TipsForSuccess: Distractions

Distractions Have you ever been busy all day without accomplishing anything? You were probably distracted. Ever wonder why you feel frustrated at work? Distractions might be stopping you. Ever feel stress? Distractions may be the cause. Distractions are destructive forces that ruin your productivity at work. Examples: Chatty coworkers, personal problems, sunny days, rainy days, holidays, earthquakes, debts, salespeople, money concerns, health problems and more. How do you handle distractions? Get organized. "THOSE INDIVIDUALS OR AREAS THAT ARE THE LEAST WELL-ORGANIZED ARE AFFECTED THE MOST BY DISTRACTIONS." -- L. Ron Hubbard A well-organized business understands distractions and organizes to deal with them. For example, a key worker calls in sick. The group calls a temporary worker from an agency within minutes. A poorly-organized group discusses the problem for 20 minutes without coming to a solution. This group is then distracted all day because they have to do the missing worker's job. When a well-organized business owner gets a legal notice, he or she delegates the problem to a lawyer and focuses on making a prosperous day. A poorly-organized business owner drops everything and spends the entire morning on the telephone and worries about it all day. Well-organized groups handle emergencies, disasters and sudden increases in production without breathing hard. Poorly-organized groups are overwhelmed with them. Personal Organization Organizing your personal life so you are not distracted boosts your productivity and income. For example, you don't need to talk to everyone who calls you. It's also silly to read every piece of mail or email you receive. If you are organized, you ignore all communications that do not support your purpose. While at work, you ignore family problems, personal problems and even health problems. All superior producers do this. While working, nothing is more important than the work. Instead of daydreaming about a hike in the mountains, you do your work as fast as possible so you can take that hike. When you are organized, you avoid, ignore or replace people or things who distract you. How to Get Better Organized 1. Write down five of your biggest distractions. 2. Next to the first distraction, write down how you can get organized to reduce the distraction. 3. Do the same for the other items on the list. 4. Follow your plans and get organized! 5. Write down permanent rules or policies for yourself or your work so you stay organized. Personal examples: "I will only take personal calls during my lunch hour." "If I get hungry during the afternoon, I will chew gum and keep working until 5:00." "I will avoid conflicts with my brother by not talking about my job with him." Business examples: "If someone asks me to do their job, I will ask them for their pay." "If you have a suggestion for the company, please e-mail all the details to me." "Each summer, we will do the following program to keep our sales up, despite the vacations." You make much faster progress toward your goals when you are organized and not distracted. Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: 10 Quotes

Ten Quotes by L. Ron Hubbard As you know, TipsForSuccess success articles are based on quotes by L. Ron Hubbard, ten of which are below. The first two were included in The Forbes Book of Business Quotations. Solving Problems: "The first step of handling anything is gaining the ability to face it." Avoiding Work: "The person who studiously avoids work usually works far longer and far harder than the man who pleasantly confronts it and does it. Men who cannot work are not happy men." Leadership: "A man who merely wants to be liked will never be a leader." "In all great leaders there is a purpose and intensity which is unmistakable." Staff Management: "Orders only occur where responsibility has failed." Goals: "No man is happy without a goal, and no man can be happy without faith in his own ability to reach that goal." Happiness: "All the happiness you ever find lies in you." Fun: "An individual who can freely and with a clear heart do things because they're fun is a very sane person." Self-importance: "There is nothing wrong with being the most important person under the sun if everybody else is just as important as you are." Personal Abilities: "Your potentialities are a great deal better than anyone ever permitted you to believe." Solutions: "All answers are basically simple." To learn more about L. Ron Hubbard, check out http://www.lronhubbardprofile.org, www.ronthephilosopher.org and http://adventurer.lronhubbard.org. Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: You Get What You Reward

You Get What You Reward Imagine you own a gift shop. Two sales people work for you, Jill and Susan. Jill is attractive and cheerful. She dresses well and enjoys her work. She is very social and loves to chat with customers. Susan does not dress as well as Jill. She does not chat with customers, but is constantly busy. She likes to arrange the gift displays, fill out inventory forms and stock the shelves. You decide to open a car wash down the road and need a manager for your gift shop. Your friend says, "Jill is the best choice for the manager. She dresses well and enjoys chatting with customers. Everyone likes her best!" You still can't decide between Jill or Susan. So you check the computer and find Jill's sales have been dropping for the past several weeks. Perhaps she spends too much time chatting with customers. Susan's sales statistic is going up each week. In fact, even though she doesn't dress as well as Jill, she is selling twice as many