What Successful People Do in the First 15 Minutes of Their Working Day

Starting your day at work might often be a huge boner for you because; yes it’s a workday. But then again, think of it this way—you can make things smooth and better if you know how to start it right. To commence the day, you should motivate yourself in anyway as possible to become productive, just like how a digital marketing agency in the Philippines and their employees do it, as an example.

The first few minutes in the office is crucial; it should set the mood in order to accomplish and score productivity. Below are some ideas on how one can be truly successful at the office, not only for a day but also always.

Think / Reflect

A person who reflects might be able to get a clearer idea of what he or she is going to do during the day. Thinking also helps your brain, making it practice critically or just going around your mind palace. It also helps to reflect so your mind is ready for the challenges up ahead. Questions like, “What did I accomplish toward my goals so far this week?” or “What is the status of my current projects?” or “What do I need to accomplish?” are just a few of which you should answer to keep yourself updated.

Make Yourself Comfortable

Successful people take some time at the beginning of the workday making sure that the items they frequently access such as their keyboard, computer mouse, phone, etc. are all in comfortable reach, most especially the chair or desk they are designated on. Being comfortable makes the tasks to be done easier when performed. You also have to ensure that you have proper lighting to have an ergonomic environment that is functional. But of course, make to a point that you won’t get too comfortable because doing so might have you slacking off.

Stretching Helps

This makes your muscles and your body’s reflexes more prepared to the day’s work and from the sedentary sitting position. Aside from that, stretching makes your blood circulation into a good condition. You should also consider walking or standing in the first few minutes of the workday. With that, it can give you greater control as you tackle the day’s agenda.

Listen to Music

Music helps a lot. This can create a mood, which would make your body and mind ready for the day. Perhaps you might have a workday playlist that you can play (and sing along) while getting ready for the day’s hustle!

Organize Workspace

It is important to have that space in your own desk because you would not be able to move around freely and quickly. Organizing your workspace is a must-do to keep your desk clean. Facing a cleaner slate on your desktop will better clear your mind for the day’s tasks.

Prioritization is The Key

For a person who is about to go on a 9-5 hour work shift, there might be projects coming along the way, not mentioning the current ones that you are working on. Be reminded that to make things smooth flowing, you need to have a priority-list and know which ones are urgent and important. Or, you can go beyond just making a list, and challenge yourself to create a realistic hierarchy for your projects.

Review To Do Lists

It is already a given that you have prepared your to-do-lists. And the many you have on the list, the more of a possibility that you will be able to miss out on them if you don’t keep yourself updated. From time to time, make sure to check and review your list so you could stick to the plan and focus on the more important things.

Strategically Check Emails

Checking your email is maybe one of the most tedious tasks you would be doing especially when you have been doing it from the start of your day. Strategically check your emails by quickly scanning and prioritizing which emails you could answer later as part of your pre-planned day, instead of diving into the entire mass at once.

Map The Day Out

By mapping out your day, it means getting ready for what will happen during the work hours. Organizing your thoughts of which things to prioritize will help, and then maybe you can write down what they are on sticky notes or your organizer. Do what works for you to keep the workflow smooth and easy.

Taking A Moment to Be Grateful

By being grateful, would mean keeping positive vibes to come in. Gratitude on the simple things that come in hand is a good practice. Identifying something you are grateful for, it may be personal or business related is a great way for a successful person to start their day with.

10 Ways to Think Like a Successful Entrepreneur

Starting a business is not for everyone—it needs a more forcible drive to make one stand out. And becoming an entrepreneur is not just any other ordinary thing a man could think of. It needs guts and yes—glory. More so, a lot of startup businesses are sprouting nowadays; from digital marketing agencies such that in the Philippines, to the most sophisticated real estate stints one would adapt himself with.

Now, you might be wondering how entrepreneurs are surviving this very hectic play of marketing and services.  For you to know how and to be able to expand more of the knowledge that you have here are some simple yet powerful tips an aspiring entrepreneur should think.

1. Get inspired by books

Read. It really helps a lot. Without reading, you won’t be knowledgeable enough of what the updates and trends are in your industry. Besides, it is what entrepreneurs should and always do. Nothing beats reading and the endless possibilities and ideas one can grasp from books.

2. Be passionate

Passion is such a big word. But that big word can reach you to heights you would never realize you just reached. Or will continue to be reaching. They say passion is just for creative artists, well, that is not always the case. And when it comes to being an artist, every one is. You are bound to have that flaming passion inside you. Say if you are passionate about computers and you know about the inside scoops about it—from software to hardware stuff—or you might be passionate about creating abstract designs, then that would actually be a good start. Remember, entrepreneurship needs one to have the guts. And having enough guts would mean you have that passion in you.

