Category Archives: Life

Life

5 Strategies for Time Management

Image November 26, 2015 Shalini Goyal Leave a comment

As originally posted at goyalsbit.com by Shalini Goyal

Time is what we want MOST and what we use WORST.

Imagine if you get some extra time added in a day – just an hour extra. What would you do with that extra hour ? Would you spend this time on that new initiative you always dreamed of? Would you go to your kids’ school if invited for a garden activity? Or may be invest it to cultivate an amazing relationship?

Yes, all this and actually every thing which you want to do and can do, needs one most important resource of all – ‘T I M E’. You can’t change the hours in a day but you can find that extra hour by doing a better time management.

The bad news is that time flies but the good news is that you are the pilot

time-management

So here I am going to propose five simple and yet extremely powerful strategies which if implemented, have the power to give you better time management, thus better results in your life.

5 Most Powerful Time Management Strategies

# 1. ‘Know the Need, know your Goals’

First thing, even before thinking about that extra hour a day, think about the priorities of your day, week, month, year and if possible of your life. Have you thought about that project revamp kicking off next year? about the kid starting primary education coming in few years? Or even the tickets booking for traveling back to your family in December?

WHATEVER IT IS, YOU MUST KNOW WHAT IS THAT YOU WANT TO AND NEED TO SPEND TIME ON.
ONCE YOU KNOW, NOTE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE SO THAT YOU CAN REVIEW IT PERIODICALLY AND CAN MAKE THE AMENDMENTS EASILY.

This list of ‘To Dos’ will bring the focus and clarity on what you want to achieve and the priority of all items. Believe it or not, it’s a first key to manage your time, better.

Refer 5 Vital Reasons to Set Goals to get more help on knowing your goals.

# 2. ‘Estimate’ (or just Guesstimate at least)

Estimate the time needed to work on each item in your list. This is the point when you face the reality. If you realize that there’s not enough time in the day/week/month/year to accomplish everything you want, it’s time to go back and prioritize your goals. Once you’ve identified the things that are most important to accomplish, schedule the activities that those goals will require, and set aside the rest of your goals for later. It is okay to put something on hold if you can’t afford the time, rather than spoiling other more important things you have to do.

Now, there would be items where you are not sure about the quantity of time investment needed. For example – ‘buying a new house’ might be a daunting project and can consume lot of time but to start with put aside a decent time for this so that you can review it periodically and can make the amendments easily. This way you would have something to begin with and make the correction later.

Estimating the time gives you a good feel of what you can achieve and what is that which is actually a low priority task to wait until you finish off your important stuff in the list.

# 3. ‘Create a Daily Schedule’

The power of a ‘daily schedule’ is beyond imagination. It should be a ‘must to do’ in your everyday task list. All those meetings in your diary, the trainings you have to do, traveling in the bus, eating your 5 a day and anything you need to do in your day, should be included in there to ensure you actually put aside some time for them. Many people create a sticky note for each day’s task which works like a check list as well and helps to stay focused.

At the end of each day, it is important again to look back at your check list and review what got missed and needs a cover up may be on an immediate next day or week.

Daily schedule should also include spending time on those goals which you plan to achieve in a longer duration. It is completely up to you how you want to add activities for every day so that your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals can make progress.
For example, To appear for a certification exam next quarter, 30 mins study during the night.

# 4. ‘Keep Score’

If you can keep the score, you can definitely work on it.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas A. Edison

It is okay to fail if you know and are ready to acknowledge the fact that you need to plan better, estimate better and execute better. At a particular frequency, you must review your plans, priorities and the estimates. Find out how much you planned to do and how much you actually did. What is that which distracts you most from your plan and what boosts you the most?

Last minute meeting cancellation, surprise visit from friends, traffic jam for hours, power off, queues at billing counters and many more reasons you lose time unexpectedly. But it is absolutely fair to accept that and figure out if you can set aside some buffer time for all this and if you become lucky one day because there was not a single person in the queue, time would be all yours.