gifts as Jill. Who should you promote to the manager position? Rewards and Penalties "WHEN YOU REWARD DOWN STATISTICS AND PENALIZE UP STATISTICS YOU GET DOWN STATISTICS. "If you reward nonproduction you get nonproduction. "When you penalize production you get nonproduction. "We award production and up statistics and penalize nonproduction and down statistics. Always. "Also we do it all by statistics--not rumor or personality or who knows who. And we make sure everyone has a statistic of some sort." -- L. Ron Hubbard As you probably know, if you reward Jill with the promotion, you will get a decrease in gift sales. Everyone will stand around looking good and chatting all day. She has down statistics. With Jill in charge, you lose money. If you reward Susan with the promotion, your gift sales will increase. People buy gifts with Susan. She makes statistics go up. With Susan in charge, you make more profit. Unfair Management Employees complain loudest when they are treated unfairly; when people are rewarded or penalized because of their personality or appearance. Unfair managers reward people because of their age, their automobiles or their political beliefs. Unfair managers penalize people because of their accents, skin color or body size. Even if you are an up statistic, an unfair manager increases or decreases your pay because of how you get along with others, whose hand you kiss or how your spouse acts at company parties. Other examples: Bob is made Vice President of Sales because he plays golf with the company founder each weekend. A manufacturing company has 16 women and 25 men working on its assembly line. They all do the same job, but the men earn 15% higher pay. Because Cheryl has been working at the company for ten years, she gets $25 per hour. Chris gets twice as much work done, but because he has worked there for just two years, he is paid $18 per hour. Fair Management If a business only rewards people with up statistics, the best people stay with the company and the losers soon quit. Everyone has a fair chance to succeed. The business becomes more productive and profitable. If you work for such a company, you have more opportunities. As long as you produce more than average on a long-term basis, you get more pay, more respect and fewer hassles. You can even show up late once in a while without anyone even mentioning it. No one would dream of firing you as you are making the company successful. Other examples: Sally is made Vice President of Sales because her sales team has beaten their sales quota every quarter for five years. The basket company gives its basket makers $6 per hour plus ten cents per basket. The fast basket makers earn $20 per hour. Slow basket makers earn $7 per hour. It does not matter if you are male or female, old or young. You control your pay. You are part of a hard-working productive team. Your team shows a profit increase for the company for the year. All members in the team receive a $1,000 bonus at the end of the year. If your boss is unfair, how do you get him or her to treat you more fairly? One way is to simply mention this principle. You may start a chain of events that leads to a fairer workplace. For example, "If I get more done this month than anyone has gotten done on this job before, can I have a $250 bonus?" "If we double our sales this month, will you give us all a paid day off?" If your boss is smart, he or she will love the idea of rewarding production. Add a penalty for poor production and he or she may faint from joy. If your boss dislikes these ideas, it may be time for you to find a new boss. If you are the boss, rewarding people based on statistics makes your job easier. You just look at statistics to identify your best people. If someone says they are high producers, get the evidence. Use statistics to decide who gets the best jobs, the bonuses or promotions. As the boss, you will see your own statistics rise as a result. Recommendations 1. Select a statistic you want to increase. Examples: You want to lose weight. You want your typist to type 50 reports each day. You want your son to get better test scores in school. 2. Agree with or announce a reward if the statistic goes up and a penalty if it goes down. "If I lose five pounds this month, I get to go to a movie. If I gain a pound or more, I have to clean out the garage." "Jenny, I have a deal for you. If you type 50 reports in a day, you get a $20 bonus. If your statistic drops below 40 reports in a day, you agree to contribute $10 to the coffee fund. Is it a deal?" "Son, if you get a score of 95 or higher on all of your tests this month, you get those new shoes you want. But, if your scores drop below 85, you have to clean out the garage. Okay?" 3. Reward or penalize appropriately. "I gained two pounds. No movie for me! Time to clean the garage." "Congratulations Jenny! You typed 50 reports today. Here's your $20 bonus!" "Son, great job on your test scores of 96! Let's go get those shoes!" 4. Keep your promises. The worst thing you can do is break your word on the reward or penalty. For example, "Son, even though your test scores have dropped to 75, I know you tried. Let's go get those shoes anyway." Your son's test scores may never increase. What would happen if you said this to your typist? "Jenny, even though you typed those 50 reports today, I've changed my mind and won't give you the $20 bonus. Sorry. See you tomorrow." Imagine what might happen if you were consistent with yourself as well. "I promised myself a full day off as soon as I sold three cars. Well, I've sold five! I'm going to the mall!" Give it a try! Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Sugar, Pep and Energy

