Human Performance and Productivity
Just posted a new article. It’s all about the practice and pitfalls of using Private Label Rights, Resale Rights and Master Resale Rights. It’s part one of a two-part series. Part one covers a quick intro to the problems and an overview of the usual solutions. Part 2 will cover “white hat” practices and profitable uses of such content.
Find it at http://superperformance.com/should-you-use-plr-part1.php
I had a nasty surprise today.
I found that one of my Yahoo email accounts had been hacked and someone sent spam to my contacts. It was done by someone logging in through a mobile phone in Malaysia.
Naturally, I immediately changed my password and other information in the account. Then I looked at the “recent log-in activity” page to see what happened. That’s when I found out about it being a hack from a mobile phone.
Since I don’t engage in any of the usual risky behaviors that would get me hacked, I was curious to see if this happened to anyone else and if there is a security issue with Yahoo mail and mobile.
I didn’t find any information from Yahoo itself, but there is a lengthy discussion at http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/yahoo-email-hacked. It’s pretty scary. If you have a Yahoo account, I’d advise taking a look.
I wanted to update you on three articles I’ve recently published in the static area of superperformance.com.
In “Nine Sources of Free and Low-Cost Labor For The Solo Entrepreneur or Micro-Business,” I talk about the most difficult part of being a solo-entrepreneur: never having sufficient help.
Because it’s so expensive to hire help, you do almost everything for your business yourself. In most cases, “free” volunteer labor is not legal. And the abuses in the area of “free” labor abound.
In this article, I’ve gathered a list of “free” and low-cost labor and have some suggestions to make sure you use them in a lawful way. (But please remember, as I say throughout the article, I’m not a lawyer and you’ll have to check my understanding with your own legal advisors.)
“Time Management: Distracted By Time-Saving Technology?” is about how even the simplest tasks are actually taking longer to accomplish than they did before we had all the wonderful “time-saving” computer programs and gadgets that we do today. Maybe we’d have fewer distractions if we were more selective about when and how to use technology.
“Focus And Goal Achievement Through Visualization” is also about beating distractions, but, in this case, the people and other environmental distractions of the workplace. It explains the use of visualization techniques to create a focus strong enough to keep your mind on your goals and priorities amid multiple distractions and interruptions.
I just had an interesting experience. I was doing a quick scan of my iGoogle page for news and a WikiHow article caught my eye. It was “How To Save A Choking Cat.” Now, I don’t have a cat, but I have several cat-loving friends and thought I’d take a moment to pass on the info.
When I looked at the article, I was surprised. It looked legit from the intro paragraph, but there was only one step: “Break it’s neck.”
It was immediately obvious that someone was playing a prank. It’s easy to do with user-edited content as in wikis.
1. This is an example of why legislation like SOPA and PIPA could kill great sites.
Just think about wikis and about comment area in blogs. If someone wants to get a site in trouble, he can make edits in a wiki or make a comment in a blog that contains copyrighted or banned material. Then he can report that material to the newly legislated “powers that be.” The site can be blacklisted before you can say “due process.”
User contributed material, when done honestly, is a great boon to society. And pranks like this are more than merely annoying.
2. Contact information is critical.
My first thought after “this is a prank” was “how do I report this.” It took more time than I wanted to spend, and the best thing I could do was find the comments section.
Apparently, a number of other readers were commenting, and someone who knew how to remedy the situation did so. It was cleared up in about ten minutes after I first noticed it.
However, until I decided to write this post, I still didn’t know how to contact the right person. I have found out. It only took me another five minutes to find the correct “about” page for WikiHow (there are at least 2) and then read the directions on how to make contact with the article’s primary author. It isn’t easy or intuitive.
What it made me realize is that I need to make my contact details more prominent. I have an “about” page with my contact info on it and I have it referenced on my home page under “Contact.” But folks have to look for it. Furthermore, I have no contact information other than “comments” on my blog.
Most good sites have contact details featured on every page. I can’t re-do every page instantly, but I’m going to make it easier.
3. There are plenty of nasty folks that have fun hurting you, but there are plenty of others who, given the chance, will help.
In the comments on the cat article, there were a mixture of complaints, confusion, concern, explanations, suggestions to help and some action. Some folks wanted to help but didn’t know how and one knowledgable person just went in and made an edit to restore it.