# 5. ‘Schedule the scheduling’

Last but not the least, schedule the scheduling. Often we don’t realize that we need the time to spend on ‘timing the activities’. Yes, that’s needed. If the coders keep coding without knowing what they need to write for, imagine what would be the results. In the same fashion, if you keep spending the time like it comes for free, you can imagine the goals you are going to achieve.

For every single strategy to work for you, you need to first spend the time on scheduling them. What time of the day is best suitable for you to chalk out the daily plan? Last thing of the day for next day or is it first thing in the morning? How frequently you are going to review your estimations done for your goals? When are you going to look back at the scores? All these questions must be answered to make these strategies do magic for you and change your life forever.

Just follow these strategies for a month and the benefits you would receive, would know no boundaries. So, when are you scheduling to schedule?

Don’t forget to share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Life, Movies

Why Kiran & Aamir Khan are worried for their kids

Image November 25, 2015 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

Aamir Khan is trending. He is everywhere; Twitter, Facebook, News… everyone who has an opinion, is sharing their thoughts on Aamir Khan’s recent controversial comments against Intolerance.

Yes, Intolerance is also a very famous topic nowadays. Infact more famous than Aamir himself. Shahrukh and Aamir combined are not bigger than Intolerance. That’s a real bummer.

I do not wanted to write on this topic but it is so damn tempting, so, please God help me.

Focusing solely on Kiran and Aamir Khan’s dinner table conversation of leaving India and go to some other countries because of rising Intolerance and a growing fear for the well-being of their kids; I would say she is right in choosing this option, it’s just that her reasons are all wrong.

I can imagine them worrying for their kids and their want to give them a better and peaceful world to live in. Only problem in their statement is the elephant in the room – Intolerance.

Let me give you some scenarios on why they would discuss on leaving India in relation to concern for their kids safety.

What is a possibility is that a kid can get killed in a random road accident with driver fleeting the scene and no bystander coming to help that small kid or take him to hospital; until and unless some celebrity is involved.

What could happen is that a kid can get raped, regardless of being a girl or boy, or of whatever age. It doesn’t matter if he is 3-year-old or 30. it doesn’t matter where this take place, it could be his very own home, raped by a cousin or maid; or it could happen in his school by his teacher or school janitor/sweeper. Damn, it could happen in a moving bus.

A child could be molested by his school bus driver. He could be physically or sexually abused in his school bus. He could be pushed from his bus at his drop point, even when bus is still running.

A kid could be hurt in his day care center, where he could be given a drug to make him sleep whole time. His baby sitter could shake him so hard that his brain will stop functioning normally. He could be pushed by his care taker or just beaten up, because he was crying too much.

A child can be kidnapped easily, specially if he is a fair/gora sweet chubby beautiful one; just because they sell well. Yes, someone can kidnap and sell your kid.

A child could contract a serious disease because a wrong blood is transfused in his body. He could easily have asthma or bronchitis seeing the pollution level around. Surprisingly even a mosquito can kill the child. Dengu, you see.

Point being there are so many things to think about when you are concerned about your child, and these were just from the top of my mind. If we start making list, I can guarantee that this list will be longer than Dhoom 3.

Ironically, our kids are not safe anywhere, be it any country. There is no guarantee that your kid will be safe when you stay in some other country. This is the world we live in. Problem is we can not leave this World. It’s easier to blame our country.

Why Aamir and Kiran are confusing all these issues with Intolerance is unclear to me. But, considering this point also, let’s say an in-tolerated person or group try to attack that innocent family.

Now, as I would see it this is a crime and that would be considered a terror attack.

This will be a terrorist activity, no less than that.

And, terrorism has no Religion.

None.

Why worry then, Aamir? What is the worry when you know very clearly that there is no religion specific group after your child? I can not even imagine that anyone is in this whole wide world would have given even a thought to hurting your cute little child.

There are worst things to worry for your child than rising intolerance in your country.

So, you (specially Kiran), sounded pretty silly when you just for the sake of talking about latest hot topic of Intolerance, created this mayhem with your points.

It shouldn’t have hurt that bad if these things wouldn’t have come out of the mouth of most sensible khan of the film industry.

