

1. No Research 

Having an understanding of the business you're hoping for employment in is essential. The history, future goals, different branches (if they have any). It shows the interviewer that you have come prepared and that you are serious about wanting to join the company.

2. Inappropriate attire 

How you dress will give a big impression to an interviewer, it will be the first thing they see after-all and whatever people may say, first impressions are lasting ones. So when attending a job interview, dress slightly more on the conservative side than normal, as-well as making sure your clothes are clean.

Jewellery can put people off also, this is not only true of women, but men as-well. 

3. No questions 

Near the end of the interview, nearly every interviewer you will ever see will ask if you have any questions. This is a great chance to make a lasting impression, and sadly is often neglected. Good questions can often lead to a job. (Although it is also dependant on how well your first part of the interview went). :)

If you want an idea on some of the questions to ask, then go ahead and take a look at this previous post: 10 Vital questions to ask in a job interview.

4. No eye-contact 

When the interviewer is talking to you, and you're staring at the floor or at the surroundings of the room, it will come across as rude and will make you look as though you are disinterested.

Practice keeping eye-contact with people you interact with usually, as-well as new acquaintances. (This is something I've had trouble with, and sometimes still do).

5. Lying 

If you're asked about something you don't know about, or the topic of conversation has moved to something that has caught you off-hand, just be honest and say that you don't know.

Employers will be glad of your honesty and hate it when employees lie to them, so don't give them that reason not to choose you for the job.

Besides, you could offer your opinion on the matter and could express what you would do to solve the problem - so it's not as bad as you may think.

6. Mobile phones ringing 

Before you enter the interview room, make sure your phone is off! The interviewer will find it very disrespectful and rude for you to disrupt the interview by having to switch off your phone.

7. Asking about salary early on 

Asking for the salary too early into the interview will reveal that you are only interested in the job for the money. Inquiring about the salary should be done in a gentle manner towards the end of the interview, if at all, to avoid bad impressions.

8. Professionalism 

Most interviewers will want you to feel comfortable and relaxed, but try to remain professional throughout. Don't border over into the personal realm, but give the appearance of someone who your interviewer would want to hire.

9. Prepare answers 

Prepare for obvious staple questions such as: "Why do you want to work here?", or "What skills could you bring to the team?"

Of course there will be some slightly peculiar questions which you will have to face blind, but prepare for the things you can expect to see. Who knows, you might be able to draw some of your answers from these staple questions, into the harder more difficult questions.

10. Punctuality 

Turning up late to an interview is a huge mistake and will almost immediately destroy any possible chance you have of getting the job.
Try reading my post on: 15 Steps to improve punctuality.

11. Checking the time 

Whilst you are inside the interview procedure, try your best (however tempting) to avoid glancing at the clock in the room or your watch. If the interviewer catches you doing this, they will think that you're bored and are wanting to be other places.

12. Fidgeting 

Don't fidget. It's distracting for the employer and can be seen as a result of anxiety, stress and nerves. An employer would rather have a still employee rather than a fidgety one.

13. Speaking about other interviews 

While it's good for you to know that you have more than one possibility of a job, an interviewer will not share your opinion. Why would they want to employ someone, who is likely to or is possibly going to be employed somewhere else.

14. Murmuring 

Murmuring or speaking in a fashion where the interviewer won't be clear about what your saying, can be very off putting. An interviewer will soon get fed up of asking you to repeat yourself, and will want to see the back of you.
If you're interested, I've written a post about developing articulation.

15. Don't over-explain 

When delivering a response, it wants to be straight to the point with no nonsense. Making it as short but as informative as possible is the way to go (unless a question needs a longer answer). Once your point has been made, don't over-explain yourself. It can come across as patronising and could cause you to trip over previous words.

12 Ways to stay organized

Organisation is a great tool that is taught by businesses, professional organisers and the like. The reason for this is because of its effectiveness.

When getting down to the root of what being organised is, is that it is really an instrument for improving time-management and lifting morale.

When disorganisation and clutter becomes a normal obstacle that you have to put up with daily, it can affect your emotions. 

Frustration, stress and mild depression, can be triggered or made worse from total disorganisation.

