Enjoy Success from the Inside/Out

By,  Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina The most important aspect of the 4S Time Management tool is the social component. 4S suggests that working with a coach is crucial for high level tasks for both event and time-based Prospective Memory.   A coach uses creative strategies to propel your effective self–management, including incentives and rewards resulting in growth and progress. Braver, (2012) suggested one way to motivate individuals is by providing a reward. The reward induces a level of importance and its effectiveness can be varied by the kind of reward, by the amount of reward or by manipulating the attractiveness (or unattractiveness) of the prospective memory task (i.e., the reward is the benefit of remembering the intention and for making progress on daily tasks.) The reward concept is supported by neuropsychological findings; providing a reward increased activation in prefrontal regions which support the control and active maintenance of task-goals an...

By,  Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina In the previous blogs we reminded you that using a time management system ensures continuous progress toward your goals. Your memory can be enhanced to aid your success by using external cognitive tools such as 4S for achieving your desired success. Everyone knows it is a priority to care and nurture our own bodies, but do you provide nurturing to your mind too? Our memory energy is limited, and we have to be mindful on how we use our working memory so it doesn’t get clogged with too much info. Our brains, though very powerful, can only hold so much input at a time. Research shows that a healthy adult brain holds about seven tasks at a time. Employing mindful strategies will help maintain focus on our top tasks and top goals and avoid distractions. Kliegel et. Al (2007) emphasizes the importance of utilizing planning aids such as 4S.  This researcher explains the concept best by saying that ; Individuals are faced...

By,  Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina Is your memory helping you achieve more? Are you using external tools to assist your memory? Part 1 of this Life Hack blog – Use Your Memory to Accomplish More Success showed how you can match emotion with your intentions to enhance your productivity. Now we want to further explore and share with you how you can accomplish more of what is important—often by doing less. There are many potentially fruitful prospective memory-based interventions that can help you avoid Memory Failures. Many industries use checklists and follow best-practices to ensure conformity to standard protocol. Utilizing these measures can help improve success by carrying out intended actions: ·         Use calendar alerts from your cell phone or favorite app ·         Minimize any Multitasking endeavors; especially when the task is critical ·         Add a sense of urgency to critical tasks ...

By,  Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina Throughout life, as we develop mentally and physically, we continuously strive to meet our social needs while we self-manage to reach our highest potential. Read on to find out how to use your own memory to enhance your productivity. As a bonus, your stress level will go down when you are more organized and productive. Denny Hamlin, a professional car driver, won his 2 nd Daytona 500 race on February 17, 2019 -- an amazing feat. He shared a letter he wrote as a 2 nd grader when his wish was to win the Daytona 500 on February 17, 1998. The February 17 th was accurate – only a few years off. During an interview the following day he advised youngsters “if you really want to do something, you just have to put your mind to it.” And the part of your mind that will help you achieve your goals is your memory. We all know people in our circle who accomplish so much and wonder, how do they do it all? What helps them accomplish...

By,  Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself. Abraham Maslow The greatest benefit to being self aware is helping us stay in control of ourselves, our emotions and thoughts. Just like the moon goes through different phases, we go through different life phases as well.  We experience ups and downs and we must stay self-aware and be responsible for self management of our energy and our actions while keeping ourselves centered. One very important attribute to be aware of is learning to identify personally stressful situations and how to respond to them. Self-monitoring is one strategy for increasing awareness such as keeping daily records of personal stressors (internal and external stressors.) Once a person is aware of stress-producing stimulation and responses, the next step is to learn new coping skills such as; 1. Improving diet and increasing exercise. Exercise training appears to incre...

  Help me if you can, I'm feeling down And I do appreciate you being 'round Help me get my feet back on the ground Won't you please, please help me?   - Help by the Beatles Everyone needs some help some time. When we receive assistance, our circumstances improve. Aiding others will be a joy for the person helping and its own kind of reward. Therefore, giving and receiving help is beneficial to the giver and recipient. Yes,  Helping  is a give and take exercise. Recently, in a blink of an eye, one of life’s inevitable events landed on my doorstep. My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and two weeks later, I was eligible for a club no one wants to join; the (metaphoric) surviving spouse club. It has been a new and interesting path for me over the past two months. Countless offers of service, relief and comfort were proffered by friends and family. I am so grateful for all who gave of themselves to serve me and my family at an extre...

“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed.” ― Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I hope you enjoyed summer and got to do some things that made your heart sing. Personally I love summer and specifically I love summer vacations. For me the summer season overall brings happy childhood memories of me spending lots of quality time with my family, visiting my grandma and uncles in a village surrounded by tall trees and small fields and streams, eating corn on the cob, cherry picking and other farm fresh and homemade foods. My memories also include a lot of play time and just enjoying being there….in the moment not worrying about anything. It has been my deepest desire to always enjoy living in the here and now. This desire of living in the present, enjoying my task at hand didn’t always come natural for me, but I find ways to align myself and remind myself of what’s most important to me. I really love living my l...