Sugar, Pep and Energy The US Department of Agriculture estimates the average US Citizen consumes 152 pounds of sugar per year -- almost three pounds of sugar each week! Sugar comes in many forms: soft drinks, candy, desserts, manufactured food and so on. Because sugar is inexpensive, tastes good and is habit-forming, food companies and fast-food restaurants add sugar without restraint. Sugar, like any addictive substance, makes you crave more sugar. For example, a piece of chocolate gives you a little extra energy for an hour or so. As soon as the effect wears off, you feel tired and maybe a little depressed. So to feel perky again, you want another piece of chocolate. Like cigarettes, alcohol or heroin, the substance is both the problem AND the solution. Every diet that lowers your weight or improves your health has one thing in common: YOU MUST STOP EATING SUGAR. Hundreds of scientific studies prove that sugar makes your body store fat. Excessive fat increases your chance of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and death. In 1972, L. Ron Hubbard wrote the following: "Sugar is a deceptive thing." "Sugar, that is supposed 'to produce energy' does so only at the expense of physical health for sugar does not build up a body, it only burns it up." "The result of a heavy intake of sugar and carbohydrates* is to feel tired all the time-no pep." "If one is going to run a car, he has to feed it the right fuel and oil. If one is going to run a body it has to be fed the right food and that has to include protein." "By eating your hamburger and vegetables and leaving alone the candy bars and cokes, you will begin to build up a head of steam." -- L. Ron Hubbard (*carbohydrates: a type of food that includes potatoes, rice, bread and sugar) Benefits of Not Eating Sugar When you stop eating your three pounds of sugar each week, you lose weight. Other foods smell and taste better. You feel more alive. Kicking the sugar habit helps you sleep better. The energy boost you get from sugar OR the depression that follows can keep you awake at night. With no sugar in your system, you can relax. Sugar alters your digestion fluids so the good food cannot digest properly. You can get heartburn, gas or stomach pain. Without sugar, your body needs less food because you digest it better. Without sugar, you get longer lasting energy. You no longer have brief peaks of energy that require a constant flow of sugar to maintain. Hyperactive children, who are candidates for Ritalin or Prozac, are calmer and saner when they no longer eat sugar. After you cut off their sugar supply, they will probably demand sweet snacks for a few days, but they eventually relax. They lose the mood swings, tantrums and craziness. Ten Tips for Breaking the Sugar Habit Like children, after you stop eating sugar, you might feel irritable and tired for 3-6 days. You may have headaches and feel foggy. You will most certainly crave foods that contain sugar. However, the cravings and symptoms pass. Kicking a sugar addiction is tough, but not as tough as handling an addiction to cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. So you can do it. These suggestions may help. 1. Recognize that sugar is addicting and therefore, controlling you to a degree. For example, if you cannot work or relax without eating sugar, you are addicted. And who likes to be addicted to a substance? Make the decision to break the habit. You have the power to control your craving for sugar. No temptation is stronger than your personal willpower and self-determinism. 2. Find and eat sugar-free substitutes to satisfy the urge to eat food with sugar. For example, fresh fruits and vegetables can stop the craving for sugar. 3. Prepare your own food instead of eating prepared foods that contain sugar. The following prepared food usually contain sugar: canned soup, bread, fast-food restaurant food, salad dressing, sauces, gravy, cough drops, sushi rice, protein bars, flavored yogurt and breakfast cereals. 4. Read the ingredients label on the foods you buy. Sugar is called many names including corn syrup, honey, maltrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose and glucose. 5. Try healthy foods you have never tried before to add variety and interest to your diet. For example, a new type of fish, exotic vegetables or tasty cheeses. 6. Exercise. Heat up your muscles, stretch out your skin and fill your lungs with fresh air every day. Strengthen your ability to control your body. 7. Use a gradual approach. If you make too many changes to your diet at once, the shock may force you to give up on your decision. You may get better long-term results if you make one change, get used to the change, make another change, get used to it and so on. 8. Get creative with your food. For example, buy a yogurt maker, ice cream maker or a juicer to prepare your own sugar-free snacks and drinks. Explore a health-food store. Try a natural foods restaurant. 9. Try different combinations of vitamins until they help stop sugar cravings and make you feel healthier. 10. Work out your own program and to control your sugar habit with the free TipsForSuccess interactive website: www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org. Taking control of your food is satisfying by itself. You are no longer controlled by the need for sugar. You burn off the fat and drop to your ideal weight. Even if you just cut your weekly sugar intake from 2-3 pounds to 1-2 ounces, you will enjoy long-lasting energy, fewer mood swings and much better heath. Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: "The Whole World Stinks!"

