I have moved my blog to armaghansaqib.wordpress.com. All new updates are posted there. Please visit new url and update your email subscription. Here are some of my latest blog posts.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Making this world a better place for you and for others
There are too many injustices in the world; red tape is too long, your boss treats you badly, your friends are selfish, you don't have enough money to buy the latest clothes and shoes, your work hours are too long, your parents don't understand your problems, your spouse is not happy. (the list is really long) Ok I got it. There are two possible ways to channel your energy:
- Complain about these injustices and keep complaining forever.
- Manage yourself to take some small positive steps; learn new skills, make new connections, read books, volunteer somewhere, tell others what you can do for them etc.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Bringing discipline into our thinking
Most of us have made life changing decisions in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Just scan your past and you will find many examples. This happened because we were forced to do that due to unexpected turn of events. This also means that we are capable of making good decisions in the shortest possible time. But in our day to day life, we keep thinking over and over again about small issues. Thinking time can span days or even months. This has one huge problem: we keep postponing the real action. The time discipline of thinking tools liberates you from this thinking rut. You are asked to practice a particular tool (PMI for example) within 1-5 minutes. With some practices, you brain adopts this discipline for your day to day thinking and helps you become a doer rather than a philosopher.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Web site developers and bloggers, your attention please
Information we get daily is doubling every 18 months. To get attention we need to make dead simple and readable websites and blogs. But not all web developers and bloggers are with us. They want to show off their newly learned design skills and use all possible colors, flashing and scrolling text. External website widgets are another source of cluttered and bloated web pages. I have been using readability tool by Arc90.com since it was released in early 2009. This tool removes all clutter from the web page you are reading. This tool is also available as a firefox addon and google chrome extension. See the screen shots of a web page below before and after applying the readability tool. Safari browser by Apple, a company built around design and usability, now has this functionality built into it. Hey, web developers! Do you still need proof people want simpler and readable websites?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Protesting, peacefully
Today I visited the office of a big business. This company has annoyed probably close to thousand customers due to some of its acts; none of which are out of its control. The only motive seems to maximize profits. Are we really helpless? I thought. "Client executive" (whatever that designation means), and then his manager, tried to calm me with all sort of false statements. I then insisted and proceeded to see the department head and recorded my protest. This respectable old man tried to look courteous but could not offer anything concrete and used his intelligent mind to confuse the matter. I am not sure my protest will have any dent on the company practices; may be some; may be a lot. But I do think we have the right and we should protest respectfully and peacefully. It can make a difference sometime somewhere. I used to argue with faceless call center operators but that is probably close to useless. Higher the authority you protest to, the better.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
It is time to identify your passion and here is how
Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to do with their life. Some need a bit of digging into their own mind. You can't hit a target unless you identify a target. You can't achieve a goal unless you know what your goal is. Right? Old advice. Yes it is. But it still works. I came across this small booklet, "a brief guide to world domination" (pdf, 29 pages) which might help you to identify your passion and work for it. This booklet is based around two most important questions:
#1: What do you really want to get out of life?Here is a direct download link for the pdf.
#2: What can you offer the world that no one else can?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How to avoid really big blunders
There are times when, despite all your intelligence and experience, you make a really big blunder and then keep regretting it for a long time. You are just bewildered how on earth you did that. But it has happened and now get over it. And you have a big company. :)
Why this happens? This is not stupidity. This is due to the way our brain works as a pattern making and pattern matching system. All new incoming information is matched to existing brain patterns. A particular sequence of events can trigger a potentially unfavorable pattern in our brain. A con artist can use his skills to make our brain's pattern matching system work to his advantage. Edward de Bono's thinking tools can help you to cut across existing brain patterns instead of matching these. The three important tools to help you in tricky situations are APC, CAF and PMI. APC stands for alternatives, possibilities and choices.CAF stands for consider all factors.
PMI stands for plus, minus, interesting. To apply each tool, you list as many points as possible within 1 - 3 minutes without bringing your judgment into the thinking process. Spend some time on practicing these tools with a paper and a pencil. Simplicity of these tools and few days of practice will make it possible for you to use these in real life situations without much effort. Let us avoid the next big blunder. (Photo credit: lolsnaps.com)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Every one can be a blogger and can write daily
I have been writing my blog for past 4 years but doing it daily for the past few weeks. A number of people have praised this practice. Thanks. My friends think that this is something not so easy. But I think every one can be a blogger and every one can write daily. How? You learn something daily. Don't you? And you also have a big repertoire of experience as well. On a personal blog what you do is you just share something, anything, out of your huge repertoire. You don't necessarily need to write large, well researched post every day. Then why it looks so difficult to write? I think because we under estimate our learnings and experiences and think that these will not be useful for the rest of the world. This is not true. You are unique and you are capable and you can help the world. Another thing perhaps is that you want to look perfect to the outside world who is having a look at your blog. You are not perfect and don't try to be. Make mistakes and thanks anyone who points out yours. It will just make you more confident.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The best advice you can have: DO LESS
I often see the web pages of companies and individuals full of all
possible things they can do and just wonder what they really do and
what they really have experience with. Perhaps this strategy (we can
do everything) only dilutes their message.
exact opposite) is do less. And it has changed my life, for better. With do less philosophy, you do not try to do every thing you can do;
you try to do the best thing you can do. And the best part is you are
going to be happy with your life and there is a good chance you will
make more money too. This is what Seth Godin tries to convince us in the attached 7 page pdf.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Running windows software on ubuntu linux
In a recent blog post I told you how to install and run Ubuntu Linux on your PC. You can also run Ubuntu Linux directly from CD without disturbing you PC. A number of people have installed and started using Ubuntu Linux as their desktop operating system on my suggestion.
