tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51528190158960738462011-11-28T00:33:54.140+01:00A blog about managing life's challenges with systematic methods. Learn how to live with less stress, learn to feel like the achiever you are!hrdonoreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-18333198759324644542010-10-04T12:59:00.000+02:002010-10-04T12:59:09.174+02:00

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-21012203827704422442010-09-13T11:14:00.001+02:002010-09-13T11:14:31.830+02:00

Are you currently on a diet, or planning to start one? Most people who try to drop a few pounds are obsessed with measurements. They check their calorie intake, waistline and weight. This is all fine, but do they have a meaningful plan to ensure proper progress? I think they don’t. There was a fantastic article on this subject in a trade journal I sometimes skim through; Chemical Engineering

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-83074065799300888582010-07-01T12:40:00.000+02:002010-07-01T12:40:32.977+02:00

I just finished the book "the 4-hour workweek" by Tim Feriss. I found his thoughts are pretty much aligned with mine: measure what counts, eliminate distractions, and do not over-communicate. Too bad he published his book before I started this blog. I think the best point of the book is the focus on not checking email too often. Simply rurnng off push notification on the phone is bliss. Enjoy

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-72370207339356336422010-01-20T21:05:00.000+01:002010-01-20T21:05:25.032+01:00

Do you pay your taxes with a smile? I figured not. At least I know that I don't. Some of it, sure. I'm all in for pooling up money for the good of society, but not like giving away my savings. It is my money, earned through my value creating activities anyway, right? So, how can we avoid just handing the money over to the tax collector, without risking jail time or big fines? Well, there are

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-10625440214810320272010-01-06T21:53:00.000+01:002010-01-06T21:53:06.738+01:00

I have been to busy to update this blog for a while. Amazingly enough, people still keep coming back to it. I am stunned and grateful for this fact. This winter has shown few signs of global warming. Of course, linking the weather the last couple of months in those places where I have been roaming for this period to global warming is bogus. However, it is still a very realistic local cooling

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-27342526553461309362009-10-12T15:41:00.002+02:002009-10-12T15:45:00.353+02:00

We all know that recreation is important for a good life. What counts as recreation varies from one person to another. The other day I discovered the effect of doing "something else". Usually, I am not the one shopping for groceries at our house - I tend to work (sometimes even intensely) until I leave office for the commute back home. The other day I stopped at the grocery store (one of the

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-73182290182363545272009-07-15T08:53:00.003+02:002009-07-15T09:03:11.765+02:00

Batteries need to be charged now and then to provide energy to our gadgets. Now its vacation time and batteries are working overtime while we are recharging our internal batteries. I've been off to a couple of weeks of vacation time now, and it has been deliberating. Although I feel that I have a good grasp of managing my own work day, some time without thinking about work at all is really good.

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-57577237106676395612009-06-30T13:32:00.002+02:002009-06-30T13:42:51.115+02:00

In this blog we have discussed the use of key performance indicators a lot. These are numbers that can be used to monitor progress towards predetermined goals - and they can be very useful if selected wisely. They do, however, give a shallow view of the situation, but have the advantage of giving a quick overview of the state of affairs. Sometimes, however, a deeper look at things is certainly

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-88537240149046026732009-06-24T23:52:00.004+02:002009-06-25T00:13:08.070+02:00

Have you ever heard of the glass roof? A lot of mid-level managers with ambitions know what it is, a lot of hard-working engineers know what it is - and it seems inpenetrable. It is the invisible obstacle that stops you from climbing the career ladder within your organization.Do you have ambitions to climb to the top, or at least to higher altitudes? Most organizations are somewhat hierarchical;

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-2095401403037010652009-06-14T23:58:00.003+02:002009-06-15T00:04:01.187+02:00

Stepcase lifehack has a nice story on how to avoid the continuous electronic distractions: unplug your online life. The idea is generally to step away from the computer and stick to pen-and-paper tools. I don't go to those extremes, but here are some favorites of mine for increasing productivity when working morale is low: close your e-mail programclose the office doorclose all applications you

