How to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail

I often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. Sometimes, to be sure, it is because the recipient is inept. The sender’s request languishes in the recipient’s overflowing inbox.

But sometimes, the request itself is the problem. Here’s what you can do on your end to insure a faster response:

1. Put the person’s name in the TO field. The CC field won’t cut it. If you expect someone to respond, make sure you have addressed the e-mail to them. I get so many e-mails now that I have set up an e-mail rule to filter out messages on which I am only CC’d. I automatically assume that these are “for information only.” This automated rule moves messages to my “CC” folder and marks them as read, so they don’t continue to distract me. I only go through this folder once a week or so.

1. Limit your message to one subject. Good managers practice David Allen’s “two-minute rule” when it comes to processing e-mail. This rule says, “if you can do the action requested in the e-mail in two minutes or less, do it now. If not, put it on your task list for later.” The key then is to make it easy for the recipient to respond now. If you clutter up your e-mail message with several subjects, it makes it easier for the recipient to procrastinate. So it is preferable to send multiple e-mails, each with a discreet subject, than send one e-mail with multiple subjects.
2. Tell them what you need in the first sentence. Don’t make the recipient wade through a long e-mail to get to the request. Put it at the top of the message and then let them decide if they need more information. For example, the other day, I got an interview request. The sender went on and on about their magazine—the company’s history, the market demographics, the circulation, etc. I had no idea why this information was relevant to me and almost deleted it. Then, after two pages of information, they asked me for the interview. Don’t make this mistake. Get to the point.
3. Keep the message short. Again, remember the two-minute rule. If it takes longer than two minutes for the recipient to read your message, it will likely get set aside. In fact, they may never get back to it! So, keep it short. I like the advice some people are now giving: keep your message to five sentences or less. If it takes more than this, you should seriously consider another method of communication (e.g. a phone call, meeting, formal report, etc.)
4. Tell them if your request is urgent or time-sensitive. People need help prioritizing. Most people want to be helpful. If you tell them it is urgent, they will try to comply. But—and be warned—if you do this too often, they will start ignoring you. If a request is time-sensitive but not urgent (e.g., I don’t need it now, but I do need it by the end of the week), I state exactly when I need it. I then track the request in my task management system, so I can be sure to follow-up.

These suggestions won’t work with people who are truly incompetent. But if you follow these recommendations, at least you will know you have done everything you can on your end.

How to Listen to Each Other in the Family

Healthy relationships are maintained through proper communication. Ever lost track of a friend just because you don’t see or talk to each other anymore? While highly unlikely to happen with family members, since you’re all under one roof, lack of communication can put a strain. Some family members may feel neglected, underappreciated or even unloved. And one way to keep lines open is to listen.

Carry a civil tone. Always carrying a bossy and intimidating tone with your kids may establish your authority but chances are you’d get control through fear. So better carry a lighter tone.

Make your home a sanctuary. You may have had a tough day at work and you have that murderous plans for your boss. Don’t take it out on your kids or spouse. Your day maybe frustrating but remember that your home shouldn’t be a home for those frustrations. Try to change your pace as soon as you step on through your door.

Don’t make conversations a highlighted activity. Forget those recommended talk-time sessions you’ve seen on TV. You might just find it a little too awkward to handle. Instead, try to talk through small-talk. Converse while doing chores, out shopping, in the car – just about any opportunity you have together.

Listen. Plainly hearing things is not listening. Listening entails paying attention to every detail – the words, the tone, even the non-verbal cues. 60% of the message lies in the way the person looks at you, the position of their hands, the way the foot fidgets. And when you listen, listen sympathetically. It creates that “caring” feeling between you.

Five Ways to Detoxify

Stress, stress and more stress. The problem with our lives today is that we’re always under stress. And stress kills. Slowly. One way to save ourselves is to start getting rid of the things that compound our stress levels. However, since you can’t dispose of your job our your idiot boss, you can start by kicking some of those bad habits down the drain and start detoxifying yourself. Here are some ideas.

No booze and death sticks. If you smoke (even a little) and drink (a lot), it’s a great time to stop them. Every cigarette you puff is some time off your life clock. Quitting smoking is not an easy task but you can always get help. As for drinking, excessive drinking can damage your liver. So try laying off some bottles next weekend and give your liver a break.

