How to work better in ten easy steps

This bit of pithy advice is floating around the web. It’s so nice, tight and simple, much more useful than many of the self-helpy business books I’ve seen in the last few years. I mean, what percentage of your co-workers do even half of what’s on this list?

Found it here, but this seems to be the original source (Much like Corita Kent’s list of creative rules, there are many unattributed postings).

  1. Do one thing at a time
  2. Know the problem
  3. Learn to listen
  4. Learn to ask questions
  5. Distinguish sense from nonsense
  6. Accept change as inevitable
  7. Admit mistakes
  8. Say it simple
  9. Be calm
  10. Smile

9 Responses to “How to work better in ten easy steps”

  1. Mary Treseler

    Pithy, yes?

    Reply
  2. Chris Mahan

    Ok, I copied and pasted into google docs, made bigger, printed to pdf, cut to size, then pinned on my pinboard next to desk.

    Reply
  3. Scott

    Chris: Sweet – let me know if it has any effect ;)

    Reply
  4. Nikolay

    I would add

    1.5 Do each thing once

    Reply
  5. Patrick Baumgartner

    Did you take this photo near the mainstation in zurich, switzerland? It’s painted on a wall, on the left side, when you look out of the train window 1 minute before you arrive in zurich ;)

    Reply
  6. Scott

    Patrick: It’s not my photo, so I can’t say where it was taken.

    btw: I was in Zurich in 2006. Love it. A day trip to the jungfrau was amazing!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Patrick Baumgartner

* Required

Click here to cancel reply.