El lado oscuro de las ciudades también brilla

Por Dulce Xerach Pérez

Contribuir desde las páginas de este periódico a la comunicación sobre arquitectura, comportamientos y modelos de desarrollo sostenible, y a crear una cultura socioambiental que sea mejor cada día me lleva a escribir sobre los paisajes arquitectónicos de la novela negra.

El lado oscuro de las ciudades aparece reflejado en la literatura criminal de maneras muy diversas y casi siempre de manera realista, lo que refleja el afán de documentación sobre la realidad que muchos de los escritores de novela negra realizan con rigor.

Podríamos hablar en detalle de múltiples novelas y ciudades, como "Mitología de Nueva York", de Vanessa Montfort; Donostia, de Jon Lauko; Estocolmo, en la novela "Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres", de Stieg Larsson; las ciudades de París y Grasse, de "El Perfume", de Patrick Süskind, o La ciudad de La Laguna de Mariano Gambín. Empecemos por la Suecia de Maj Sjöwall y Per Wahlöö y comparémosla con la Suecia de ahora, donde la arquitectura contemporánea de calidad acompaña a la mejora y diversidad de todos los índices del país.

Cuando Maj Sjöwall y Per Wahlöö nos describen la Suecia de los años 60 y 70 en sus novelas sobre el detective Martin Beck podemos ver una Suecia desconocida para los europeos del sur, pero por otro lado, un reflejo de gran parte de nuestros problemas de hoy día en España, Italia, Grecia.

Maj Sjöwall y Per Wahlöö describen, por ejemplo, cuando en 1967, se cometen una serie de asesinatos donde las víctimas son niñas. El caso surge justo en medio de otro de menor entidad, pero que estaba preocupando a la población sobremanera, el de un ladrón que atacaba de forma violenta a sus víctimas en los parques públicos de la ciudad. Estos escritores suecos siempre se caracterizaron por denunciar la pasividad de la sociedad sueca en la que vivían. Describen escenas burguesas que nos dejan el reflejo de una sociedad a la que no parece importarle mucho lo que le ocurra al otro.

En una de sus novelas, "Asesinato en el Savoy" (1970), la historia que cuentan se convierte en un pretexto claro para la crítica evidente de una sociedad sueca desgastada por el crimen. Su trama excelente sobre la corrupción y la brutalidad policial de la sociedad sueca de la época de los setenta nos enseña la vertiente más amoral de una sociedad en descomposición.

Un paso en falso

Por FLORENCE THOMAS - 31 DE JULIO 2014 - 00:01

Un paseo ecológico en las montañas de Tenjo, un paso en falso y una verdadera caída. Para una anatomía de séptimo piso (tengo 71 años) el resultado es un cuadro muy revelador de nuestra frágil existencia. Una fractura del húmero y cinco puntos de sutura en la frente, me diagnostica una joven residente en el Hospital de Tenjo. Y de repente mi mundo cambia. Operación, fisioterapias diarias y ejercicios cotidianos. También la imposibilidad de bañarme sola, de vestirme o de pelar una papaya. En cuanto al teclado del computador, con una sola mano: una verdadera proeza. En resumen, una escuela de paciencia y resignación para una mujer que ha hecho de la independencia su diario vivir.

Sí, mis nociones de libertad e independencia, tan filosóficamente ancladas en mis valores, se vienen al piso y me golpean con la misma intensidad con la cual mi cuerpo cayó al precipicio. Y, por supuesto, me hago preguntas. No sobre el sistema de salud que me atendió como atiende a la mujer privilegiada que soy en este país, sino con esa particular manera que tenemos las mujeres de relacionarnos con los oficios domésticos y los pequeños actos de la vida cotidiana. Todas estas actividades a primera vista eran insignificantes; no entraban en los cálculos economicistas del PIB de una nación.

De hecho, durante muchos años no hacían parte de lo que se llama hoy la economía del cuidado porque solo eran constitutivas de la estética de la vida. Hoy, y después de esta catástrofe doméstica, me parecen de extraordinaria relevancia para que la vida fluya sin que nos demos casi cuenta. Una verdadera cultura femenina que se define por múltiples gestos y prácticas.

Y todo ese dispositivo de múltiples gestos y pequeños saberes necesita, para concretarse, los complejos movimientos de las manos en concordancia con esta compleja ingeniería corporal, en mi caso: manos, muñecas, antebrazos, brazos, y hombros. Y es así como en las tres primeras semanas del posoperatorio, cada vez que debía prepararme el desayuno, sin hablar de bañarme, vestirme y tender mi cama, yo entraba en estado de postración y rabia. Por supuesto, es la impaciencia de la cual no logro deshacerme. Y uno calma la rabia con los chistes de las amigas. ¿Y quién dijo que los deportes son buenos para la salud?