Drink lots of water.  Water improves digestion. Water naturally flushes out toxins from your body. So if you want a good purge of those nasties inside you, water is probably one of the safest ways to go.

Pick up a sport. Unless you were a total dork as a kid, you probably had engaged in some sort of sporting activity. If it has been years since you shot some hoops, try picking up the sport again. Sweat those toxins and stress out. If you’ve been that dorky kid, it’s not too late to get a sport. Peel your but off that computer screen and try walking.

No computers for a day. This is a toughie for us geeks but it’s a great way to rest those tired eyes, hands and mouse clickers. Try this one during a weekend – no computers! No checking of mail, surfing, blogging, gaming, or take-home work. Avoid exposing yourself to radiation for once.

Take an outdoor trip. A change of scenery can effectively detox your mind. Be one with nature for once. Plan a hiking trip one of these days. Go to the beach. Soak up some sun. Enjoy the summer.

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14 Ways to Happiness

Clinical psychologists believe that happiness is a product of realization. One must allow himself to go through a process to feel happiness. They explain the following phases :ACCEPT THE PAINS.  You must get in touch with your situation. Sometimes people deny their hardship, thinking that if they don’t face them, they will be happier. But it’s the other way around. Allow yourself to go through the pains.

CHOOSE NOT TO STAY IN PAIN.  They say this is “self-empowerment”. You can either be bitter about the pains and feel very powerless. Or you can do something and feel powerful enough to handle them. It’s a choice to live with or without pain.

FORGIVE YOURSELF, OTHER PEOPLE.  But before forgiveness comes in, think about how other people hurt. Then realize that you can see yourself for what you actually are and not how they want you to be. So finding happiness is no longer rooted outside, but it’s inside you – what you see, how you view things, what you want. Then it leads to your choice : to live your life with yourself.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE.  We sometimes allow ourselves to let other people, circumstances, or pains in the past to rule our lives. So we become very unhappy and very bitter because we live blaming others on who we are, where we’re at, or how we should be. It’s an exhausting process because you’ll forever be blaming other people. Don’t be bothered by what others think who you are or the standards they set.  Take responsibility for your life.

LEARN TO LET GO AND TRUST YOURSELF.   To be happy means learning to let go of expectations from yourself or from other people. You can’t always have your way. At work, you can’t always be sure your strategies will work or your plans will happen. But before you let go,have a deeper trust in yourself.

LEARN TO RECEIVE BLESSINGS.   Think of the little things that make you happy or the people that give you assurance where you’re good at. This is called receiving. Most of us have reasons to be happy,only that we don’t see them or we take them for granted. We need to have little eyes and little hearts too, and realize that all things that make us happy have been there all along.

HAVE SOMEBODY TO TURN TO.   Even if you’re in turmoil, there are people who will support you. But often we stick with people who make us very unhappy. If you’re unhappy, seek people who will nurture you or look for a partner who will serve as a well-spring of inspiration.

BE HOPEFUL.   Hoping is better than being optimistic since it’s whole and real. Because sometimes, one’s optimism can be a denial of hardship .  It’s easy to be optimistic about things, but inside you,you’re anxious about them. Hoping is deeper. It’s something you look forward to even when you recognize the difficulties and pains. The more hopeful a person is, the more he recognizes how bad the situation is, and lets himself to bear it. In the end, he knows it will bear good results. You don’t deny difficulties. You’re touching ground instead.

KEEP THE FAITH ALIVE.   There’ll be points in your life when you can’t handle problems alone. Think about SOMEONE who’s more powerful,and who loves you dearly to take care of you. Having faith in ALLAH will give you hope.

SHARE YOURSELF.   You can actually give intangible gifts even without your conscious effort. People will tell you later that you’ve helped them, and gradually, you will feel you’re making a difference in their lives. That’s a deeper gift. When you help others, they affirm you by saying, “You’re good.” Then you realize that you’re a good person and your goodness is not merely based on meeting deadlines or getting a raise. It’s more of proving your self-worth based on being loved for who you really are and not simply for the result you can deliver or the money you can contribute to the company. This strengthens your positive attitude towards difficulties in life.

BE GRATEFUL.   You have to develop in yourself the sense of gratitude. You should be thankful for what you have. But youshould recognize that there are things you can do to improve your life.