All you need though, is to have the right guidelines and rules in place for beating this common horror.

1. De-clutter 

Clutter is one of the #1 reasons why it seems like an impossibility to become organized.

It's very easy to convince yourself that you need to keep a useless item, when in fact you wouldn't think about it twice if it were gone. 

Go through one area at a time, and completely remove all unnecessary clutter. You will need to be really strict with yourself, and will be glad because of it afterwards.

2. Make Decisions 

Not making decisions straight away, or not coming back to them, can result in clutter. For example: a t-shirt that should have been put away; a letter that should have been posted; documents that needed to be shredded. It all mounts up, leaving you in a very big hole to climb out of.

3. Plan 

Planning ahead is something that will take a few minutes or more (depending on the scale of the plan), but can save you hours later on. Having the foresight to be able to know what possible difficulties may arise and knowing how to handle them is brilliant for organization.

It could be in the form of a schedule, a planner, a list, a calendar, or of something similar.

4. Allocate items to places 

Now you have to decide which things go where. Put things where they are easily accessible, for example: Washing liquid/powder next to the washing machine; cooking pots and pans next to stove/oven; trainers and shoes by the door; stationary on your desk etc.

This may seem like common sense, but is not the habit for everyone.

Another thing I do, is to put items that I use often, all in one place.

The placement of your items is up to you.

5. Create systems 

Being organized doesn't just mean being tidy, it also means to catalogue and to categorise. So lay out a logical system (in different areas) that enables you to find and/or research something with ease.

For example: Organising books from the largest to smallest, or into alphabetical order; file documents into categories or names, or alphabetically like the books.

Start with the organisation of the most important things, and then work you way around until every area is completed. Your most important, could be files on your computer and your least important, could be your garden. For other people however, this could be completely the opposite.

6. Spare space 

Designate an area that has some spare space (a table for example), for items that you need to put away. This will mean that misplacement will decrease, as you're not forcing yourself to quickly find a spot to put something when you're busy. 

You can come back to it and sort it out when you have spare time. (Rule #12 is a good thing to use).

7. Layout 

Not all things are in your best interest to tuck away, so that you have to spend a couple of minutes just getting to it. 

Some things will need to be laid out (such as stationary on your desk). This is not an excuse however, to allow things to get messy. You can still be tidy and organized when things are laid out, they're purpose is for convenience only.

8. Get productive 

Improve your productivity, allowing you to get more done in a shorter amount of time. If you want to read more on this, then I encourage you to check out two previous posts of mine: 21 Ways to boost productivity and What is time-boxing.

9. Follow-through 

What's the point of having a schedule; planner or to-do list, if you're not going to follow through with them? Remove distractions and obstacles, and get yourself committed to completing your goals.

10. Be conscious of the time 

I talked about this in my last post (15 Steps to improve punctuality), encouraging the awareness of the time. 

Having a knowledge of the time will tell you if you're on schedule, or if you're wasting time. Try placing clocks in areas you are likely to acknowledge them and if you have more than one, set them all to the same time.

11. Replacement 

Once you're organized, a very easy but often a put off thing to do, is to place things back where you got them. Do not let yourself say "it's only one thing, it won't hurt". This attitude will send you back to square one. All these one-off's will mount up and you will be in a big hole for the second time. 

If you do have to leave something out, for you to put away later, then use rule #6.  

12. Maintenance 

One day every week, set aside a period of time in which you can re-establish your organisation. When people are organized, a habit that tends to develop, is letting themselves get back into old habits. I suppose old habits die hard.

This is why having a session every week will help you stay on top of it and not it on top of you. Deal with it while it's a small problem before it becomes an even bigger one.

10 Vital Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

If you're lucky enough to be invited to a job interview, you know that you must have been one of the few that have stood out. Now you have fewer people to contend with, but a higher standard to rise to.

Job interviews are highly competitive, with only the best of the candidates getting there. Your job now is to impress the prospective employer more than anyone else does - this can be tough and so research is needed.

For this post however, I will be focusing mainly on the latter part of the interview - the questions. In whatever job you manage to get an interview for, the chance for you to inquire further, is normally always offered.

