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Posted in Uncategorized ]]> http://kairosjubilee.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/134/feed/ 0 kairosjubilee http://kairosjubilee.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/9-time-management-tips/ http://kairosjubilee.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/9-time-management-tips/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:52:20 +0000 NT Andrew D http://kairosjubilee.wordpress.com/?p=121 ]]> Time is a gift.  This is what my mother used to remind me as I used to wake up late in the morning.  It’s always been a struggle for me to balance and make the best use of time. The lack of time management had caused imbalance, rush and practically no time for important things.

The other day my wife wanted me to take her out to the mall. But I had to politely say no to her as I had to finish an important assignment. I do not know about you, but I am slowly forgetting the fun stuff, like catching up with old friends or a trip to our favorite mall.  Our jobs and our organization that we work for have become the Pharaoh’s of our lives.  The question is am I wasting time or whether I am managing time.

 Here are 9 tips I have gathered that has been helping my time management skill lately. 

1. Finishing your work earlier and getting out of the office—I have started to leave my office on time and this I have been doing on Thursday.  Thursday’s have been productive to me and my wife.

 2. Hiring a helper – Previously I used to do the dish washing and mopping the floor and my wife the laundry and cooking. Now we have decided to hire a house cleaner. And outsourcing of work has saved some time for us.

 3. Avoiding the traffic – I usually drop my wife to her work spot and we have been saving some time as we are leaving ten minutes earlier than usual avoiding the major traffic rush and our drive is no time waster.

 4. Create a schedule, a plan – Although seven months of the year has passed I unashamedly bought myself a year planner and also a monthly planner.  I have fixed it up in a visible place.  This is helping me to have a glance at the days of the week that are busy and say no to appointments for things that I don’t have the time.

 5. Start by planning your day- I have started to devote morning to writing report and in the afternoon to check my emails and meet up for meetings. This has helped me to manage my time.

6. Prioritize – climbing up the success ladder, I used to put work first, my self and my family second.   But now I have reversed it. Each week I am carving blocks in my schedule for exercise, appointment with doctor and even dinner with my wife.

7. Surf smarter-I have wasted a lot of time on the net.  Now it’s a different life style. Time has been saved since I check my mail only for an hour and make sure to log in 3 to 4 times in a day. I have stopped replying a no of times and have started to send a single mail at the end of the day.  Also I have stopped checking business emails after dinner since it eats up our precious family time.

8. Saying No when you can- one way to add some time to your pocket is by saying no for opportunities and assignments that you are not capable of handling. Time management is saying I’d love to but I am booked or that’s great but my weekends are fully packed or simply saying that this is not my area of specialization. Believe me it works.

9. Look ahead to stay ahead – Sometime I have failed to plan, but without being discouraged I have started to take 15 minutes every evening to review my next day schedule and stay focused.

 Hope you enjoyed reading these 9 time management tips. Let me remind you that putting theses tips to the test is a great challenge.  I can say honestly that life is slowly turning out to be balanced these days.

 Your comments and suggestions are valuable.

Andy

Another drawback in my leadership was my attitude to continue the same old people in accomplishing the task. I never risked finding new people for a new mission. Yes an attitude for getting things done and done correctly by steady and mature personalities. But slowly it began to dawn that I am treading a path that would be burdensome for me soon.

 I realized that I am killing myself by not delegating, doing too much and breaking the laws of nature and burning the candle on both the ends. There were many helpers willing but under-utilized and off course people under-served. A point to reckon that where there is no delegation there is no development.  Also a status where there were no secondary leadership being built.

The only hope to get back to productivity would be to recognize the abilities and limitations of other people and bring them to the job best suited for them. The ground rule for delegating a task would be that we must not try to take back the responsibility and authority we have given them in spite of their failures.

Yes it’s hard to delegate but let me say that delegation is not dumping the job that you don’t want to act upon but it is a form of discipleship with instruction and trust. Hope you would develop this Leadership skill and get great things accomplished by delegating.