3. Surround yourself with experts

 For you to be able to think like how a successful entrepreneur should be, never underestimate the power of conversation. This would mean surrounding yourself with the most awesome people you could think of. If you are in your locality of these people, try to hangout with them and exchange ideas. Use the power of social media to get connected to these inspiring people. It will challenge you to improve more in your skills, perhaps, your speaking skills as well.

4. Employment is not an option

Being an entrepreneur means to create and not to be bossed around. It would also mean that you are starting the change because you have this bright idea that you wanted to share to the universe. It should not be a back-up plan. You have to be the master of your own art and it is your mission to create, influence and lead.

5. No place for discouragement

Motivate yourself to do more and be the best in your field. It would help if you ask some feedback from your friends or colleagues and perhaps assess yourself, constructively, about your achievements and plans. Discouragement has no room for a person who is striving to be successful. Mind over matter, indeed.

6. Take more risks

Every risk is an opportunity to win or lose. Use that as a way for you to grow. Every loss is learning and every win is a surefire assurance that you can do what you wanted to do.

7. Your relationships define your level of success

They are often the fruits of your labor. Gaining strong relationship ties with people brings one to the lane of success. Even people you are with help you to become successful and purposeful as a person, which is a good thing. Being an entrepreneur as well is not as competitive as you are supposed to be cooperative. Value relationships as much as you value your idea of success.

8. Hone that brilliant idea

Having that seed of an idea is already something to begin with. And in order for it to grow more, you have to hone that idea and attract positivity around you for it to be nourished. Remember, a seed when taken cared of properly can reach its full potential and be used in a more successful way. Take those ideas into nurturing and who knows; those ideas might be one lifesaver.

9. Don’t limit your dreams

Dreaming is good. It helps you navigate your ideas and think of ways on how to make them into reality. Dreaming big is even more excellent, as what people say, nothing can be harmed if you dream big. Just make sure to at least make steps—perhaps baby steps the least, for you to be able to realize those dreams.

10. Brainstorm more

Ideas. Ideas. Plans. And many more. By brainstorming, this would help you think of many more ways on how to make an idea become a success. And as an entrepreneur, don’t limit yourself into ideas because of constraints. Make it to a point that you can shed out all your ideas and from there, pick out those which you think could benefit much on your initial idea on hand. Going back, writing is essential. So go, pick up a pen and a notebook and jot down all those ideas away!

Choosing A Reliable Business Partner

You might be wondering how businesses bloom through partnerships and how successful these things can be. Imminently, there are stages in a business to want a person to share the ideas with and somehow, come up with more relevant marketing strategies in order for your business to last long. True enough, there are ways to learn how you should get a business partner and why you needed one.

Know your goals and meet halfway.

In a business deal and partnership, two heads are better than one. But sometimes, having two heads would also lead to having different opinions. For this to overcome, make it a habit to talk things especially on your goals. It is important to learn how to agree on things and be vocal about it. Say for example you are into mobile app development startup business and one of you has different strengths and weaknesses. One can do perhaps the marketing part, while the other can do the more technical side. It is important to realize that you are a team and you can make things better by having the same interest. And when you see that it pays off and see yourself with that person and your business blooming, and then it is one factor to consider having that person a business partner.

Business is business. Nothing personal.

And with how the saying goes, “Don’t mix business with friendship,” does not totally mean in a very literal sense. You can be friends with your business partner but as much as possible, make it casual. Business agreements are different from friendship deals and you should know how and when to cross the borderline. But also, make it a point not to be too hard on yourself so as not to get disappointed. 

Be open. Learn to trust.

A partnership does not become an agreement when it does not revolve around trust and being open about anything. It may be difficult at first that is why it is important to set your goals and setting things straight by talking things out. With this, you will be able to get the hang of the thought of having a business partner. More so, it will allow you to learn a person by all means. You can take it one step at a time and if you can see that everything goes well then it is another indication for you to consider.

Know each other’s values and work ethics.

These are among the key things a business partnership should work into. In fact it is something partners should check into especially that you are engaging into something serious. Values and ethics should always go hand in hand and it is essential to have ideals that you can work out with alongside your partner. Remember that work ethics are important in honing a business’ core values, not only among business partners but also for your business’ character.

Decide on decisions.