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-87637180790855321602009-06-10T10:30:00.001+02:002009-06-10T10:30:30.465+02:00

Professional sports are all about business. Transfer sums in European soccer have grown exponentially over the last couple of decades and Real Madrid is about to set an all-time high with its 75 million £ offer on Ronaldo, reported by several newspapers yesterday night (Guardian.co.uk). 75 million pounds is a lot of money, it translates to about 123 million U.S. dollars. According to the Guardian

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-41775522177771018972009-06-09T10:39:00.001+02:002009-06-09T10:39:22.736+02:00

Most of the large software providers have some business intelligence related offerings. Microsoft offers the Microsoft Dynamics package. IBM is the largest provider of such software. And there are many other smaller options. These software packages share several features:they are providing graphics for managers with overviews of key performance indicatorsthey aid in selecting KPI'sthey include

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-26482735337090873722009-06-07T08:45:00.003+02:002009-06-07T08:54:45.426+02:00

This post is mostly aimed at technical and academic writers. If you are in the right academic environment, you know the eternal discussion on what's best; Linux or Windows, LaTeX or Word... I work in such a place - and sometimes these quarrels are a bore... really. Let's take the stand of the *nix crowd to start with. What do they have to say about Word? Well, the first thing they say is that it

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-51133067189112549612009-06-05T22:42:00.006+02:002009-06-05T22:59:50.841+02:00

We all strive to be efficient learners - and we realize the web is a great source of information. The problem is utilizing the web in an efficient manner for learning. The biggest threat to our learning success is distraction. When using the web, especially those of us who use the so-called social web features extensively (IM'ing, Facebook, Mixx, etc.) have a plethoria of things that may take our

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-41107010667812561732009-06-04T23:30:00.002+02:002009-06-04T23:39:20.582+02:00

Are you a university student? Performing well at university is clearly important for your future career, especially in today's harsh economic climate. This is obviuos. The big question is nevertheless: what is performance and how can I measure it? Many employers will tell you that extracurricular activities are just as important as what you study at the U. This is defintiely true and the reason

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-19207316912035108232009-05-30T21:14:00.003+02:002009-05-30T21:48:17.510+02:00

Goal setting and KPI monitoring with happiness as the overall goal is fine for making sure that you have progress in your life. There may, however, be situations where special action is needed. If there are things that disturb your life to a large degree, stuff that makes you unhappy and you have clearly identified the item as a source of unhappiness; then you should take more direct action to

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-4407491837090921872009-05-27T23:41:00.003+02:002009-05-27T23:46:33.562+02:00

Time tracking software can be quite useful, but it can also be very invasive. This blog hails it as a productivity increaser: http://blog.cyclope-series.com/2009/05/how-to-use-employee-time-tracking-to-create-a-plan-for-productivity/trackback/. I am not sure that using time tracking to track employees non-work-related activities at work is actually a good thing - I am very sceptical to

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-51142280440536256122009-05-27T22:04:00.002+02:002009-05-27T22:11:15.230+02:00

Germans are known to be focused and "zielgerichtet". This may very well be true for building cars and exporting chemicals, but they seem to loose focus when travelling, according to Germany's largest newspaper, Bild.de (article, in German). Germans are, according to Bild, the people who complain the most and let themselves be more annoyed than anyone else by small setups during flights. This

hrdonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-69083921356442795152009-05-27T14:06:00.002+02:002009-05-27T14:24:27.442+02:00

A few days ago I had a post about maintenance. In my maintenenace plan I have music as an important part; I try to grab the moment and get 10 minutes to myself every day to listen to a song or a piece of music. Just me, the headphones and music - that is truly refreshing for mind and soul! One of the places I shop for music is iTunes. Another one is my local record store. But, increasingly often

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-953760260180581372009-05-26T20:49:00.003+02:002009-05-26T21:00:00.917+02:00

