Habit 1: Get it out of your head ... (day 7 & 8)

... and onto paper, so you don't forget it. This is especially important during meetings. I am not saying write down everything that is said. When things come up you have to do, write them down, don't wait for the minutes after the meeting. And if it is only a phone number or an email address ... write it down.

I used my A6 notebook during the last meeting we had at BoutiqueWineries. Maybe it is a bit small for a meeting. I prefer to put down some issues quite detailed ... I have learned from previous experience. I was always thinking, yes, I will remember this. And then you do completely different things and the actual task got lost. It is not about being oblivious, it is more about getting your mind free of stuff. I can remember things pretty good, especially numbers .. but I have seen the advantage of an empty mind as well. I feel like I am getting more open for new things. I am not blocked as I am used to be.

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Of course I am still falling back to my old habit (and pride) trying to remember things for "later". Sometimes I pay for it and sometimes not. I can say after one week, I will keep my notebook and I will progress in changing the habit, to keep the mind clear.

Habit 1: Things will never get lost again ... (day 5 & 6)

We're going to try to have a place for everything coming into our lives, and get into the habit of writing things down immediately, instead of relying on our brains to keep track of it all. Leo - ZTD

A6 ... *thinking* ... I tend to believe it is still too large. I don't have these big pockets on my trousers, although these things are quite trendy right now. But it might be a more male thing anyway. I have cut more spare paper down to the size of A6 and just put a paper clip on top of them to keep them together. Yes, I use it ... but not heavily right now. All the PhD notes have to go into the Lab-book ... rules are rules. It is all about IP - Intellectual property.

One issue I want to focus on these days is to write thoughts down immediately. Especially when I am supposed to work on something else. I tend to do several things at the same time, because things just pop up in my head and a new tab in the browser is opened easily. So, I force myself to write it down and do it afterwards when I have time set up for this project or I have some free time.

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

So I will keep dealing with the A6 size paper notebook for another week, then I will decide if I go smaller, like index cards. I am concerned about the size issue when it comes to make notes during a meeting. Of course it depends on the meeting, but I would like to learn to keep it simple. So, today we have our weekly BoutiqueWineries meeting again. Also, I might have a short meeting with Stephane about things coming up in the next weeks. I will give it a try, otherwise I will never know how simple my life can be.

Habit 1: The collection habit is simple ... (day 3 & 4)

I really like the idea to put things down on paper, so my mind get free and open for new stuff. I noticed that I need my small collection of DIN A6 paper always with me. Some people sing under the shower and the others think, like me ... ;o) Ok, I don't really see that as a problem, just as a small challenge, as usual.

Yes, I had already introduced a self-created notepad in the size of DIN A6 a couple of months ago. That was and is my way to use spare paper. Just cut used A5 and A4 paper down to A6 and clip it together. I will test this the next days how it is to have this size but especially to have it always with me.

So, this will be then one version of an inbox. Fair enough ... but I still have other inboxes, like the normal email one and the paper inbox at home (for cheques etc. :o) ). In general I can say that I handle these three inboxes already quite good, at least that I don't have more inboxes that need to be checked daily.

However, especially the email inbox needs some improvement. I have a gmail account, so everything is forwarded to this account. I haven't started yet to use the option to archive the emails. Yes, you can use the search option to find older information. But ... Out of sight, out of mind.. I keep emails in the inbox, because I want to be remembered to do it (maybe one day). Looks like I have to be more strict and do things as soon as they arrive in my inbox (which is actually habit 2).

Let's focus here on the collection stations. Is there something else, than these three inboxes? Mmmmh, I still have my email account in the office for PhD related stuff. But fingers crossed this will be over soon, won't it Dr J ? ;o) Ah yeah, Leo mentioned it in the ebook, but not sure if I shall see Facebook and ecademy (my main social online network tools) as an inbox as well. Yes and No I would say. I actually receive the messages on my gmail account as well. But then I have set up specific days, when I update these networks. So, for me not really inboxes.

Ok, keep collection all these things the universe has prepared for us, keep dreaming big!

Habit 1 : ubiquitous capture ... (day 1 & 2)

Ok, let's straight go into it. What is ZTD-habit 1 all about? The first habit worth to have is called Collect. Keep your mind free of thoughts and try not to remember things. As soon an idea pops up in your mind write it down. Don't bother to evaluate it, whether it is worth to make a note. Of course it is. Otherwise you wouldn't have thought about it. You and only you are responsible for your thoughts, so monitor them, write them down and at the right time you will sit down and have a look through it. Then you decide if it is worth to further investigate this idea and or you just delete it.