IT’S ALL IN THE MIND.   We are unhappy because we think we  are. Unhappy  people are attached to their unhappiness. They refuse to change. When one thinks negatively, then he attracts negative thoughts. If you think that a tragedy will fall on you, somehow you fulfill it. Unconsciously, you make it happen.

MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING.   People accumulate more and more money but the amount of happiness they can “buy” gets smaller and smaller. Although more money may bring greater feeling of empowerment, studies show that personal relationships, spirituality and feelings about oneself most directly influence well-being.

DISCOVER THE BEST FRIEND IN YOU.   We can all change for the better. You can be happy even with yourself by discovering the best friend in you. Get real. Don’t be hard on yourself with those high, unattainable goals. It’s time you don’t look for happiness outside you.

Introduce Sudan ZiJing Hotel

The “Sudan Zijing Hotel” will be one of luxurious hotel in Sudan, and this hotel will located on No 152 Block No 45 located at Arkweet-Obied Katim Street, a very good traffic place with convenient surrounding.

  

The 6-floor high hotel will have two entrance with one extra safe stairway which can be use at any floor. One luxurious 10- person lift in the hotel inner will be use for the guest. Security camera can monitor all necessary place.

  

Sudan Zijing hotel will be an all-around function 3-star hotel. This hotel will have the following function room on:

 

First floor function layout: (1) 24 hours no-stop working Reception hall in the hotel; (2) rest area has seats for more than ten people’s rest; (3)souvenir shop; (4)The travel agency business specialty area; (5)Dining kit kitchen; (6)The business center; (7)hotel restaurant for 80-100 people; (8) Men/lady’s room ; (9) control room; (10) shop  (11) café/tea bar.

  

The second floor function layout:(1)Activity workout area, inside establish function to have: A ping-pong and the workout device room, one inside and small scaled board room with TV show, a hairdressing hair care room, three standard occasionally chess card room; (2) 3 Luxury vip Banquet room (for 15-18 people), 3 Normal vip Banquet room (for 10-12 people) and one small vip Banquet room (6-8 people); (3) manager’s office; (4) Men/lady’s room.

  

The third floor function layout:(guest room area can live 15 people)Should layer 16 total room, among them: one President Room (have 2 rooms, inside have 2 bath room), 2 standard quest room(double room);12single room ;

 

The forth floor function layout:(guest room area can live 36 people) 12 standard quest rooms,4 Royal room with double-bed and child-bed each.

  

The Fifth floor function layout:(guest room area can live 36 people) 12 standard, 4 Royal room with double-bed and child-bed each.

  

The Sixth function layout:(1)The branch transact area and employee dormitory area;(2)The hotel  laundry;(3)Material database building in the hotel.

  

All guest room has more than 18 meter2 area (without bathroom area)and separate bath room with 24 hour hot water., and also guest room have satellite TV channel, Intent, telephone and refrigerator etc.

  

All VIP-Banquet room with bath-room and Karaoke, TV, telephone…………

 

Sudan Zijing hotel will try his best to be an famous 3-star hotel not only his hardware but also his management in Sudan.

Jabalayn Base Camp

We went to Jabalayn base camp by landcruse in morning six and half.

You can see all photos in my google picasa.

The Three Ways to Happiness

            I have read many books offering ways to happiness. These can be categorized in three main ways.

Happiness By Description: The first of the ways to happiness

The first way is what I call the Mystic or Poetic group. These are personal accounts of people who have reached a state of blissful happiness. They then try to explain what they have experienced… and how they have reached that stage.

This leads to a poetic or mystical description that seems to its readers to be impossible or unrealistic to reach.
The problem is that the gap between the reader and the author is so great that they cannot relate to one another’s experience.
 

The Author tries to describe how he or she reached this state. Their way to happiness. However what worked for the Author, is not what will necessarily work for the Reader.

Happiness By Prescription:

The second of the ways to happiness

The second of the ways to happiness is what I call the theory or formula route.

In this way someone or some group has a theory or formula that they believe leads to happiness for each of us.

Every religion or philosophy is based on a theory or formula, of the best or only way to happiness. It may be happiness in another life or world… but none the less it is happiness.

All of these believe that there are certain rules or behaviors that must be observed and kept before you can be happy.

