COMPILED
BY NABIN SHRESTHA
WATERCOMM

Technology has allowed much to be achieved in less time. When they are constantly busy with something else, this leaves people with no time for their family and friends. The author claims that the root of this issue is technology because it makes us feel that we need to be linked continuously via our smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.

Many people are grappling with decision-making, when they face too many critical options to make every day. They can attempt to personally tackle each question, but when there are so many options and distractions, it may become daunting. To handle the onslaught of choices in their lives, people need a better plan.

The paradox of competitiveness centers around three crucial problems:
1. We are making more decisions than ever. The challenge of competitiveness is that the pace of incoming problems requiring a decision is almost daunting. And what most people do is attempt to deal with this flow in a linear manner, and they are dedicated, hard-working  people. They make decisions as needed, manage them as easily and one at a time as they can, and then move on to the next one.

2. Our attention is under unprecedented attack.While we are trying to make these decisions, our attention is under unprecedented attack. All the beeps, buzzes, and banners that invade our mental space come at a cost to our ability to focus on the things that really matter.
3. We are suffering from a personal energy crisis.With today's technology-enabled, unstoppable flood of all that comes to us, we can always feel so wiped out and drained that we are faced with our own personal energy crisis.

Five options will assist you to help control your time. They even build on the new brain thinking.

1. Act on the Important, Don't React to the Urgent
Discern the relevant items from those that are unimportant and sort them, so you can concentrate on what matters most. In the middle of fierce distractions, raise your ROM (return on moment).

Pause, clarify, and decide (PCD) what you are going to do with any chance that comes to you, such as important or unimportant emails.

Discern the relevant items from those that are unimportant and sort them, so you can concentrate on what matters most. In the middle of fierce distractions, raise your ROM (return on moment).

2. Go for Extraordinary, Don't Settle for Ordinary
Direct your decision-making in the new, most significant positions across a context of what performance looks like. Competing goals often prohibit you from producing excellent outcomes. In order to accomplish high priority targets, redefine your existing positions in terms of exceptional outcomes.
•     Identify and write down the few big positions in your life today.
•    Consider how you do today in your positions and then develop a brief message about each job that reflects your view of accomplishment and the results and critical tasks that you will undertake in your few most significant roles.

3. Schedule the Big Rocks, Don't Sort Gravel
Plan weekly and regular so that you deliver on the most critical stuff with excellence.
Make the pledge of 30/10: Set aside 30 minutes before the week begins for weekly preparation and 10 minutes before the day starts for everyday planning, so that you spend your precious time on what matters most.

Establish a predictable preparation and implementation cadence that achieves exceptional results.

4. Rule Your Technology, Don't let it Rule You
Make technology work not against you but for you. Turn the technology into an engine for efficiency. Like never before, an electronic explosion of e-mail, messages, and social media warnings is severely disrupting competitiveness. To improve productivity, leverage the technologies and ward off distractions by leveraging tools such as Microsoft, Outlook, Google, and IBM Notes.
•     Reduce and eliminate technology addiction by using the PCD process.
•     Detox the inbox; choices on each message you get must be made. To automate several of the regular emails that eat up your precious brain capacity, use filters and rules.

5. Fuel Your Fire, Don't Burn Out
Increase energy such that at the end of your day you can think clearly, make sound choices, and feel more accomplished. You can be burnt out by the stressful, high-pressure work atmosphere today. You will benefit from the latest in brain research to continuously recharge your mental and physical resources by applying five energy drivers. To maximise your mental and physical capacity, begin with one driver—moving.

When regularly made, these five decisions will make people at the end of the day individually and professionally feel more achieved.