Health

Improving Productivity

Published

4 years ago

February 10, 2021

NewTimes

Finding HappineLeadership by Design: Leadershipss at Work

Akindotun Merino

Improving your time management strategies will help increase your productivity. By improving your productivity, you will find it easier to reach your goals. Increased productivity takes time. However, as you begin to implement different strategies, you will discover which methods are effective and improve your personal and professional productivity.
There are numerous Programmes, hints, and tips available to help you improve productivity. The key to improvement is discovering what works and repeating actions with the appropriate tools. This requires researching and trying different strategies to determine which ones fit best with your workload and habits. For example, not everyone can use the same technology to keep a schedule. Once you determine which resources and strategies are effective, it is important to keep repeating them. There is no reason to change your routine once you have determined what works for you. Over time, the repetition will increase your productivity and help you move forward.

It may seem obvious, but the faster that you become, the more productive you will be. Practice and effort will help increase your speed on tasks that you perform regularly. For example, you can work on getting faster at typing, reading, walking, etc. No matter the task, just try to increase the speed a little bit at a time. There are numerous ways to help you get faster and improve your productivity.

Ways to Improve Speed include games, tasks, apps, and computer programmes. Choose the method that fits best with your life and interests.

The words that you use have a greater impact on your life than you may realize. We have already discussed remaining positive by avoiding negative language. It is also important to avoid uncertainty in your language. For example, the word “should” needs to leave your dictionary. This word implies feelings of guilt because you do not plan on actually following through. For example, someone who says, “I should start exercising every morning” is not likely to start exercising. The decisive word “will” indicates a decision has been made. Saying, “I will start exercising” is making a commitment to follow through with an idea. Making this simple shift in vocabulary will commit you to action and improve your productivity.

Success itself can become a cycle if you start small and build on your achievements. Once you have a single success, you will find the motivation to work towards more. You should start with a small success and build. Begin with the goal that is easy to reach. For example, you could begin by blogging every day for a week. Move on to another achievable goal. These successes will provide a foundation to build on as you attempt to reach more goals and success. By moving from success to success, you will be able to increase productivity in both your personal and professional life.

If you cannot achieve your goals, there is a chance that you are not creating the correct goals. Whenever you create goals, you will find that following the rules for SMART goals will be easier to achieve. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. When you combine the elements of SMART goals, you have a greater chance of success.

Goals need to be specific. You will not be able to reach you goals if they are broad and general because planning will be too difficult. For example, “Improve my life” is too broad. You cannot work towards this general goal. Specific goals explain what is necessary to complete a goal and guides you as you try to reach the goal. Specific goals may also identify location, requirements, and the reasoning behind the goal.

Goals need to be measurable in order to be effective. A measurable goal specifies the when a goal is accomplished by answering, “how much?” or “how many?” It provides measurable results. Without measurable goals, it is difficult to realize when the goal has been reached.
Goals must always be attainable. It is important that you create goals that are challenging, but they still need to be within reach. When goals are unattainable, you will give up on them without even trying. The measure of a goal should always be attainable.

It is important that you set realistic goals. Realistic goals are directly related to your abilities. For example, a goal to reprogramme the computer is not realistic if you do not have the education or experience to accomplish the task. Additionally, you need to make sure that you have access to the tools necessary to meet your goals. If a goal seems unrealistic, break it down into smaller chunks to know for certain.

Always create goals that have specific time frames. General goals do not establish any time frames, which means that you may continue to pursue goals that you should relinquish. Timely goals encourage you to move forward in order to meet the deadline you have established. Once a time frame has been reached, you should take the time to reevaluate the goal.

No matter how well you prepare or what precautions you take, mistakes will happen. Mistakes are an essential part of life. Without them, it is not possible to fully grow and learn. When mistakes do occur, the key is to bounce back, learn from them, and move forward. If you learn from your mistakes, you are less likely to repeat them. You will also be able to guide others away from making the same mistakes you have.

Never allow mistakes to paralyze you. Living in fear of making another mistake will stunt your personal and professional growth. Everyone makes mistakes, but successful people are able to bounce back. You will make mistakes, but you must be sure to get back on track when they occur. Keep a positive attitude in the face of mistakes. See them as opportunities for growth.

You must persevere and focus on the future. Never live in the past. The ability to bounce back after making a mistake shows that you are strong and resilient. Bouncing back will make it easier for you to regain trust after suffering the setback of making a mistake.

Health

HIV/AIDS: 6.3 Million Lives On The Line If – UN

Published

1 month ago

February 8, 2025

NewTimes

By John Michael Ojo

The United Nations (UN), has warned that more than six million people could die if the United State ends it’s foreign aid programs.

This was made known by UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling said during a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday.

According to her, “There is still a lot of confusion… about how the waiver will be implemented, and we’re seeing a lot of disruption of the delivery of treatment services.”

Regarding the freeze’s impact, Stegling said 20 million of the world’s 30 million HIV-positive people rely on US aid for treatment.

READ ALSO: Researchers Near Cure For HIV

Noting that the HIV global response is heavily dependent on funds from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as it finances 70% of the overall AIDS response.

“We estimate that if PEPFAR wasn’t reauthorized between 2025 and 2029 and other resources were not found for the HIV response, there would be a 400% increase in AIDS deaths.