Andy

your comments are valuable.

GENERAL
http://www.lone_parents.org.uk/
Basically the site is for single parents. The site has a chat room and also a dating platform. You can register freely in this site.

http://www.singlemommyhood.com/
The site is for both single moms and single dads. It has several neat articles to support and give you advice. One interesting feature about this site is that there are tips on beauty, money, relationships…A pretty Good site.

http://www.onespace.org.uk/
A pretty colourful site to drive your blues away. Here you can register free to meet online groups of single parents. An interesting feature is apart from articles on issues regarding single parents there are Videos and Podcasts available to you

www.netmums.com
A site that helps single moms in UK to chat and also gain information regarding school and preschooling and many other relevant topics. You can register free.

http://www.separatedfamilies.info/
A site that would help single mothers going through separation to bring about better care and support of their children.

FINANCE
http://www.creditaction.org.uk/
It’s a great site to visit. There are down to earth practical tips given for single Parents on crucial financial topics. A site for Single moms who are experiencing financial crises.

http://www.singlemom.com/
The site has several tips single moms. Some of them are Education and Career, which consists of information on financial aid and scholarships for single mothers. Apart from that there are resources for single moms on housing, parenting, health, cooking and legal issues.

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/
An important site for single moms in the UK. It is called the Advisory centre for education offering help to single mothers of how to obtain state funds for educating their kids.

LEGAL ADVICE
http://www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/
Free legal advice for single moms could be obtained here.

WORK
http://www.leadingparent.com/
The site is useful in mentoring single parents to achieve their business and professional goals.

DATING AND RELATIONSHIP
If you want to start all over again dating and building a relationship with freshness and hope then these sites can be beneficial.

http://www.singleparentmeet.com/
This is a free dating site for single Parents. Here single moms and single dads can initiate contact and date.

http://www.singleparentlove.com/
Here there are several profiles of single mothers and single dads and it is a free single parent dating site. The site specializes on single parent matchmaking.

http://www.singleparentmatch.com/
The site is a free single parent dating site. The site features great benefit for single parents.
It offers dating tips for single parents plus there are forums and blogs for single moms and dads.

http://singleparentsmatcher.com/
It is a free site providing platform for single mothers and single dads to meet and date.

MAGAZINE
http://www.oneupmagazine.co.uk/
An online magazine which could be subscribed by single parents and even step parents.

BLOGS
http://mssinglemama.com/

Hope you enjoyed these top single mom sites.
I Would appreciate your comments and further suggestions.
Thank you
Andy

Now the term criticism has a range of meanings- both positive and negative. On the positive end it would mean interpreting, investigating or even analyzing a literature or a piece of art. On the negative side the word would remind of the act of being critical which would mean expressing a fault, blaming and to the extent of condemning.

Well what do you do? How do you respond to Criticism? Specially, after you have completed a particular task with the best of your ability and intension. How do you handle the blame?

Before we could look at the solution to overcome and get along with criticism let us look at two categories of criticism we would encounter. The first would be a destructive criticism and on the other hand a constructive criticism.

Destructive criticism mainly spawns when the one who criticizes you perceives that you are better than him or makes him or her insecure when you reach your goal. Many times you will experience a negative energy around them with sarcasm and pessimism.
But constructive criticism is totally a different picture.
Constructive criticism looks at the problem and not the personality. In other words it looks for areas where people can improve. If a child fails to excel in an exam, he or she knows that it is more of teaching that is required and not criticism. More than the destructive we need the constructive. Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth President of the United States of America said, “He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help”. In constructive criticism there is always room for improvement because it is done with the spirit of love. This type of criticism will provide a platform for motivation. This happens when we use criticism with a lot of sensitivity. For example, when it is mixed with praise and then followed by useful suggestions on how to improve. Arnold H. Glasow the American Humorist and thinker once said, “Criticism is more effective when it sounds like praise.”

