The Science of Personal Success

The findings concerning personal change are based on research focused on "Changers." Changers are people who were able to overcome significant personal challenges and successfully changed their behaviors and habits for at least three years. 

Research conducted by the Change Anything Labs found that a major barrier to successfully changing behavior is not a lack of willpower, but the false belief that willpower is essential for change. In reality, skills can be learned that improve a person's ability to successfully change behavior.

Many sources of influence prevent people from altering their habits. Individuals who use tools to control those influences, however, tend to be much more successful at changing behaviors.

For example, Change Anything researchers discovered that after learning a few simple skills to control influences, 50 percent of experimental subjects were able to resist temptations. There are identified six sources of influence that affect people as they try to change their habits. They are also identified change tactics that can help counteract each of these influences.

People who follow these steps and align sources of influence in their favor are more likely to achieve personal success.

1. Personal motivation. Although personal impulses can be compelling, it is possible to interrupt these impulses by connecting with personal goals during crucial moments.

2. Personal ability. A proven way to change habits is to enhance personal ability and to learn new skills.

3. Social motivation. There is a clear social component to bad habits. When friends encourage bad behavior and also engage in it, this is very difficult to resist. If individuals can transform "accomplices" into "friends" who encourage good behavior, they are more likely to change their habits.

4. Social ability. To change longstanding habits, people usually need support from other people. Individuals who get a life coach or mentor are often more successful at changing behaviors.

5. Structural motivation. People who connect short-term rewards or punishments to new habits are usually more likely to adopt those new habits.

6. Structural ability. Researchers have found that minor environmental changes can have a significant effect on a person's choices. Individuals experience faster behavior changes when they add visual cues to help them focus on their goals.


By understanding these influences, it is possible for people to consciously design change plans that address them. Individuals who incorporate the six sources of influence into their change plans are ten times more likely to succeed than people who do not take this approach.

This article is based on the book "Change Anything." The book summary is available online at Business Book Summaries.

Making a Career Satisfying

The ideal career is an enjoyable one that utilizes a person's skills and abilities in a pleasant environment with good co-workers. However, a self-defining career that brings joy is unattainable for most people.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 67 percent of American workers are unhappy on the job because they dislike their boss or co-workers, the duties they must perform, lack of a challenge, and other reasons. To better understand why two thirds of Americans are dissatisfied, interviews were conducted with individuals experiencing both joy and disdain for their careers.

One worker enjoyed her job because of some of the conditions: decent pay, an easy commute, and prior knowledge of what she was expected to do. In addition, despite feeling a little bored about the work itself, she appreciated having the job during a period of high unemployment.

At the other end of the spectrum, another worker cited politics, too many changes, and 60-hour workweeks as reasons for the stress and dread he faced each day. Instead of appreciating what he had, he felt the company owed him more.

The first challenge around the aspect of career is for both employers and employees to ask the hard questions to better understand the roots of any dissatisfaction. Employers should consider whether or not they are respecting their staff by providing fair wages, competitive benefits, clear expectations, the right tools to do their jobs, recognition for their work, and opportunities for them to voice their opinions.

Employees are recommended to explore the following questions:

* Are you giving it your all? In other words, workers need to determine if they are performing to the best of their abilities, doing an honest day's work, and surpassing both their supervisor's expectations and their own.

* Would a different job matter? People who stay in unsatisfying positions are not helping themselves, their bosses, their customers, or the company as a whole, and would be better off making a change. Showing up at any job with the wrong frame of mind contributes to a culture of disengagement.

* Is it time for a change? Some workers fail to realize that what started out as a "job," has turned into a "career," and that it is not the right fit for them. Perhaps they lack the skills to excel and make a contribution, knowledge of their industry, or the motivation to deal with office politics or other challenges. The other challenge is to continually focus on one's own personal growth. By enhancing their own skills, employees not only add value to their company and earn more appreciation and respect from their bosses, but they prepare themselves for more satisfying opportunities that become available.

Here are some good action items:

* Pursue training offered by the company. Employees should take advantage of learning opportunities, especially those that enhance their job performance or teach transferable skills.

* Take advantage of online training opportunities. Instead of wasting their computer leisure time at social media sites, people should look into taking online courses, many of which are free or affordable, and offer more flexibility for people who lack the time and resources to head over to a college campus. Sometimes training is not offered by the company, so employees must take the initiative to learn themselves.