It will always come a time that decision-making can make or break a business’ growth. And this is one factor partners’ must keep in mind. If you are looking for a business partner that will definitely suit your decision-making dilemmas and can handle the pressure you are in, then it is one sign that you have found a reliable business partner that will be there for you through thick and thin.

Have fun. Travel together.

Business can be tough and nerve wrecking, but despite being so, the element of fun should be there. May it be during business presentations or meetings, or just relaxation, partners should learn to have fun and enjoy each other’s company. With this, it can be an avenue for both of you to know more of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, your desires and ambitions for the company and personal growth. Having this in mind, it sustains a certain bond that you both need, not only through business but also personally. You can always stay friends, but when you are crossing the borderline between friendship and business, it is important to know where to draw the line.

  

Book Review: Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton

You might be wondering how the word ‘tweet’ came from. And yes, it is now an official word. Tweeting was formed through an application website called as Twitter, of which some of us are into the craze right now. And in this book called Hatching Twitter written by Nick Bilton, we will know the story of the four men responsible for the birth of Twitter, as we know it.

Nick Bilton writes the Bits Blog for the New York Times and is an expert on technology culture, privacy, design, business and the way the Internet affects everyone’s lives. Nick is also the author of I Live in the Future and Here’s How It Works.

Hatching Twitter is basically about power, politics and how hidden interests are devastating friendship.  Moreover, it also talks about victory, loss, achievements and reaching your dreams despite the business aspect of it. Anyone who uses Twitter are the target audience of this book; those who are interested in Twitter’s impact and origins; those who are working on a start-up; and anyone interested in personal lives of others like the dangers of mixing business with friendship.

Having read the book, these are some of the most interesting events that were written and the most intriguing facts anyone would want to know about Twitter and its foundation.

The drama behind Twitter is painstakingly painful. And it is true. Twitter is one of the technologies that have had the biggest impact on our daily lives. With this saying, Twitter is used to retweet information for the rest of the world to read, to share groundbreaking news and allow people to create close connections with politicians, celebrities and world-leading thinkers. During the course of this review, we will also learn how a few strange but brilliant and creative developers, some of whom never finished college, but were able to build this multi-billion-dollar behemoth called Twitter.

Before founding Twitter, Evan Williams helped start the blogging craze with the site Blogger.  Ev, who was a college dropout, initiated everything. With the eagerness to start a business, Ev built a journal like website which is now known as Blogger, but because of the lack of leadership skills, was then bought by Google. And gaining from the millions of dollars was the genesis of Twitter.

After selling Blogger to Google, Ev joined up with a neighbor to work on an audio blog platform. Friendships came as Ev met Noah Glass and started another audio blog platform called Odeo. Noah hired staffers namely Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, which made the office spin out of control. Noah was incontrollable due to his chaotic mind which then turned Odeo financially unstable, Ev jumped into the opportunity and became Odeo’s CEO.

While Odeo was struggling to survive, a few employees had an idea for a way to share their statues with friends.  And this is where Twitter came out in the open. Noah had this idea in mind of connecting with people through sharing their statuses, what they are doing, eating or watching at the moment. But due to Ev’s doubting over Noah’s leadership skill, Ev told Biz and Jack to start with the status update idea without involving Noah.

With this chaos, their relationships as founders also struggled especially when it comes to leading the company, as Twitter grew. Jack and Ev were now battling over Twitter’s development.  Eventually ownership and structure of the company was formalized: Ev had personally financed Twitter and kept 70 percent while Jack would be CEO and get 20 percent. The rest of the staff and Biz would split up of what’s remaining.

Despite its enormous success, Twitter was constantly blighted by boardroom disputes. With this, conflicts between Ev and Jack grew including their investments in the company and who really was the inventor of Twitter in the first place. Lies and many more lies came and vengeance was sought. Until Ev finally confronted Jack that there was not one single inventor of Twitter—but the life Jack made was already too big to control.

Twitter became more popular and as it grew in size and success, it was already a struggle to keep on top of running the business for Ev. Just like Noah and Jack before him, Ev was having trouble guiding Twitter. Which makes it more chaotic than ever. A coup against Ev took place, ousting him out of Twitter making Jack the CEO.

With everything that has been put through over a single successful application such as Twitter, there are stories that will surely make you realize that growing a business with your friends is sometimes not a good idea. There will really come a time that stressful relationships will spring out and will eventually kill the essence of friendship just for business sake. Power is also one big factor in this story and it is undeniably present basing on the story.

To summarize, the book Hatching Twitter is a must-read especially to those who have very ambitious ideas. This book, among the other true to life stories of failures and successes in business, serves as a reminder that relationships are more important than power.