As you encounter criticism there are three steps I would recommend you to follow.
The first one would be to avoid being reactive. Do not strike; keep that low profile. It is human to kick back or give that sting back with that extra venom when you are hurt and affected. If you are criticized stay calm, don’t give back that’s a sign of maturity It is important to evaluate if the criticism is coming from a person of integrity. Evaluate whether it is meant to heal or hurt. Check also your conscience; if it is not true then by your clear conscience you can dust off criticism

Secondly accept. Accepting is taking time to listen to the other one and then reflecting it to yourself. Probably you and I need to accept our weakness and our limitations. It could even be a mistake that was committed unintentionally. The world wants us to be perfect, the jobs we are involved in wants us to be perfect with a hyper performance attitude. But we need to know who we are as mortals prone to error. We need to accept our limitations. Though it is painful to accept the truth it is beneficial if we could accept it and move into the future with improvement
When we have avoided and accepted the criticism, we have stepped back already to view the situation as a stepping stone instead of it being a barrier. Now we have a platform to narrate our reason and clarify our situation. The third step would be to clarify the situation.
Now some of us often avoid criticism. Let’s not dodge the criticism that we get. To avoid criticism according to Elbert Hubbard the famous American designer is, “to do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
An old Jewish proverb says, “It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised.”
Our prayer is that most of the time we should experience constructive criticism. But that is not a common phenomenon. Years ago I saw a couple going through a tough phase in their marriage. George and Ann were riding a storm in their marriage. Both of them came to a conclusion that “they just can’t stand it anymore.” Instead of holding to one vision that their marriage can get better, they were opting to quit.
As a close friend of them I wanted to help them somehow and I referred to them to a counselor. His name was Robert, a family counselor and a close friend of mine. They had several sessions to go through. Robert after several sittings with both of them gave a small advice with all humility. With a firm voice he said if you ever think that your partner, “will never make that change”, you need to take a step of self examination that is truthful. You need to look inside of yourself and come to a conclusion that the one thing you have the power to change is yourself!
After the session both of them went through a humbling experience. Ann the wife owned that she was responsible for most of the damage. George also realized that he too played a major role in making a mess of their lovely relationship. Both George and Ann realized the value of Robert who had brought a sense of hope, balance and life to their relationship. Yes we all need to lower the wrong talk. We need to decrease the criticism and start looking at the positives in the lives of people and our mates.
A major part in finding a solution to overcome criticism is to recognize where we are contributing to the crises in the family or otherwise. The first and foremost step to find a solution is to change ourselves.

Criticism is inevitable and being critical is an attitude which is part of the human race. Whether you are at home or at the Boardroom of your office you will experience it. Instead of handling it emotionally why not step back and look at it rationally. We can contribute to solving this problem by taming our tongue, a step to change ourselves to reduce criticism.

If you found this article useful and want to Comment please do :0)

The production was during 2007-08 and successfully Michael has been able to finish the project with the help of script writers such as Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and the series new writer called Ehren Kruger.

Before going to the story line let me introduce you to the genre of the movie. You would enjoy the package if you are a lover of science fiction which is packed with action and adventure.

 As we encounter the storyline the key characters fall under three categories. Two categories represent the Robo machines namely the Autobots and the Decepticons with Humans in the crossfire. The leader of the Autobots is Optimus Prime. Before these Transformers ever stepped on to the Earth, there was a race of ancient Transformers who skimmed the Universe looking for Energon Sources. Those Transformers were known as the Dynasty of Primes and they used the Sun Harvester a weapon to drain the energy of stars so that it could be converted to Energon that would power the Cybertron’s AllSpark. The Primes came to a common consensus that life bearing planets would be spared. But one brother The Fallen rebelled and built his Sun Harvester on Earth around 17,000 BCE and the remaining brothers gave up their bodies as a sacrifice to hide the Matrix of Leadership, the key that powers the Sun Harvester.

