Limit your options and you’ll have a better chance of reaching your goals.Christopher Noble/Getty Images/iStockphoto
This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.
Like Cortez who burnt his ships, limit your options to be successful. Careers blogger Penelope Trunk says having a lot of alternatives makes you lazy, increases anxiety, and leads to decision avoidance. Ignore the fear of some formidable project or career leap; just go for it, without fallback possibilities. PenelopeTrunk.com
Don't just follow the trend
Beware the zeitgeister, who only cares what's trending now, warns entrepreneur Seth Godin. The zeitgeister interrupts long-term strategy discussions to talk urgently about today's micro-trend and has little knowledge of the industry's foundations, just an out-of-context understanding of today's state of the art, which is insufficient for future success. Seth's Blog
Prioritize that to-do list
Try a 1-3-5 to-do list – write down one big thing you need to accomplish, three medium-priority tasks, and five smaller "nice to haves." That provides a simple, prioritized list to attack. Lifehacker
When planning, look for 'swing factors'
When faced with a big-ticket investment decision – a complex, multibillion-dollar effort – start with "swing factors," items where uncertainty is the greatest, before developing a detailed business plan. Examples might be commodity prices or for a mining project the cost of a railway line through difficult, remote terrain. McKinsey & Company
How do you want to wake up?
Your work day often begins with a struggle with the alarm. Tech blogger Michelle Smith recommends Alarm Clock Xtreme for Android, which lets allows wide customization, including a gentle wake up, snooze with a math puzzle solver, and an alarm repeater with many options. Lifehack.org
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter
Harvey Schachter