Self Improvement International - December 2019

Self Improvement International December 2019 Issue

The Power of Sleeping Antidote for Boring Meetings What is Fiverr? and many more !!!

Wealth of the Wise

Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise December 2019 Issue

Copyright Š Thejendra Sreenivas. All Rights Reserved

Self Improvement International December 2019 Issue Editor and Publisher - Thejendra Sreenivas Bangalore, India.

Website - www.thejendra.com Email - thejendra@yahoo.com & thejendrabs@gmail.com

Self Improvement International is a monthly electronic magazine edited and published by Thejendra Sreenivas on behalf of his private Seven Sages Consultancy, Bangalore, India.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval systems, or in any language without the written permission of the editor.

Licensing - This digital magazine is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not

be re-sold or gifted to other people. If you would like to share this with others, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the publisher’s work.

Make a Pledge to Not Support Digital Piracy For Subscription Please Visit

Single Issue: Rs 30 (India) & US$0.99 (Worldwide) Annual Subscription: Rs 360 (India) & US$9.99 (Worldwide) Single Issues are also available on Amazon Kindle

In this issue

From the Editor’s Desk

01

What my Lawyer makes me say

03

What Else?

05

The Power of Sleeping

07

Personal Development

Mistakes Smart People Make Personal Development

17

In this issue (cont’d) Don’t Take Your Work Seriously Stress Management

Self versus Traditional Publishing Writing & Publishing

Eight Hour Workday Doesn’t Work Workplace Management

Antidote for Boring Meetings Stress Management

To Deal or Not to Deal Personal Development by Salil Mathur

What is Fiverr?

Technology

26

35

53

61

79

90

In this issue (cont’d) The Good Old Days One of the Coolest Bikes ever Built

Children Section Writing & Publishing

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

96

98

99

A Few Questions FAQs

About the Editor

107

113

From the Editor’s Desk

H

ey, thanks for subscribing to my unique and

delightful

International

Self

Improvement

magazine.

This

is

a

magazine to be read, retained, remembered, and re-read from your electronic bookshelf.

Each magazine carries a bunch of sparkling articles on Personal Development, Stress Management, Humor, Frugality, Leadership, Resiliency, Workplace Issues, Spirituality, Life Skills, Satire, Writing, Publishing, and an occasional Harsh Advice.

1

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Simplicity is the hallmark of this treasure chest. Unlike the hordes of dazzling magazines that you see in the newsstands the contents here are eye and eReader friendly, and not crowded with complex cosmetics, awesome advertisements, and gorgeous graphics that can distract or irritate your eyes. Like a basket of delicious fruits each issue can dramatically transform your personal and professional life.

Think of this magazine as your electronic personal coach who can make you superior to the rest of the crowd. Give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Back to Contents

2

What my Lawyer makes me say

D

isclaimer: Although this magazine has been prepared with utmost care, neither the author, publisher, seller, editor, or

any other party associated with this magazine can accept any liability for any direct or indirect damages caused by following the advice given here.

All opinions, ideas, and advice expressed here are largely my personal or the contributor opinions and don’t necessarily represent the opinion of any other organization or person, including my employer, my clients or their 3

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

agents. Any reference to any persons or businesses, whether living or dead, existing or defunct, is purely unintentional.

Self Improvement International cannot vouch for or certify the claims made by advertisers and is not liable for any cause of action arising out of such claims. All disputes are subject to the courts and competent forums in Bangalore, India only.

Images used in this magazine are from open image sources like Openclipart, Pexels, etc., that are free for personal and commercial use.

My full thanks and attribution to the respective artists.

Back to Contents 4

What Else?

W

ise men say that one should never have any desire for wealth and must always be prepared to lead a life of

virtuous poverty. Also, writing articles is viewed by many as a hobby that doesn’t deserve any compensation for the writer as they must write purely for the passion and not for money. But writing involves enormous effort and we don’t live on such magnanimous money-free planets. By becoming a subscriber to this magazine you help me create valuable 5

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

content for writers and executives. Thank you for being so generous.

Also, if you are a giving kind of person, then I am an accepting kind. So, if you have any unused excess wealth stashed away in Swiss Banks, Spare Jewels, Precious Gems, Spanish Gold Bars, Priceless Paintings, Rare Dinosaur Bones, Asteroid Pieces, Unused Rolls-Royce, Private Jets, Luxury Ships, or even an Exotic Island or Kingdom somewhere, please feel free to donate them to me along with all applicable taxes. Such humble gifts can nudge me to scribble more articles that could be of use to someone, somewhere on our lonely planet ď Š

Back to Contents 6

The Power of Sleeping Personal Development

A

n ancient proverb says, “Sleep is the best form of rest�. All qualified doctors recommend enough sleep even though

they may be unable or unwilling to sleep more due to their medical commitments. Secondly, even without any medical advice, all our 7

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

forefathers believed in the importance of enough sleep and practiced it without hesitation. But from the last two decades good sleep has developed a bad reputation.

Do you know why? This is because sleep is considered as an enemy of productivity and efficiency.

Almost

all

modern

harassed

executives and ignorant youth today believe that they can achieve more only if they sleep less. They believe that more sleep is only for young children and pensioners, and not for youngsters. For them sleep is basically a waste of time and believe that a mere four to five hours of sleep is more than enough to be energetic and productive.

But the high cost of not sleeping well is enormous and can have many bad effects. Less 8

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

sleep is not something to be admired or appreciated. Now let us look at the dangers of less sleep.  Lack of sleep causes many chronic health problems like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, irritation, etc. This is why such people get angry at many small things.

