A Good Time Management System is Important Because...

Without a good time management system you're throwing away your most precious resource...time. All other resources are actually quite plentiful if you think about it. But you can't rent, hire, buy, create, or otherwise obtain more time...

Money is actually very available when needed for a good reason. We learned a long time ago that it is the demand for capital, rather than supply, that sets the limit to growth and activity.

People can be hired, although you can't always hire really "good" people. Knowledge, the most important resource, is plentiful and available to those willing to search it out.

But you can never obtain more time. There are 24 hours in a day - and that's it. The supply of time is totally set in concrete. Regardless of demand, the supply will never change.

Yesterday's time is gone forever and will never come back. There is no substitute for time. Are you beginning to see the importance of developing a good time management system?

Everything requires time. It is the only truly universal condition. All work takes place in time and uses up time. Yet most people take for granted this unique, irreplaceable, and necessary resource.

Nothing else, perhaps, distinguishes effective people as much as their tender loving care of time. Every successful person has their own efficient time management system.

Why is developing a good time management system so hard?

Managing time probably wouldn't be too difficult except for one very unpredictable element - people.

Have you ever gone into a meeting thinking it would take ten minutes and come out an hour later?

Personal relationships and time management systems are not compatible. If you give the use of time such a high priority that it results in damaging personal relationships, it will only result in frustration, anger, and a host of other negative feelings.

So flexibility becomes very important. You can't think "efficiency" with people. You have to think "effectiveness" with people and "efficiency" with things.

I've tried to give ten minutes of "quality time" to a child or an employee to solve a problem, only to discover such "efficiency" creates new problems and seldom resolves the original concern.

I see many mothers with small children often frustrated in their desire to accomplish a lot because all they seem to do is meet the needs of little children all day.

Frustration is a function of our expectations, and our expectations are often affected by outside influences rather than our own values and priorities.

Examine your heart and mind to determine the values that drive you. You can put aside your time management system for the sake of those values without worrying about compromising your integrity.

You can adapt and be flexible. Don't feel guilty when you don't meet your schedule or when you have to change it.

The only consequence will be your having to adapt to the change. A time management system is merely a guideline to help you make the best use of your most precious resource - time. And only you can determine what the best use of your time is.

So the reality is that there's no such thing as time management, there is only self-management. Time management means self-management.

See your time in the context of what's really important. You can organize your life while also giving yourself the freedom to subordinate your schedule to higher values.

A good time management system will help you achieve your goals. It gives direction and purpose to the way you spend each day. And it helps balance your life.

But throughout all of this you must have a primary focus on your values, relationships and results, with a secondary focus on your time management system.

An interesting aspect of saving time is that each of us can do it equally well. The small business owner is in as good a position to save time as a rich and powerful competitor. A teenager can do it just as well as a more experienced adult.

Over a lifetime, it's incredible how much time you can save and the advantages you can achieve.

Take, for example, sitting in your car. Some easy-to-use time management tips for your car include:

-always phone ahead when you visit someone
-keep a self-improvement book in your car at all times to take with you and read while in waiting rooms
-park your car in a getaway position
-listen to CD's and audiobooks that teach you something
-use either a pad or a tape recorder to "write notes" to yourself while travelling

There are several other non-car time management tips. Here are just a few:

-always carry something useful to read
-try not to go to the bank (or run other errands) during Friday lunch hour (or other typically busy periods)
-take a speed-reading course
-use your answering machine to screen time-wasting calls
-listen to informative tapes or radio while you jog or exercise
-adjust your daily schedule at noon every day
-avoid people who waste time
-if you know someone is a time-waster, talk to them right before you know that they have to leave

Prioritize your activities, only handle things once, and use notes/checklists.

If there is one "secret" to the effective use of time, it is concentration. Effective people do first things first, and they DO ONE THING AT A TIME.

People who "do so many things" do them one at a time. As a result, they need much less time in the end than those of us who try to do five things at once.

Be sure to make the efficient use of time a part of your daily routine. But remember that your values should influence your priorities. You can always put aside your schedule for the sake of those values.

