Some of My More Potent Career Advice

I was musing on what's been working with my clients. Here are three goodies:

Think, "Is this time-effective?" Have a voice on your shoulder always whispering in your ear, "Is this activity time-effective?" Should I do it less perfectionistically? Should I not do it at all or delegate it?

Keeping the time-effectiveness mantra in mind will get you more done, not just because you'll spend less time on many tasks but because you'll procrastinate less--If you're perfectionistic, tasks are long and painful--Who wouldn't want to procrastinate such tasks?

Consider the largest perspective. That helps me in many contexts. For example, when deciding what projects to take on, I ask myself, "What activity will yield the greatest good?" (That's the utilitarian philosophy, my core guiding principle.)

Considering the largest perspective also keeps me from overworrying. When I worry whether I've managed my cash flow during tax season well enough to avoid bouncing a check--say, to the IRS--I say to myself, "What's the worst that can happen? How important is that in the cosmic scheme of things?"

Considering the largest perspective also keeps me from overpreparing. For example, in prepping for a radio show, I keep in mind that it is but one of thousands aired at the same time and that the show will soon vanish into the black hole of forgotten radio shows past.

The final tip doesn't relate to career but it's too short to devote a whole post to, so, here it is:

Buy a category-killer stock on bad news. Toyota is arguably the world's finest carmaker. The day after its sticky-accelerator problem was announced, I bought Toyota stock at 72. In a week it had risen to 80, which is where is stands now. 10% gain in a week? Cool.