Pero, bueno, todo no es negativo porque, cuando a uno le pasa un accidente de estos, cosecha lo que a menudo ha sembrado durante muchos años: una red de amigas incondicionales, que están ahí para suplir lo que se había vuelto difícil de realizar. Sí, las amigas; en esta ciudad de difícil movilidad, de picos y placas, que siempre esté una de ellas cuando uno las necesita es el milagro de la amistad. Es también de alguna manera el milagro de un país como Colombia, de una solidaridad a menudo implícita construida entre las mujeres. Porque ellas saben: esta vida tan cotidiana, llena de pequeños gestos, está inscrita en sus cuerpos; no hay que explicarles. Tengo dos hijos hombres, también absolutamente solidarios conmigo; sin embargo, a ellos hay que explicarles. No sé: ustedes me dirán que estoy naturalizando el hecho de ser mujer. Pues no. Sé que esto ha sido construido durante siglos y que no se trata de una naturaleza femenina. Un hombre puede, evidentemente, promover esta cultura del cuidado de la vida cotidiana. Lo sé. Solo que, a propósito de lo que estoy viviendo en estos días, vuelvo a descubrir que es importante asignar valor ético a todas estas tareas mal llamadas femeninas, reconociéndoles la dignidad de prácticas sociales llenas de sentido para la vida, para la proximidad de los otros, de las otras, para la economía, la cultura, la política y para el nacimiento de nuevas subjetividades.

How to land your dream job—even when the company isn't hiring

WAITING FOR YOUR DREAM JOB TO POST AN OPENING? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. HERE'S HOW TO GO AFTER THE POSITION YOU WANT.

BY STEPHANIE VOZZA

When you work in television, your performance review is a show’s ratings. A program can be critically acclaimed, but if the numbers aren’t good it risks cancellation.

Starting his television career in 2004 as a freelance producer for networks such as Discovery, National Geographic, and Smithsonian, Jon Blumberg worked on his share of winners, including Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch and MythBusters. He also worked on some losers and soon realized there was a strong element of business to the shows that were successful. Looking to become more balanced in what he could offer, he went back to school in 2011 to get an MBA.

“I enjoy a big-picture landscape,” he says. “None of my counterparts were exploring the business side of television, and I knew I could stand out.”

Using what he learned from business school, he contacted networks and shared his idea of forming sponsored or branded entertainment at a show’s inception and not as an afterthought when the program was about to launch. “I met with network executives, suggesting that they hire me and create a hybrid position that combines programming with storytelling,” he says.

Many people he talked to didn't bite, but finally, Blumberg met Bill Howard, director of programming and partnerships for the Travel Channel.

“I hit the touch points of what he believed in and eventually sold him on the idea of building programming while building revenue,” says Blumberg, who was hired to be manager of programming and partnerships for the Travel Channel.

He believes he was successful in creating a job because he understood his strengths and value, and didn’t give up. “The more people you can talk to the better--I contacted about 200 and talked to about 100. Eventually you’ll find ones who think like you do; those will be people open to your ideas.”

Joe Weinlick, vice president of marketing for the online career network Beyond.com, says it’s possible to get your dream job even if a company isn’t hiring. In addition to playing the numbers game and talking to anyone who’ll take your call like Blumberg did, Weinlick says there are three more things you can do to get your foot in the door:

1. OFFER TO WORK FOR FREE.

Some of the most successful professionals started their careers by pinpointing the company they wanted to work for and offering their services without pay.

“If you are young and the company has an internship that you can get, awesome!” says Weinlick. But don’t think that free work means subpar work. “Even though you’re working for free, you need to be the hardest-working person there.”

2. ASK FOR AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW.

Getting an interview for a job opening can be hard enough, but it can be nearly impossible if no job exists. Many professionals will gladly provide a short informational interview, however, to help someone in their career.

“If you can identify leaders in the organization who work in your desired or chosen career, send them a polite note and ask if they would be willing to meet for a coffee (on you) to share insights they've gained in their career, and to let you know what it is like to work for their current company,” says Weinlick. “Ask questions and keep the focus of the conversation on them.”

Don’t forget to send a thank-you note, and after you’ve established a relationship, stay in touch and let them know you are interested should any opportunities arise. If they enjoyed the conversation, they’ll likely think of you when an opening arises.

3. BECOME A BRAND ADVOCATE.

One potential way to get noticed by a company is to become an advocate for the brand on social media, says Weinlick.

“If you feel strongly about the brand and are socially savvy, then evangelize or engage in conversation about the company on your blog, Twitter page, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or other social channels,” he says. “Be genuine, and share real experience or insights that would be of value or interest to others.”

Your activity may not cause the phone to ring, he says, but if you apply for a job or ask for an informational interview, the company will be thrilled to find a candidate who has demonstrated a connection to the brand and its values.