Shockingly you seem to lose all your credibility by this one statement. I could give you a benefit of doubt because it was Kiran’s opinion and not yours. So, I will still try to picture you as the sensible one.

Just take this as a hint of what your nation’s mood is – it’s intolerant to silly comments.

Life

Why I Will Not Return My Award

Image November 4, 2015 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

No, I will not return my award. Never, and there are basically two reasons for not doing so.

First and foremost, I have not received any award from my government, so, sadly, there is no point of returning it. Well, I could have if there was any award for being the laziest person around. Or, if government start giving awards for writing a blog that no one reads.

Anyway, I can always imagine to receive a prestigious award from my government. So, let’s imagine that I have a ‘Sahitya Academy‘ award. Wow. How proud I am feeling right now? Even my imagination rocks!!

So, the second reason for me to not return my imaginary ‘Sahitya Academy’ award will be – why will I return an appreciation of my work, when on a practical sense it won’t serve any purpose?

Those who are doing so, I mean returning awards, are doing in the name of intolerance.

I have to literally reread the meaning of this term to understand if it’s meaning has changed somehow, without me knowing about it.

Intolerance – “unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one’s own.”

No, it’s still the same.

Basically, if you read the meaning of intolerance again, you will realize it is actually those intellectuals (who are returning awards), who are showing intolerance. They are unable to accept views and beliefs of others; they do not want to respect that some of the Hindus may have their own beliefs (religious and sentimental), and they also have a say in this democracy.

Oops, I said the word Hindu.

This whole intolerance started with one incident in dadri,U.P, where an agitated mob killed a man over the rumors of eating beef. Killing a person, be it for whatever reason, can not be justified. It is the role of judiciary system to punish someone for their crime. I personally think that every rapist should be hanged or beheaded publicly, on the spot. But, to think rationally, I could never-ever support this thought in action. It is a heinous crime to kill someone, be whatever reason.

Coming back to our intolerance intellectuals who got so baffled by this incident that they thought of returning awards, Sir/Madam I have few questions for you.

You acted on this one incident as if it has somehow projected the view of whole nation. When you say nation is going towards old age and barbarism, are you referring to whole India or just a small village of Dadri?
If you are just talking about Dadri, you must know that who is ruling this particular state, and by the political definitions those father and son duo are labeled as most secular people in political arena. Why didn’t you target them in your intellectual speeches and write ups?
If you were talking about whole nation, have you taken any survey asking whole nation on where do they stand on intolerance? If not, you may want to consult our very own survey specialist Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. Before that do not speak on behalf of whole nation.
If you are just talking about your viewpoints, you are perfectly right in expressing your freedom of speech. Someone said that it’s a peaceful protest and they have a right to do so. Completely agree with that. It’s same like we the common people do a candle light protest when we know we can not do anything else. Is this what you think, that you can not do anything else. Is this the reason that you are protesting like this?
You are returning a award, actually a medal/certificate, just a mocking award, because you will always say in your future conversation, “Ohh, I have received this award in 1990… and then I returned it, you know, because my political views did not matched with the current government.” your name will always be associated with that, and you know that. So, you are not returning anything of value. It’s just a mockery.
You got this award from a different central government, and now when the government is changed, you do not like it anymore and you are returning this award. So, if your favorite government comes to power again in the next election, would you ask them to give back your award?
If you are returning this award because of non-political reasons, solely on your shaken beliefs; than you do understand that this award was given to you for your work by your nation. To receive anything from your nation is a great honor, and you are actually dishonoring your nation by returning it. You know that, right?
What is the clear purpose? Did you stated, what were you expecting and what didn’t happened? How exactly your government failed you? What your government should do to fix this? If you are having hard time phrasing your thoughts that only God knows who can do it better?
Have you ever thought how it will escalate the whole situation? So, instead of calming the behavior of your fellow citizens, you have just aggravated this situation. Now, everyone is talking about Hindu-Muslim, BJP-Congress, Bhakt-Terrorists, etc…
Have you ever thought that this action of yours has only helped you, and not your nation. Not even the community that you are supporting. It may have helped some secular political parties though. So the result is it looks like either a political or a personal gain. So which was it?