“That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths that will occur in the future,” she warned.

With the funding freeze, the biggest interruption will be on community health systems, she said, giving the example of Ethiopia, where UNAIDS had 5,000 public health worker contracts that are funded by US assistance.

“All of these in all regions of Ethiopia have been terminated,” she added.

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Mental Health

Strong Mental Will: A Tool For Fulfilment Of Dreams

Published

1 year ago

February 7, 2024

NewTimes

Dr Hope Nwawolo

By Hope Nwawolo

As a young girl in a boarding school many years back, l found myself interested in reading articles and novels. One day, l picked a piece of torn paper from the ground and a particular sentence caught my attention. It read, “…whatever you are as a young girl will determine what you become as an adult’’. Without giving a thought to the fact that situations and people could change according to circumstances, my young mind went to work immediately, particularly on how l wanted to look as a woman years later. At that time, l was on the fat side. I told myself that l would not want to develop a bulging tummy as a woman. I never even gave thought to the changes women go through as a result of child bearing. However, my young mind knew l needed to do something immediately in order to achieve what l wanted many years after. I took my house dresses and school uniforms and used my hands to take in the sides so that l had to tuck in my tummy any time l wore them. Somehow l felt l could control my tummy from getting bigger if l kept it tucked in most of the time. And of a truth l did and needless to say that some students liked my style and did same to their uniforms. Talk about setting the pace!

At the time of taking the decision, l never even knew it was lady-like to tuck in your tummy. All l was seeing was me as a woman in future, without a bulging tummy. It never crossed my mind that child bearing or any abdominal surgery could discourage one from tucking in the tummy at will. And years later, after having four births, of which two where through caesarean sections, I have maintained the habit of tucking in my tummy and this has helped in sustaining a moderate waist line even as l increase in years.

Another striking instance was when l went in for my masters’ degree. I told myself l would not stop my academic education until l had my doctoral degree. Sadly, before l finished the masters’ programme, l came across several doctoral students who had been on the programme for upward of six years and were not near completion. I got discouraged and quietly finished my programme and did not look back. My mental will bowed to the discouraging sights of struggling doctoral students. Luckily, years after, the dream came alive again and l began to nurse it. Even after a professional masters’ programme, eight years after my first masters, l was still nursing the idea of a doctoral degree. Finally, fifteen years after my first masters’, I was going through the newspaper in my office when l came across a postgraduate admission advert of a private university. There and then, a strong desire to apply for a doctoral degree came over me and was so strong that l did not tell anybody so as not to get discouraged, particularly because of the high school fees. As a matter of fact, being a civil servant should have been my worry, but l just felt strong in my mind that it would work out itself.

Honestly, from the time of my sending my application to getting admission, I did not have the money for the first year of the four and half years programme and l did not want to further stress my husband who was paying school fees for my sons in private secondary school and private university. All the same, l was strongly determined to start it with complete trust that God would make the way as l went through the journey. With an undaunted mental will, He did beyond my expectations, with awesome colleagues, lecturers that were as interested for us to complete the programme as at when due as we were.

One may want to ask how l was able to overcome the initial financial hurdle. Like l said, with the burning passion in me and a complete trust in God to provide the necessary fees, my eyes became open to certain opportunities of side hustle with two of my friends, which gave me added income to my salary. I immediately cut down on certain expenses like buying new clothes and frivolous social outings, and prioritised my needs, particularly as the school allowed for instalment payment of fees, over the semesters.

To become mentally strong, is about shifting your whole perspective, since it is human nature to be afraid of things that we cannot control or to crumble in the face of difficulty. It is the fight or flight response that is embedded in who we are. Unfortunately, once you are in that mind-set you are giving your mental power away to a circumstance and the only power that you have is really the power of perception. And when you shift your perception and just feel like: I can handle this, I can do this, I can turn this around, I can use this to my good — then you gain that ability.

Mental strength is about knowing that you are creating your reality, just like l did as a young girl in secondary school. We create our reality by our thoughts, our beliefs, our actions, our habits. And sure, sometimes things happen out of our control, but most of the time, we do not go far away from achieving our dreams.

Nwawolo, PhD, writes in via

hopenwawolo@yahoo.com

Mental Health

How To Identify Fake Friends

Published

1 year ago

November 27, 2023

NewTimes

Prof. Stella Roy-Omoni

Most people surround themselves with fake friends who are killing them subtly and are smiling with them. You need to identify the genuineness of your so- called friend before he/she destroys you.

Identifying a fake friend can involve noticing certain behavioral patterns:

1. Lack of Support: They might be absent or unsupportive during your challenging times, showing disinterest or avoiding your needs.

2. One-sided Relationships: They tend to benefit more from the friendship without reciprocating care or effort.

3. Gossip and Betrayal: Fake friends might gossip about you behind your back or betray your trust.

4. Inconsistent Behavior: Their actions and words may not align consistently, making it hard to trust them.

5. Conditional Friendship: They’re around only when it suits their interests or when they need something from you.

6. Manipulative or Self-centered:They may manipulate situations for their benefit or constantly talk about themselves without considering your feelings or experiences.

Being mindful of these traits can help distinguish between genuine friends and those who may not have your best interests at heart. Trusting your instincts and observing behaviors over time often reveals the authenticity of a friendship.