Give Yourself A Raise With The Single Most Valuable Asset! Here Is How To Acquire It Without Spending A Cent!

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How to Have the Best Year or Your Life (without Setting a Single Goal)

This new year, do something different: stop setting goals.

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then making resolutions for another year is a sure-fire way to drive yourself crazy. I did it for years, and it got me nothing.

Resolutions are pipe dreams, and goals are a waste of time. They are designed to trick you into believing all you need to change your life is a plan.

But plans don’t work. Life is too chaotic and busy. For most of us, it’s impossible to stick to a list of goals for more than a few weeks, not to mention an entire year.

So how do you change your life? By controlling what you can: your daily habits.

Most good things happen without a plan: friendships, falling in love, finding a job, and so on. If you want to make your new year count, you’ll need to be intentional — not by setting goals, but by making space in your life for what really matters.

This was how I was able to get into shape, launch a blog, train for a half-marathon, get a book deal, and keep my day job this year — while loving every minute of it.

Most productivity systems focus on beginning with the “end in mind” and setting goals to get there. Many are based on the assumption that in order to get what you want later, you’re have to give up what you want now. You work the plan, endure pain, and win.

But this is not the only path you can take.

I just finished one of the best years of my life, and most of it was completely unplanned. How did I do it? By creating new disciplines I actually liked doing. I wasn’t only fixated on the end results; I also enjoyed the process.

This is the secret to a healthy, productive life and to making an impact on the world. Create good, sustainable habits that you enjoy, and you’ll end up with a life you can be proud of.

There is an alternative to setting goals that will bring you closer to the life you want. Focus on a few practices you can enjoy doing on a regular basis. The trick here is consistency. These four helped me:

Get up early. When the world wakes up, distractions abound. If you are going to focus on creating a new life for yourself, you’ll need to find the time. The best way to do this is to work while others are sleeping. At first, I didn’t like waking up before the sun, but eventually my body adjusted and I began looking forward to the solitude.Over-commit. The adage “under-promise and over-deliver” is a farce. It only propagates the status quo. Real difference-makers push boundaries. They test, prod, and poke until something gives. You can do this, too, by saying “yes” to more things than you’re comfortable with. Learn to stretch yourself. You might be surprised by what you’re actually capable of. Your confidence will grow, too.Talk to strangers. Relationships are what make the world go round. This is true for your career, personal well-being, and inner life. When you meet new people, you make connections that can lead to all kinds of future breakthroughs. Even when it’s uncomfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to new people. The worst they can say is “no.” Fortunately, many won’t.Practice generosity. Give away your time, money, services, and ideas. When you do this, you will get a lot more than you give. People will learn to trust you, and if you really help them, they will tell others about you. This will build your reputation, and you will have more friends than you know what to do with. And as the saying goes, what goes around really does come around.

After a year of doing these things, I ended up with a life I couldn’t have imagined or planned for. And I had a blast doing it. So I’m going to do it all over again, without setting a single goal.

The best year of your life is within reach — if you are willing to give up on the craziness of plans and instead focus on creating new habits. The first step is to begin.

Read more from Jeff at his blog, Goins, Writer, or get his free eBook The Writer’s Manifesto.

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From Leo: Just a reminder that I’m holding a free live webinar tonight (Thursday Jan. 5, 2012) at 8 pm EST to help you with the Clutterfat Challenge. I’ll talk about some of the best ways to tackle the challenge — how to tackle your mountains of stuff, how to deal with some of the tougher items, and so on. You’ll also be able to ask me questions live.

Join me for the webinar here: Clutterfat Challenge Webinar (free, and we won’t ask for your email).

Note: The webinar won’t be on this page until 8 pm EST (Thursday Jan. 5, 2012).

You can still sign up for the Clutterfat Challenge — a 30-day challenge to reduce your clutter.