If intellectuals of our nation think that they can not do anything constructive to save their society from falling into old age; than it is a really shameful thing. Not only for the nation, but also for you intellectuals, who are just a wastage of brain.

There is a saying that if you want to destroy a nation, first destroy its culture. First thing that this sort of barbaric rulers did was that they burnt down all the books. This is how powerful books are, and to think that a writer or a movie maker who are creating a piece of history everyday with their work, is helpless; this is pathetic.

One tribe who can change the face of a nation is focusing solely to demean everything that India stands for. No, it’s not any Hindu organization, it is you, my dear Artistic tribe.

Coming to what you could have done which would have been more graceful and appropriate seeing your capabilities.

Instead of returning the award back to government, why didn’t you auction it or just put it in a museum where the royalties or the money earned can be used to benefit the victims of intolerance.
Why didn’t you used the money that you have received with your award in some constructive work? Why didn’t all of you just go to Dadri, and villages like that and help standing a good infrastructure there?
Why are you not building wells, repairing roads, opening schools, distributing study materials, giving scholarships? Why are you returning award instead of doing something which can actually help people?
Why didn’t you invest in creating a shelter home for cows in each village and city so that instead of roaming the roads for food, cows can stay there and be taken care of? No more killing, no more mob agitation.
Why didn’t you say something positive to help your nation? Why don’t you do something positive to heal your nation? Why are you just returning your awards, when you can do so many better things?

Life

When HR is playing you around?

Image September 26, 2015 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

HR or Human Resources is a department in an organization whose main task is Employee Management.

Employee management does not necessarily mean being employee friendly. In Fact, HR is never your friend. HR is an organization’s employee, just like you; and his job is to save his employer from any liability coming from employee side.

One of my friend learnt this thing the hard way, but he was soon to correct his ways and gave an apt reply to an arrogant HR.

Have you ever given an interview and then waited for the HR to give you a proper feedback? If yes, then you will surely understand how annoying it could be when you are given a positive feedback after a job interview but still you are not getting any confirmation from HR.

My friend, who got selected after vigorous rounds of interviews, was asked by company to join as soon as possible. He was ready too. But guess what, maybe HR was not.

He waited few days to receive further communication, and then called the HR; only to hear, ‘Yes, you are selected, but this position is on hold temporarily, so we will call you soon for further information.’

However, no further communication was received.

After a few months, my friend again got the call for the same job, but this time through a consultant; he enquired again with that particular HR. This time too, answer was, ‘this position is on hold, and we will get back to you’.

He didn’t hear from that job again but he did got one LinkedIn invite from this HR, after a few months.

He asked this HR on LinkedIn board about all the bu!!$#!t that had happened, and now HR told him, that he is no longer working for that firm and he has no answers.

This time it was the turn of the Job seeker to return the favor; and he returned it in a profoundly colorful language, visible to everyone on HR’s page. He even reported this unprofessional behavior of HR to his current employer, and also to every possible contact he can get a hold of.

Here is a short transcript

These kind of things are becoming quite common with HR and Job seekers. Infact most of the times, HR behaves as God and wouldn’t bother to reply back or answer your calls, unless you are involving their superiors.

I have personally known few HR who try to sabotage career of employees just because managers are not happy with them. One employee who wanted to file a sexual harassment against his supervisor was shown the door a day before he was planning to go forward with his case. One HR just neglected an anonymous report( which was actually filed by the team anonymously to protect a girl), of sexual harassment of a developer by his business analyst.

One case where an employee just updated her résumé just to stay on top of it, and HR reported it to Manager. Within a week she was given the red slip.

One HR case I have heard where they asked the job seeker to first show his resignation letter from current company, before they can give an offer. How absurd is that?

Overall, one of the major issue with HR people is that they don’t think they are answerable to employees.

It’s true that company is paying them and not the employee, but their job profile includes employee welfare too, along with taking care of the company resources.

What do you think about this case? Don’t you think that HR process should have been more transparent? Don’t you think that a job seeker deserves an honest response? Don’t you think if someone is selected after an interview, he/she should be given a confirmation within a timely manner?

Do share your thoughts…