In the present scenario, after two years of the first film, Optimus Prime leads the NEST, a Military Organization consisting of his team called Autobots in alliance with the Human armies against Decepticons. Now Sam Witwicky, the teenager who killed Megatron  the leader of the Decepticons finds the Splinter of the destroyed Allspark. The splinter fills his mind with Cybertronian symbols containing the code that will lead to Matrix of Leadership. Meanwhile the Decepticons hack the US Satellite to find the whereabouts of their dead leader Megatron and also where another important piece of the Allspark exists. The Decepticons are successful in reviving Megatron to life. Megatron reunites with Starscream and his master, The Fallen. The battle of the universe has begun. Megatron is back seeking his revenge along with Starscream. According to their master, The Fallen, the mission is to capture Sam in order to discern the location of the Matrix of Leadership. Optimus Prime leading the Nest makes way for protecting Sam. The second epic battle has begun and it has its own twists and turns. In fact Prime and Sam are victims to the onslaught of Megatron and Starscream bringing gloom and death in the picture. The movie later does take a U Turn where Optimus Prime and Sam come back alive with enhanced capabilities killing The Fallen while Megatron and Starscream retreat vowing that they will return with vengeance.

 The key players of the movie are Peter Cullen who voices as Optimus Prime, the Autobot Leader. While Hugo Weaving who voices Megatron, the Decepticon leader. Tony Todd voices The Fallen the master of Megatron one of the Prime of the Dynasty and Charlie Adler voices Starscream. On the Human side it is Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky. Megan Fox plays as Mikaela Banes, the girl friend of Sam. While Josh Duhamel plays Major William Lennox the U.S Army Ranger an ally of the Autobots.

 The movie comes alive with great Music Score composed by Steve Jalonsky with a 71-piece ensemble of the Hollywood studio Symphony. The Score also has utilized one of Linkin Park song called “What I’ve done”. Credit also goes to Hasbro the creative and effects specialist who has generated complex computer generated Robot’s in the environment of DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

The movie has been filmed at different locations in the U.S and outside U.S. Some of the places include Los Angeles, California, Pennsylvania, New Mexico. Outside the American continent the film has been shot at Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and even at France.

For all his fans Michael Bay made it on time and released the movie first in the land of the rising Sun-Japan in Tokyo on June 8, 2009. The second release was in UK on June 19^th, 2009. For the American audience the Movie will be featured in IMAX theaters bringing in it advanced picture quality and effects.

The effect of the movie has been tremendous especially in the Gaming industry. The gaming software company Luxoflux has evolved a video game based on the movie and they are available from leading gaming companies such as PlayStation, Xbox and Games for Windows. Apart from video Games the print media has been considerably influenced by it. Some of the publishers who have produced coloring and activity books for kids include Harper Collins and DK Publishing. The movie has also taken the shape of comic Book written by Simon Furman and has also been adapted as a novel by Dean Foster. To give the movie a denser limelight, toy industries have indulged in manufacturing Transformer Robots with human figures that can fit inside them. To give the film a total enhancement and advertisement there have been several Multinational companies that have partnered with the movie production. Some of them are LG Phones, Nike, Burger King and even internet media channels such as the You tube.

 Well Hope you enjoy the movie which is around two hours and thirty minutes with a budget of $200 Million. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen has currently crossed over $ 100 Million Dollars world wide and the series would continue as Paramount has already announced a third Transformers film called Transformers 3 that it has in mind.

What does it mean to be single?

This part is very difficult we cannot generalize them.  They may live alone, or in a family. They may leave with a room mate or be cohabitating or in the stream of relationship that is committed.  Irrespective of the several cases, “Single” is a term that means their Social status of not being “married”.

