“Before you eat the elephant, make sure you know what parts you want to eat.”
-Todd Stocker
If you have 10 task in hands ranging from small to bigger, you are sometimes confused which task should be undertaken first and which task at the last. Psychologically we always feel like to take easy task first. In the examinations also our teacher said to answer easy questions first leaving the difficult one for later time. The idea behind the picking up small or easier question first is avoid stressful situation initially so that we can perform better in later part of the examination. But in real time situation that may not work properly especially task involving some long term projects.
Handle The Bigger Task First
During our primary school projects, we were explained by our teacher with an example of filling container with certain substances, like stone, sand, wooden logs, water etc. We all filled the glass container with sand and tried to adjust the stones in it. But we failed after putting few stones in container. The teacher then explained the nice principle to catch up heavy task first. According to the direction we place bigger stones first in the container than smaller stones, wooden pieces then thick sand and thinner sand and then water. We accommodate 140% more substances in the container than what we had placed them earlier. In same way we can accomplish bigger task first and then gradually deal with smaller tasks for more efficient output.
Turn The Pain Into Purpose
A piece of task you are undergoing is sometimes boring you due to number of reason although the task is necessary and sometimes there is no alternative without accomplishing the task. Human mind is always adapting two things. Either it loves the happiness or hates the pain. But some of the pains are necessary to be happy at later stage. For example, you do not like to go for jogging or doing some specific exercise like stretching or strengthening body. But we know that with regular pain in the form of exercise helps us to be healthy and we do not easily fall sick at later stage.
In the same way, there are some important tasks or projects we do not feel like to undergo and therefore procrastinate. List out all of them and give index as per their qualities and quantities. Give priorities to bigger tasks first and then relist in decreasing order. Handle the bigger task one by one. Suppose these are the tasks which are to be accomplished in a day, most of the bigger tasks will be finished. You are not much bothered if some of the small tasks are left over at the end of the day.
Salami Slicing
I like the concept of Salami Slicing. It is a series of small little actions called clandestine. This is the combination of little tasks which are accumulated later as bigger single task which might have not been possible to perform. It is just like penny shaving considered to be the fraudulent practice of stealing money repeatedly in extremely small quantities, usually by taking advantage of rounding to the nearest cent (or other monetary unit) in financial transactions. It would be done by always rounding down and putting the fractions of a cent into another account. I used to scrutinize my saving bank accounts frequently and whenever interest was deposited in the account with a predetermined period the amount was becoming odd and therefore, I used to deposit or transfer some money to make it in round figure to nearest hundred. This small adding become increasingly a bigger amount over a period of time.
When I am writing these words, in one way it is salami writing for my publication, sometimes also referred to this salami slicing. It is a strategy of dividing the results of a single research project into several publications, especially when aimed at getting bigger recognition of the work. My small paragraphs are forming the part of subheadings and ultimately, they are my outlines of book.
Definite Purpose Of The Day
You just think when you are coming out of the home and going to market. When nothing is in your head and just going to nearest mall, it will be just like football game without goal post. When you want to bring milk and some fruits, you come out of home with a purpose. You purchase a particular item and return to home. In the same way when you get up in the morning and do not rise with specific purpose, your day is wasted. It is better if you write a list of purposes for the next day before you retire to bed. Just like the salami slicing when everyday purposes are finished your bigger tasks for the week or month is achieved with surprises. Together these accumulations of achieved task become your mission in life.
For the concrete results, all you need to write major definite purpose called chief objective. If you commit to some tasks and endure for quite some time, one way you are constantly feeding your subconscious mind. Your thoughts and purposes playing the role of stimuli and responses. carrying out small tasks repeatedly feed your mind to trick your mind for right thinking process to achieve your chief aim. Repetition of specific statement has a power of influencing your subconscious mind. Your burning desire will in turn will force you to take daily action that moves you towards attaining your goal.
The Great man Bruce Lee had given his chief aim as following,
My Definite Chief Aim
I Bruce Lee will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performance and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.