If you’re a web publisher or blogger, you’ve noticed that you are constantly fighting spam in email and in comments. Additionally, there are the people who write in and say hurtful things, to you or to other commenters. Most people read your posts and get your knowledge and information, but don’t bother to comment, leaving you wondering if you are actually reaching anyone. People hack your servers. Spoof your email address. Play all kinds of pranks. I could go on and on about the stuff I’ve seen happen (or heard about) to website owners and publishers.
Remember this. The reason that statistics show a bell-shaped curve in measuring human behavior is that behavior in any category always “averages out” in the long run. There are as many very good behaviors as very bad. Most people are in the middle — they aren’t all that interested in hurting or helping you. They’re just interested in themselves, and when they show up on your site, they’ll be happy to use what you offer without any show of appreciation.
But, at the top end of the scale, there are others, millions of others, who will say “thanks,” “good job,” or best of all “yes, I’ll pay you for that.” There are more than enough folks who will help you and empathize with you. In the long run, it will make up for the nasties, the pranksters and the great, average “who-are-you-I-don’t-care-and-what-have-you-done-for-me-in-the-last-five-minutes” folks.
You’ve met all of these face to face since kindergarten. Don’t be surprised when they all show up on your website, in forums or in “comments” sections.
It’s the beginning of the year, so I’ve been writing about motivation. I want to encourage folks to get enthusiastic and get moving on making their new year a great one. I’ve already written about not making resolutions, but developing new ways of thinking and planning. I’ve written about motivation by incentives for performance management. And yesterday, I wrote about using motivational quotes to make positive changes.
In the article “Use Motivational Quotes To Make Positive Changes,” I suggest that the thoughts you dwell upon become beliefs and beliefs can become self-fulfilling prophesies. That is, your thoughts and beliefs affect your behavior and choices. They influence the behavior of people around you. What you focus on comes true.
That’s why Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
While I was doing some research for motivational quotes, I came across a motivational presentation on YouTube. It shows very clearly how your thoughts, beliefs, feelings and attitudes shape your life and make either your dreams or your nightmares turn into reality.
Here is a glimpse of a man born without limbs — severely handicapped, you’d think — turned his life into a joyous and inspiring one. He went from, as his website subtitle says, from no limbs to no limits. His name is Nick Vujicic. When you’ve finished the video, you’ll want to know more. For that, go to his site: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org. You will be amazed, inspired, motivated.
And remember to read my article “Use Motivational Quotes To Make Positive Changes,” which I described earlier.
Sometimes I get a little tired of listening to the latest management consultant fads. One that annoys me considerably is the idea that motivating behavior by incentives is somehow grubby and meant only for lower level workers. That more sophisticated employees need to have more trust, freedom, flexibility and recognition. That motivating them is much more complicated.
Oh bosh. First of all, trust, freedom, flexibility and recognition are incentives. And they’re given to employees who’ve shown they deserve them. And they’re not necessarily the highest level employees. Sometimes they’re the janitors.
Motivation by incentive (reward) — is the most common form of motivation in history. No matter how many motivation theories we try to wrap our brains around, the fact remains that rewards get people to do things. And always have.
The right rewards at the right times even get people to do things they’d prefer not to do.
You’ve probably read about how complicated motivation can be. About how rewards stop working after a certain point. And that’s true. Every individual has an “enough” line. A point where no practical reward is enough to get him to do what you want him to do.
But for most practical purposes, for most tasks, for most people, you will do quite well in finding incentives that get folks to do what you want. Or to get yourself to do what you want, need or should.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is often cited as a reason that the old carrot and stick system doesn’t work once someone achieves a certain level of development. We’re often told that incentives are good when we’re focused on basic needs at the bottom of the hierarchy but that motivation becomes more complicated as lower needs are satisfied. Supposedly we won’t work for the same incentives, but require more freedom of choice in tasks for self-actualization.
That is a misunderstanding of Maslow’s very helpful instrument. We don’t stop having to satisfy our basic needs — ever. And even when we are working hard to survive, we still want to be moral beings leading lives of meaning and purpose. For adults, all the needs in Maslow’s hierarchy are in play, to different degrees, all the time.
That means that no matter how sophisticated you are, no matter how much money you have, no matter how many friends, family members or supporters you have, no matter how creative and accomplished you are — you still have plenty of needs to be met and you still respond to incentives and disincentives. (Rewards and punishments.)