The major flaw with this, is that the theory or formula can be believed so deeply, that believers try to thrust their own beliefs onto others.  The most destructive acts in our history have come about because of this theory or formula approach. Nazi Germany’s attempt to impose an Aryan race was their formula for happiness.

Many tribes, such as Native Americans and Aboriginals, have found their way of life taken away from them. All in the name of technological progress or civilization. Which is the invader’s name for their formula to happiness.

Happiness by Observation:

The third of the ways to happiness

The third of the ways to happiness is to study happy people and look for what is different from unhappy people. Then they say this is what makes people happy.

This tends to be a lot by academics and other observers or researchers.
The problem with this is that the personality traits and behaviors displayed by happy people, may be the result of happiness… not what has caused it. The fact of being happy may lead to that personality trait or behavior.

We can also see this approach used in business. When a business, or an individual, is successful, they are analyzed and observed for clues to their success. Then hundreds of writers spew out articles, reports and books advocating some new fad.

However what works for one business, worked because it fitted in with;
- their strategy,
- their employees,
- their marketplace
and all the other elements.

Along come thousands of other businesses in entirely different situations copying someone else’s tactics and then getting frustrated when they do not get the same results.

There are no ways to happiness… And yet every route can be a path to happiness. Happiness is a choice in every instant.

If you follow any of anyone else’s ways to happiness, you will always be settling for less happiness than you could experience.
Happiness is a unique experience that must be reached in a unique way. This doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from the experience of others. However when a choice has to be made between your path, your choice and that of another, always choose your way.

You can see more ways in:http://www.coachingtohappiness.com/ways-to-happiness.html

15 Things You Can Do Right Now To Help Your Career

Most career advice you receive focuses on the big picture: how to get ahead, how to “win,” and such things that are on a much larger scale than the daily grind that most of us face. In fact, it is that day to day grind that pulls down many of us – we go to work, come home exhausted, and often feel as though we’re just spinning our wheels.

If you want to get ahead in your career and in your life, you need to start small and look at the immediate things you can do to help out your situation. If you’re sitting out there at your desk, tiredly wondering if there’s something better that you can be doing with your life, start with these fifteen tips that you can start executing immediately that will lead you down a path towards a better career.

Make a list of all of the things you did today/this week/this month to help your organization, and file them away.
Whenever you have a few spare moments, make a list of all of the things you are actually doing at work. Date them and provide specific examples. When you’ve made this list, drop it in a folder and let it sit there until your next performance review – or the next time you ask for a raise or a promotion. I do this regularly, which has allowed me to build up extensive positive documentation about my career.

Send a thank-you note
If you’ve recently been assisted in your career or personal development by someone, spend a few moments and send that person a handwritten thank you note. The respect, kindness, and personal touch of a handwritten thank you creates an indelible positive mark in your favor in the recipient’s mind, which can do nothing but help you out in the long run.

Work on your writing skills
For me, The Simple Dollar is actually an active part of improving my own writing. Starting a blog related to a work-related topic that interests you is a good way to practice your skills. Don’t be lazy with it, though; focus on writing strong material that will engage others, because without it, you’re not really improving your skills at all, merely regurgitating facts.

Design some classy business cards for you
I have a small pile of business cards that are just for me (actually, they’re for The Simple Dollar), not for any firm I represent or work for or anything else. I drop these regularly, as envelope enclosures and in face-to-face opportunities. These cards are a reflection of me and what I wish to represent to people, and by getting quality ones, I create a positive impression on the recipients. Don’t go for the office store perforated ones, either; get them professionally done and in a high quality.

Send a quick contact email
Got any professional contacts that you haven’t touched base with recently? Send them an email letting them know what you’re up to – and ask them what they’re up to. By this, I don’t mean clients – I mean professional acquaintances in the same field as you (contacting clients should be a regular part of your workflow). A quick email to the people you met at conferences last year can be a very good thing, as you never know if they might have a great opportunity available that could really help you out.

Suggest a solution to a persistent workplace problem
This is especially true for smaller things, not necessarily big enterprise-wide issues. Are people always complaining about the printers? Spec out an additional printer and ship a proposal for a new printer by your boss. Workplace tensions between two people? Figure out how to most discreetly move them far apart from each other, write it up, and ship it off. The key is to make the solution as complete as possible, so that the boss can tell you saw a problem, looked into how to solve it, and came up with a solution on your own.

