Facebook Youtube Tiwtter

contactme
 Search
Subscribe
RECEiVE my blog posts by email
Subscribe


  • Popular posts
    The Best Apps for Achieving Your Goals
    Move Forward and Standout
    How to Get What You Want
    Everyday Leadership
    Don’t be Lazy, Keep it Simple
    • Insanely Great Links
    Academic Earth
    Khan Academy
    TED Talks
    Udacity
    Udemy
    Categories
    Apple
    (2)
    Derek Sivers
    (2)
    ()
    Goals
    (1)
    Inspirational
    (12)
    iPad
    (1)
    Leadership
    (16)
    Management
    (7)
    Negotiating
    (2)
    Networking
    (1)
    Productivity
    (6)
    Random Thoughts
    (4)
    Self Improvement
    (7)
    Tech
    (2)
    Blog Archives
    January 2013
     (1)
    December 2012
     (1)
    November 2012
     (1)
    September 2012
     (1)
    July 2012
     (1)
    June 2012
     (1)
    May 2012
     (2)
    April 2012
     (4)
    March 2012
     (1)
    January 2012
     (1)
    December 2011
     (1)
    October 2011
     (1)
    September 2011
     (1)
    June 2011
     (1)
    March 2011
     (1)
    January 2011
     (1)
    November 2010
     (1)
    July 2010
     (1)
    May 2010
     (1)
    April 2010
     (1)
    March 2010
     (1)
    February 2010
     (1)
    January 2010
     (1)
    5
    Jan

    The Best Apps for Achieving Your Goals

     
    January 5th, 2013

    Less than 10% of people achieve their goals.  Whether you are determined to change the world, grow your skills, or simply exercise more we could all use some help.  Here are five of the best apps to help increase your odds of reaching your goals.

     

    1. Chains.cc  (www.chains.cc) has a sleek user interface, is easy to use, and allows you to track the number of days/instances in a row you complete your work towards achieving your goal.  It gives you an extraordinary visual of how you are tracking to your goal, and encourages you to not break the “chain” by missing a day.  The app is free to use on the web and is 99 cents for the iOS version.
    2. 43 Things (http://www.43things.com) is a simple app that allows you to create up to 43 goals, track progress, and post notes and pictures as you make progress.  There is also a community you can leverage to help encourage you along the way if you choose.  The app is free and available on the web as well as on the iPhone.
    3. MindBloom (http://www.mindbloom.com) let’s you turn your goal setting into an eye-catching game (Life Game web app), or simply track your goals along with adding pictures and music to each goal to inspire you (Bloom app).  Life Game can only be used on the web and is a bit time intensive, but is stunning visually and is put together extremely well.  Bloom is available both on the web and free as an iOS app.
    4. 42 Goals (http://www.42goals.com) allows you to track your daily goals in great detail and provides various charts and reporting.  The interface is easy to use and is best if you are looking to regularly capture and track data like how many miles you run a day.  42 Goals has a free version, and a premium version that costs $5 per month.  The app is only available on the web.
    5. CheckMark (http://www.checkmarkapplication.com) let’s you set and track your goals to completion.  The app is simple and straight forward, and works much like a to-do list.  It also lets you track your successes.  The app is free to download for iPhones.

    Source: iStockphoto

    COMMENTS
    1 Comment »
    CATEGORIES
    Goals, Productivity, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    1
    Dec

    Everyday Leadership

     
    December 1st, 2012

    Drew Dudley explains how things we do every day, often without knowing, can have huge and lasting positive impacts on those around us.  His challenge to us is to redefine leadership as moments where we fundamentally make people’s lives better and measure it by: how many of these moments we create, how many we acknowledge, how many we pay forward, and how many we say thank you for.

     


    COMMENTS
    2 Comments »
    CATEGORIES
    Inspirational, Leadership
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    24
    Nov

    How to Get What You Want

     
    November 24th, 2012

    My kids are huge fans of Horizon chocolate milk box drinks.  One morning when we were running errands, my son and daughter were adamant about getting Horizon chocolate milks at Starbucks.   I was not looking forward to two young kids all hopped up on sugar, plus I was on a schedule.  I gave them lots of reasons why they couldn’t have chocolate milk – it fell on deaf ears.  And wouldn’t you know it, after about five minutes of “pleeaaaase Daddy” and “we’ve been so good Daddy,” they won me over with their persistence.

     

    Persistence is powerful stuff.  It’s the critical ingredient to getting what you want.  Kids know this, and they master it at an early age.  If you look at persistence, you’ll see that in order to get what you want, there are a few things you need to do right.