For example, sleep deprived people are highly prone to road rage than well rested people.  Efficiency and productivity does not increase if you sleep less. In fact, you will make more mistakes as you will be unable to concentrate clearly due to less sleep. This is because your mind and body will be rebelling against you as you will

9

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

be forcing it to do something against its need for rest.

Now let us look at the advantages of sleeping well.  Good sleep will make your appetite better, improve

your

immune

system,

fight

infection, helps your memory, reduce headaches, improve skin, reduce fatigue, avoid petty fights, reduce road rage, drive safely, and so on.  With a good night’s sleep of eight to nine hours your efficiency will dramatically increase during the day.  For example, if you are reading an important report or doing some mental activity you will have to read multiple times 10

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

or correct mistakes that creep in when you have slept less. But if you have slept well you can grasp the report faster and also do less mistakes in your work as your mental batteries are now well charged.  Enough sleep will also make you vibrant rather than be gloomy and irritable.

11

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

12

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Now let us look at how you can practice to sleep better.  There is no joy in attempting some task four times to get it right when you are in fatigue, versus achieving the same in one attempt when you are well rested. So, ask yourself do you want to produce quality output with minimal number or tries or with multiple tries?  Do not assume good sleep is laziness.

Think of it as recharging your mind, body, and spirit to leapfrog in your activities later. It’s nature’s design and a necessity.  Don’t be embarrassed to sleep more when you are mentally tired. Our brain is like a car engine and the time to cool 13

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

down depends on how you have driven the car. For example, if you have driven your car for a short time the engine will cool down fast, maybe within an hour.

But if you have driven for several hours, then the engine will take much longer to cool down. In a similar way, our brain also requires different amounts of time to reset and cool down depending on how much you have used it.  Don’t try to keep up with the fitness joneses who advice less sleep. Let them sleep for four hours and produce lousy output. Don’t compare yourself with others and enter the fatigue zone just to be called a team player. There is nothing

14

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

embarrassing about sleeping more when your system needs it.  Listen to the STOP signals from your body and mind, and halt the moment it tells you it is tired. Only when you respect your body signals that it will reward you with good ideas and quality work. But if you force it to work nonstop, then it will punish you by making you produce lousy output.

Now let us look at a few famous quotes on sleeping well.

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it - John Steinbeck

15

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Tired minds don't plan well. Sleep first, plan later - Walter Reisch Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds - JoJo Jensen Sleep early, sleep late, sleep often, sleep well - Henri Matisse

Back to Contents

16

Mistakes Smart People Make Personal Development

W

henever we see or hear of people doing

mistakes

we

immediately

assume that it was definitely done by a stupid person. But did you know that smart people are also capable of doing mega mistakes that often exceed the destructive 17

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

value of the mistakes done by habitually stupid people. So, why and how do smart people make mistakes? Here are a few reasons to consider.

Confidence - Smartness bring confidence, but it can also cloud your judgement. Though confidence is a good thing too much confidence, even in your areas of expertise is a bad thing. For example, anyone who has watched the Chernobyl series on TV will observe that mega mistakes were done by highly qualified scientists and not by rookies that resulted in the nuclear reactor exploding.

Another example we see everywhere is the supreme confidence that most taxi drivers have. After a few months of driving they become extremely confident of their driving 18

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

ability to avoid accidents that they start thinking that nothing wrong can happen to them. This is why they start over speeding, or drive too close other vehicles, or take other stupid risks. But one day they will end up in the hospital or worse.

Entering Unknown Areas - Smart people often think that just because they are experts in a specific field, they are automatically qualified in areas that they know nothing about. This is also the reason for the number of armchair commandos who can give top advice to politicians on how to run a country, win a war, improve the economy, handle terrorism, etc. This is why the old saying - All jobs are easy for someone who has not been assigned that responsibility. For example, many 19

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

doctors and actors earn tons of money through their knowledge and skills, but end up losing mega sums due to bad investments in stock market, or buying worthless land, or even venturing into areas like funding movie productions.

Being Candid - Smart people aren't always good at picking their battles. Many smart people act as if being right or blasting people on their faces is the correct thing to do. This is why they go around bluntly telling people that they are wrong without considering the emotional aspects of their barking. For example, countless people hold their religious beliefs strongly. But often scientists and rationalists will openly ridicule such people thinking that a direct insult will somehow 20

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

endear others to them. They also believe that they can change other people's minds through candid argument and facts, ignoring how emotional and irrational people will react to their harsh taunts. Being right may be good, but being kind and respectful is more important.

21

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

22

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Never at Fault – Many smart people, directly or indirectly, often think they can do no wrong. This normally happens when they have had a series of earlier successes or a period of golden touch when everything they did went right. This past success will make them arrogant and then they will make the mistake of crossing the Rubicon, or entering the danger zone where mistakes have a very high probability. This is the phase when they switch off moderation and carefulness and start taking big risks assuming they have evaluated everything.

Knowledge

without

Wisdom

-

Mere

knowledge is of no use if it is not accompanied by wisdom. To understand this let me give you a story from the Panchatantra, the famous 23

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Indian fables. A scholar once discovered the amazing secret of reviving the dead. But his master advised him not to use this power as it is against nature’s laws. But the fellow didn’t care for the advice. Once while passing through a forest he saw a dead lion. Without applying his brains he thought of testing his power and awakened the lion from its death.

Only after having done this he realized his mega mistake of reviving the lion without taking any precautions. The lion didn’t know or care who revived him and as a wild animal it simply pounced on the scholar and killed him.

Another story is about Midas touch who wanted everything he touched to turn to gold until he turned his own daughter into gold.

Basically, what these stories teaches us is mere 24

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

knowledge is not enough unless you also apply wisdom in using or not using it. In a similar way, many smart people will open their mouth before thinking or applying the necessary wisdom and get into trouble.