What's the current state of the american dream?

A RECENT STUDY SHOWS WE'RE LESS HOPEFUL ABOUT ACHIEVING THE "AMERICAN DREAM," BUT THAT THE DREAM ITSELF IS SHIFTING INTO SOMETHING NEW.

BY SAMANTHA COLE

What do we consider “living the dream” today?

Personal freedom and having basic needs met top the list. In 2004--the birth year of Facebook, a second-term W., and Janet’s legendary nip-slip--we felt more optimistic about our dreams than we do now. How is that possible? And what are we doing to compensate for it?

Writer James Truslow Adams coined the term "American dream" in 1931, calling it “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement," according to The Atlantic. Whether that's the definition we imagine today, it's time to reevaluate what our dream lifestyle looks like in 2014.

In March and April, researchers from PolicyInteractive for the environmental and social justice group Center for a New American Dream polled 1,821 U.S. citizens over the age of 18 about their perceptions of the economy, environment, advertising, health care, and more--following up on the same questions from 10 years ago.

EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE PUT OUR DREAMS OUT OF REACH

Most Americans see their personal goals as less attainable than they were a decade ago. Inaccessibly expensive necessities, such as education and health care, are to blame, according to the study:

When asked about the major reasons why the American Dream seemed unattainable, Americans indicated the following as the top reasons:

• The high cost of education: 72.2%

• The high cost of health care: 71.8%

• Wages for workers are too low: 67.2%

HAPPINESS AT WORK MEANS DOING LESS OF IT

Even as debts from student loans and insurance costs rise higher than ever, more than a third of Americans are choosing to take a pay cut in order to improve their quality of life. They quit working outside the home, took a different job, or worked less hours, and don’t regret it:

Overwhelmingly, those Americans who have taken these steps feel positively about their action:

• I’m happy about the change and I don’t miss the extra income much: 21.2%

• I’m happy about the change, but I miss the extra income: 39.2%

• Losing the income was a real hardship, but I’m still happy about the change: 25.9%

SHARING IS THE NEW ECONOMY

“Over half of respondents believe that sharing lowers environmental impact, builds community, and helps save money,” the study states. Most of those surveyed said sharing services and goods is a friendship-builder and a money-saver.

Millennials are on board with the sharing economy, at a rate double that of Gen X or Baby Boomers surveyed. Bike-sharing services and peer-to-peer lodging are a win-win for twentysomethings today, especially, who are looking for more ways to connect with each other and leave as small a footprint in the process.

And they’re more optimistic for it:

When asked if it would possible to achieve the American Dream in their lifetime, Millennials are far more optimistic that their Gen X or Baby Boomer counterparts, in spite of entering the workforce during an economic recession:

• 18-24: 54.1%

• 25-34: 46.8%

WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL? YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOURSELF MORE

WHO CARES IF YOU SOUND CRAZY. A NEW STUDY SHOWS TALKING TO YOURSELF CAN BOOST YOUR JOB PERFORMANCE.

BY LISA EVANS

 “C’mon Lisa, you can do this.” I repeat this mantra to myself whenever I get stuck on a problem. While saying this in the middle of my neighborhood coffee shop may make me look like a crazy person, a new study from the University of Illinois, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology says I may be doing the best thing to boost my chances of success.

Psychologists call this self-talk. While previous studies have found self-talk can boost willpower and help you psych yourself up when you need to get through a difficult task or to calm nerves before an important presentation or meeting, the study, led by psychologist Dr. Sanda Dolcos, found the pronoun we use to talk to ourselves also matters.

 “YOU” VERSUS “I”

Using the pronoun “you”--as in “you’re going to do a fantastic presentation today” is more effective than using “I." In the study, students were asked to write out self-advice while completing anagrams. Half the students were asked to address themselves as “I” while the other half were instructed to use the second-person “you." When using “you," the students not only completed more anagrams but said they would be happier to work on more in the future compared with students who used the first-person self-talk or students who gave themselves no advice at all.

WHY SECOND-PERSON SELF-TALK IS MOTIVATIONAL.

Dolcos speculates that second-person self-talk may be more beneficial because it triggers memories of receiving support and encouragement from parents and teachers in childhood. “That’s the way we grow up, with our parents and others encouraging us, telling us ‘you can do it,' ‘you are good,'” she says. Using the second person is also how we give advice to others and Dolcos says may help us get a better perspective on the situation, allowing us to view the event in the way a significant other may see it and reproduce the kind of encouragements others would provide. “The first person is usually more emotional,” she says.

SELF-TALK PROVIDES SOCIAL SUPPORT, EVEN WHEN OTHERS AREN’T PRESENT.