Not everyone asks questions because they can't think of one there and then on the spot, and this is what (a lot of employers say) can ruin the chance of getting the job.

A bit of preparation on your part however, can go a long way and will be made manifest during the interview.(Hopefully).

Update: I have now wrote a post about '15 Mistakes to avoid in an interview'.

1. "What exactly would my responsibilities be?" 

Before you accept any job, you should be clear of your responsibilities and roles, as well as the tasks that you would be required to take on.

It is very easy to pick up a false view of what the job is going to be like, so asking about it will either confirm or re-evaluate your assumptions. It also allows you and the interviewer to have a mutual understanding.

If you're still not sure, or they give a vague answer, politely follow up with a few more questions.

2. "What would be your ideal candidate?" 

This will reveal important information to know what is expected. Unlike question #1 though, this will give more of a guideline for the quality of the work and the characteristics of the employee.

A similar question to ask instead of or as well as this one is: "What are the 3 most important things you're looking for in an employee?"

3. "What possible opportunities are there for advancement?" 

This allows you to get an insight to the skills that you may acquire in the future, but also (more importantly) gives the interviewer the impression that you are looking to stay for the long term and have an aspiration in helping the company.

4. "What do you most enjoy about working here?" 

Remember that your interviewer is not just here to belittle or intimidate you, but is a human-being who will understand what it's like to sit where you are. This person or these people, could be the way the window you need to get your foot in the door of the company.

Getting their views and insights to your possible future work placement, will give you more of a feeling for the company and maybe the team morale.

If you wanted, you could address this question from a different view-point. For example: "What would you, if anything, change about the company?".

5. "What qualities would I need to work well with other team-members?"  

Employers really like to see teamwork because of its necessity in the working atmosphere. Showing that you are thinking about this essential skill is great for the interviewer to recognise. 

Instead of asking point #2, you may feel that this one would be better suited, as you are still getting an insight to what is expected of you. Or it could be a follow-up question to #2 - it's up to you.

6. "Do you think I have any possible weaknesses?" 

It might sound a bit direct, but is a fair question to ask. If they don't, then you could ask: "is there any reservation why I wouldn't be offered the job"?

If they do then say a few points of concern, then you have a chance to put their mind at ease. Talk to them about previous experiences that can prove to them that their fears are unnecessary and that you would be totally committed to the job.

If when asking the original question, they do have some issues, then (like above) just go straight ahead and put their issues to bed. 

7. "Can you describe a typical working day?"  

This question will help you to understand the amount of time you are expected to spend on each task, with the insight to what you're expected to do. (Similar to question #1).

8. "How soon do you expect to make hiring decisions?" 

This should be asked nearer the end of the interview, and gives you a time-period in which you can make any follow-up calls.

It's likely that you'll have other job prospects in mind, so knowing when they're likely to be hiring is important. You can then evaluate other job prospects as appropriate.

9. "What are the most challenging aspects concerning this position?"

Getting a look into what the interviewer sees as potential difficulties (or what he knows from experience) is beneficial. If anything, it shows you are wanting to know all you can about the job, but it also opens the floor for you to reassure them that you are more than capable of handling these laborious tasks. 

10. "Can I contact you if I have any further questions?" 

This is a great way to close the interview, normally leaving a lasting impression.

Along with question #8, you can ask these further questions in the time frame he/she has given you regarding hiring decisions.

It's also a chance to give them your contact details again, psychologically leaving a bit more weight to your name.

15 Steps to improve punctuality

Arriving consistently late all the time or on a regular basis, can cause tension among family, friends, work colleagues and bosses. (Which can get you fired in some cases).

You convince yourself that you have no time to do anything and are always trying to cram as much as you can into your schedule. I know what you feel like, at one point, our family was late nearly everywhere. I can remember one case clearly, when we were meeting up with some friends, and they had been waiting about an hour before we arrived. 

Now we seem to be doing okay and are managing to get to places on time or early.

Normally it will start out as being late by a couple of minutes one or two times, and as time goes on, slowly transforming into a monstrous habit that has you trapped and unable to escape!

That may be going slightly over the top, but the point I'm trying to make is that once you develop this bad habit - it can be hard to get out of. Luckily there are some easy steps and guidelines that you can use to get your time-keeping back on track.