Finally, we can end this article with a few quotes.

Don't let schooling interfere with your education - Mark Twain Don't gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold - Bob Marley

Back to Contents

25

Don’t Take Your Work Seriously Stress Management

D

ear executives - Let us start this article with a few questions. Does your job keep you awake at night? Do you take your

job and career too seriously? Do you work too hard? Do you think customers are out to get you?

26

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

If you say yes to one or more of the above questions then I say you are in the danger zone. Let us face it. Not every job is a great job and countless people struggle every day to get the appreciation they think they deserve. But the world is a nasty place and you can’t always get your desired results. But you can make it worse if you take your job or others criticism too seriously.

Taking your job too seriously is one of the biggest mistakes modern executives do. This is what is leading them to depression, anxiety, burnout, road rage, and even suicides. But there is a simple secret to overcome this. If you want to succeed and be happy, then don’t take yourself or your job too seriously. Now you may argue that you cannot take it easy in 27

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

today’s high pressure corporate environment unlike the good old days. I agree that today’s workplace is a hectic and stressful place. But even with such high pressure you still can practice to take your work life in an easy going manner without being too obvious about it.

For this you need to first identify the reasons (or culprits) why you have started to take your work so seriously. Some could be self-created and some could be due to external forces beyond your control. Here are those reasons.

Impractical Deadlines - Today’s competitive workplaces think that it is possibly to eternally reduce the time to service a customer. This is why we see pizza deliveries claim that they will deliver within thirty minutes, or bank tellers claim they will service customers within five 28

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

minutes, and so on. But just because such speedy service was possible during certain times doesn’t mean that you can make a promise on stone and make your deadlines impractical in the long run. Promising the moon may be possible when you are young and energetic, but you will not be able to maintain the same efficiency as you grow older. And if you have budget and manpower constraints, then you will not be able to maintain the past efficiencies.

Unable to say No - This is another culprit that will torment you later if you do not know when and where to put a full stop. Saying yes to everything for the fear of losing a client or pleasing a bad boss is one of the biggest mistakes many executives do. For example, 29

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

sales and marketing executives promise impractical things to customers to not lose an order and later put the service staff in trouble.

When I was working in IT support there was one salesperson that would make such promises to customers without consulting the service department leading to dogfights later.

30

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

31

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Priority Classification - If you do not know how to classify tasks as low, medium, and high priority then every task becomes stressful.

Working for a Bad Boss - If you are working for a cranky boss then his or her impatience will climb on your shoulders and you will also lose the ability to take things easy. So, until you get a better boss or take up a new job in another company hopefully with a better boss you will always be in the serious mode.

Unable to delegate – If you have too many tasks on your plate and are also unable to delegate then it can make you stressed as you will have to do everything. But if you can delegate the tasks to those who are equal to or better than you then a lot of weight will reduce from your shoulders.

32

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Other reasons – The above was just a short list. There are many other reasons like inadequate managed

budgets, projects,

outsourcing

manpower, lack

headaches,

of

badly

knowledge,

health

issues,

insufficient knowledge, etc., that can make even the most pleasant employee into a nervous wreck. And the list can go on depending on the nature of your work.

But as you can see, precision questions like above can often pinpoint the exact cause of your stress and seriousness. Next, eliminating that stress will be in the precision answers you can provide, or solutions you can gather, or the specific actions you can take to reduce them.

The solutions may not drop in overnight but you can definitely find solutions over time to 33

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

gradually switch to the right stress reduction lane. And we can conclude this article with two beautiful quotes on questions by Anthony Robbins.

‘Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential.’

‘Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.’

Back to Contents

34

Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing Writing & Publishing

H

ow and where to publish? How will my books appear in bookstores and online sites? These are the two questions that

35

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

come to many writers as soon as they finish their first book. This article will give the differences between the two.

Depending

on

your

knowledge

and

imagination writing a book may be easy. But the real effort starts after you have written the book and that is to get it published. Now, who will publish your manuscript and get the books into bookstores and other places? There are two ways to get this done. The first method is by contacting publishers and literary agents who deal with your type of genre. The second method is by self-publishing. Both have their advantages and disadvantages as outlined below. And each has an army of raving and raging fans who will give you a long list of

36

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

reasons why their publishing method is fantastic.

The literary agent method: In this method, you must approach an agent or publisher with your manuscript. A literary agent is a qualified person who will professionally evaluate your manuscript to see if it can be published. There are hundreds of agents listed on the internet, or you can buy a book, DVD, or online list containing a directory of all reputed agents.

Find out which agents will accept your type of book.

This is very important because all agents do not accept all types of manuscripts since each will specialize in only certain types of books.

Hence,

you

must

study

each

agent’s

submission guidelines before firing your 37

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

manuscript in all directions. For example, if you send a business management manuscript to an agent who deals with only gardening or romance books, then you will be simply wasting your time. Now, let us look at the advantages of going through an agent. First, they will have an established platform, marketing muscle power, and connections to major publishers to get your book publicized to worldwide audiences.

Literary agents will also have a good understanding of books and what kind of subjects will sell in what kind of markets. By teaming you with top publishers they can make your book look superior because they will have professional proofreaders, editors, cover designers, etc. Secondly, agents will 38

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

negotiate advance royalties for you that can sometimes be in millions of dollars if you are lucky. Most reputed agents do not charge the author any reading fees. The publishing industry’s ethical mantra is all agents must recover their costs only from publishers and from royalty sales, but some do charge minor fees to cover office expenses.

Now let us look at the disadvantages of this agent method. First, which agent to approach?

Any layman will tell you it has to be a good agent. Now, which good agent? The big reputed ones, right? Wrong! Big agents and even medium-sized ones DO NOT look at new authors. The probability of your manuscript getting selected for review is practically zero.