People who lack social support from peers or loved ones can benefit from using second-person self-talk to get the same benefits of a support system without actually interacting with other people.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES VERSUS SELF-TALK

While motivational quotes plastered around your desk may also be beneficial, Dolcos says self-talk is more effective as it can be adjusted to meet an individual’s unique needs and interests. “The words you choose will be very personal to what you need to hear,” says Dolcos.

You can psych yourself up without appearing to be crazy. Writing your self-advice may be as effective as verbal self-talk. The students in Dolcos’s study were instructed to write their self-advice, although Dolcos says the effect could be attributed to the fact that writing is a therapeutic tool, she says further research is needed to determine whether self-talk is more beneficial when given verbally or written.

The next time you find yourself in a demanding situation where you need a boost, don’t be afraid to tell yourself “you can do it.”

4 STEPS TO CREATING STELLAR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

IS YOUR COMPANY CUSTOMER-CENTRIC? HERE'S HOW TO TELL.

BY DARRYL SPEACH

Customer experience is the final frontier for game-changing market differentiation.

Products, services, and pricing can be easily replicated; extraordinary customer experiences cannot. Every company should focus on fostering the customer-centric culture required to make both its internal and external customers raving fans of its brand. Investing in this effort results in a hard-to-replicate competitive advantage that can make a tremendous difference in your company’s bottom line.

Over the course of my career, I’ve helped a wide variety of companies instill a customer-centric culture throughout their organizations. Going through such a transformational process is not an easy feat, but surprisingly the story is always the same, no matter the industry or country: Four key areas of focus always bubble to the surface, and every company should use them as filters to determine their current level of customer experience prowess--for both the internal and external customer:

1. LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

I can’t stress enough that making an honest assessment of your leadership is most important, because not doing so can be disastrous.

Here are some actual examples I have witnessed of poor leadership in action:

The CEO who did not practice or support praising outstanding employee performance because he believed “their weekly paycheck is recognition enough”

The customer service manager whose idea of customer service-innovation was “when I want my employee’s opinion on how to improve things, I’ll give it to them”

The global head of HR who actually treated call-center employees as nothing more than “resources,” rather than highly valued contributors to the company’s success.

It should come as no surprise that customer satisfaction for these companies was essentially nonexistent, particularly because of these leaders and those that mimicked them.

So, begin the assessment process by answering these questions about your organization’s leadership:

Do you have the right leaders in the right roles? (Remember: leaders lead, inspire, and engage their teams; managers just manage the status quo.)

Do your leaders attract, hire, retain, and promote top talent?

Do they personify your desired culture and model your desired behaviors every day?

Does clear and meaningful communication flow freely from them and to them?

Do they genuinely care for their employees and recognize them when appropriate?

Do they foster an environment conducive to creativity, innovation, and empowerment?

Do they make themselves visible and meet with their employees on a regular basis?

If a leader consistently fails to exemplify the right behaviors do you ask them to find their happiness elsewhere in order to preserve your desired culture?

Would you remove a leader who delivers great business results once you confirm they are toxic to your culture?

Your company’s ability to consistently deliver extraordinary customer experiences begins with leadership and the culture your leaders instill. If you answered any of the questions above with “no,” then you have some work to do.

2. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Step two in the process is to assess employee engagement. Employee engagement can make or break your company’s long-term success. To do this, ask the following questions:

Are your employees genuinely engaged and empowered, are they trained properly and coached by their leaders on a regular basis?

Do they feel appreciated and do they perform at their best every day because they have to or because they truly want to?

Do you they promote your brand to others and encourage people to come work there?

3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Step three is to survey your customers to gain insight into your company’s strengths and weaknesses. Ask:

Do your customers feel valued?

Are your customers loyal? If so, why?

Do your customers promote your brand?

4. BUSINESS RESULTS

The last step in the process is to take a close look at your company’s bottom line. Important, yes, but not the most critical in the customer service spectrum:

How are your revenues and profits generated?

Are you acquiring new customers?

Are you losing existing customers and/or employees? If so, why?

Do your current customers come back? If so, how often?

Simply put, if you have the right leaders in place, you will have plenty of highly engaged and inspired employees who are consistently delivering extraordinary customer experience because they want to, not because they are forced to, which leads to loyal customers and brand promoters and inevitably results in strong business outcomes.

This process is not easy and it will require an investment of time and resources, but the rewards--such as a distinct competitive edge and an improved bottom line, are well worth the effort.

--Darryl Speach is chief customer officer at Greystone, a private financial services and investment group. He has served as lead consultant for the Disney Institute / McKinsey & Company co-branded joint venture, VP of Innovation / Customer Insights at New York Life Insurance, and VP at BI Worldwide Consulting where he advised Fortune 100 companies on employee engagement and customer loyalty strategies.