Paid PhDs: UGC, varsities toothless, helpless

To upgrade the standards of research being done in Indian universities, University Grants Commission (UGC) asked all the universities to follow the minimum standards and procedure for awarding MPhil and PhD degrees, but till date majority of the universities across the country has not adopted it, reports Chitleen K Sethi and Smriti Sharma Vasudeva of Tribune News Service.

One of the conditions laid down by the UGC in June 2009 for universities was that soft copies of all MPhil and PhD thesis submitted to the varsities would be send to the UGC to be hosted on the Information and Library Network (Inflibnet) Centre, Ahmedabad, designed as the repository of all research work.

"We are yet to receive thesis from any university following this notification. However, we have had some voluntary submissions by researchers," said Jagdish Arora, Director of Inflibnet, and chairman of UGC committee on research regulations.

Arora added that the committee had recommended universities across the country to use anti-plagirisation software. "This software has some limitations but it can at least point out works where large parts have been copied verbatim. We have further suggested that the software be used to check authenticity of the thesis before the degree is given and not after. At Inflibnet we can do only a postmortem of the thesis. It is for the university authorities to be alert," stated he.

The universities, at their end, seem to be fighting a losing battle against plagirised research. Vice-chancellor of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Satya P Gautam, said he had headed the research committee of the university to keep a check on the researchers. The Internet has further complicated the issue. "Universities in Europe and North America take a very serious view of plagiarism and fake thesis writing. They withdraw the degree. Indian universities should do the same," said he. Himachal Pradesh University V-C Sunil Kumar Gupta said project reports submitted by the students too were being copied. "For PhD we are putting our research on line through Inflibnet," added he.

Kurukshetra University Vice-chancellor DDS Sandhu said the university followed UGC norms in research. "Every researcher has to get two papers published in reputed Indian journals. This ensures that a part of his research comes in public domain and if there is something fishy, it gets noticed. Also, we are planning to put all PhD thesis on our website along with salient features of the research," said he.

Jaspal Singh, V-C, Panjabi University, Patiala, said, "Every PhD topic is first discussed by the research board and the candidate and guide is supposed to answer queries of the panel. Also, we have adopted UGC guidelines to ensure such things do not happen. We would be tying up with Inflibnet also."

Indian firms prefer CAs over MBAs as decision-makers

With a post-slowdown environment, Indian firms are paving the way for recruitment of more Chartered accountants (CAs), perceived to have core competence in financial matters. While MBAs are being hired for purely sales, marketing or international trade functions, CAs are increasingly being looked upon as decision-makers, reports Bhargav Trivedi from the Economic Times.

Apart from the stability factor, competence in financial matters, changing taxation regime and risk-aversion are playing in favour of CAs. "These days, we are recruiting more CAs and fewer MBAs. For higher positions like senior managers, we prefer a CA," says Abhishek Tiwari, Senior Manager (HR) at KPMG. The global consulting firm is looking at recruiting 100-150 CAs during the current year in India. Tiwari, however, adds, "We cannot say MBAs are losing their charm, but increasingly, they aren't preferred for a financial job."

Further, with Corporate India getting cautious with salaries, CAs are gaining a natural edge. "If a company is unable to afford an MBA from a top B-School, it would rather hire a top CA than look for a management graduate from lower-rung B-schools," says a global headhunter. A chartered accountant's average salary is at Rs. 6 lakh a month, while for MBAs, the figure is the minimum, says Nagesh Pinge, Chief Internal Auditor at Tata Motors, who sees a growing preference for CAs when companies need better financial control. Loyalty also tilts the balance in their favour. MBAs, due to peer pressure, appear to constantly pursue higher salaries. CAs, on the other hand, are seen as less aspirational and stick to the job longer.

Thus, CAs are currently being accepted as business leaders who could take up roles beyond auditing and financial management. "They are superior (to MBAs). CAs are already groomed for three years during articleship (training with auditors) and can start working from day one," a finance official at a top Indian company who requested for anonymity told the Economic Times.

Compared to a two-year MBA curriculum, CAs go through a rigorous three-year curriculum. Since they understand balance-sheets the best, CAs are being hired for work other than the traditional audit, he points out. Vardhan Dharker, CFO of KEC International, a Rs. 3,000-crore capital goods company, said, "I think CAs are as good as anybody else in taking decisions. There has been a change in the thinking over the past five years."

