Summary – Prioritize

This is a continuation of the previous post on Redefining Priority

I heard this from a forwarded email and rewrite it for better understanding. Imagine you have a box for your computer. This is what you are supposed to pack, a set of computer, some CDs and unlimited amout of blank diskette. How do you pack?

1) Blank diskette first, CDs and then computer?
2) CDs first, computer and then blank diskete?
3) Computer first, CDs and then blank diskette?

If you start packing your blank diskettes first, the box will be filled with diskettes. How do you want to pack the computer or the CDs then?

To properly pack, we must pack the important ones first – the computer. Then if there is still some space left, pack the CDs. Blank diskettes is the least important because there are a lot of them and they are all blank.

Life is like that, we must first entertain the most important things in life, which are family, spouse, children etc. Then only we check on our career, friends, blogs, etc. The least important thing in life is like popularity, ego etc

———— personal note ————-
I have to admit, that when I started this blog.. sometime I spend more time with the blog than with my family. (At the moment there’s only the mrs, later only there’ll be family 🙂 ), So I sincerely apologize to the mrs that if there is at anytime she feels neglected. There’s no way I am like that. She is the most important person in my life.. Period. Even so, it is she who is the most supportive of me throughout my journey to blog. I really appreciate this..p.s. The original story actually involves a jar, stone and sand.

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Summary – How to Brainstorm
A colleague of mine called up a meeting yesterday. We were to come up with a solution on how to reduce the amount of stone in our end product, palm kernel. Do you know how the meeting goes? :)Everybody started pointing finger saying that this is another person’s fault and responsibility. Everybody was being defensive and in the end no solution achieved.

So for the benefit of everyone, presented here is how a brainstroming meeting supposed to proceed.

The aim of brainstorming is always to squeeze any ideas available. NEVER and I repeat.. NEVER REJECT AN IDEA, even if the idea involved a talking palm tree advising the harvester.So presented below is a mini-drama of how brainstorming should proceed.

Chaiman : Guys, let’s have a 1 minute timer ready.. Start throwing ideas in … NOW

Exec 1 : well we could use filter, or vibrating screen.

Exec 2 : just slow down the production and let the worker pick up the stone manually, the CEO will question the slow production and we blame the estate.

Exec 1 : thats an evil way to do it, I agree.. then we ask estate to supply us with more workers, they pay for them of course.

Exec 3 : I prefer we penalize the estate, 1 tonne stone collected, they have to pay RM500. We can make money 🙂

Exec 2 : scratch my idea, let’s do his. the chairman did say something about talking tree, I put that idea on the table

Exec 3 : you know how stone sank faster (BUZZ!!!! the timer goes off) never mind.

Chairman – ok brainstorming session over, now let’s discuss each idea one by one. If you agree.. show hand.

/end mini-drama

All elements to a good brainstorming session is included.

1) Timeframe and the discipline to adhere to it
2) A chairman laying out the aim
3) Creativity encouraged by peers even though the idea seems illogical
4) Ideas branching out from another idea
5) NO REJECTION OF IDEAS
6) Meeting should be fast and “get to the point”
7) Follow up with a logical solution.

This is the solution from the brainstorming meeting. (Make sense now aren’t they?)

1) Filter or vibrating screen will be used during processing
2) Proper recording of the amount of stone and some physical evidence to be presented when seeking help from top management. (From complaining to CEO idea)
3) More workers
4) Educating the harvester (From talking tree idea)
5) Work together with estates to monitor which lorry is bringing stones and maybe penalize the person in charge accordingly
6) Engineering solution like separation using water etc

Hopefully you now know what to do in a brainstorming session.

– I wonder –
Anything to add or experience handling meeting to share? 🙂

————–Personal Note————-
When it comes to meeting, I really like it when everything is in order. I’m just like that.. Well dating is different hehe 🙂 (That would be in another entry)

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Summary – Lesson learnt from washing dishes

It has always been established between me and the mrs that cooking will be her duty and washing dishes is mine. Obviously we will help each other out but the responsibility is clearly as such.

So here I was doing my dishes when I suddenly noticed something about the way I wash the dishes. 🙂 Apparently there is a pattern and I just realized it. Instead of washing what ever come first, I always choose the biggest items in the sink (like plates etc) first before the smaller one. Yes, even if that piece is located deep down the mountain of dishes.