Agents and publishers reject 99% of the 39

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

manuscripts they receive, plus they will take a very long time to respond with a yes or no.

They also have other irksome procedures like insisting you send them a printed copy of your manuscript chapters on a specific-sized paper with a double line spacing, not replying to emails or phone calls, not accepting electronic copies, insisting you give detailed marketing plans on how you will promote your book, what makes you think your book is good, how many copies can you personally help sell, etc, etc.

40

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

41

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

42

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

There are even scary books written with excruciating details on how to deal with literary agents and pass their tough entry guidelines. Even if you pass all of their roadblocks and get selected it can easily be a year or more to see your book published. If your manuscript is accepted, then you will also have limited rights over your book. Plus, there is a risk of your book being rejected even at the last minute if some publisher’s editor or marketing staff is not comfortable with your book. Then, you will have to start all over again and wait for months and years for some other agent or publisher to accept your book.

Many authors have spent years and hundreds of rejections trying to get a literary agent. You can easily spend hundreds of 43

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

dollars just on printing query letters and its postage. The royalties are also very low like 10-15% of the gross sales, and the book can go out of print if it does not sell well in the first few months. It is also not easy to update your manuscript or change the cover or the pricing and discounts if you wish to. Many agents will also insist you make substantial changes to your story or characters, which may completely alter your book.

Shady agents: As a new author, you should also be highly wary of certain kinds of literary agents who are very eager to accept all manuscripts and swiftly sign contracts with you. Don’t be thrilled if an agent quickly accepts your manuscript, sends you a contract and demands a processing fee. Such agents 44

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

exist mainly to prey on unsuspecting new authors and will extract money by giving false hopes to new authors.

For example, there are many shady literary agents who will ask you to send money periodically to cover office fees like mailing, international calls, sundry expenses, etc., for marketing your manuscript to publishers. But, in reality, they will not be interested in helping you get a nice publishing deal, nor will they have any contacts with any reputed publishers.

Or they will simply lead you into the hands of paid publishers who will charge thousands of dollars to get your book published.

If an agent is too eager to sign a contract for your manuscript, immediately search the internet to see news and comments about 45

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

scams relating to this agent. Also, refer to a good website called http://pred-ed.com/ to see if the agent you are trying to contact is a reputed one or a shady type. If you sign a contract with a shady agent you will lose time, money and also lose the opportunity to contact other agents or publishers.

The self-publishing method: If you are unable to get a reputed agent to accept your book, then you have the option of selfpublishing, which is also called as Indie publishing. As you would have already spent months and years writing your book now ask yourself if you would like to wait for many more months or years for an agent to accept or reject it.

46

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

As an aspiring author, you can easily spend months or maybe years just to get a fancy rejection letter from a reputed publishing house or agent. Many of them do not even send a rejection letter even in this age of email. And another risk is if your book subject is of a time-sensitive nature (examples: computer manuals, latest business trends, software guides) then you will lose the opportunity and your manuscript will become useless if it does not get published fast.

However, with the self-publishing method, you can get your book published and available for sale worldwide within days and weeks.

With this method, you will also retain total control over all aspects of your book like cover,

47

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

title, rights, binding, editing, proofreading, pricing, etc.

With self-publishing, there is also no fear or rejection of your manuscript by any agent or publisher. Your book will remain available for sale forever. You are also free to edit and upload newer versions of your book interiors or covers very fast. The royalties are also higher and can range from 35% to nearly 75% and you get paid much faster. However, the disadvantages of self-publishing are you will need to do all the promotional activities yourself and take pains to produce a professional looking book with proper editing, proofreading, grammar changes, spelling mistakes, cover designs, etc. Secondly, no selfpublisher will give you any advance royalties 48

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

and also the chance of your book getting selected later by a top publisher or winning a Booker prize or entry to popular book fairs is almost zero.

The above step-motherly treatment is mainly because the folks from the traditional book publishing industry still consider selfpublished books as second-rate objects, and you can’t blame them either. Their opinion is based on a large number of shoddy selfpublished books that were hurriedly done over the years. But today the situation has dramatically changed. It’s now possible to create a self-published book that can match or exceed the look and feel of a professionally manufactured book. Secondly, readers are also

49

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

switching over from paperbacks to electronic books.

Also, many reputed authors who were earlier traditionally published by top agents and publishers are now slowly switching over to self-publishing for speed, convenience, and higher royalties. However, only agents and the traditional publishing industry folks are bothered about who the publisher is for a book. Readers are actually not bothered about which agent or publisher published the book.

They are only interested if the book is good and useful for them. For example, how many times have you checked or remembered who the publisher was for a specific popular book?

Hence, self-publishing is not a bad idea if you can’t get an agent even after reasonable 50

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

efforts. Put your book in the hands of readers.

After all, if your book is really destined to be rejected let the rejections come from the audience you intended the book for and not get killed by unwilling agents and publishers.

Self-publishing companies: Until a few years ago self-publishing was not easy. The ones who claimed to be self-publishers were actually book printers who masqueraded as publishers. All they would do was print and hand over a few hundred copies of a book, and authors had to do all the marketing, shipping and payment collection themselves. Countless authors have spent thousands of dollars and printed hundreds of books in the hope of becoming a successful author.

51

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Almost all of them have burnt their hands and killed their publishing dreams because their books would lie unsold in their garage and also get damaged over time because it is not easy to find hundreds of customers quickly. But today the scene has dramatically improved and there are many publishing companies that can not only help you selfpublish your book for free but also take care of end-to-end logistics of printing, shipping and collecting payments from customers, and even pay you a nice royalty for every book sold.