* Read a book a month. Reading is one of the best self-paced methods of personal development. Some self-improvement books can be borrowed from the library or a friend for free. You may also want to sign-up for book summaries available on Business Book Summaries.

Organize According To Your Priorities

Living a clutter-filled life requires no particular skill – anyone can get the hang of it. Who is the most likely to be unorganized?

It’s those who have not identified their priorities and established supporting goals.

To organize effectively, it helps if you identify your priorities. Otherwise, you’re organizing without a goal.

Priorities are broad elements of life.

They are so basic that you can often misplace them somewhere in your go-go schedule. Start identifying
your priorities, and you’ll realize that much of the clutter you have collected does not serve you or support what you have deemed to be of importance.

Much of what you have assembled in the places and spaces of your life is useless!

The five-step procedure that follows is simple and direct and will help you to establish priorities.

1. Write down everything that is important to you, assigned to you, or that you seek to achieve. Feel free to make this list long and involved.

2. Several hours later or even the next day, revisit your list. Cross out those things that, on second reading, are not that crucial. Combine any items that appear similar to each other. The object of this second encounter is to dramatically pare down your list. If you have too many priorities, you are likely to feel anxious and frustrated. We can’t all be Superman.

3. Now, restructure, redefine, and rewrite your list if necessary; seek to streamline it. When in doubt, toss it out. If you’re unsure if an item belongs on the list, chances are, it doesn’t.

4. Put your list away and take it out the next day or the day after that. Now review it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Can any items be combined? Can anything be dropped? Should anything be reworded? As always, if something seems as if it is not that important, it probably isn’t, so feel free to drop it!

5. Go ahead and make a working list of what you feel are your priorities at this time. Yes, things will shift and change as time marches on, but this is your list for now.

The 60 Second Organizer is a valuable resource and a daily action guide to help you become a more organized person in your workplace and make it a total and effective lifestyle. To read a book summary of 'The 60 Second Organizer' please visit BusinessSummaries.com.

Maximizing Personal Productivity

The author notes that success in business planning and execution relies heavily on personal productivity skills. These skills help individuals get organized for implementation, improve their time utilization, present ideas effectively, and increase their ability to delegate work.

The most common time-wasters that plague managers are crisis management, procrastination, ineffective meetings, interruptions, and lack of plans and priorities.

Individuals who are successful at time management work on priorities that are both mission-critical and time-sensitive. According to Capezio, there are three primary types of meetings in the workplace: informational meetings, advisory meetings, and problem-solving meetings.

To make meetings more productive, Capezio recommends using the TOO Method, which stands for Topic, Objectives, and Outline.

The first step is to identify the topic. A best practice is to allow only one topic to be covered per meeting.

The second step is to establish the objectives. These are the expected outcomes from the meeting.

The final step is to prepare the outline. This contains the steps that the meeting leader and attendees will follow to accomplish the objectives.

Another important skill is making effective presentations. To communicate effectively with audiences, it is essential to analyze oneself, the audience, and the situation.

After conducting this analysis, it is possible to begin formatting the presentation. Work should focus on three key components: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

During the presentation, managers should consider how to create a presence through appearance, language choices, pacing, and volume. After the presentation is complete, a Lessons Learned Analysis should be conducted.

When developing business plans, negotiation will inevitably occur. This type of discussion can be used to resolve a dispute, to reach an agreed-upon direction, or to satisfy diverse interests.

The negotiation style that is used will often determine the outcome of the discussion. There are three major types of negotiation styles: competitive, avoidance, and accommodating.

The competitive style focuses on winning at all costs. In contrast, the avoidance style seeks to avoid conflict and any engagement in a substantive discussion. The accommodating style focuses on pleasing the other party, but it can easily develop into a competitive style.

The most effective negotiations incorporate the interests of both parties. While this approach may be more time-consuming, it tends to create more enduring agreements.

The last way to enhance personal productivity is to strike a balance between work and one’s personal life. Capezio recommends assessing whether one’s current balance is appropriate.

It may be necessary to set explicit goals to free more time and to create a better balance. Other suggestions are to create a more flexible work schedule and to integrate work and family wherever possible.

Looking for more articles and resources on personal productivity? BusinessSummaries.com is a book summary service that provides succinct summaries of today’s business bestsellers in an easy-to-read format. For more information, please visit http://www.bizsum.com.