There’s also still time to sign up for the paid Clutterfree Course, which starts on January 10th, to keep you motivated and excited about your journey. Through course materials, homework, live webinars and personal feedback, you’ll have all the tools you need to clear the clutter for good. Register by Saturday, January 7th.

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How to Steep a Perfect Cup of Tea Every Single Time

I love tea. It’s one of my favorite drinks. And I’m not alone in this affection. There’re millions of us all around the world. Furthermore, you are more than welcome to join the tribe. And here’s what you need to do to steep a perfect cup of tea every single time.

Some of the most popular ones are: black tea, green tea, Oolong, white tea, red tea, yellow tea, Rooibos (which isn’t really a tea), Honeybush, Yerba Mate (which isn’t really a tea either).

Each of these types should be handled differently. And by differently I mean: different temperatures of water, different steeping times, and different amounts of the tea itself.

But first, let me give you some…

Steeping tea is actually very simple. All you need to do is pour some water over some tea leaves. But there are still some main rules to follow:

Always use cold, fresh water for boiling. Don’t re-boil old water.Pour the water over the tea directly into the cup. Not the other way around – don’t throw the tea to a cup already filled with hot water.If you’re using tea in teabags, don’t squeeze the teabags after the steeping is done.Always cover the cup with something (e.g. a small plate) for the entire time of steeping.When steeping is done remove the leaves immediately.Don’t let the tea to cool down, drink it while it’s warm.

First, let me address the pink elephant in the room. What about the standard tea that comes in teabags from your local supermarket? There’s no rocket science in this case. That tea should be prepared in the exact way that has been described on the package. So you might as well stop reading here. BUT remember, the general rules still apply.

Now, let’s quickly go through the most popular types of tea and their perfect steeping conditions.

Black tea: 0.5 teaspoon per cup; water temperature 96°C (205°F); steep for 3 minutes.Green tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 65-80°C (150-175°F); 3-4 minutes.Oolong: 0.5 tsp/cup; temp. 90°C (195°F); 3-6 minutes.White tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 80-85°C (175-185°F); 7-9 minutes.Red tea (Pu-erh): 0.5 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 3-7 minutes.Yellow tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 90°C (195°F); 3 minutes.Rooibos: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 3-5 minutes.Honeybush: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 5-8 minutes.

How do you know what kind of tea you have? Once you have some experience you can tell by the way tea smells and looks like, but the easiest way for a newbie is to ask the salesman to write this down on the package.

One more thing, as you’ve noticed not all numbers are precise in the table above. That’s because some types of tea can be steeped for various amounts of time using different temperatures of water. It’s up to you to find the perfect combination for the specific tea you want to enjoy.

There’s a number of different ingredients you can add to a cup of tea to make it taste even better (well, maybe not better, but differently).

Sugar – some people like to add sugar to every type of tea. Personally, I don’t like to do it because it changes the taste of the tea in a much wider scope than just making it sweeter.Milk – goes best with classic black teas. Teas like: Assam, Ceylon or traditional English Breakfast.Lemon – best with Chinese teas. But add only a little if you don’t want to ruin it (it’s somewhat similar to adding salt to a dish – if you add just a little it improves the taste, if you add too much the dish becomes uneatable).

In a nutshell, the essence of this post can be found in points #2 and #3. It’s all you need to remember in order to steep a perfect cup of tea. Enjoy! … It’s almost 5PM where I’m sitting so it’s time to prepare my afternoon drink.

Now it’s your turn to share. Do you have any interesting tea-related advice? Don’t hesitate to speak up.

Karol K. is founder of NewInternetOrder.com. Contrary to what you might think, he hates doing business, and that's precisely why he blogs about productivity, online business design, and shares his journey through Web2.0 life. A young entrepreneur from Poland and a grad student at the Silesian University of Technology. Loves to train Capoeira in the evenings, and likes to be stalked on Twitter (@carlosinho). Tune in to get his advice on starting an online business.