Amazon KDP eBook, Amazon KDP Paperback, and Smashwords (for Apple, Kobo, etc) are three popular ones who can make your selfpublishing a breeze. Visit the respective websites and create an author account in order 52

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

to upload your books. Each of these sites also contains details on how to format your book for trouble-free uploading and publishing.

Finally, the choice is yours. If you are lucky and get a great traditional publisher go for it.

Or else, self-publish and get your book online fast.

Back to Contents

53

Eight Hour Workday Doesn’t Work Workplace Management

L

et me start this article with a corporate story. The new energetic CEO of a midsized company wanted to improve the

efficiency

and

productivity

of

every

department under him. So, he started inviting each department to review their progress and 54

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

see what they do throughout the day.

Basically, he wanted to review how they spend each hour of their eight hours in the office.

Each department gave their inputs and selfcongratulations about how productive they were every hour of their working life. But when he met the head of the legal department he was shocked to know that he would spend only an hour on his job and wanted to know how the legal department can become more productive.

For this the legal head replied, “Of course, my department can become more productive.

Just ask customers, employees, and strangers to file a bunch of lawsuits on our company.

Then we will be busy throughout the day

55

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

preparing

counter

arguments

and

documentation to protect the company.”

The shocked CEO didn’t know what to reply and soon realized that a one-size fits-all model won’t work. Basically, what this story teaches is the eight hour work schedule doesn’t work for every kind of job. This is basically a 19th century factory concept. But, unfortunately, this has become a standard government law applied to every type of work regardless of whether it is necessary or not. So, every department staff worldwide sits in the office for eight hours even if they have only a couple of hours work for their kind of job or skills.

56

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

But have you ever asked why does everyone need to work every day for eight hours mostly from 8 or 9 am to 5 or 6 pm? Is it really possible to work for eight hours? Does you work have such a need? The answer is a big no and here are the reasons.

57

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

58

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

The eight hour schedule is an old way of working that was suitable for factories and slave masters during the industrial revolution.

With the kind of jobs we have now it’s impossible to work for eight hours, especially for knowledge workers. For example, creative people

like

writers,

designers,

coders,

freelancers, etc., may have to work for more than eight hours when there are project deadlines. But when there is slack they may have nothing to do for a whole day or even many days. So, why should they sit in the office from 8 am to 5 pm wasting valuable resources, travelling, and spending money?

If you are a decision maker like a CEO or a manager in a company review this ancient eight hour rule for all types of departments.

59

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Today everyone can be contacted with email, smartphones, apps, messaging, etc., within minutes and most jobs can be done with a computer with a remote connection. So, if some jobs don’t have any customer facing roles, need to operate some machinery, or have

data

theft

and

confidentiality

requirements, then such departments can be made into flexible working with suitable checks and balances for finishing their assigned tasks within time.

Secondly,

once

employees

become

responsible and mature they need to be monitored every hour as they will be knowledgeable

enough

to

responsibilities and deadlines.

60

know

their

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

It’s possible that there will be some jealousies between employees who have to sit in the office the entire day and those who can be flexible. But it can’t be helped. The nature of the job decides who stays in one place and who can be mobile.

Finally, we shall end this article with a quote - We understand that you can't work all day. In fact, a healthy dose of intellectual distraction is necessary for productivity. Theoretically, for all we know, there may even be statistics that prove two hours of actual work per day is enough to keep the world running smoothly Unknown

Back to Contents 61

Antidote to Boring Meetings Stress Management

I

t’s not even 10:00 am on Monday morning and it is already time to rush into one of those

dreadful

weekly

status

report

meetings, a ritual that started sometime in your previous birth. You know for sure that no one will have anything substantial to report, or 62

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

a few trumpeters will hype up their trivial tasks, or someone will hijack the whole meeting, or a few egos will get bruised, and the meetings will go on till eternity or until your bladders burst. Besides, those umpteen cups of coffee, tea and biscuits are fast taking you many steps closer to indigestion and ulcers. Everyday millions of people waste time on useless meetings that serve no purpose.

Non-stop meetings are one of the most life draining and unavoidable activities of the corporate world, standing only next to performance appraisals in toxicity. In many organizations a stage has been reached where the very mention of the word meeting is equated with something that is boring and life draining.

Today

many 63

managers

and

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

employees go to office just to attend meetings throughout the day without getting a chance to do any meaningful work. For example, in some organizations even the most trivial of tasks cannot be done without first calling a meeting, then a second meeting and countless other

meetings.

Agreed,

meetings

and

conference calls are necessary to run things, but instead of running things they usually end up stopping things from happening. Also, another big challenge for the meeting initiators is to keep all the attendees awake.

Thinking out of the box, have you ever asked yourself why do all team meetings have to revolve

only

reorganizations,

around metrics,

status jargon

reports, filled

presentations, performance appraisals, process 64

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

improvements, customer complaints, finding scapegoats, etc? Well, you may loudly argue that is what the business is all about. So meetings are necessary whether people like it or not. True, some meetings are unavoidable and absolutely necessary to run the business.

But as a manager in charge of leading (and sometimes inspiring) a team what can you do to make your team meetings more enjoyable, knowledge oriented and almost a pure joy for everyone? What is the magic pill to make meetings more exciting, produce better results and gradually eliminate the need for routine meetings?

It is quite simple. Have more meetings, but of a different variety. Apart from essential departmental meetings periodically have at 65

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

least 20-30% of your team meetings that have nothing to do with your business or customer issues?

Now you may again loudly argue that you are not paid by your management or the customer to do such meetings as they have nothing to do with the business. Besides, who will have time or money for all that stuff? But the unique meetings I am going to recommend can take you to a different dimension of business

improvement

and

people

management skills, well beyond the dry fodder that is fed as management best practices everywhere.

