Doodle Card

 

Ask better questions.
良い質問をしよう。

 

Self-help gurus often say, “The quality of your life is the quality of your questions.” This is true to some degree, especially for entrepreneurs and self-employed business owners.

But—asking questions about your own agenda to someone else is almost always a bad idea, unless the opponent is a consultant, accountant, lawyer, or anyone who gets paid for taking care of your own agenda. That’s simply because no one else really cares about your agenda. Everyone is busy caring about their own agenda.

If you ask questions to someone else, ask questions to set a common agenda, and talk about it. This way both sides can benefit from the question and subsequent discussion.

Better questions will give you better answers AND also give the opponent better ideas. If not, you’re asking a wrong question, no matter how it sounds great.

 

 

Unfocus to focus.
集中するためにぼんやりしよう。

 

It’s impossible for us to stay focused for hours without breaks. If we try to do so, our productivity will plummet. That’s a scientifically proven fact, but many businesses—especially in Japan—force their employees to work longer hours. Self-employed business owners can’t be stupid like that.

So what should we do to maintain our focus and productivity? Take more breaks. It’s contrary to common belief, but it works. I’ve been using the Pomodoro Technique (developed by Francesco Cirillo) for years, and take a 10-minute break after focusing on a task for 30 minutes. You may think I’m taking too many breaks, and I actually do—but that allows me to maintain my focus even after I work for 12 hours.

The point is, you have to focus on refreshing while taking a short break. Don’t even think about the task you’ve just done; otherwise you won’t be able to benefit from the break. And you have to get back to work after the short break. Use a timer so that you can stay on track.

More importantly, focus on creating and delivering your work. After all, it’s a productivity management, not a time management.

 

 

Pace yourself.
自分のペースを保とう。

 

Life is not a marathon.

When we run a marathon, we run the same course that someone determined in advance, and compete with each other in time. There is only one goal for all runners, and when we reach the goal, the race is over.

Our life is completely different. There is no pre-determined course that someone created for us. None of us runs exactly the same course as someone else does. We sometimes compete with each other during our life, but soon we come to realize that the competition doesn’t mean anything because each of us has a different path. We have multiple goals in our life, but when we reach the goals, we only come to realize that these are just milestones. Our life continues until we die.

Our life and a marathon have only one thing in common; we keep moving towards the end. As far as we keep moving, we might as well have fun with it.

 

 

Give 120% every time.
いつも１２０％を出そう。

 

Give 120% on everything; it’s a bit tricky concept. No matter what it is—focus, creativity, passion and so on—it’s impossible to give more than 100% because 100% is the maximum. So where does the additional 20% come from?

It’s a combination of two or more elements. For example, when you have to focus, add a bit of creativity to your effort. Move to a different place and turn off your phone so that other people can’t interrupt you. Or shut off all notifications, close all messaging apps, or turn off a Wi-Fi connection if you work on your computer. A distraction-free environment can often multiply your productivity.

For another example, when someone tells you to do a certain thing, don’t just blindly follow an instruction; have a strong sense of purpose about the task. If you are not sure about it, ask the person who told you to do the thing. If the person doesn’t even know why (or tells you not to even ask why), create your own purpose. It makes the task more meaningful to you, allows you to be fully engaged in it, and helps you grow faster.

Be resourceful to make the most of your talent, skills, and effort. A small thing can make a big difference in your output.

 

 

Be your own master.
自分自身を操る人になろう。

 

All things are temporary. Over time, you change. Your environment changes. Other people change.

While we can’t control what other people do or how they change, we always have control over how we change and how we perceive our environment.

Our life on this planet is also temporary, but we have to remember that we are the master of a vast part of it.