I know what you’re thinking, banji.. you have way much time eheh bear with me for a while. I then try to figure out why do I wash dishes in such a way, bigger plate first and then the smaller plate. Here’s why…

The reason for my methods is because I want to have an immediate visual satisfaction. When I see the big plate washed, (meaning no longer in the sink) I feel like this work I’m doing is actually making progress and I can see it clearly. Imagine if I washed all those spoon and fork first, the mountain of plate will still be there and it is quite demotivating.

Heheh when you wash dishes, your mind tends to wander, and this is when ideas will come in pouring. So what is it I am trying to highlight here?

That maybe in everything we do, we can start with the most important things first (or big things). This way when we finish that one, we will be more motivated to finish off those smaller ones, because from visual point of view, we had already finished half of the pile of work with one completed job.

Classic example is like when you clean your room. All the garbage is still left on the floor, but you spend your time cleaning all the dust at the window (which by the way, nobody will notice). This will be very demotivating because after you had finished with the dust, you will see those garbage and it seems that all your work is for nothing.

Obviously this “Finish the bigger task first” rule has better application for other things in life, right? 🙂

Where else we can apply this rule? Or do you even agree with it? If not, care to share any other suggestion?

————–Personal Note————-
Now that the mrs is pregnant, I will have to help more with the housework. I truly respect those working wives. You work just as tough and when you get back from work, you cook, clean and entertain your family with so much energy. I salute you….One of the biggest mystery of life… Working wives 🙂 (Note: By wives, I meant the whole group of wives in general, not one husband 4 wives 🙂 )

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Summary – The secret is detailing

I have a dream, to save RM12,000 by the end of the year.

We always have this kind of resolution very early in a year. By the end of the year, we usually already forget the resolution entirely and start a new one. Where do we go wrong? and why am I talking about resolution when it’s no where near the 1st of January? 🙂

It’s because, there should never be a specific date for planning your future. It is more achievable and easier if we keep reviewing them all year long.

Oh ya, so where do we go wrong? The reason our resolution always left incomplete is because we never plan the details.

1) See achievement as things you can visualize

Confused? well don’t be, what I’m saying is that we must always know what we want. If we want to be successful, define what do we meant by successful, is it money? if yes.. then how much money? when should we have that amount of money?

In short, instead of saying we want to be successful, detail it with another format, maybe – “I want to have RM10,000 by 31st December in cash”

Of course there are other definition of success, the above are only examples. Maybe you can say this, “I want to reduce my weight to 60kg by 31st December”, or “I want to finish 2 books, both done in 2 months.”

Note : Set realistic goals.. you just can’t dream of saving RM1 million, when you only earn RM5K per month,

2) Go for details

Let me take the dream to save RM12,000 by the end of the year. So don’t stop there, how are you going to save RM12K? break it down, you will need to save RM1000 per month. Ask again, how to save RM1000 per month? This will be very tedious, I assure you. But if you cannot save RM1000 per month, how on earth are you going to achieve that RM12K by year end?

Check all your expenditure, where can you reduce.. maybe you don’t need Astro after all, since you just don’t have the time to watch, That would already be RM100 saved. Maybe change your postpaid line to prepaid. Check these things.

If you hit a dead end, when you have just squeezed everything and still not enough to save RM1000 per month, change your end of year target. Maybe reduce it to RM9000.

It is not my intention to describe how to save money. What I’m presenting here is that, to achieve that target, we need to breakdown to the very detail on how to achieve it.

That goes the same to all target, whether to reduce weight, or to get that promotion. Anything! Let’s do this first, shall we?

Anyway, what’s your dream? what do you want to achieve from this last 4 months of 2007? Care to share?

————— Personal Note ————————–
One of my first dream achieved was to buy a pc. I dreamt it for a long time and when I checked my saving, it was only RM100 above. I was frustrated. Then only I realized this method from my reading. And I went for a very sudden change in my lifestyle. No more going to movie, or weekend trip to Ipoh. My diet also changed to save. Alhamdulillah, not long (still about a year) after that, I bought a decent PC priced at RM1600.

Basically you want it, you have to do something to get it. 🙂

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