So, while — as the latest tribe of management consultants tell you — money isn’t the only incentive that people need to work well, it’s still right up there at the top level. As are recognition, freedom, flexibility and creativity.
Also remember, when employees are failing in their work performance, there are numberless possible outside causes. Like family relationships or personal health.
Continue to think in terms of incentives. Continue to call them incentives or rewards. You don’t have to learn motivational psychology. All the old stuff still works. And when any particular incentive isn’t working for an employee you want to keep, you might just want to actually ask what’s going on. Maybe it’s something you can help with by giving different rewards. Maybe it’s something you can’t help with because it has nothing to do with you or his work.
Investigate, discuss, determine the problem. Just like you do with other management problems. And then, if it’s something in your power to deal with, create the proper incentive.
As I suggested in my prior post, there are many activities that are better and more likely to be practiced than new year’s resolutions.
1. Count Your Blessings of the past year. Do a year end accounting of the good times. Make a list.
Sure, last year was filled with a lot of things to complain about. All you need to do is read a daily newspaper (or news on the web) to know the world is full of unhappy things. People even complain about their new year’s resolutions that they’re not looking forward to fulfilling.
But, if you think about it, you’ll find that there is plenty to be grateful for in your life. If you’re reading these words, I already know that you’re alive, you have communications skills and computer access. With those attributes alone, you have the ability to get a job or start an online business. And there’s a great deal of free information on the web that tells you how to do those things with tools that are also free. So there are some blessings to be happy about right in those simple facts.
Why not go into the new year with a list of happy, hopeful attributes to celebrate?
2. To-Don’t List of things learned from past year. Continuing in the vein of positive thinking about what remains from last year, do an accounting of “lessons learned.”
George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Look over the mistakes of the past year. Think about what you’ve learned from them that can help you be more successful in the new year.
3. Send Cards. Send e-mail cards and/or real cards with wishes for a happy new year. They don’t have to be on the day. The sooner, the better, but, any time within the first month of the year will do.
Send them to the people you want to be part of your life and support system in the coming year. Write some messages in them that celebrate shared good times or good fortunes of the past year or those you hope to share in the coming year.
The biggest blessings you have in your life are the people who support you. Do something to recognize and celebrate them. They include your family and friends, of course, and also others who regularly support you in many ways throughout the year.
How about thanking your mail carrier for his service? Or your employees? A little tip for the doorman, nestled in a Happy New Year Card (if you haven’t already done this for Christmas.) You know the little appreciative niceties that most people like who’ve been of service to you. Remember the folks that aren’t on your Christmas list but who deserve to be thanked. The new year is a perfect time for doing this. They’ll remember your thoughtfulness all year long.
The end of one year and the beginning of another marks a psychological passage. That’s why folks make new year’s resolutions.
But resolutions are too specific for an entire year’s goals. They make you reflect on behaviors that have too low an impact to be taken seriously by your unconscious wants and needs. You need to think bigger.
You need to ask the “big” questions. When you’ve answered them, you’ll have a better idea of how to plan the smaller goals that help you achieve your life goals.
You should regularly check up on yourself about the following issues. Yet, few people think about them until they’re so unhappy and frustrated that they must. Or until they go to a therapist. Do yourself a favor and review these questions at least once a year.
1. Am I doing what I want to be doing with my life?
This question makes you consider all kinds of sub-questions: Am I in the right kind of work? Am I working for an organization I can respect? Am I happy in my job? If I have to stay in a job I hate, how can I survive the stress? If I have a job I love, how can I be sure to keep it? Am I preparing for the skills I may need to advance in the future to what I want to do or continue to do? What kind of work makes me happy? Do I have enough time to pursue my outside interests? Am I making enough time for friends and family?
You know what you need to consider to be satisfied that you are leading the life you want and should be living. Ask the first question and keep asking for everything you need to know. Then you’ll know what you need to do.
If you are deeply dissatisfied with your work or your life, your performance and productivity will suffer drastically. If you make yourself happy or even simply satisfied, your productivity and performance will soar.
2. Am I with people who support and care for me?
When you were a kid, your parents warned you against falling in with “bad company.” Also known as “stay away from that jerk!”
At work and at home, your success, failure and happiness depend greatly on the quality of your friends and family. And your co-workers. And your bosses.