Pick up the phone and make a call
Keep in touch with what’s going on in the organization as a whole so you can be more informed when meetings occur. Pick up the phone and give someone else a call to see what you can learn, or take a stroll through different parts of the workplace to find out what others are up to. Don’t make a nuisance of yourself, but be aware of what is going on, how it can affect you, and how you might be able to leverage that to get ahead.

Work on your language skills
Are you a non-native speaker of the language in your workplace? Spend your spare time working on the finer points. I find that listening to audiobooks and podcasts is an incredible way to pick up on the nuances of a language given that you already know the basics. If you don’t know the basics, seek out some audio courses on that language and get started. For myself, I’ve found that a great way to pick up a foreign language is to read a translation of a work I’m already very familiar with, such as Harry Potter.

Make yourself more presentable
It always helps to have a clean, fresh impression. I keep a few hygiene products in my traveling bag at all times: underarm deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, some mouthwash, some facial cleanser, a comb, and some cologne. I make sure to clean myself up at least once a day, and often twice a day, when I have a few free moments. That way, I look freshly scrubbed at the 3:30 PM meeting – and having just washed my face vigorously, I feel more awake.

Polish your resume
There’s never a bad time to give your resume a bit of a touch up. Make sure it has plenty of action words and documents specific results that you’ve produced. In fact, your personal work documentation is a great way to look for ideas to spiff up your resume.

Read something on topics you plan to be facing in the future in your career
Don’t waste your time reading PerezHilton (unless you work for People magazine or something); instead, find resources that are related to your job and focus on those. If you spend your spare time at work browsing the web, at least spend that time browsing items that can potentially further your career.

Prepare some comments in advance for your next meeting
Got a meeting later? Instead of dreading it, look at it as an opportunity to shine. Look at what the meeting agenda is and prepare some notes and thoughts that you can present during them. If you’re going to sit through someone’s presentation, find out what it’s going to be about and do some preparatory legwork in advance so you can ask a few astute questions.

Work on your public speaking skills
This seems like it would be difficult to do right now, but it’s not. Merely listen to the work of great public speakers on the internet, burn yourself a CD or two of speeches that really inspire you, then play them in your car on the way home and practice speaking along with them. You’ll learn a great deal about how to enunciate words to get your points across and influence others.

Clean your work area
Not only will this create a better impression of you in the eyes of others, you may also come across important materials that you thought were missing or lost. It’s also good to start (or enhance) a document filing system when you do this, so you can quickly find materials.

Figure out where you want to be in five years – and create a plan for getting there
Spend some time visualizing where you want to be, then think about what it’s going to take to get there. From there, keep breaking down each piece in the process until the pieces are things you can do quickly – and start doing them. Every mountain climb is just a series of steps, after all.

How to Improve Your Diet through Water Therapy

You never count how many glasses of water you drink everyday even though you’ve always known it should be 6-8. You might think, with all the soda you gulp in a day, that you have all the liquid you need. But choosing water instead of a soda cuts your calories and improves your body nourishment. This a follow-up on a previous post on water therapy. Follow these ways on how you can get back into the water habit.

Take it with you. People who are always on the run end up parched and exhausted. If you identify with this type of lifestyle, being one who’s always on the move, the best thing for you to do is to have a water bottle in your bag. You never know when you need to rehydrate. Whether it’s on a bus or on the elevator, ready water is a lifesaver.

What’s your flavor? Nowadays you can enjoy water in several varieties. If you don’t like the kind you can buy at the grocery store, you can opt for a more natural flavored water by adding a squirt of lemon juice or one-quarter cup of 100 percent fruit juice, with flavor depending on your taste buds.

Conscious effort. Going for a glass of water instead of a soda is so hard to do especially when you dine out where you get a free soda to go with your ordered meal. To lessen the need for soda, ask for a glass of water so you can drink half and half.

Water on your bedside. Not all people do this, but maybe they should. Bringing with you a glass of water when you’re off to bed is another way to ensure you get enough before the day ends. Sometimes in the middle of the night you wake up coughing and with a dry throat. The glass of water on your bedside will save you from getting up in the middle of your sleep.