Have a look at the topics suggested below.

66

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Inspirational quotes meeting: Have a meeting where you read, enjoy and discuss hundreds of great, inspirations quotes of various leaders around the world. Such quotes contain wisdom and advice that has withstood the test of time. Many quotes contain fantastic management wisdom.

There have been numerous cases where a single inspirational quote has completely changed the life of many people. For example a quote like, ‘It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find no one there-Franklin Roosevelt,’ or ‘There will be a time when loud-mouthed, incompetent people will seem to be getting the best of you.

When that happens, you only have to be patient and wait for them to self-destruct. It never 67

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

fails-Richard

Rybolt,’

can

start

a

very

interesting conversation and self-awareness.

Stress Management Meeting: Discuss and brainstorm useful and practicable stress management techniques that can be practiced within and outside the workplace. For example, a simple technique like a proper breathing exercise can be a great knowledge and productivity enhancer to the team to deal with stress caused by various workplace issues.

Life of a Great Leader Meeting: Have a meeting where you study the life of one or more great world non business leaders and freedom fighters like Lincoln, Churchill, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks or even Hitler. The lives of non-business leaders around the world and the kind of troubles they 68

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

have endured can have a terrific impact on your life. For example, the perseverance of Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years rotting in jail can make you feel like your workplace troubles are nothing compared to what some people have suffered.

Gift a Book Meeting: Most employees, including managers, don't read good books relating to management, history, religion, selfhelp, etc. This is why there are so many workplace problems worldwide. But reading and re-reading a good book can take you to a different level of professionalism, confidence, business improvement techniques, etc., that can help both the business and the individual.

For example, have your team members gift each other a good self-help or management 69

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

book to each other by investing invests ten or twenty dollars every two months.

70

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

71

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Family and Health Issues Meeting: Have a meeting that can openly discuss family problems and health tips. People often avoid discussing family and personal health issues openly as they consider it as washing dirty linen in public. But if you can overcome that strong inertia and slowly start discussing whatever is discussable it can often provide valuable insights into a person's behavior and understand each other. Each employee is unique with his or her own personal problems that can impact their style of work. For example, on a lighter sense employees with no kids can perhaps understand why employees with naughty kids grow bald faster or cannot take work home. Often nobody knows or admits openly that the health condition of an 72

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

employee's family member can also play an important role in an employee's concentration and productivity in an organization. People often think that employees should leave their family problems at their homes. But it is neither that easy nor humane to ignore family issues as everyone will have some pressing problem or the other.

Such issues can have a serious impact on a person's overall concentration, productivity and contribution to an organization. For example, I have seen how a young team member of mine lose his concentration and interest in work due to his parent’s terminal disease that lasted for nearly two years. But the question you should ask is can such an employee be punished for poor performance 73

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

or should the team pitch in to lift his or her spirits and take teamwork to the next generation?

Financial Planning Meeting: Discuss ways in which team members can learn and enforce proper financial planning in their lives. Various studies have proved that most people know nothing about proper financial planning or its importance. They could be getting a great salary but saving practically nothing. But when the Damocles sword falls on their head it will be too late to do anything. You need to save for a rainy day to prevent serious trouble for yourself and your dependants and family members. Similar to an organization's disaster recovery and business continuity plans, it is important for you to have a personal disaster 74

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

recovery and livelihood continuity plan.

Enough money in the bank and other safe investments provides you that much need mental

strength

to

handle

workplace

harassments, including job losses. Anything unexpected may happen to you at any time, and that is why it is important to save some money for emergencies through proper financial planning.

Work Life Balance Meeting: Discuss ways in which you can enforce work life balance to improve everyone's health. Today everyone talks about work life balance, but nothing substantial happens in any department. In my umpteen years in the workplace I have never come across any real management sponsored mechanism to reduce stress and improve 75

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

health of employees. And, I have never seen any HR representative walk across the floors and chase employees out at 5:00 pm or on weekends so that they go home to enjoy a proper work life balance.

Hobbies Meeting: Discuss hobbies and interests of team members. You may be surprised to know the existence of great talent within your own teams that can be exploited and nurtured for mutual benefit.

Video Meetings: Today excellent DVDs are available containing speeches, presentations and coaching sessions on a variety of business and self-help topics prepared by management gurus and reputed authors. Normally such videos are expensive but worth every penny as they can be very interesting and highly 76

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

educational. Every department library should have a good collection of such DVDs and periodic video sessions can be arranged for the benefit of all your team members. Similarly, countless useful and beneficial topics like email etiquette, humor & harassment in the workplace, handling rude customers, charity, useful electronic gadgets, household tips, first aid, and even philosophy, etc., can be discussed to everyone's benefit.

Each of the above topics has the indirect potential to help the employee as well as the business. Very soon the knowledge gained in such meetings can pay rich dividends, both to the employee and the organization. They can also

inject

a

superior

level

of

self-

consciousness that can help you inside and 77

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

outside the workplace, and also gradually reduce the need for moronic business meetings. Get suggestions from various employees for unique topics. Always try to choose topics that can attract many people without much prodding. But not everyone may be interested in every topic. If somebody is not interested in a particular topic don't force them. Keep the duration short, sweet and at moderate intervals like once a month to make every meeting a refreshing and memorable one.

Now who would like to attend an exciting meeting

on,

‘Fungus

wilt

caused

on

Pseudomonas Solanacearum by Calonectria and Cylindrocladium Spathiphylli bacteria in eastern Cambodia?’ -  78

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Back to Contents

79

To Deal or Not to Deal Personal Development by Salil Mathur

A

s we go through life, we meet all types of people, and surely you would have met controlling persons who are overbearing.