One of the often asked questions is what to do if there is no alternative available in Linux to a particular Windows software. In such cases you can always run Windows and your favorite Windows software in virtual environment on your Linux desktop. Sun/Oracle's VirtualBox for Ubuntu is a software which allows you to run Windows and its software in virtual enviornment. You install it on your Linux desktop, install Windows within virtual box environment and then run any Windows software.Saturday, July 10, 2010
A great source of motivational and self-help pdfs by best seller authors
changethis.com is a great source of free self-help and motivational booklets in pdf format. These nice booklets are called 'manifestos'. These pdfs are nicely formatted and optimized for pleasant reading on your computer screen. Many of these manifestos have been written by best seller authors. There are great manifestos on topics which include marketing, motivation, personal grooming, time management, creativity, writing etc. changethis.com was founded by Seth Godin. I discovered this website many years ago when some one pointed me to a free pdf book by Seth Godin titled "The Bootstrapper's Bible". Highly recommended.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Triumph of simplicity
I love simplicity but I try to avoid mentioning it too often. After all I do not want you to get bored, angry or offended. :-) Many years ago I was helping a business design a new system. The best brains in the organization gathered to make it the best possible one for the organization. I was with them but with a subtle difference. They wanted to add as many features as possible. I wanted to make it simple. They wanted to add an elaborate system of calculating the cost of items. I was against it. They wanted to manage inventory by incorporating all past practices, best practices and new ideas. I advised to design for simplicity. They insisted. I warned, protested, cried and then complied. It took two painful years to realize that elaborate costing system was, yes, costing more than expected. And it took four more years to dawn that the inventory system which allowed all sort of 'real life scenarios' was nothing but pain to maintain. So it was decided to, yes, simplify it. And it was decided today. Simplicity; you are going to adopt it sooner or later. So better do it today.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Learn to self-learn this summer
You went to a great school, a really great college and passed out with flying colors. Well done. You are also keeping yourself updated with all the latest tools and methodologies by going to all those workshops and conferences by gurus. Great. But there is another possibility which you may never have tried to explore; you can learn something yourself without going somewhere. Its simpler than you think. How?
- Buy and read a book.
- Download a pdf or subscribe a blog.
- Use Google to find (possibly free) on-line courses.
- Wikipedia
- Experiment with what you have learned. Try again and again.
- Ask questions on Internet discussion groups/forums and mailing lists related to your subject.
- Send email directly to gurus. They will help you provided you have done your homework.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sales tip: get the most out of your ignorant customer
Seth Godin writes daily on his blog and never fails to inspire. I often refer to his blog posts. In fact I want to do it daily but I am sure it does not look good. So if you have anything, even remotely connected, to do with sales and marketing, read his blog at sethgodin.typepad.com. An easier way to never miss his daily sermon is to subscribe with your email. Sometimes he is so spot-on that I feel compelled to share his thoughts. Yesterday's post was one such. I am not sure title of this post is going to make you happy or angry. But this is what happens when you buy something once in a while; you can be screwed by the seller, the marketer. It is easier to buy an expensive laptop, a photocopier with features you are never going to use, a chemical with an obscure name, an aluminum kitchen, that expensive database software etc. just to name a few things. Ordinary buyers are no match to the power wielded by marketers and sales people who have spent their entire lives to master their art. Here is what Seth Godin writes about the marketers who love dumb and/or ignorant customers:
Ask them to show you a recipe for how to make what they make on your own, and "it's a trade secret."And this one is really a gem:
Their perfect customer is someone in a hurry, with plenty of money and not a lot of knowledge about their options.And here is what happens when the competition does just the opposite and tries to make you, the customer, smarter and more informed:
if just one player enters the field and works to make people smarter, the competition has a hard time responding with a dumbness offensive. They can obfuscate and run confusing ads, but sooner or later, the inevitability of information spreading works in favor of those that bet on it.That's the beauty of today's world powered by social media. Every one has a voice. Thanks Seth Godin.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
It is 100% un-natural
We get a sense of confidence when we read "100% natural", "natural contents only" or something similar on product labels. We feel rest assured this is not going to harm us, we are going to get the best of what nature has produced, it has not been tempered by humans, it is 100% natural etc. etc.