As I mentioned in my previous post on personal finances, there is the long-term strategy and there is the short-term strategy. Normally, the long-term takes priority and then one has to adapt the short-term. However, saving for retirement should not make everyday life infeasible. So, if you have to put away 1000 $ /month, do you have enough to live your life in a way that is good for you? If you

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-49859677601814830742009-05-25T14:08:00.001+02:002009-05-25T14:10:13.519+02:00

Looking for good MPG values?http://www.mindsinmotion.net/index.php/mimv34/themes/diverse/links__1/norwegians_and_french_seize_european_shell_eco_marathon_victoryThat's well done!

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-80505524525261848872009-05-25T12:53:00.002+02:002009-05-25T13:21:56.739+02:00

Returning to the topic of this blog; how to ensure progress in the important areas of life to ensure happiness and stress-free living, one of the things I deemed important as a student was money. This is, of course, still important to me. When we are talking personal finances, the issue of time comes up. You will have some long-term goals (become debt-free, have enough savings for retirement and

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-86224988736498159682009-05-24T00:30:00.000+02:002009-05-24T00:31:28.389+02:00

Do you like this blog? Show it by using the Digg button in the sidebar! Thx!

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-55333163313637550342009-05-23T19:52:00.002+02:002009-05-23T19:59:54.287+02:00

The Washington post today has an article on the fact that some U.S. colleges are now starting to offer 3-year Bachelor's degrees, European style (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/22/AR2009052203681.html?hpid=topnews). Critics, of course, claim that this will take away the traditional broad education offered at universities, and steer more in the direction of job

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-90801726364410217052009-05-23T12:57:00.005+02:002009-05-23T13:20:06.786+02:00

All technical people know that maintenenace is important for any machinery. Your vehicle's motor needs oil to run. Your computer needs cleaning up now and then. This is also necessary for human beings to function well. A good maintenence plan should include: time for work-outsquality time with friends and familytime for reflection and intellectual build-uphealthy diettime to relaxToday being a

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-6486645343705776462009-05-21T17:37:00.003+02:002009-05-21T17:44:47.472+02:00

How to select good KPI's is a very good question. People go to business schools to learn how to do this, but that does not automatically make them any good at the task. Truth is, selecting KPI's in business environments is pretty hard, and selecting good ones for personal goals may be even more difficult. As always, the solution to difficult problems is to be systematic. The following properties

hrdonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-48285951838303277522009-05-20T23:46:00.003+02:002009-05-20T23:47:42.778+02:00

Hello, there, readers! I hope you like my blog and I hope you want to try out some of my techniques for life management. I'd be very happy if you'd become followers of this blog, and even happier if you live constructive comments to my posts! Thank you for your interest and happy reading!

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-24014682223184561382009-05-20T12:51:00.004+02:002009-05-20T13:47:17.857+02:00

Have you ever thought about personal branding? If you are en entrepreneur, I am sure you have. If you are employed, probably not. In my daily professional life, personal credibility is everything (I am a researcher). It doesn't matter how good my information is, unless people feel that I am trustworthy and exciting. My goal is to be someone other people want to listen to. I thought out the

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-80604663386302454882009-05-19T14:52:00.001+02:002009-05-19T14:57:52.114+02:00

Management and implementation philosophy for your life - how it started outMy professional background is as a control engineer. In addition to engineering, I have an interest in business management and how we can organize our lives to ensure happiness. In periods, especially in university, I have felt stressed about fulfilling my own expectations. I have been worried I would not be able of

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152819015896073846.post-671748552440449072009-05-19T14:05:00.000+02:002009-05-19T14:13:20.060+02:00

People today are often struggling to perform; privately, at work, in the local organizations and even when they are alone. The percieved need to be an achiever can be more than just challenging. Often, people feel bewildered and estranged, often by performance requirements set by themselves. Many of these requirements are unrealistic. Some are not reachable without a good system. When we put down

hrdonoreply@blogger.com0