However, the habit is actually more about having the right tool all the time with you to actually write the idea down. As we are talking about to simplify our life, a simple notebook should be enough and I absolutely agree with that. Index cards or a small notebook size DIN A6 or A7 are just fine. It fits easily in your pocket. You are into something, a chat with a friend or you are just walking around and ... there it is, the idea of the day. What do you do .... put it down and go ahead ;o)

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Anyway, how have I been doing the last two days? The tool I am using to write things down is actually my agenda with the size of DIN A5. I know, that is not the size I was recommending. I might change to another tools later. I just wanted to give it a try. The most convenient thing is, I have my agenda always with me. In the office at Uni, I have spare paper where I put down my ideas, especially when I am just doing something else. I might have to change that, as spare paper is and always will be spare paper. It should not be used as a idea-collecting tool. I need one small tool, where I can collect ideas and thoughts, and really only one. Having several 'inboxes' makes things just more confusing and time wasting. So, let's see, I get something smaller next week. My agenda is not the right choice, as this includes the actual to do lists, so ... not good for putting down your ideas. Ok, more in two days ... take care and keep collecting ... it's fun :o)

The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

I am off for a new challenge, which will keep me writing this blog. I will report here how I am doing with this new adventure. Actually there are several challenges to come. So, what is it about.

A couple of months ago I discovered the very successful blog ZenHabits from Leo Babaula. I love the way he is approaching this project, how he writes and especially about what he is writing - Simplify your life.

Leo did publish an ebook as well, ZenToDone in November 2007, extremely successfully.

"This book was written for those who want to get their lives organized and actually execute the things on their to-do list" - Leo

To achieve this I will have to change some habits. And I will do one at the time. The ebook lists 10 habits that can simplify your life. To adapt to a habit you have to stick to it for at least 30 days monitoring yourself. Here the 10 habits Leo describes in his book:

1. Collect


2. Process


3. Plan


4. Do


5. Simple Trusted System


6. Organize


7. Review


8. Simplify


9. Routine


10. Find your passion

Possibly not all of these ten habits will work for me. But if I don't try, I will never know. So, let's do it then.

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Reporting on this blog every second day will help me to commit to it and monitor myself. Sometimes I wonder why I am so stubborn and go through such processes (similar why I have started my PhD). I still see it as a good quality of mine. I want to learn what is best for me, so I have to keep trying and testing new things. I have big goals because I am dreaming big ... and I want freedom so badly.

Another cloudy day here in Brisbane. At least it was not freezing this morning. But still, I had troubles again to get out of bed. I thought the morning was my most efficient time for me. Right now it doesn't look like it at all. The alarm is set to 4:30am so I could get at least 6hours of sleep. It is 6am already when I finally make it then. I feel like wasting my time like this. Why do I need so much sleep? I don't do a lot that would cost me extra energy. At least I don't feel like it. Is this related to my thyroid? That would explain why I am getting distracted so easily. I am lucky when I work on something for 10min in row without doing anything else.

It took me 15min to start this Blog. I just sit here and stare at the screen without any idea popping up. But I want to write, because I want to be committed to it. I want to learn how to write. So, I just keep going, no matter what ...

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Yes, I have several things running at the same time. It is hard for me, to give these tasks different priorities. I feel like everything is important.

• I have to grow my wealth network, so I have to update ecademy and facebook regularly.


• I want to learn how to write, so I keep going with my regularly blogging.


• I want to be motivated and inspired, so I keep reading Blogs of interest.


• I want to learn more about entrepreneurship, real estate and passive income, so I keep going to seminars.


• I want to keep working on my projects and getting the real experience, such as in www.BoutiqueWineries.com.au and www.InformPros.com


• and so on ...

oops, completely forgot about my PhD in this list. I might have given it a lower priority unconsciously already. And this should be of highest priority actually. So, what now? Shall I quit some of these things or delaying it? There should be a way to do all these things, that is not so much ...

I am convinced, I can be more efficient, just have to find the right rhythm. Fingers crossed the thyroid issue doesn't hinder me on this journey.

Teamwork ...

And again I am sitting here in this office in the cutting-edge research institute alone with my project. I have to sit down and come up with the ideas, what will be my next steps. When I have troubles with something, I have to find the way out of it. Because at the end of this PhD you sign a paper, that this work was done by only your brain.