Brokerages, who bore the brunt of the 2008 stock-market collapse, too have stepped up CA hiring. As important intermediaries in financial transactions, CAs are seen as being more cost-effective. Angel Broking, a leading stock-broking house, has increased CA hiring from 5 percent to 15 percent. "Good MBAs are expensive compared to CAs. For tier-II cities, the average MBA salary ranges between Rs. 4 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh, while CAs are available in the Rs. 2.5-3 lakh range. Both do similar kind of work," says Dhruv Desai, Senior VP (HR) at Angel Broking.

The company recruits CAs for back-office work which is more financial in nature, while MBAs are hired for front-office jobs where they have to interact with customers and use their communication skills. "Though our recruitment is predominately MBAs as we are customer-centric, the ratio is tilting in favour of CAs." he says. MBAs constitute 75 percent of the company's total recruitments, but the share of CAs has doubled to 10 percent over the past two years, he says. The company employs more then 7,000 people. Changing accounting methods and introduction of new tax regime in the globalisation era have pushed up the demand for accountancy professionals.

"Due to complexities of accountings and prospective taxation regime like GST and IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), you need CAs as MBAs don't study these subjects," says Sanjiv Shah, who runs an accounting firm in Vadodara. He says CAs are now assuming advisory roles as well. Shah, who operates in the mergers and acquisition (M&A) space, adds, "If CAs have to take a decision about an M&A deal, their skills are useful during the due diligence process."

Please give your views regarding the above article... Do you agree or disagree with above mindset of Indian Firms.

Google Nexus One Smart Phone review

""The Nexus One is not a revolutionary device, but it is the first handset that will offer a meaningful challenge to Apple’s iPhone. ""

While Google’s software, called Android, has powered other phones, this is the first one where the search giant has specified the design – that focus means the pencil-thin Nexus One is built to feel like a genuine object of desire.

And the Nexus One offers features the iPhone lacks, too – the camera’s resolution is 5mp, compared to Apple’s 3mp, there are satnav capabilities built in that cost Apple users extra, and a fast processor means the Nexus One operates quicker than any phone currently on sale in the India. Web-browsing is impressive, although in the India is likely to lack the multitouch capabilities that have been available on previous versions of Android. Automatic online synchronization of camera photos is also impressive. It’s effective voice operation, for controlling the phone and writing emails, however, that is the most surprising feature. This is the first time I’ve seen a version of that technology that is genuinely useable.

In the burgeoning market for additional applications (Apps), however, Apple’s iTunes Store offers 115,000 compared to the 20,000 or so in Google’s Android Marketplace. That means that there are currently far more games, tools and clever tricks available to iPhone owners. As more phones start to adopt Google’s operating system, however, Android is likely to catch up fast. And while Android can run a number of Apps at once, the iPhone can’t.

Does the Nexus One feel quite as well put together as the iPhone? No, although it’s close enough to make no meaningful difference. What Android handsets can’t do, however, is plug in to your music collection as seamlessly as an iPod or an iMac. And that’s the biggest problem Google faces – an iPhone is a web-browsing, every song in your pocket, phone call making pleasure to own. It’s part of an entire ecosystem, with accessories, covers, speaker systems and even ties that are built to house iPods.

But the Nexus One does plug in effortlessly to the web, social media, email, calendar, search and contacts functions; perhaps the company that dominates web search should simply start making the computers as well.

The Unlocked Nexus One is priced at $529 (Rs.24860, dead cheap man) in india.

The Movie Review of The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) is buckling under the constant strain of financial pressure. No longer able to cope, she reluctantly decides to leave. Chris, now a single father, continues doggedly to pursue a better-paying job using every sales skill he knows. He lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, and although there is no salary, he accepts, hopeful he will end the program with a job and a promising future. Without a financial cushion, Chris and his son are soon evicted from their apartment and forced to sleep in shelters, bus stations, bathrooms, or wherever they can find refuge for the night. Despite his troubles, Chris continues to honor his commitment as a loving and caring father, using the affection and trust his son has placed in him as an impetus to overcome the obstacles he faces. Below is piece of conversation between Father and Son which I liked most in this movie. Infact these all lines so motivating that it force everyone to think once... Just enjoy the lines but request is there... Plz try to understand the wordings...
Christopher Gardner (Father): Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher (Son): All right.
Christopher Gardner (Father): You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it.