The top 10 pope-approved secrets to happiness

CHANCES ARE YOUR OFFICE IS NOTHING LIKE VATICAN, BUT THESE TIPS FOR HAPPINESS ARE UNIVERSAL.

BY SAMANTHA COLE

The group-selfie shooting, totally tweetable @Pontifex must be reading Fast Company, because he's come up with a list of his own happiness secrets.

As part of an interview for the Argentine weekly Viva on July 27 (and translated by theCatholic News Service), Pope Francis shared his top 10 list for happiness.

1. LIVE AND LET LIVE
We're paraphrasing from the expression heard around Rome: “Move forward and let others do the same.”

2. "BE GIVING OF YOURSELF TO OTHERS."
Staying open and generous keeps your ego in check, he says.

3. "PROCEED CALMLY" IN LIFE.
This sounds a lot like mindfulness. Have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life." Keep calm and Pope on?

4. "A HEALTHY SENSE OF LEISURE."
Turn off the TV, unplug from work, and relax--it's practically a papal decree.

5. TAKE A REST DAY
"Sunday is for family," he said--but we suggest you take the whole weekend to recharge.

6. FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO CREATE DIGNIFIED JOBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
"We need to be creative with young people," Pope Francis says. Millennials, he's got you.

7. RESPECT AND TAKE CARE OF NATURE.
Degrading the environment and ignoring our impact on the future is an "indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature," he says.

8. NO MORE NEGATIVITY
He might not have a desk job, but Pope Francis seems to know how annoying office politics can be. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down.'"

9. RESPECT OTHERS' BELIEFS.
Don't listen waiting to interject your own opinions, but have a dialogue. "The worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes," he says.

10. WORK FOR PEACE.
"Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive."

Top Tips: 10 Simple Tricks To Remembering Names

1. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

The most surefire strategy is to repeat the person’s name–both in your head, and out loud–as soon as possible after you’ve been introduced. Occasionally use the person’s name in conversation. “Pleasure to meet you, Bob,” or “Bob, so good to see you.” Don’t overdo it, of course, but don’t worry that Bob will recoil, either. He’d rather you remember his name than not.

2. Picture This

Turn someone’s name into an image that you can remember. When you meet Shirley, think of a Shirley temple. Don’t laugh–it works.

3. Spell It Out

Another imagery-based tactic: Ask someone to spell out his or her name. If you can picture the letters in your mind, you’ll have a better chance of remembering the name. A derivation on that: Imagine the person’s name written across his forehead, like a billboard.

4. Connect

Try to associate names with things people tell you about themselves (careers, hobbies) that will trigger the sound or association of the name in your mind. Fred likes to fish, Margarita runs a bar, you get the idea.

5. Word Play

Let the words do the work for you. Mnemonic devices (Dale works in sales) work nicely, as does alliteration (Jim from Jersey).

6. Lead the Way

If you know that your name will be hard to remember or pronounce, do other people a favor and help them out. They’ll return the favor–or, if you’re chatting with a Mike or a Bob, maybe they’ll make some big production out of their own common name, making it stick in your mind.

7. Put Pen to Paper

It’s not enough to write down a person’s name as soon as possible after meeting them. Record the name in a “new contacts” file, and include when and where you met.

8. Speak Up

Embarrassing as it seems, don’t be afraid to ask someone to repeat his or her name. Start out with a compliment, such as “I’ve had so much fun talking with you, and I’ve completely forgotten your name.” If you realize you’ve blanked on a name a few seconds after introduction, just say “I’m sorry, I missed your name.”

9. Prime the Pump

You spy a person, whose name you’ve forgotten, making her way toward you. What to do? If you’re speaking with someone you know, introduce them right off the bat. The newcomer will probably introduce herself on her own. Problem solved.

10. FACE method

Finally, advocates the FACE method: “focus, ask, comment and employ.” Focus: Lock in on the person’s face. Ask: Inquire which version he prefers (“Is it Ted or Theodore?”). Comment: Say something about the name and cross-reference it in your head (“My college roommate’s name was Ted.”) Employ: Put the name to use–”Nice seeing you, Ted”–to drive it home.

NEVER FORGET SOMEONE'S NAME AGAIN WITH THIS MEMORY TRICK

EVER MEET SOMEONE AT A SOCIAL EVENT AND IMMEDIATELY FORGET THEIR NAME? TRY THIS TECHNIQUE FOR UNDERSTANDING AND USING MEMORY'S NATURE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

BY VIVIAN GIANG

Sometimes one of the important aspects to career success can be something intangible like how likeable you are.

That vague feeling of goodwill is often determined by how genuine you seem when interacting with others. One of the first steps to showing someone you sincerely care about what they’re saying is remembering what they say--especially their name.

