Calm Achiever - Blog
Actionable Advice to Help You Get Things Done®
So how is 2022, going for you?
Eyes shut. Eyes open. It’s 1 Jan 2022. Happy New Year! Eyes shut. Eyes open: It’s 24th Jan 2022. Three weeks over already! Yes, we’re really in it now. Whether you like it or not. Time is hurtling away. And you’ve learnt long...
Interview with Shahine Ardeshir
Below are short clips from my interview with GTD Practitioner Shahine Ardeshir. She's the Associate Relations Lead for India, the Middle East and South Africa at Mars. Watch the videos to hear insights on her journey with GTD.
7 Insights From Holacracy
Being the boss is tough, isn’t it? The buck stops with you. Because you’re the leader, you can’t even complain. Not only do you have your problems to solve, but you have everyone else’s problems to solve too. I know the feeling. I’m in the management team of a few...
Break Free From Office Politics
“Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.” ― Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable Has this happened to you before? Your team member comes...
Future of Leadership
Ethan Weil on Unsplash “In the 21st century, power is easier to get, harder to use — and easierto lose.” ~ Moises Naim In decades past, people believed in the magic of leadership. A leader was considered to be an exalted individual born skills and...
How to Build an Antifragile Organization
Hey CEO! Why so sad? Oh, you mean this guy is giving you a headache: He goes by different names. Stress, change, shock, disruption. But to keep it simple, let’s call it “Tension”. It’s what we feel when there’s something we want and don’t have. Well, tensions can be a...
How to Thrive in a Changing World
Here are some astonishing figures: According to Bloomberg, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months.Only 50% of businesses with employees survive their fifth year in business.Of the companies on the Fortune 500 list in 1955, only...
A New Mental Model Overcome Information Overload
Surfing the internet feels like drinking from a fire hose of information. I find myself overwhelmed with the YouTube Videos, Amazon Book recommendations, Online Courses, Blog posts etc that are vying for my attention. And if I don’t consume them all, I fear I’ll miss...
Top 10 GTD® Mistakes
I'm a GTD master trainer. And I've been practicing GTD since 2008. I've coached Entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists, CEOs, CFOs, Lawyers, Movie directors & Priests. Here are the top mistakes I keep seeing. Plug a hole in a few & you'll see your productivity...
How I use Holacracy to get Benefits of GTD® in a Team
In 2016, I found myself managing three organizations. My family real estate business, a fledgling school, and a startup. Around that time I also became a dad. I woke up everyday pulled in different directions, not knowing where to focus. I couldn't sustain working...
What is Holacracy?
I've been practicing Holacracy since 2016, and over the years I've had many insights about Holacracy really is about, and what it is not. I've been making a note of them, and here complied 17 insights. Some of them I've expressed them visually. Many thanks to Brian...
GTD® For Beginners (8 Part Series)
When are you at your best? Is it when you're overwhelmed, stressed out and have too much on your mind? Or when your mind is relaxed, and you have the freedom to focus on the most meaningful things? The answer is obvious, but when you look for help on productivity,...
How I Design My Year (2021)
Around 12 years ago, I picked up the book "Your Best Year Yet." Using the book I intentionally planned for the coming year, in a way that I had never done before. Then something amazing happened. Not only did the process helped me create meaningful goals, but with the...
Holacracy Vs Management Hierarchy
How do most organizations structure themselves? They follow a system called the Management Hierarchy.The Management Hierarchy is not an ineffective system. In fact, it's a great system that allows for a clear chain of command, clarity on whom to go for decisions,...
Use a Role-Based Structure to Enable Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose
Becoming an entrepreneur is a role many aspire to. It carries an aura of freedom, control & power.Perhaps you've taken the path of entrepreneurship because you wanted freedom from the corporate life or because you have an amazing idea you want to bring into...
GTD is Not About Time-Management
In the hundreds of GTD workshops we've conducted, the one resounding concern people want to address is time management. I call it the ‘I don't have enough time’ syndrome. From CEO’s to interns, its symptoms have spared none. We complain about not having enough time,...
GTD is Not About Doing Everything On Your List
Productivity gurus will always tell you that ticking off all the items on your checklist is the ultimate win. So you walk out of the arena proudly like the heavyweight champion of the WWE who took on all the tasks. I’ll admit, in theory that’s an encouraging...
Book Summary: Brave New Work – Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?
Do you ever find yourself living in the matrix? You're doing the same thing everyday, but not questioning why? It's the same in our organizations. There are a set of assumptions under which we operate at work without questioning why we need them. Ever stopped to...