A little food for thought today in the form of a question.
What does productive mean to you?
Does it mean you’ve created or are creating something of value? Or that you’re getting a lot done? Or does it mean that you’re using your time wisely and that you’re yielding positive results?
Take a minute or two to reflect.
I’d love to hear what you think!
Professor Richard Wiseman teamed up with The British Council to examine the pace of life around the world.
Why not find out if you are living life in the fast lane by answering the seven short questions he poses?
And then just click on “check your score” to get your results immediately.
Did you learn anything new about yourself?
Starting an email is quite different to starting a letter. It’s normally less formal.
These here are my favourite salutations (Anreden):
Dear [Mary]
Dear [Ms Brown]
Dear [Canyu Yan]—when you don’t know the gender
Hello or Hello [John]
Hi [Simon]
Hi there
Hi everyone
Greetings—when you don’t know the person’s name
Avoid:
Dear Sir or Madam—very formal
To Whom It May Concern—quite old-fashioned
Do you have a favourite salutation?
Is there a salutation you use that I haven’t mentioned?
We often use so-called ‘filler words’—both in English and in German. They are short, meaningless words or sounds we use to give us more time to think about what we want to say next.
What English word could you use here?
Übrigens… I found the book you were looking for last night!
Two words are possible: ‘by the way’ and ‘incidentally’.
Did you get it right?
“Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction”
Harry S. Truman
Taking action can be a difficult step for someone who is prone to perfectionism.
I love learning, and I often want to know everything and be fully certain of each step before I take a single one. And this can hold me back from taking action on my ideas.
I sometimes ask myself, “How do I know when I’m ready?”.
Do you ask yourself the same question?
I think it’s better to take action—even if it’s not perfect—than not to action at all.
I’m practising and getting better at taking imperfect action.
Are you?
We often do things out of habit. Without thinking.
According to author and entrepreneur James Clear, it can help to pause now and again, and to ask ourselves:
“Does this activity fill me with energy or drain me of energy?”
This question helped me change a habit. Perhaps it can help you, too.
If so, you might like to let me know.