Most of us have run into a situation where someone tells us "No! Don't do that" or their way is better than your way. It's easy to 80

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

identify such people around us who want to control us and other people. It's harder to sometimes

understand

behaviors.

Do

their

controlling

controlling persons

or

overbearing people trouble you?

A critical life skill for us to develop is the skill of managing relationships. We have to learn to tell that “it’s good that you are so sure of your approach but I am comfortable doing it differently.” I once told one such person “that I am not blind and I even don’t want to cross the road so, why are you holding my hand and taking me across the road?” The reactions were dangerously near-disastrous but, I was able to firmly put the dividers and ensured that he never crossed them. Don't expect a controlling person to take your brush81

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

off with good humor because they just don’t give a piece of advice, they expect you to follow it to the T. Sure, signs of controlling persons are that they will project themselves as the star of every story that they tell. They will ignore your views, your point of view, your success, your comments or your ideas because in their projections they are the only stars in the vicinity. Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that controlling persons tend to see the world with limited black and white vision and that they are inflexible and on a single track in life.

Another key indicator of them is that they are preoccupied with blame. They are naturally self-absorbed and entitled, and someone else is their center of attention and introspection is 82

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

not in their genes. If you notice any of these behaviors in a person then you know you are dealing with a controlling person: 1. They think they are born leaders.

2. They know what your problem is before you finish telling them.

3. They are bossy and don’t want to be questioned.

4. They diagnose your problem without your having to tell the problem.

5. They make you feel smaller with small deviations to your plan, mostly just simple alterations.

There are more signposts but, if you see any of these your alarm bell should sound. I have been overwhelmed by such persons in the past 83

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

until I decided to deal with them. I realize that many people have the problem of being limited in their perspective. They can't see things any differently from what they know and are scared at the likelihood of people thinking differently. If you disagree with them then you must be wrong. They don’t care enough about the topic, you are not just wrong but evil or stupid, and a time-waster also. Cool off with such people enough to make feel your cold vibes, it might put in them self-doubt. I know, I failed in dealing with controlling persons, but you must not fail.

Here are some tips; I hope that they will be useful to you.

You will run into controlling people, but you can avoid being controlled. Controlling 84

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

persons are very manipulative and not easy to deal with them. Luckily there are some ways to deal with them: One: always avoid getting drained out by a controlling person and stay calm and don’t react.

Two: define your boundaries and your comfort zones and let no one push you out of it.

Three: sometimes stern rejoinders or angry reactions can backfire and you may end-up fighting fire with fire, and that’s not a good idea.

Four: coolly stand your ground if the person is trying to change your already defined boundary, by a simple standoff “I think I can 85

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

deliver better results by the way I know fully well.�

Five:

always

hydrate

yourself

before

interacting with a controlling person. Take a deep breath and appear calm as if you are on a beach. Remember controlling persons hate your confidence by basic nature. Your confidence can unnerve them.

Six: avoid being defensive, its good to get past minor irritants quickly even if it means saying a little sorry. Controlling persons have a large appetite for long arguments so stun by making it snappy.

Seven: controlling persons love power struggle and arguments and that’s where they showcase themselves best, so strictly avoid 86

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

and refuse argument. That will be like walking into their arena.

Eight: “I need to think about” is the best rated non-committal answer that can not only buy you time but also take their steam off.

Nine: sometimes you need to empathize a bit. I am not saying excuse someone else’s bad behavior but, it can be helpful to know where they are coming from. Some people with controlling issues can have emotional and psychological issues. Understanding them will help you to deal with them better because it is difficult to change their genetic factors.

Ten: sometimes the easiest ways to deal with controlling person is get away from them and avoid. If someone has become upsetting 87

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

for you, then avoiding them will make your life easier.

Controlling persons usually have something troubling or some turmoil going under the surface. Some of their tendencies point towards

their

insecurity,

which

mostly

manifests with a need to control. When dealing with them remember it’s not about you and you are doing nothing wrong but the other person has lost control over himself or herself. Stay calm and look at their demands and instructions they are making. If they are trivial let them quietly run through the process, bad decisions will fall off in the long run anyway. Take care of yourself, this is very important and stay in control of yourself. Be assertive and not necessarily aggressive or 88

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

angry. It means respectfully letting the person know your boundaries, and that it’s not permitting any violations.

Ultimately, remember you have basic fundamental rights, uphold them. Self-esteem is a good thing, keep it pumped and polished.

No one has a right to give you a hard time.

These suggestions are not ultimate but hopefully helpful at the last mile. Take care.

About the Author Salil Mathur is a former CEO and a gifted leader who has fair degree of exposure to many aspects of corporate management. An instinctive

recruiter

and

a

corporate

environment builder. Brings unusual value in

89

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

content strategy and editing. Do interact with me at saliltoday@gmail.com

Back to Contents

90

What is Fiverr?

Technology

F

iverr is a global online marketplace for freelancers. It offers tasks and services, starting at a low cost of $5 per job, hence

its name. The site is mainly used by freelancers to offer their services to customers on a global scale.

91

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

How Fiverr Works - A service offered on Fiverr is called a Gig. It can be anything like designing a logo, book cover, website design, writing eBooks, language translation, and just about anything that can be done using a computer. For example, if an author wants to get their book converted into an audio book they can search Fiverr for suitable voice artists who are offering such services and choose an appropriate artist. However, depending on the complexity the seller can offer the buyer a standard or a custom rate for the job. Before you are able to buy or sell anything you must first sign up.

How to use Fiverr? - It depends on whether you are a seller or a buyer. Let us assume you are a seller who has certain skills that other 92

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

people may find valuable and are willing to pay for it. Then you can post your profile and give a detailed description about what you offer (Gigs). Once you are listed in the appropriate category, then buyers looking for your skills will be able to see your profile and contact you. If they feel you are qualified enough and the price is right you may get a sale.

