http://www.philnewton.net/blog Improving every day. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:12:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Procrastination is a curious phenomenon, and I sometimes wonder if it's exclusive to humans. We have such fantastic energy and abilities, coupled with an almost boundless enthusiasm for exploration and knowledge. So why do we waste so much of our time worrying about doing what we're best at? Not only ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2009/03/five-quick-procrastination-busters/ Have you ever noticed how the first few hours after waking up can determine how you feel for the rest of the day? If you've ever found yourself saying "It's going to be one of those days", you know exactly what I mean. A few bad experiences in the early ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2008/08/starting-your-day-in-a-positive-way/ Managing your time is one of the most valuable skills you can learn. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, yet some people seem to be able to get much more done in the same amount of time. Whilst this could be down to some form ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2008/02/3-simple-time-management-tips/ One of the simplest ways you can improve yourself is to read a good book. Reading gives us an insight in to how other people have overcome challenges, and what they've learnt from their endeavours. There's a huge array of personal development books available, and through the years I've read ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2008/02/five-books-that-changed-my-life/ I've added three new templates in the personal development resources section of the site. This follows up on the free templates first seen in "Progress Tracking and Beyond". After a request to convert these templates into PDF format, I looked around on my PC to see what other templates I ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/09/new-personal-development-resources/ One of the greatest tools in life is the ability to learn from our our mistakes and the mistakes of others. They don't have to be huge mistakes either, it can be something as simple as learning that cooking pasta for 20 minutes is not a good idea or that ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/09/three-things-i-ignore-too-often/ What does it mean to be "organised"? It's a term that can crop up quite often, but outside of the workplace it has a rather negative image. Organised people are seen as boring and dull. They'd rather spend Friday night arranging their CD's chronologically rather than socialising with friends. Their ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/07/getting-yourself-organised/ Many years ago, I was a member of a local Scout troop. On one occasion we were going to be camping in the woods, and as the mischievous teenagers we were, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to bring plenty of booze. Our plot was simple: smuggle the ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/07/what-makes-a-great-leader/ It’s all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day sea of mediocrity. For some people, being seen as average is a way to avoid bullying. For others, it’s down to their negative connotations of success. Regardless of the reasons, being average does nobody any favours. Being successful isn’t ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/06/the-challenge-by-jim-rohn/ In his excellent book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Steven Covey details the habits that all successful people share. The habits he writes about are what I would call "low-level" habits. This is not a derogatory term, but is meant to convey the idea that these habits are ... http://www.philnewton.net/blog/2007/06/effective-high-level-habits-to-improve-your-life/