    1. Have a clear goal in mind.  Don’t make the mistake of having too many goals all at once, have one clear goal like getting chocolate milk – focus is key.
    2. Learn from failures & vary your tactics.  When you get a “no” (and you’ll get lots of them) learn and adapt from them.  Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over; otherwise you’re just annoying.  My kids tried at least three different tactics like being cute, reminding me how good they had been, and explaining how they were sooo thirsty.
    3. Be passionate in your goal.  Show passion and energy when trying to win the other person over.  If you’re not passionate about your goal, no one else will be either.  Kids are all about passion – they’re excited and it shows.  Passion is extremely persuasive and wins people over.  How could I say “no” to two kids so passionate about chocolate milk?
    4. Be likeable.  The more likeable you are when being persistent, the more likely people will listen to you.  In fact, if you do it right, people will admire you.  My kids were persistent, and yet I was so impressed by their doggedness that they eventually won me over.  I never had a chance.

    Source: iStockphoto

    COMMENTS
    3 Comments »
    CATEGORIES
    Management, Negotiating, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    1
    Sep

    Why You Have to Fail to Have a Great Career

     
    September 1st, 2012

    Larry Smith is a colorful economics teacher from the University of Waterloo and provides a passionate talk on why you have to fail in order to have a great career.  Where was this guy when I was taking economics?

     



    COMMENTS
    2 Comments »
    CATEGORIES
    Inspirational, Leadership, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    4
    Jul

    Don’t be Lazy, Keep it Simple

     
    July 4th, 2012

    Simple is harder than it looks.  It takes time.  It takes thought.  It takes removing precious work you have invested hours in.  It means creating with the goal of simplicity from the start, boiling things down to the essentials, and endless revision.  Simple is a lot of work – it’s not easy.  But it is essential for success.  Simplicity enables you to clearly get your point across, to stay focused, and to deliver an end product that people understand and love.  Simplicity makes life more enjoyable.

     

    Complexity is easy; it’s making it simple that’s hard.

     

    Easy_button

    Source: Yskyflyer at Wikimedia Commons

    COMMENTS
    1 Comment »
    CATEGORIES
    Productivity, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    6
    Jun

    To Make the Big Bucks Become a Generalist

     
    June 6th, 2012

    It used to be that being a specialist with deep knowledge in a single area was the way to advance your career and make the big bucks. According to Vikram Mansharamani, a global equity investor and Lecturer at Yale University, that is no longer the case. To really get ahead nowadays, Vikram proposes you need to be a generalist. This is due in large part to rapid change bringing continuous ambiguity, the world and everything in it being exponentially more interconnected, and innovation being paramount for success.

     

    Vikram is right in that diversity in experiences and knowledge is a must to be successful. But I’d also argue that in areas with a high level of complexity, you also need to have depth of knowledge. And at various points in your career you may need to switch from being a specialist to a generalist. It’s not one or the other – it’s both. Don’t be a specialist at the expense of taking risks and broadening your experience, and at the same time don’t be a generalist that has no depth. In today’s world if you want to grow your career: keep learning, challenging yourself, and broadening your experience. Vikram’s engaging TED Talk on The Power of Foxy Thinking is posted below. Enjoy!

     



    COMMENTS
    1 Comment »
    CATEGORIES
    Leadership, Management, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    26
    May

    Careers Are Like Jungle Gyms

     
    May 26th, 2012

    Sheryl Sandberg delivered one of the best speeches I’ve heard on career development to the graduating class of Harvard Business School this week. She explains that the traditional metaphor for careers as a ladder is dated and that careers are more like “jungle gyms.” You should not expect a direct climb up the ladder but instead, “look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they’re going to give you. Do real work….” What are your thoughts on career development?

     



    COMMENTS
    2 Comments »
    CATEGORIES
    Inspirational, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    8
    May

    How Great Leaders Inspire Action

     
    May 8th, 2012

    In one of the most compelling TED Talks, Simon Sinek provides insight into what separates great leaders from the rest. In it, he explains that great leaders inspire others by starting with why and that people don’t buy what you do, they buy “why” you do it – excellent food for thought for our personal and professional lives.

     



    COMMENTS
    2 Comments »
    CATEGORIES
    Inspirational, Leadership, TED
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    29
    Apr

    Don’t Fall Into the “Me Too” Trap

     
    April 29th, 2012

    When you are in a conversation and share something in common, your first instinct is to jump out and say “me too!” Instead, hold off and let the person finish sharing their story. Then you can share your similar experience. If you say “me too” right away, you come across as trying to impress or you take away from the other person’s moment. When you hold off a short while, you’ll appear confident and considerate. Just make sure you don’t wait too long, or you’ll miss a perfect opportunity to build a relationship.

     

    Conversation

    Source: Ragesoss at Wikimedia Commons

    COMMENTS
    1 Comment »
    CATEGORIES
    Networking, Self Improvement
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    21
    Apr

    What Motivates Us

     
    April 21st, 2012

    Daniel Pink provides amazing insight into what motivates us. The conventional wisdom that people are motivated by the hope to gain or by the fear of loss is only temporary. Daniel takes a deeper look to find that it’s autonomy, mastery, and purpose that motivate us for the long haul.

     



    COMMENTS
    1 Comment »
    CATEGORIES
    Leadership
    AUTHOR
    Jeff McLeod
    Copyright Jeffunleashed.com. Back to top.