"The Whole World Stinks!" While Grandpa is taking a nap on the couch, his seven-year-old grandson gets some Limburger cheese from the refrigerator and smears it on Grandpa's mustache. (If you've never smelled Limburger cheese, it's smell is incredibly strong!) When Grandpa wakes up, he says, "This room stinks!" He goes to another room and says, "This room stinks." After walking throughout the house, he says, "The whole house stinks!" Grandpa goes outside and takes a deep breath and says, "The whole world stinks!" Your attitude about living works the same way. Examples 1. You have another big argument with your spouse. You go to a movie and notice how nobody smiles. Couples seem to be bored with each other. The movie's happy ending seems phony. 2. Someone's nasty comment at work makes you feel like exploding with anger. While driving home, everyone seems aggressive and rude. You drive like a dangerous, insane maniac. You think about buying a pistol. 3. You watch the news on television for a few hours and feel uneasy. You go outside and look at airplanes as possible threats. You suspect your neighbor might be a bad guy. You jump out of your skin when a kid yells, "Bang!" 4. Your business just made a healthy profit this month. You celebrate at a restaurant where the food tastes great and the waitress is cheerful. When you go outside, the sunset looks glorious. Everyone seems to be smiling. Why Life Changes In an article "Is it Possible to Be Happy?" L. Ron Hubbard writes: "You remember when you were maybe five years old, and you went out in the morning and you looked at the day, and it was a very, very beautiful day, and you looked at the flowers and they were very beautiful flowers. "Twenty-five years later you get up in the morning, you take a look at the flowers--they are wilted. The day isn't a happy day. "Well, what has changed? You know they are the same flowers, it's the same world, something must have changed. "Probably it was you." "Actually, a little child derives all of his pleasure in life from the grace he puts upon life. He waves a magic hand and brings all manner of interesting things into being out in the society. Here is this big, strong brute of a man riding his iron steed, up and down, and boy, he'd like to be a cop. Yes sir! He would sure like to be a cop; and twenty-five years later he looks at that cop riding up and down and checks his speedometer and says, 'Doggone these cops!' "Well, what is changed here? Has the cop changed? No. Just the attitude toward him. One's attitude toward life makes every possible difference in one's living. You know you don't have to study a thousand ancient books to discover that fact. But sometimes it needs to be pointed out again that life doesn't change so much as you." "The day when you stop building your own environment, when you stop building your own surroundings, when you stop waving a magic hand and gracing everything around you with magic and beauty, things cease to be magical, things cease to be beautiful." Add Some Magic to Your Life Clear out the stink and find more joy from life with this exercise. 1. Look around you. Notice your immediate surroundings in present time. Focus on where you are. 2. Think of something you can do to make your environment a little more comfortable. Write it down. 3. Think of something you can do to make your environment a little more cheerful. Write it down. 4. Think of something you can do to make your environment a little more beautiful. Write it down. 5. Do these three things. 6. Repeat as needed until your attitude and the world around you improves. Note: You can find this article and 26 others at www.tipsforsuccess.org. Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.