Yes, this line sells products. Just look at all those soaps, shampoos, cold creams, food products which contain "pure" extracts of a natural thing, probably a herb or a fruit or a vegetable. It is debatable whether these 100% "natural products" or "pure extracts" are of any value if at all. But this is a topic for some other time. What I want to discuss is just the opposite of these claims. What if the manufacturer writes; "100% man made", "No natural contents", "Synthetic chemicals only", "No fresh juice inside". Will this make you uncomfortable? Will you still buy that product? It makes sense to assume that if there is no first type of statements (100% natural), the opposite is true. But the manufacturer is of course shy to tell this to you explicitly. The 100% un-natural statement can make you uncomfortable. You may not buy that product. Next time when you visit your superstore, have a closer look at all those items which are not 100% natural; juices, drinks, food items, cosmetics and others. Will you still buy these? Especially the edible items? (CC photo credits.)Monday, July 5, 2010
Thinking about thinking
As I said earlier, positive thinking is not the only thinking you need to do. Thinking about thinking is also an important one. You may need to sit down alone, preferably with a paper and a pencil, and start asking questions. Warning: Your own answers can be scary.
- Why I am doing what I am doing? Can I do something better? When will I do that?
- What is the worst thing that can happen if I stop doing this today? Can things get better? Perhaps I shall get rid of my ever scolding boss and start living with dignity.
- What other possibilities (perhaps better ones) are there for me? Have I ever tried to explore?
- Should I re-evaluate my priorities? Reading, teaching, kids, spending, eating, pleasure, exercise, money, volunteering etc.
- What I am going to do in next 10,20,30 years?
- What is my past performance for the last 2, 5, 10, 15 years? Do I need to change my tactics radically?
- Is it time to develop new habits or get rid of old ones?
- Am I thinking too little?
- Am I thinking too much? (with too little action)
A pdf reader which allows you to highlight text and add notes
Foxit is a free pdf reader for windows (similar to adobe reader) but it allows you to highlight and underline text as well as add notes.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Incorrectly placed priorities
I am tired of it; the wrong sort of priorities and optimizations.
- Friends ask me to get their website on the first page of Google search.
- Clients ask me to optimize the data entry screen to get the maximum possible juice out of a data entry operator.
- Accountants ask me to provide as many analysis reports as possible.
- Friends can optimize the website/blog text by learning to write a story.
- Businesses can get better returns by spending more time on generating new ideas for sales and simpler business processes rather than worrying about the extra tab key needed to post a transaction.
- Accountants need to learn that "we can analyze the past but we have to design the future".
"That's one reason I resist the temptation to optimize this blog for traffic and yield. I'd rather force myself to improve it by having the guts to write better posts instead."If Seth's policy can result in more than 700 re-tweets of his blog posts, we badly need to re-evaluate our priorities.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Why we can't eat less (or how we can)
This blog post is for you if you are endlessly trying to stay fit and smart by dieting and eating less but slacking. I often refer to Michael Pollan's work on diet and health. His book "Food Rules, An Eater's Manual" is a wonderful collection of 64 eating rules. Each rule is described in a concise and simple way. Recommended. On eating less he has also quoted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): "the Prophet Muhammad described a full belly as one that contained 1/3 food, 1/3 liqued and 1/3 air." Now back to today's question; why we can't eat less? Does it really require a lot of will power? This is what I always thought. Michael tells us a little hack which can help. Neurons in our stomach can take up to 20 minutes to send the message to our brain that our belly is full. This means that we can eat more, a lot more, if we eat faster, within this 20 minutes window. So the trick to eat less is to eat slowly spanning your meal time to 20 minutes or more. If you cannot eat slowly for some reason, eat a small portion, promise yourself to eat more after 20 minutes. Here you might need to exercise your will power just enough to restrict your eating for 20 minutes. You won't be able to stuff your belly much even if you try to eat again after 20 minutes. Try this little hack today.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Do this and you won't need to visit your dentist
Last month I had to visit my dentist for a number of days. While talking to him I asked what was the best way to keep my teeth in good order. I was expecting something like "brush three times a day, regularly" or "use this great tooth paste because it contains x, y and z". But his reply was totally unexpected. He said, "eat less". He said that when we eat more, our blood's pH level gets disturbed and that's the single biggest source of tooth decay. Now "eat less" is the advice I always acknowledge (though I yet have to practice it on regular basis). I had heard this first from Michael Pollan's famous quote, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.". So time to "eat less" now. And this blog post is going to serve as a constant reminder for me.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Some more Ubuntu Linux hints
Few days ago I suggested to try Ubuntu Linux as your desktop operating system instead of Microsoft Windows. Here are few more points which may be helpful.
- You can try Ubuntu Linux without installing it on your computer. Just put the CD into your computer's cd/dvd drive and select the live desktop when it shows initial boot options. Ubuntu will discover and configure almost your hardware appropriately (including most wireless network cards). You should be able to browse Internet, try out OpenOffice and few other things of interest.
- You can start installation on your hard disk from this live cd environment.
- You do not need to have a free partition on your hard drive. You can install it on your existing C: or D: drive. (Though hard disk performance will be suboptimal)
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