Just yesterday I read in Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing ….” It is all about teamwork. When you want to have a successful bussiness, you better focus first on the right team around you, might it be laywers, attourneys or investors. You just can’t do everything by yourself. And do you really want people working for you, who are not interested in the success of the business, who don’t understand the mission of your business? That’s, why I say, go for the right team.

As Robert said, it is shocking what we actually get trained at school. Getting help from someone else means you have been cheating and you are out of the “game”. What a wrong approach is that?

I have to say, it was not easy for me to learn to work in a team, to accept other opinions and to actually get critisized. But everytime, our result of a teamwork project was amazing. No one could have done this by him/herself.

Photo courtesy by Markus Brosch

Coming back to my PhD project. What is my next step? I am stuck here again. The administrators for LINUX OS are a big joke here. The worst thing is, I don’t have admin rights on my machine. And does anyone out there ever seen a working HelpDesk, hehe? I will go back to my papers here and I will create my own virtual team around me, who will help me through my last months of this PhD.

ToDo list …

There are a lot of books, blogs and articles out there helping the humankind to manage its day. It is good to read a couple of them and then find your own way, what suits you most. Everyday is different, every project is different and especially every human being is different.

The biggest challenge is the time management. How do you know in advance how long a task will take you? Ok, when your ToDo list contains only tasks you do daily anyway, you might have already achieved some experience. But I am mostly dealing with tasks that are new to me. Testing an application can be done in 30min or 30 hours. It always depends on how many variables are influenced and need to be checked. Or how many different cases in a case study are influenced by this application. I am sure there exist similar projects where you don’t have any clue about the time management.

Photo courtesy by Markus Brosch

So, there is big difference if you have 10 item listed on your ToDo list and you have finished them in 2 hours or you have 2 item listed and still after 4 hours you are dealing with the first one. The questions you can ask in such a situation are:

• Can I break this task into smaller subtasks? - This will help you see progress more easily and you will allow yourself to take the needed breaks to reload.


• What are the most important tasks (MITs) I have to do today? - You shouldn’t have more than 3 MITs on your daily list. If you have finished these 3 ones, you can celebrate, only low level stuff is left! *dance*


• Are there any tasks I can delegate? - Outsourcing is a big trend right now, and I do it as well. I am managing some programmers for BoutiqueWineries. There are Pros and Conts ... the questions is, how much you value your time :o)

Of course this list is not complete. So, feel free to come up with your own questions to improve your ToDo list and therefore your daily progress to reach your goals. There won't be the perfect solution, but it is definitely worth it to think about it and then action on it ...

Stay committed and have a beautiful day!

I made it ...

Yes, I went through all 20 points about motivation given by Leo from ZenHabits. I posted every second day ... big commitment. Now I have reached the next level, which is coming up with my own ideas. The challenge is, that the ideas won't pop up every second day ... so what to do? Writing when the idea comes up, just making a note to not to forget? I think I will do some testing.

Also I might have to figure out what my blog is or will be about? What do I want to tell the readers? What are 5 keywords to describe my blog? Yes, I want to improve my writing and I am doing well so far. There is always improvement.

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Will my blog be about my journey, like a diary? Maybe somehow, but also I would like to put down my thoughts on things, things that keep me moving. I have my goals, but to go there will change. I keep reading books, I might want to discuss some issues said in these books.

We will see where this blog will lead us to. Enjoy your day

Find pleasure again ....

Today is one of such days where I have to review my own blog, because I am out of motivation and I lost the pleasure in doing one of my projects. So, why did I start it? It was new and exciting. It feels like it became a boring day-to-day job now, so I have to reconsider, why am I doing it. I even might have to change some procedures or step out for a couple of days.

There has to be fun, pleasure, joy in it, every day ... where is the satisfaction after I have finished another step? Maybe things are just not going the right way right now. Is it again my inability to be happy about small achievements?

Ok, I will step back a little bit and refocus to get the big picture right. I will do it on paper or on the whiteboard, maybe even a mind map. There is no way I give up ...

"Never, never, never, never give up. - Winston Churchill"

Be aware of your urges to quit, and overcome them ...

If your will is strong and you are patient enough, the urge to quit won't appear. But that is a lot to ask for. Is your will strong enough:

• Supported by big dreams and goals?


• daily visualization what the outcome will feel and look like?


• the right people around you?


• Monitoring all the up and downs?


• Reading about your dreams and goals?


• Never skipping two days in row?


• ...

Are you patient enough:

• Setting up mini goals?


• Rewarding yourself for every little step?