According to a Dale Carnegie training course I took last year, the sweetest sound to anyone’s ear--no matter what language it’s in--is their name. Without nailing down this first step, it can be difficult to move forward in building a genuine professional or personal relationship. Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task since someone else’s name often doesn’t mean anything to us (it’s just another word) so it’s difficult for our brains to remember it.

THE SOLUTION TO OUR FORGETFULNESS?

According to the course, our memory works best when we remember scenes and images. Our minds are “associate machines” so in order for you to remember something--like a name--you need to form your own association to it.

This is called the memory-linking technique.

It works like this: When you meet someone, pay close attention to what they’re saying so that you can use the details to associate them to your images. Associating a name with a personality trait, an occupation, a visual cue, or where someone’s from is an effective tactic.

Carnegie says:

Paint a mind picture of the person whose name you wish to remember doing something that reminds you of the person’s name. Have the face and body of the person you wish to remember in the picture so that, when the picture comes to mind, you get both the face and the name.

Using those details, make up some kind of clear, vivid mental impression exaggerated in color and motion. The more ridiculous and outlandish the details are, the better your chances of remembering.

For example, if you meet Jill Hamlette who’s a professional basketball player, imagine her fighting with Jack over an enormous piece of ham in her basketball uniform. If you meet Bill Turner who’s a musician, imagine him DJing at a turntable with a bunch of dollar bills in his hands. If you meet Gus White, imagine a gust of wind so strong whipping by that it turns Gus’s face, hair, and clothes into a powdery white. How about Ashley from China? Imagine her running on the Great Wall of China throwing ash over the sides.

Remember that the images should be so ridiculous that they could never happen in real life because we tend to only remember things if they stand out from the surrounding environment. If an association based on the details you’re given doesn’t work, you can also associate the person with someone else you know based on their appearances or the sound of their name.

However, before you can form any association to anyone’s name, you must first truly listen to what they’re saying. Remember that forgetting someone’s name is less about having a “bad memory” and more because you didn’t really try to listen or commit to remembering their name with a technique. If you didn’t hear the person say their name, always ask again.

You can use Carnegie’s memory linking technique to remember just about anything--even facts and figures. The secret is making an association with all of these things in your mind.

THE MORNING ROUTINES OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

DOES YOUR MORNING LOOK LIKE MARGARET THATCHER'S, OR BEN FRANKLIN'S? THESE ROUTINES MIGHT INSPIRE YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN.

BY KEVAN LEE

Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, we all start our day at some point. And we all seem to start it differently.

Some of us hop online to check social media, others dive in to email, still others eat breakfast, exercise, or pack lunches for the kids. There’re a million different ways a morning could go.

Which morning routine might be best?

While there’s probably not an ideal morning routine that fits everyone, we can learn a lot from the morning routines of successful people as well as from the research and inspiration behind starting a morning on the right foot.

I collected a wide range of opinions on how best to start a day, from the scientific to the successful. Here’s the best of what I found—maybe it’ll help you get a little more productivity, creativity, and enjoyment out of your morning.

SCIENCE SAYS: WILLPOWER IS HIGHEST IN THE MORNING, SO START STRONG

You’ve maybe heard the advice that your first work of the day should be something meaningful and significant, a task that might take a lot of focus, will, and determination to accomplish. The reason: We’re limited with our self-control.

That’s the idea purported by the strength model. Self-control draws from a common resource that gets depleted over time. You can think of self-control as a muscle--fatigue sets in after exertion.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham and the National Institute of Education in Singapore reviewed 83 studies on self-control to come to the following conclusion:

Results revealed a significant effect of ego depletion on self-control task performance. Significant effect sizes were found for ego depletion on effort, perceived difficulty, negative affect, subjective fatigue, and blood glucose levels.

For those scoring at home, that’s both a psychological and physiological effect on your ability to get work done.

The longer the day goes on, the more fatigue your self-control experiences, the more important it is to make those early morning hours count.

THE EASIEST WAY TO HACK YOUR MORNING: TOMORROW LIST

From research and meta-analyses to Mark Twain, the advice is the same: Get big work done early.

Twain’s advice stems from this famous quote of his:

Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

We’ve co-opted Twain’s saying to mean, “Do your biggest tasks first.” When you start with a big item (a project/frog), the rest of your day looks pretty great by comparison.

The saying even inspired the title of a best-selling time-management book, Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy. Fast Company highlighted Tracy’s work in an article about morning rituals and asked Lifehacker founder Gina Trapani to explain how exactly one implements the frog strategy into a daily system.

Step one: Choose your frog.

Once the frog is chosen, Trapani continues, write it down on a piece of paper that you’ll see when you first come into your office the next day. Then when your alarm goes off in the morning or when you arrive at work, bon appétit!