1. Schedule 

I've stressed the benefits of having a good solid schedule in place before, so I'll refer you to a previous post of mine which explains it better than I think I'll end up writing here. :)

2. Analysis 

As you carry out your day-to-day life, keep a record of all the things you do. If possible, it would be even better if you could keep a note of time lengths in representation of the different things you do. 

Record for 7 days, and then have a look over them afterwards. This is where you get an insight to what you really spend your time doing.

You can decide which things are not needed or are lower down in priority, as well as looking to see if you can shorter the time you waste.

3. Deadlines 

Deadlines are horrible, in this case however, they aren't so bad. When you know that you have an appointment to get to or a planned arrangement, set yourself a deadline in which everything is to have stopped by then.

This could be something like 15 minutes before you have to leave, allowing yourself a chance to get ready.

If you don't want to set yourself a timed deadline, just stop at an appropriate time a bit before when you should be leaving. Be strict with yourself!

4. Aim to be early 

When you have somewhere to be, instead of leaving on the last minute or later, try leaving earlier. Leaving earlier will compensate for unforeseen obstacles such as traffic or diversions.

If it's to do with work, showing up early can leave a lasting impression (a good one).

It can also allow you to sometimes start sooner on arrival of your destination. For example: If you're meeting with other parties and you arrive early, and they arrive early, you can get things running sooner....unless if they have a problem with punctuality.

5. The value of time 

Learning to value and understand the time you have will lead to natural better time-keeping. You will be able to realise the importance of the time you have each day, making use of time that would otherwise be wasted.

With this new understanding, you can plan around appointments with much more ease, naturally allowing yourself to get to places on time.

6. Commute time 

Prior to the finalisation of the designated time that you need to leave by, estimate the approximate commute time. If it is an unfamiliar route, leave yourself more time. Also keep in mind possible hold-ups along the way, so point #3 will maybe tie in here.

The ability to be able to place a time value on a journey will develop as time is manifested (long term wise), building upon the foundations of  step #5. 

7. Plan before-hand 

If you're not a fan of schedules, then just incorporate a list of things you have to do before leaving for the prepared meeting. 

Normally I find that planning the night before is the most effective, making use of down time you are likely to have. Or you could write a quick plan in the mornings, though this isn't something I'm a fan of, as I like to get started as soon as I get up and already have a plan set in place.

Being prepared is a key element in upgrading personal punctuality.

8. Early Riser 

If you're late because of the huge amount of things you have to get done, then try getting up earlier. Like with the schedule in point #1, I've also done a post showing the benefits of being an early riser.

9. Forward the clocks 

I know this sounds strange, but forwarding all of your clocks by five or ten minutes can help in getting to places on time.

The main clock that we run by in my house is about 7 minutes fast, and makes a surprising amount of difference to our punctuality. Although the tendency can be to then say to ourselves: "We don't have to go just yet, we still have another five minutes or so".

10. Minor jobs the night before 

Similar to point #7, but instead of planning out your whole day, do minor tasks for the day. For example: Make lunches if going somewhere, pack bags and clothes, get the clothes you are going to wear ready etc.

11. Wear the other shoes 

If you are meeting up with someone, try to position yourself in their shoes. Try to understand what it must feel like to have to wait around bored out of your mind. Having this empathy will cause you to speed up.

If you're consistently late, some people may reduce or stop making arrangements with you because of the fact they may need to get on with other things which could be done instead of waiting for you!

12. Time conscious 

Although it's great to use all of these other techniques, if you're not conscious of the time, you can (and most probably will) overrun the time and end up being late. 

Set all of your clocks to the same time, get a watch (even just a £1 one, it still keeps the time), set an alarm signalling the final ten minutes to go. Make sure you're always conscious of the time.

The amount of times I've been getting ready to go somewhere, looking at the time and realising that I have only 5 minutes left - I would rather forget. :(

13. Avoid the T.V  

If you have things to do, do not allow yourself to watch the t.v. T.V is one of the biggest time wasters in our modern lives, and is extremely easy to get sucked in for an hour or more. So whatever you do - avoid the t.v.   