• squashing negative thoughts?


• staying accountable?


• Getting excited again?


• Getting help during low points?


• ...

Photo courtesy by Markus Brosch

It is all coming together now. The urges to quit appear now and then. For me it happens often as I am not the most patient person, but then I find quickly my goals, have a quick read, talk to the right(!) person ... and I am back on track. You can plan for such "attacks". Have the visualized goals every where in your flat, agenda or office. Keep squashing the negative thoughts ... turn them into something positive. Always remember why you are doing specific tasks, why do you put so much effort into this project ... create your own strategy to refocus.

You will be so proud of yourself, when you finish big projects or you finally reached your goal. Let it be one of your mini goals. But this pride will be full of happiness, honesty, brightness and wealth with a big smile in your face. You will have got so much value that you start leveraging it, spreading the happiness, brightness and wealth ... it comes all by itself, when you are open and ready for it. :o)

Cape diem!

Use visualization ....

Have you seen the latest Mini ... *sniff* ... wouldn't it be good to have one like this? I know exactly that I want to have one. This car will be part of the outcome of all the effort I am making now. I love driving cars, and it will be great to have my own one again. And I will buy it without making any debt.

These first lines are part of my vision board. There are plenty other things I am dreaming of in quite detail. Doing this daily keeps you going, because nothing is impossible. I am convinced that I will pay one day my parents a flight to wherever I am in the world, is it to Fiji or Singapore. I will call them, tell them I got the tickets and that I would love to spend a nice time with them. I know I will do that.

Photo courtesy by Markus Brosch

Having created several streams of income will give me the freedom to be everywhere I want to be at anytime. And of course my vision board includes the latest laptop and other IT toys, because my current laptop is already 6 years old (don't ask me how I did that, hehe). My vision board is big, because I dream big, because I want to live big. Stephane used yesterday these words from the documentation "What the Bleep do we know?"

How deep do you want to go down the rabbit hole?

And my answer was, very deep. I am just at the beginning ...

Never skip two days in row ....

We are not perfect, but we can be committed to our goals and dreams. Skipping one session, a day or whatever it is ... that is ok. But you better don't skip the next one.

I started blogging 3 years ago, but actually skipped almost one complete year. Now I am highly committed to writing every second day and so far, I am doing pretty good. Because I have a goal to improve my writing. I want to see, if I can express myself in words. One of my big goals is to write a book. Not sure about what, I just don't want to struggle with my writing when the big idea suddenly pops up in my head. So, I train myself this way. During the low days my blogs will be smaller, sure ... I am not perfect. But getting used to writing, getting things out of my head may actually help going through such days.

Photo Courtesy by Markus Brosch

Today I want to have the first draft of the final 6-months-plan written down. I did some procrastination on it, but not today. If I skip one more day ... I will be stressed again. So, I have to switch my brain to PhD mode and just do it ... baby steps, as usual ;o)

Get a coach or take a class ...

I think that is the most expensive way to get motivated in an area you like. And Leo is right by saying '... at least you show up and take action ...'. It worked for me. I spent a bit more than AUD1000 to spend three days at an amazing seminar from Roger Hamilton last March. It was most inspiring and motivating. I wrote already about the different wealth profiles he is using to find your flow and to find your passion. And this seminar went deeper into it and yes, I can say it was one of the critical moments.

Photo courtesy by Markus Brosch

For example, at this seminar I met a Creator and we kept in contact. And now I started some IT consulting for him and his company. More to learn, more people to meet and I am so excited about it.

Getting a coach can be seen in different ways. Everyone who has read a book from Anthony Robbins can say, yes, he is my coach and use his books as a guideline. Seeing it this way, I have several coaches, as Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, Anthony Robbins, Leo from ZenHabits and many more. But I have coaches in "real" as well. People I can see and meet regularly and I can bother them with my questions. First of all Stephane. Since we know each other, he is showing me the world, my surrounding, from a quite different perspective as I got it taught in school or from my parents. There is nothing wrong and right. I have just learned to see it from more angles and this gives me more opportunities and more understanding. I am really grateful for this lesson and to all these lesson to come ;o) BKBH

Having met Jodie and Jeremiah, gave me the unbelievable opportunity to have a coach in a pack of two. Sharing the same goal in a business, seeing it growing with some up and downs, working in a team ... it is a great foundation to learn and I appreciate to know the two and to keep working with them. And of course, never forget the fun part of it ...

If the student is ready to learn, the teacher will turn up.

Have all a magical weekend!