While you’re setting up your Gig you can create a Basic, Standard, and Premium packages with different prices for each. For each package, you can also add Gig extras and charge additional fees for Extra Fast Delivery, where a buyer has to pay more money on top of the normal Gig fee to have the seller deliver the service more quickly.

93

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

If you are a buyer then it works this way. You have to pay the bid amount in advance on the Fiverr site using your credit card. Fiverr will retain 20% and give the seller 80%. Once the order is complete the seller will have to provide the gig within the time specified. For example, if you want a seller to write an eBook and pay $20 in advance, then the seller will have to write and upload the book for you to download. If you are not satisfied you can ask for revisions, or accept the file provided and close the order. Fiverr accredits the sellers once an order is completed. As you build your rating on Fiverr it’s possible to increase your rates for Gigs.

Types of Gigs - If you browse through Fiverr you will be surprised at the amazing types of 94

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Gigs you will find there. As a creative person, if you think other people might benefit from your skills (and you can fulfill that Gig online), then you will probably find an appropriate category on Fiverr.

Some types of gigs and some are even ridiculous like sellers offering to make crazy videos of themselves or sing terrible songs for a fee if buyers want them. But they are all fly by night types and who may just enter Fiverr for fun. However, a majority of the gigs are professional like eBooks, logos, website design, etc., that people need. If you want to be a serious seller then your gig must be worth paying for by potential customers. Provide excellent service to keep your star rating high.

However, selling on Fiverr is not a get-rich95

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

quick scheme. When you’re getting started, acquiring those first few customers may take time, but if you keep persist and improve your profile you may soon earn a decent income over time.

Give it a try.

Back to Contents

96

The Good Old Days

Bowden Spacelander, one of the coolest bicycles ever built.

Back to Contents

97

98

Children Section

T

his section is dedicated to articles for children and also their own contributions.

You can submit articles, drawings, and

paintings done by your kids for consideration.

This is to encourage them to cultivate the awesome habit of writing and reading books and magazines, instead of thinking that their computers, smartphones, and tablets are only for playing games and chatting.

Back to Contents

99

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

T

his section is dedicated to remembering the golden era of comics that lasted from the 1930s till the late 1980s. When we

were kids we didn’t have dozens of TV channels, Smartphones, Apps, Internet, Social Media, etc.

Our main sources of entertainment were movies in theaters, a radio set, books, magazines, playgrounds, and the wonderful world of comics. Dozens and dozens of brilliant

graphic

comics

would

hit

our

magazine newsstands every month ranging from as low as 10 cents to 50 cents. The arrival of our favorite comic every month was always 100

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

a gala affair that would send a thrilling chill down our spine. We even had awesome libraries that would lend us comics for a small fee.

Practically, every child on our planet grew up as diehard fans of various comic book heroes, heroines, and villains. Collecting and protecting our comics was a thrilling exercise, and we had to guard our precious comics from our mischievous friends, cousins, relatives, etc., who would vanish with our priceless treasures.

Each comic book’s hero, heroine, and villain would take us deep into their imaginary wonderland and make us laugh, cry, giggle, angry, and even get furious. The stories used to so great that countless comics could have 101

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

been easily been made in super movies. Did you know that each comic were meticulously hand drawn and colored by those great comic artists as there were no graphic softwares like today?

Want to know how those golden comics looked? See the next few pages for some awesome covers. Some lucky grown up child will be having these lovely treasures stored in their attics or cupboards somewhere on our planet (sigh!).

102

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

103

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

104

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

105

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

106

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

Watch out for more awesome covers in next month’s issue.

Back to Contents

107

A Few Questions FAQs

How do we contact you?

Via

email

on

thejendra@yahoo.com

or

thejendrabs@gmail.com.

I am a writer and want to submit articles to your magazine. Will you accept it?

Yes, but with some conditions like you must have your own website, blog, and preferably be a self-published author with your books available on amazon and other sites. If you want to contribute regularly, then I would prefer you become my magazine subscriber.

108

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

This link contains the submission details and template.

Do you pay for articles?

Not yet. This is still a new magazine and to pay you my circulation must improve. But I will provide a PDF copy of the magazine if I include your article in this magazine.

What kind of articles do you accept?

Your articles must be related to selfimprovement, stress management, leadership, management, writing, publishing, and so on. It must help the reader learn something useful for their life skills. Also, your article must be your own and not copied from anywhere. All 109

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

images used must cite sources and must be free for personal and commercial usage. I can also consider publishing articles, drawings, and paintings done by your kids to push them towards the habit of reading books and magazines.

Do you accept advertisements in your magazine?

Yes, you can have a half-page or a full-page advertisement. Half page is US$10 and fullpage is US$20 (see samples next page).

Authors can also advertise their books and its short summary for just US$5/-. For half page send a JPG or PNG file of size 5 inch x 3.75 inch and for full-page send a 5 inch x 7.5 inch size file.

110

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

I have some other questions.

Just send me an email.

Back to Contents

111

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

112

Self Improvement International – December 2019 Issue

113

About the Editor

Thejendra Sreenivas is an Author and Life Skills Coach and offers personalized coaching in Book Publishing and Personal Development. He has also written 20+ mild & wild books on a number of subjects. His inspiration for writing unique books comes from Toni Morrison who said, “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Please visit his web cave - www.thejendra.com for details of his books, magazine, and coaching information.

114

Books by the Editor

115

Books by the Editor

116

Books by the Editor

117

Books by the Editor

118

Past Issues of this Magazine

I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you liked this magazine please coax all your friends to subscribe.

For Subscription Visit

119

Wealth of the Wise