Bruce Lee
Date: 1969
According to the Ofpad, the school of genius[1], there are following seven steps to make your major definite purpose,
Step 1 — Determine Your Specific Desire
Determine exactly what you desire being as specific as possible. You can never have a burning desire for something vague. Wanting to be rich is vague, but wanting to make a million dollars is being specific. Wanting to lose weight is vague, wanting a 30-inch waistline is being specific.
Step 2 — Establish The End Date
Establish a date by which you want to acquire or achieve this thing that you desire. It is important to be realistic. The time period should be long enough for your goal or desire to be achievable but short enough for you to find it worth pursuing.
Step 3 — Determine The Price
Determine what you are willing to give in return for this thing that you desire. You have to pay a price for the object of your desire, and you have to pay it in full before you get it. You never get something for nothing, and the definite chief aim prepares you to pay the price as and when it is necessary. If you want to be a millionaire, you need to create the necessary value in return for the money. If you want to get in shape you have to put in the necessary, work and follow a proper diet plan. Regardless of what your desire, there is a price you have to pay for it.
Step 4 — Make An Imperfect Plan
Make a definite plan that will help you realize this desire and put this plan into action immediately, whether you are ready or not. Your plan need not be concrete. You just need to start somewhere, so come up with whatever plan you can think of. Note that you just need a place to start and direction to work towards. You don’t need a well laid out elaborate plan. Your plan will evolve in your subconscious, and you will think of various different plans at a later date as you start having a burning desire.
Step 5 — Write A Concise Statement
Write the results of the above four steps in a concise statement. It must include what you desire, what you are going to give in return for your object of desire, along with the time limit and the plan with which you intend to acquire this object of your desire. Remember to write down the date when you wrote it down along with your name or signature. This concise statement is your major definite purpose or definite chief aim.
Step 6 — Reading Your Major Definite Purpose
Read this concise statement twice daily, once after waking up and once before going to sleep. When you read this statement, see and believe that the object of your desire is waiting to be transferred to you as and when you deliver the service/work you have committed to render in return for it in step 3. Reading it aloud is intended to condition your subconscious mind to develop a burning desire by making you constantly think about it.
Step 7 — Changing Your Identity
Repeat the daily reading of your major definite purpose until you start taking consistent daily action that moves you towards your end goal. Every day, if you are doing something that moves you towards your goal, your definite chief aim has become part of your identity. You can continue to read your major definite purpose daily if you wish to do that, but I generally revisit my definite chief aim less frequently when I reach this stage. A lot of us get stuck in the planning phase without taking action. It is vital that you put your plan into action, and you make progress towards your goal everyday through execution of your plan.
To sum up, I remember the saying of Napoleon Hill who said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Years of experience of writers from Napoleon Hill to Andrew Carnegie provided the depth of their studies of individuals for pinnacle of success in their field.
As far as the direction and destination is concerned, I am reminded my early days of military life when we used to travel in choppers. The navigating instruments when not calibrated, we used to be away from our destination and had difficult time to reach the destined place in time and also, we had moments of force landing at some of the jungles away from city.
The aircraft had the specific equipment and technology to travel to virtually any destination. Helicopter had a hull to displace the air and clouds to keep it flying till we reach to destination. The aircraft had an engine with turbine to provide power to produce momentum and lead to directions with rudder that, when used properly, could direct the aircraft in any specific direction. But the navigational equipment to tell the pilot where the aircraft is and to help guide it along the planned path. What it did not have was the planned path built in. This is provided by the navigator and following the analogy then the pilot of your aircraft. The crew navigating planned the endpoint for the voyage and assisted the pilot with directing the aircraft along the path toward the final destination. If the pilot was performing well, then he would begin the voyage with a destination port in mind and then begin directing the us along the way to follow the best path and avoid such things as turmoil and storms that could spell defeat. When the inevitable storm crops up from time to time then the pilot guided the us to take necessary steps to weather and the storm but always with the final destination in mind.
The compass showing un-calibrated needle leads kilometers away from the destination. Same things happen to purpose in life when we do not have minute direction.
[1] Source: ofpad.com