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe
Director: Gabriele Muccino

Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

This is an important information about the right amount of water one must drink everyday. Please read every word of it and make sure to forward the link to your friends as well.

1. 81% of Indians are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population)

2. In 42% of Indians, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in aUniversity of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzyshort term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a ! printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Short Summary of Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a satirical fable set on Manor Farm, a typical English farm. Orwell employs a third-person narrator, who reports events without commenting on them directly. The narrator describes things as the animals perceive them.

Old Major calls a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. He announces that he may die soon and relates to them the insights he has gathered in his life. Old Major tells the animals that human beings are the sole reason that “No animal in England is free” and that “The life of an animal is misery and slavery.” Therefore the animals must take charge of their destiny by overthrowing Man in a great Rebellion. He relates his dream of rebellion.

Old Major dies soon after the meeting and the other animals prepare for the Rebellion under Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer’s leadership. One night, Mr. Jones passes out drunk, creating the perfect opportunity for the animals to rebel. They are so hungry that they break into the store-shed. When Jones and his men try to whip them into submission, the animals run them off the farm. The animals burn all reminders of their former bondage but agree to preserve the farmhouse “as a museum.” Snowball changes the name of the farm to “Animal Farm” and comes up with Seven Commandments, which are to form the basis of Animalism. They are:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animals shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.

The pigs milk the cows, and then the animals go out to begin the harvest. When they return, the milk has disappeared mysteriously. The first harvest is a great success. The animals adhere to the tenets of Animalism happily, and with good result. Each animal works according to his ability and gets a fair share of food.

Every Sunday, Snowball and Napoleon lead a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. The pigs are the most intelligent animals, so they think up resolutions for the other animals to debate. Soon after, the pigs set up a study-center for themselves in the harness-room. Snowball embarks on various campaigns for social and economic improvement. Napoleon opposes whatever Snowball does. Because most of the animals lack the intelligence to memorize the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces them to the single maxim, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The sheep take to chanting this at meetings.

As time goes by, the pigs increase their control over the animals and award themselves increasing privileges. They quell the animals’ questions and protests by threatening Mr. Jones’s return. During this time, Napoleon also confiscates nine newborn puppies and secludes them in a loft in order to “educate” them.

By late summer, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s pigeon-messengers have spread news of the Rebellion across half of England. Animals on other farms have begun lashing out against their human masters and singing the revolutionary song “Beasts of England.” Jones and other farmers try to recapture Animal Farm but fail. The animals celebrate their victory in what they call “The Battle of the Cowshed.”

The animals agree to let the pigs make all the resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon continue to be at odds and eventually clash over the windmill. Snowball wants to build a windmill in order to shorten the work week and provide the farm electricity, but Napoleon opposes it. Napoleon summons nine fierce dogs (the puppies he trained) to run Snowball off the farm. Napoleon announces that Sunday meetings will cease and that the pigs will make all the decisions in the animals’ best interest. At this point, Boxer takes on his own personal maxims, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” In the spring, Napoleon announces plans to build the windmill, claiming that it was his idea all along—rewriting history.

Building the windmill forces the animals to work harder and on Sundays. Shortages begin to occur, so Napoleon opens up trade with the human world. Through Squealer, he lies that no resolutions against interaction with humans or the use of money had ever been passed. Napoleon enlists Whymper to be his intermediary, and the pigs move into the farmhouse. Squealer assures the animals that there is no resolution against this, but Clover and Muriel discovers that one of the resolutions has been changed to: “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” Squealer convinces her that there was never a resolution against beds at all.

One night, strong winds shake the farm and the animals awake to discover the windmill destroyed. Napoleon blames Snowball and sentences the expelled pig to death.

In the winter, as conditions become worse on Animal Farm, Napoleon deceives the human world into thinking Animal Farm is prospering. He signs a contract for a quota of four hundred eggs per week, inciting a hen rebellion that results in several deaths. Around the same time, Napoleon begins negotiating with Frederick and Pilkington to sell Animal Farm’s store of timber. He also spreads propaganda against Snowball, claiming that Snowball was always a spy and a collaborator while Napoleon was the true hero of the Battle of the Cowshed, and Squealer warns against Snowball’s secret agents.