You are a social being. You do not do well without support from others. Yes, you have to have the ability to think independently and, when necessary, act contrarily to popular opinion. However, you can’t function well without a decent amount of agreement, encouragement, respect and goodwill from others.
Are you getting that at work and home? What can you do to make sure you get it or keep it?
3. Do I love and respect myself?
The self-esteem question is essential to thriving in both work-life and home-life. No matter how much support and respect you get from outside, you have to have an internal support system as well. It should include developing and following your own set of ideals, principles and moral code.
Positive self-regard is what enables you to say no to work you don’t want to do. It helps you to refuse to contact people who bring you down. It helps you make your own time schedule and get things done on time, in your own way. It helps you refuse to engage with people who are pushing your anger buttons.
It is your psychological armor.
If you have it, how are you going to make sure you keep it? If you don’t, how are you going to get it?
Yeah. Well, I did say they were the big questions. At least I didn’t recommend “who am I?” or “what is my purpose in the universe?” This isn’t a philosophy course. It is, however, an article written for a blog about human performance and productivity.
So, it’s December 23 and you still haven’t managed to finish shopping or send any cards. Maybe you want to be frugal about it. Maybe my suggestions in my prior blog about getting quick shipping from Amazon Prime don’t work for you because you don’t need it any other time. Not to mention that it’s kind of expensive unless you use it year ’round.
Not to worry. I’ve got even quicker and cheaper solutions to your last minute woes.
More on Greeting Cards
For holiday cards, just Google “print greeting cards for free.” You’ll get an endless list of printable cards sites. Many of these sites will allow you to customize the cards with photos and text. Others will just give you fixed downloads. Almost all of them will allow you to print either a regular half-fold or quarter-fold size. (Note: you’re best advised to get the printable cards you can download. If you print from the web, you may not be able to adjust the print resolution.)
So, you’ll be able to print your own predesigned cards on your printer. You can use regular letter paper for quarter-fold cards, but you’ll need card stock for half-fold cards. Other than the cost of paper and envelopes, assuming you have enough ink in your printer, you have a free solution to your need to send cards.
As with any craft-like project, you’ll have to try this out a bit to get nice results. But, let’s face it, if you just don’t have the time to go out and get cards, this is a fast solution. And the cards can be printing while you’re doing another project on the computer. If you’ve got to work, you’ve got to work.
More on Last Minute Gifts
Once you print up your holiday cards, you can use them as the vehicle for last-minute gifts. (Of course, you don’t have to print your own cards for the following gift-giving method. You can actually buy them.)
I mentioned using gift cards and certificates in my last post. But I wanted to say a few more words about them, because earlier I talked more about having them emailed. This time I want to encourage you to think of stuffing cash into greeting cards in addition to thinking about physical gift cards or printed certificates.
You know this already. Or you should. Christmas cards with money or gift certificates inside make for easy last minute gifts. Many folks just give cash gifts to their entire lists. Kids and teens especially appreciate getting money or the equivalent and being able to choose their own gifts.
Yet, I’ve been amazed by the number of folks who have forgotten about it or think it’s somehow a second-rate approach. I think that even though you can find racks of gift cards in supermarkets, it just escapes their notice in favor of the tradition of buying and wrapping (and sometimes shipping!) physical gifts.
And, since when did cash money gifts become déclassé?
Just remember, mail is too insecure for cash gifts. You need to reserve cash gifts for those you hand deliver. In fact, I seldom send even gift cards by mail. They aren’t assigned to specific recipients and anyone can steal and use them. That’s why I suggested sites like giftcertificates.com combined with email as the primary way of sending gift cards in my prior blog on the subject.
There is another way to use a “gift certificate” approach that isn’t as obvious as the common ways suggest above. If you haven’t yet been able to get the gift you plan to give someone, get a picture of it from the web. Print the pic, put it in a Christmas card and write on it, “This is the gift I’m giving you. It just won’t arrive until Tuesday.” Or whatever day it will arrive. Then you can just give them the card. Psychologically, it’s the equivalent of handing them the actual gift.
You can also use this approach when you are personally creating a gift and it isn’t finished yet. Get over the notion that it has to be a surprise until it’s complete. Give a picture of what the gift looks like and let the recipient enjoy the anticipation. (Only do this if you can be counted on to finish the gift. )
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