It may not even take a minute. So what’s stopping you?…

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How can one be more creative?…

Engineers and “techies” are, in general, pretty practical folks, although they do like to play. So it stands to reason that what will make them happy will either be practical or playful – or both. For some, happiness comes in the form of gadgets – the newer, the better, and if there are lots of buttons to press and make lots of noise, better still. For others, happiness takes the form of good food and a good book, DVD or multi-player game: it’s a myth that all engineers are solitary creatures. They like to socialize as much as anyone – but they need to be sure they’re socializing with folks who understand how they think. And then, of course, there is the small number of engineers who simply want a relaxing few days on the beach, with garish cocktails and badly designed shirts. Whatever form of happiness they choose, contentment generally makes engineers more productive than ever.…

Creativity for engineers involves, giving a break to the daily routine tasks and spending time doing some creative actives ranging from arts to creating new products and services.…

Motivation for doing anything can be classified into two categories : internal (intrinsic motivation) and external (extrinsic motivation). One may do good solely because they value something, they enjoy and find it worthwhile, or they do it to avoid a punishment or for the possibility of reward. Instrinci motivators generally enhance well-being as well as performance, whereas extrinsic motivators deteriorate well-being (causing stress) and in many cases reduce performance. Professors Edward Deci and Richard Ryan have worked on this theory for over 40 years, and their comprehensive research findings is now been applied in many fields ranging from educational settings and corporate environments, to relationships and parenting. These theories are under the umbrella of Self-Determination Theory. Find out more at : http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/

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I created Taskman based on the concept of prioritization. I gave it several metrics that are essential in determining how to effectively prioritize tasks we need to do. The key idea in Taskman is that we use “Tasks” to enter all the tasks we need to do or accomplish, our goals, our chores, whatever we need to do and whatever that expends time. We then give each task some value, in terms of the several parameters that are available, namely “Duration, Effort, Importance, Urgency, Overall”. When a task is created, these values are set using the “P”  (Prioritization button), in a relative manner reflecting the value and importance of the task as well the amount of effort required to do it. I do hope that you will fine Taskman a valuable resource to achieving your goals and life purpose.

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I came up with the principle of Solution-Focused Living (SFL) process when I realized how we tend to have the natural tendency to focus on problems rather than solutions. It is a habit. It is a culture. It is … ineffective.

Focusing on problems, doesn’t help you get to the solution faster, it in fact hinders you from finding a solution, as the energy is being spent on the problem.

Q:  how do we know whether we are focusing on the problem, or the solution?

A: when you are complaining, blaming, ruminating, obsessing, regretting. Any of these is a good sign that you are in fact focusing on the problem, not the solution.

In the next few days, I will write more about how to go through each of these processes effectively. For now I’d like you to catch yourself whenever you’re focusing on the problem, rather than going through the processes of SFL (see below)

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I came across “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” when I was in junior high school. I was deeply inspired by the principles Stephen Covey very elegantly and simply spoke about, with many similes and symbols. I listened to the audio version every night before going to bed. Eventually almost everything spoken was deeply ingrained in my mind, and affected the rest of my life. Just two days ago I came across another CD I had bought several years ago “First Thing’s First” also by Covey.I did a quick sketch of the “Four Quadrants” (above). It should be self-explanatory. Below you find a few hints.

The Four Quadrants helps us prioritize how we do things.

Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important. It is important and it must be dealt with  – NOW!

Quadrant 2: Important, not Urgent:  Quadrant of Quality – the quadrant of personal leadership, the quadrant where we need to be proactive to do what is most important and valuable to us, what is deeply meaningful.

Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important: “The noise of urgency creates the illusion of importance”

Quadrant 4: Not Important and Not Urgent.  mindless activities that have no benefit.

~~~~~~~~~~”To live, to love, …

Creativity not only breeds innovation, which is crucial in today’s changing world, but also it enhances well-being. The greatest innovative companies today, such as Google, 3M, always seek to provide an environment that allows creativity to flourish.

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