Four days later, Napoleon holds an assembly in which he makes several animals confess to treachery and then has the dogs execute them. The dogs try to get Boxer to confess but leave him alone when they cannot overpower him. Afterwards, Clover and some other animals huddle together on a hill overlooking the farm. They reminisce about Animalism’s ideals and consider how much they differ from the violence and terror of Napoleon’s reign. They sing “Beasts of England,” but Squealer informs them that the song is useless now that the Rebellion is completed and that it is now forbidden. The new anthem begins with the lyrics: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, / Never through me shalt thou come to harm!”

Another commandment is changed to read: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” Clover and Muriel convince themselves that the commandment has always been this way. Squealer begins reading the animals statistics regularly to convince them that production is increasing. Napoleon seldom appears in public. The animals now call him “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon.” They attribute all misfortunes to Snowball and all success and luck to Napoleon.

Napoleon continues to negotiate with the farmers and eventually decides to sell the timber to Mr. Pilkington. At last, the windmill is finished and named “Napoleon Mill.” Soon after, Napoleon announces that he will sell the timber to Frederick, quickly changing his allegiance and disavowing his earlier vilification of Frederick. Napoleon says that Pilkington and Snowball have been collaborating. Frederick pays for the timber in fake cash, and the next morning, Frederick and his men invade the farm and blow up the windmill. The animals manage to chase the humans off, though many die or are injured in what they call “The Battle of the Windmill.”

After the battle, the pigs discover a case of whisky in the farmhouse. They drink to excess and soon, Squealer reports that Napoleon is dying and, as his last action, has made the consumption of alcohol punishable by death. But Napoleon recovers quickly and then sends Whymper to procure manuals on brewing alcohol. Squealer changes another commandment to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.”

Napoleon plans to build a schoolhouse for the thirty-one young pigs he has parented. Towards the end of the winter, Napoleon begins increasing propaganda to distract the animals from inequality and hardship. He creates special “Spontaneous Demonstrations” in which the animals march around and celebrate their triumphs.

In April, Napoleon declares the farm a Republic and is elected unanimously as President. The animals continue to work feverishly, most of all Boxer. One day, Boxer collapses while overexerting himself. Napoleon promises to send him to the veterinarian in Willingdon. A few days later, a horse-slaughterer takes Boxer away in his van. The animals are none the wiser until Benjamin reads the lettering on the side of the van. A few days later, Squealer reports that Boxer died in the hospital despite receiving the best possible care. He claims that Boxer’s last words glorified Animal Farm and Napoleon. He also claims that the van belongs to the veterinarian, who recently bought it from the horse slaughterer and had not yet managed to paint over the lettering. Napoleon promises to honor Boxer with a special banquet. But the pigs use the money from his slaughter to buy a case of whisky, which they drink on the day appointed for the banquet.

Years go by, and though Animal Farm’s population has increased, only a few animals that remember the Rebellion remain. Conditions are still harsh despite technological improvements. The pigs and dogs continue to do no manual labor, instead devoting themselves to organizational work. One day, Squealer takes the sheep out to a deserted pasture where, he says, he is teaching them a song. On the day the sheep return, the pigs walk around the yard on their hind legs as the sheep chant, “Four legs good, two legs better.” The other animals are horrified. Clover consults the barn wall again. This time Benjamin reads to her. The Seven Commandments have been replaced with a single maxim: “All animals are equal / But some animals are more equal than others.”

The pigs continue the longstanding pattern of awarding themselves more and more privileges. They buy a telephone and subscribe to magazines. They even wear Jones’s clothing. One night, Napoleon holds a conciliatory banquet for the farmers. Pilkington makes a speech in which he says he wants to emulate Animal Farm’s long work hours and low rations. Napoleon announces that the farm will be called “Manor Farm” again, the animals will call each other “Comrade” no longer, and they no longer will march ceremoniously past Old Major’s skull (a practice he denies understanding). He also declares that the farm’s flag will be plain green, devoid of the symbols of the Rebellion. As the animals peer through the windows to watch the humans and pigs play poker, they cannot distinguish between them.