 A misconception in our society is that singles are pictured as people who are youthful, attractive, fun loving persons with our culture even looking upon them with envy. But this image is false and the image is a stereotype filled with fantasy and illusion. Unlike the popular image they do go through disappointments and failures.  They do enjoy the pleasures of life and the fact is that that they are real people with real needs.

What do singles need? How do we meet the needs of singles who are very much part of our society?

The three top needs of singles are as follows.

 Relational Need: Every human need longs for interaction- the human touch. Now if a nuclear or extended family does not meet this need then singles must find alternative avenues for care and fellowship.  That would be recreational club or a community of faith or some sponsored groups. We as a society must help them find suitable settings where their needs could be met in a non abusive way.

Emotional Need: One of the harsh reality is coming in terms with aloneness. For younger persons the phase may be normal and adaptable but for men and  women who are single again through death or divorce feel really strange and out of place. For one it is a empty nest and for the other no nest at all.  And for those who have never been married singlehood haunts with multiple anxieties about finding the right marriage partner and a sense of inferiority.  Sexuality and sexual behaviors are peculiar issues in single person.  A failure to address sexual ethics for single persons contribute serious problem in the sex life of many singles. Thus many singles turn to popular values of the mass media and culture, suffering the consequences of a disturbed value system.  Working out such a sexual ethic is possible only by the government agencies, NGO’s and various faith communities.

Spiritual Need: Many times singles turn to religious concerns when it comes to dealing with questions concerning intimacy, friendship and sexuality.  Every society have several faith communities that meets the spiritual need of the society.  It is here where it needs to relate significantly to the inner quest and challenges of the single world.  This may help him or her to deliberately to a particular disappointment and to develop a faith that opens to life no matter what.  This task obviously requires the pitching in of the whole spiritual community to find a common life, worship and witness that accept single persons and those who are married.

Your comments are valuable

andywrites4u

It’s a joy to have friends. What would life all be without them, especially in a world of criticism, competition and loneliness? When life seems to be too hard and obstacles seem too big they are the ones that give us the courage to go on. Probably I am calling you to be reminded of one such friend who stood by you. May be it’s your mother, father, a teacher or a friend from school. While some friendships are fleeting some are lasting ones. The old Jewish Proverb says, “a friend is loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Yes true friendships are glued together with love, grace and commitment.

But what gets in the way of making friends or friendship? There are several reasons and I want to lay before three landmines we need to look out for in the course of our life that can explode and be a destructing force of friendship. They are envy, jealousy and anger that cause you to separate from the one who truly loved you.

Now there is a subtle difference between envy and jealousy. To envy is to want something that belongs to the other person while to be jealous is to have a fear that something you posses would be taken away from the other person. Envy and jealousy may quickly change its color to anger causing that bitterness to separate.

Benjamin Franklin reminds us that, “whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.” Around 300 BCE the world encountered the greatest military conqueror. I am reminded of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian Prince who came conquering most parts of the world. On one occasion one of his childhood friends named Cletus drunk with much wine ridiculed Alexander in front of his army and men. Filled with rage and anger, Alexander snatched a spear and hurled it on his beloved friend Cletus. The spear pinned him. Alexander’s intension was to scare the drunken general but the spear took his friends life.

 We don’t throw spears but most of the time it is verbal violence, pinning down those whom we love. The dire need of our world is the friendship factor. In a world of war and military campaigns what we need is reconciliation and peace. Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.—“

 So what can restore the image of friendship? Yes, forgiveness restores broken relationship and heals the deep wounds.

There’s a story that is from the country of Spain, a story about a father and son who became bitter enemies and strangers. The son left the home and ran away. But later the father set off to find him. The search began and went for days, weeks and months. In a desperate last effort to find him, the father put an advertisement in a Madrid Newspaper. It read: Dear Pablo meet me this Saturday at 12 noon in front of this newspaper office. All is forgiven. I really miss you and love you son. Your loving dad.  On Saturday 400 Pablos showed up, looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers.

Well you think about it!