There are many examples of this specific method of frog-eating, a couple examples of which you’ll see below. The concept is something I like to call a "Tomorrow List."

1. At the end of your day, write down the tasks you need to complete tomorrow.

2. Look at the list when you start the next day.

3. End your day by creating another list for tomorrow.

And keep repeating.

STEVE JOBS’S MORNING ROUTINE: ONE SIMPLE QUESTION

In a commencement address he gave at Stanford back in 2005, Steve Jobs revealed the motivational tactic that he used to start each and every day.

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Pretty powerful stuff. Would asking that question help keep your morning to-dos in perspective?

10 MORNING RITUALS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

OK, we’ve talked about the science behind morning rituals, the frogs to eat first thing, and the inspiring questions to ask to get you started. Now it’s time for some specifics.

Here’s how some famous names in history, some entrepreneurs, founders, and executives do first thing in the morning.

Ron Friedman, founder and autor

An inspiring morning reminder is one shared by founder and author Ron Friedman. It goes like this:

Ask yourself this question the moment you sit at your desk: The day is over and I am leaving the office with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. What have I achieved?

For many of us, checking email or listening to voice mail is practically automatic. In many ways, these are among the worst ways to start a day. Both activities hijack our focus and put us in a reactive mode, where other people’s priorities take center stage. They are the equivalent of entering a kitchen and looking for a spill to clean or a pot to scrub.

Kenneth Chenault, American Express CEO

The last thing Chenault does before leaving his office at night is to write down the top three things he wants to accomplish tomorrow. Then he’ll use that list to start his next day.

Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-chief

One of the more enthusiastic morning routines I found was Wintour’s daily ritual of playing tennis. Starts each day at 5:45 a.m. with an hour-long tennis match.

Margaret Thatcher, former U.K. prime minister

Thatcher was believed to be a short sleeper (a person who can get by on less sleep than usual), so her late-night political meetings never kept her from waking up at 5:00 a.m. the next morning to listen to “Farming Today,” a popular program on BBC Radio about food, farming, and the countryside.

Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States

Franklin’s much-lauded to-do list (seen below) included some specific rules for how he started each morning. His three-hour block of morning routine stretched from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and included addressing “Powerful Goodness” and setting a plan for the rest of his day.

Every morning Franklin asked himself, “What good shall I do today?”

P.G. Wodehouse, author and humorist

When Wodehouse woke at 7:30 a.m., he’d head right to the back porch for his “daily dozen” calisthenics. Then he’d come inside and make breakfast (always toast, coffee cake, and tea) and read a “breakfast book,” some sort of entertaining mystery or adventure novel.

(Wodehouse’s writing routine was also quite neat. He’d start by sitting in an armchair, writing a few paragraphs in pencil before moving to the typewriter to write out the rest.)

William Styron, novelist

As evidence that our mornings do not all begin at the same time, look no further than William Styron. He slept until noon, and his “morning” routine involved staying in bed for another hour to think and read.

Eva Chen, editor-in-chief of Lucky magazine

First thing when she wakes up, Chen checks Twitter and her favorite websites. She’ll skip TV because she tends to get sucked in to shows like “reruns of The O.C..” After checking the web and putting on makeup, Chen dresses herself from the shoes up.

Once she arrives at the office, her first order of business is a venti green tea.

David Karp, Tumblr founder

Karp saves all of his e-mail until he arrives at work at 9:30 or 10:00 a.m., after a 15-minute walk (or even faster Vespa ride) from home. “If something urgently needs my attention,” he said, “someone will call or text me.” Once at work, email is Karp’s first task. He’ll check his inbox, which contains only emails from Tumblr staff and from his girlfriend. Then he’ll sift through an “unsorted” folder of other emails, all the while making a list in a notebook of the things he needs to get done.

Craig Newmark, Craigslist founder

How does the Craigslist founder start his day? When the question was asked on Quora, Newmark answered: “Customer service.” Few founders have taken the path Newmark has; he considers himself a customer service rep at Craigslist. So while other executives might start their days with meetings or email, Newmark focuses on the customer.

SIX TIPS TO FORM A BETTER MORNING ROUTINE

We’ve talked before on the blog about the daily routines of successful entrepreneurs, including six helpful tips that these successful morning routines had in common.

If you’re interested in starting a great morning routine of your own, here are some ideas.

• Eat a good breakfast (it can be fast and easy).

• Listen to your body clock. Do creative work when it feels best.

• Set an alarm to wake up and an alarm to go to sleep.

• Disengage: Zero notifications from apps and phones at night.

• Develop a morning routine that works on weekends, too.

• Track your habits to better understand yourself.

Do you have anything in common with Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Margaret Thatcher, or others? What does your unique morning ritual entail?