14. Read and wait 

It can be really boring getting somewhere early and having to wait, so arriving early may be put off. If you have something to do however (like read a book), then you'll find that these periods of time will go much quicker.

15. Organisation 

A main reason for jobs and tasks to be done slower than expected, is disorganisation. 

Not being organised and having things all over the place, can lead to huge delays, e.g you can't find your car keys or that important document.

Keep major items in allocated places, so that when you need them there and then, you can whizz straight over and get them.

6 Rules for remembering lists

Lists are used, so that we don't have to remember what we need to do, or the things we need to get. 

They are most frequently used in shopping, helping people fly around the shop at twice the speed.

What do you do if you forget your list?, Or don't even write one in the first place?

This is where remembering a list can be useful. Once you get better memorising lists, and take less time to store it in your mind, you wont even need to write a list any more. 

We have the capability to retain a huge amount of information, and still have the space to learn more. How we go about doing that, can largely effect how well we store the information and the ability to recall that information.

There are many different methods for remembering things, though there are only a handful or less that will work for you as an individual. You just need to stick with the one that suits how you think about things.

1. Link story. 

The link story method, is one of the easiest and one of the most well known memory tricks in the book. 

The concept is to make associations from one thing to the next, linking them via a mental story.

Quite often, the weirder and wilder the story, the more likely you are to remember it. 

For example: Say you have three items on a list (small list for example purpose), a banana, some bird feed and a football, and you have to try and link them together. The story I would think of, would be as follows: a person playing football, slips on a banana and lands in some bird feed. Or an even wilder story could be: a person is playing football on a banana boat, which is floating in a sea of bird feed.

Association will help build mental links in your brain, aiding in memorisation.

The length of the list, will depend on how far you are willing to go: 10 items, 20 items, 50 items, 100 items..

2. Number association. 

This is similar to the last technique, but this time you give each of your items a number. After assigning a number to each thing on your list, just try to remember them in order. 

For example #1.Elephant, #2.Lion, #3.Gorilla, #4.pen, #5.Niagara falls etc. 

This technique is harder than the previous one, but is a very simple trick. Repetition is the key.

An alteration of this is the alphabet association, substituting numbers the letters of the alphabet. When you get over 26, 27 will become AA, 28 will become AB, 29 will become AC etc. 

3. Number shapes. 

This is an okay technique, I don't particularly like it because of its frigidity. The technique involves allocating a thing on your list to a number that looks similar to it. Some examples of this would be: 1. candlestick; 2. swan; 3 heart (top bit of the heart); 4...

4. Picture allocation. 

This technique needs preparation, but only needs the main preparation to be done once. This requires you to think of a picture and designate it to a number (ignore your list at the moment). 

Once delegated, that picture will always be that number. For example: You might decide to allocate a tower to #1, a tidal wave to #2, they can be anything you want, but just as long as you can remember them.

Now when going through your list of things, and depending on their number in the list, will depend on which picture you link to. 

For example: Say that your first item was a chess-set, and your second item was some BBQ sauce. Link them to your already predetermined pictures. So you would link a chess-set to a tower (being picture #1) and BBQ sauce to a tidal wave (picture #2).

This is similar to method #1, but you have permanent picture to allocate your things too. It will however take a bit of time to remember the permanent pictures, but after, will be a lot easier to do.

5. Number pegs. 

This system requires you to imagine a coat peg, or any other peg that can hold things up. Once you have a firm image of the coat peg in your mind, look to your list of things. The things at the bottom of your list will be the things on the bottom of your imagery coat peg, and the things at the top of your list, will be at the top of your coat peg.

As you go through your list, imagine your filled coat peg, only being able to get to the next thing by removing the thing in front of it off the peg. Try to then remember putting the things back on the peg, in reverse order to how you took them off - that's tricky to do.

6. Journey method

This is a powerful method and is a variation of #4, but easier to remember depending on your chosen journey.

You will be choosing a journey and assigning each thing on your list to a particular location. It's a good idea to memorise your journey beforehand.

Once done, just link a thing on your list to a certain stage of your journey.

For example: 1. Bedroom - apples, 2. stairs - coffee, 3. front door - fill car with petrol etc..