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How to Deal with Criticism in One Single Step

Let’s say you’re a web designer, or a writer (just for the purpose of this post, so please bear with me). And you’ve just created a new website (or an article). You love it. That thing is awesome. Everything your client could ever ask for. The design – slick. The goals – achieved. The budget – not exceeded. It fits your client’s requirements hand-in-glove.

Then you start thinking: “Wow, I’m so proud of myself right now. I need to show this thing to my best friend, even though he’s not a designer,” so you do.

And what does that traitorous little weasel say? “It’s cool, but I don’t know… This header seems a little too minimalistic. Plus the font is not friendly enough, and I really believe it would have been so much better with a bigger logo.” Just the pat on the back you’ve been looking for…

Don’t care. You’re not going to please everybody.

I know what you’re thinking, and please don’t scream at the screen. You’re thinking that while not all criticism is constructive you always have to try to extract some valid points out of it.

Well, you don’t. Not in this case.

First things first, let’s start with explaining why you asked for an opinion in the first place, and what was the reason behind choosing that specific person to address the question to.

If you were looking for a pat on the back and you didn’t receive one then just stop right there and leave it, you really shouldn’t care. Just find someone else to ask and try again. Repeat until you get what you want. Caring too much eventually destroys your productivity even more than answering emails.

On the other hand, if you wanted a real constructive opinion, then why did you ask someone who probably doesn’t have any knowledge in that field?

Let me put it this way; would you really care when someone said something like: “I think that medical diagnosis your doctor gave you is wrong! I’m not a doctor, but trust me, I know this stuff. I’ve seen three seasons of Dr. House.” … of course you wouldn’t. You know better than that.

So here’s the lesson. If you want a valid opinion ask someone who can give you one.

If you want a medical consultation ask a doctor. If you want a legal consultation ask a lawyer. If you want a design consultation ask a designer.

If you ask the wrong person, well, you’ve brought it upon yourself, so now you’ll just have to deal with it. Just because someone is your friend/mom/brother/bartender doesn’t make them the right person to ask.

I know that every now and then even a random person can give you good advice, but that’s just life. Every now and then you will find money on the sidewalk, but it doesn’t mean you should make it your new career and search for it 40 hours a week.

I’m sure you will get far better insights by asking just two people (or even one person) who have some experience with whatever you want to ask them about. That is, of course, if you’re looking for a real opinion. If you’re just looking for a pat on the back then go with ten random people.

OK, moving on. What if the right person didn’t like your work either?

Don’t give up. Follow up with that person and ask one simple question: “why?” Always ask “why”. Search for some valid points. Ask until you get an answer like: “I don’t like it because …” Search for the “because” – that’s what’s important. If the person can’t give you a “because” then:

Don’t care. You’re not going to please everybody.

If that’s a really valid “because,” something that forces you to think, something that’s real, and makes you feel embarrassed that you didn’t come up with it yourself, then, by all means, consider it and try to improve your project. Then get back to that person and ask for another opinion. And again – you want a “because” this time as well.

On the other hand, if the “because” is just silly; something like “I don’t like the green theme of the website because I prefer blue”, or “I don’t like your new furniture because mahogany is not really my thing” then:

Don’t care. You’re not going to please everybody.

The art of dealing with criticism is really simple. If it’s valid – care. If it’s not – don’t care, forget about it.

What are your ways of dealing with criticism? Do you care? Tell me in the comments below!

Karol K. is founder of NewInternetOrder.com. Contrary to what you might think, he hates doing business, and that's precisely why he blogs about productivity, online business design, and shares his journey through Web2.0 life. A young entrepreneur from Poland and a grad student at the Silesian University of Technology. Loves to train Capoeira in the evenings, and likes to be stalked on Twitter (@carlosinho). Tune in to get his advice on starting an online business.

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Lenovo IdeaPad S12 12.1" Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM Processor N270 Single Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit) Black

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