Mine has evolved quite a bit over the past several months--and will likely keep evolving. It feels like I’ve settled into a pretty good rhythm with this schedule:

• Wake up at 5:30 a.m.

• Consult my Tomorrow List

• Head to the computer and start writing a blog post

• Shower/breakfast at 7:00 a.m.

• Back to writing

I’d love to hear about your routine, too. Feel free to share your morning schedule here in the comments.

This article originally appeared in Buffer and is reprinted with permission.

Source: Fast Company

PROOF THAT ENTREPRENEURS DON'T NEED TO START OFF KNOWING HOW TO DO EVERYTHING

LEARNING EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR BUSINESS AS YOU GO--NOT JUST HOW TO LEAD IT FROM THE TOP--WILL SERVE YOUR COMPANY WELL WHEN CHALLENGES COME UP.

BY JENN AUBERT

No one who launches a business knows everything that they need to know to begin.

Even if someone has an MBA, it doesn’t mean that she will know how to hire the right people for her team, understand how to ship her product overseas, or will know her way around a manufacturing floor. For many women, just learning the financial aspects of running a business was a challenge that needed to be addressed immediately.

Known as one of the top female chefs in the country, Traci Des Jardins is a classically trained chef and has been trained by some of the best chefs and restaurateurs in the world. When it came time to launch her own restaurant Jardinière in San Francisco in 1997 and as she expanded her restaurant empire, raising money was her biggest challenge. She had no formal training in business and leaned on a business partner to help her figure it out.

“One has to have a basic understanding of all aspects of the business so that oversight is possible,” she shared. Similar to the restaurant environment, business as Traci puts it is an “evolve or die” way of life. One important aspect she has discovered along the way is that you cannot micromanage your way to understanding the business either. You need to have trust in that the team you hire is doing good work.

As an entrepreneur and business owner you have to embrace the learning process because it is constant. You may be doing tasks that you never thought you’d be doing but, especially in the early stages out of necessity, you take them on.

Kimberly Wilson started her business out of her living room. In 1999, she offered yoga classes out of her tiny apartment in Washington, D.C. She eventually outgrew her space and started opening studios in town. She also launched an eco- fashion line, created a foundation to give back to causes she believes in, and wrote three books all while pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work.

What she found the most challenging when starting out was how difficult it was to focus on the creative aspect of her business--the part she loves. Like most entrepreneurs, you’re “forced to be the jack of all trades and wear all the hats yourself” she reminisced.

When she started she was in her mid 20s and her business was all-consuming. “On Friday nights when everyone else was out, I was recoding my website,” she recalled. She gave everything she had to her yoga studios and the business and years later it has definitely paid off. Her studio, Tranquil Space, was named among the top 25 yoga studios in the world by Travel + Leisure, she leads retreats globally and generously gives back to animal rights organizations through her foundation.

Both Traci and Kimberly value that they had to learn different aspects of their business because they are better equipped to understand the value of different roles, what it takes to be successful and are better able to lead those who take on that function. It has served them both well as they grow their businesses and expand their reach.

Entrepreneurs are natural problem-solvers. The mere fact that they’re solving a problem or providing a solution in the form of a product or service is a testament to this. But it goes even further as their problem solving skills are tested on an almost daily basis. Just because they don’t know how to do something doesn’t stop them from pursuing their dreams and getting the job done. Nearly all the women I interviewed noted that one of the largest challenges they faced was that they didn’t know exactly what they were doing. But they overcame the challenge by simply figuring it out.

In her book Business as Unusual, Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop shared that entrepreneurs have “a covert understanding that you don’t have to know how to do something. Skill or money isn’t the answer for the entrepreneur, it is knowledge: from books, observing and asking.”

Roddick, who passed away 2007, was also an environmentalist and a human rights activist and was a pioneer in shaping ethical consumerism. She gives several examples throughout her book on how she made things work.

For instance, everyone assumes that the interior dark green paint on the walls of The Body Shop stores was a reflection of being a “green” company. When she launched her first store in 1976, “green” was not a metaphor for the environmental movement. She simply used dark green because it was the only color that would cover up all the damp patches on the walls. Also, the concept of using reusable bottles was purely because she couldn’t afford to purchase enough to keep them in stock. “Every element of our success was really down to the fact that I had no money,” Roddick writes.

The ability to be creative in solving problems and looking for solutions where others might not look is a valuable quality in an entrepreneur. As with Roddick, some of her early decisions were not necessarily about being eco-friendly, she was simply looking for ideas to make her business work on limited resources.

This is a excerpt from Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch!(Balboa Press, 2014) by Jenn Aubert.

--Jenn Aubert is an author of the book Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! and the cofounder and CEO of LearnSavvy, an online education marketplaceand community for women entrepreneurs. You can find her at www.learnsavvy.co or on Twitter @jennaubert.