This example is using a familiar route to me, as I can clearly imagine the route. You can imagine though, the headache you may get if you plan a journey around the whole of the world. So it's best if you use a familiar journey, unless you're up for more of a challenge.

10 Rules to Improve Time-Management

Time management is a quality and skill that many of us pick up because of it's importance in our lives, however, it's not always used efficiently.

If you have ever felt that you have more things to do than you have time, or that you're wasting a lot of the day, then time management can be a potent tool in your arsenal.

When learning a skill like time management, perseverance and determination is needed otherwise bad practices can slowly creep in and damage the effectiveness of your personal management of time.

You may not be able to productively use all of these tips because they just don't work for you, but maybe just one or two. Stick to the methods that work best for you, making full use of your day.

A few benefits of time management

• Increased productivity,
• Better use of time, 
• Easier to meet deadlines,
• Better organisation,
• Ability to plan ahead,
• Improved concentration.

1. Schedule 

Having a schedule enables you to have a clear outline and understanding of the day's objectives. They can aid hugely in productivity and motivation. You will also be warned about any upcoming deadlines and the amount of time you can invest into them.   

2. Lists 

A sub category of a schedule, lists are a more in depth guide to specific jobs. Carrying around a pen and some paper (preferably a small notebook) will allow you to jot down things that come to mind without the boundaries of your average planner.

You can tick things off throughout the day, spurring you on to complete the rest of the days jobs.

Try to avoid huge lists that are the length of your arm! These only put you off and have an overwhelming feeling to them.

3. Make use of spare time 

Whenever you have spare time e.g.: waiting for someone; queueing; travelling etc. Think about the things that you have to get done and how you're going to go about doing them. These are great for quick planning sessions and can save you time in the long run.

4. Schedule breaks 

I've mentioned this in other posts, but taking regular short breaks will prevent your body and mind from burning out. You will have a higher degree of concentration in the task you are committing to if you have these quick re-energizing intervals.

5. Don't over-estimate 

Over-estimation can harm your time management and is commonly the #1 reason for quitting a particular subject. If we feel too overwhelmed and have a lack of confidence in our ability to perform at this high level of expectation..... we're of course more than likely going to desert it. So set targets you know you can cope with, and then if you feel you can handle more - add some more.

6. Rise early 

Rising early in the morning can seriously contribute towards time-management and because of this - it's surprising how many people sleep in late. 

Getting up at 5 or 6 can add two or more hours to the day, meaning you have those extra two+ hours to get things done in.

I've wrote an article about the benefits of being an early riser and gives you the reasons why you should consider getting up early.

7. Organisation 

If everything is neatly organised and your surroundings are tidy, then your morale; productivity and commitment levels will become more abundant.

8. Thoughtful planning 

Sometimes planning in our spare time (point #3) isn't quite enough. Some things need a longer more in-depth analysis.

Planning is essential for avoiding obstacles that may be unforeseen if you dive straight in. Making sure you have everything ready so that you don't have unwanted gaps of wasted time, is definitely the intelligent thing to do . 

You also won't be as inclined to think negatively if you know exactly what to expect.

9. Avoid watching t.v 

Watching t.v is one of the biggest wastes of time there is. The amount of time people waste vegetating is unbelievable! 

Whenever you come away from watching a few hours worth of t.v, slight depression and tiredness takes hold of you, reminding you of your wasted day. I remember this feeling as I used to watch a lot of t.v.

T.V also has an influence over your habits, even if you don't realise it. If you constantly watch immoral programmes or hear things of that nature, then: What you constantly hear will become what you think, what you think will become what you say, what you say will become your habits, what your habits are determine what your character is. 

It's a slow process, but t.v definitely influences you.

10. Personal goals and deadlines 

Having set goals and deadlines can be good incentives to motivate ourselves. Nobody likes deadlines, but providing yourself with personal deadlines is different. You can be sensible about when the deadline is, try to make it more interesting by having a challenge, but not something that is out of your limits.

Try to be hard on yourself if you don't invest time or complete your required goal. Make it so that you miss out on something nice whenever you deliberately abuse your deadline. This is where a high ability of self-discipline is necessary.