How Many Slaves Work For You?

As far back as humanity goes, people have bought, sold, and enslaved other people.

“But not anymore right? Didn’t we abolish slavery in the 19th century? I know there are people and children who still work in questionable conditions. Sweatshops and the like. But buying, selling, and trafficking human beings? Surely that is something that only happens in wildly different cultures, far from my influence?”

Actually no.

The truth is there are 27 million slaves in the world today.

The highest number of slaves than at any other point in human history. And no matter how good you think you’re being, if you own any modern appliance or wear clothing, chances are those products have been touched by a slave somewhere in the world.

That smart phone. That T-shirt, computer, cup of coffee… That’s all stuff we buy, and that’s all stuff that comes from slaves.

It’s called the supply chain, and the fact of the matter is that brands (even reputable brands we know and love) don’t or can’t always know where the materials in their products come from. What about the cotton in that T-shirt? The tantalum in that smart phone? The beans in that cup of coffee?

That’s where you find the slaves. In the fields. In the mines. In the raw materials processing. These are people forced through violence into labour without pay, without choice, without rights, and without a voice.

They’re working for me. And they’re working for you too.

That’s where The Slavery Footprint comes in. It is an online survey (that I believe everyone should take) thats central objective is to raise awareness of the issue, and get people engaged in the fight against slavery.

In a very interactive and funky way (not that that’s important) it breaks down your “slavery footprint” by the products you use, and asks questions about your lifestyle and consumer habits: How large is your living space? What kind of food do you like? How many cars do you drive?

My score was 62.

Depressing and enlightening at the same time.

What is your score?

8 Tips for Beating Busyness

Ever feel like the guy in the picture?

More and more research is proving that our always-on, multi-tasking work environments and lifestyles are dampening creativity, killing productivity, and making us unhappy.

Now, we can become victims of this reality, or we can become proactive. 

As Wilhelm von Humboldt writes, “I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves.” And so, here are a few tips that I’m trying to implement for beating busyness in my life:

1. Dare to slow down

Deliberately drive in the slow lane. At the toll, choose the longest line, and then let someone go in front of you. Eat your food slowly (this one is a real challenge for me). In other words, as the world moves faster, find ways to intentionally slow things down.

2. Don’t feel guilty if you feel tired and busy

In her book, The Overworked American, Harvard economist Juliet B. Schor estimated that “the average employed person is now on the job an additional 163 hours, or the equivalent of one month a year, compared to figures from twenty years ago.” So, don’t be so hard on yourself if you feel tired and busy. You should. You’re working an extra month this year.

3. Do one thing differently

In our day we have largely traded wisdom for information. We keep reading more and thinking less. I often find myself reading so many productivity and self-improvement tips, and even though all the advice is great, unless I apply it, it is just useless hollow information. Action trumps knowledge every time. So choose one thing to do differently, and go DO IT!

4. Check your email on a schedule

“It’s not effective to read and answer every email as it arrives. Just because someone can contact you immediately does not mean that you have to respond to them immediately,” says productivity guru Dan Markovitz. “People want a predictable response, not an immediate response.” So as long as people know how long to expect an answer to take, and they know how to reach you in an emergency, you can answer most types of email just a few times a day.

5. Don’t leave email in your inbox

I swear by this method. Try to touch an email just once and take action on it as soon as you read it. Organize email into folders. If the message needs more thought, flag it or move it to your to-do list. If it’s for reference, print it out or send it to Evernote. If it’s a meeting, move it to your calendar.

6. Know when you work best.

I’m definitely a morning person. Each person has a best time. Manage your schedule to keep your best time free for your most important work.

7. Give your brain some downtime

Research tells us that giving your brain downtime is a critical element of learning and thinking creatively. Some of my best ideas came to me while sitting on a surfboard in the ocean.

8. Take an hour to simply “be” with God.

Don’t use this time to prepare or plan or strategize. Don’t use this time at all. Simply be with God and see what happens.

The Adventure of Marriage

I’ve always been fascinated with Everest.

I’ve read books, watched documentaries, and followed with intrigue the stories of brave men and women who have climbed to the top of the world. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance (or have it in me) to summit Everest, but one of my life’s ambitions is to hike to Base Camp.

Just to be there and feel the energy of the place. To wait with excitement and anticipation as the weather window opens up and teams prepare to climb. To hear the hiss and crackle of radios as crews and family members listen with baited-breath to their loved ones thousands of feet above them. To celebrate with those lucky few who find success.

And in actual fact, the success of the climb is directly determined by the status of things at Base Camp. An average climber spends only 2 weeks climbing Everest, but at least 3 months at Base Camp preparing and acclimatizing. Without good ground support and adequate supplies, your climb will be doomed before you even start.

I think marriage is a bit like Base Camp.

What I mean is that every husband and wife has their own individual dreams and ambitions – their own mountains to climb and peaks to summit. And that’s important in a marriage. In fact, recent studies have shown that couples who have their own sense of purpose and passion outside of the home are more likely to be happy. BUT, in order for each person to achieve their summits, you’ve got to make sure things back at Base Camp are in order.

Some people think marriage stops you from achieving your dreams. That once you’re married, it’s all over. Give up your aspirations. Compromise your calling. In fact, the exact opposite is true.

Marriage doesn’t stop you from climbing your mountains, it enables you to! In a healthy marriage, your partner is your greatest fan, the one who encourages you to fulfill your dreams and who helps you to become the person you were made to be.

Of course, there are two extremes we tend to fall into here.

On the one hand I have seen marriages where couples spend all their time chasing after their own selfish ambitions, and not nearly enough time looking after things at home. We throw ourselves into work, chasing after our career ambitions at the expense of family. We find ultimate purpose and identity in “what we do” rather than “who we are” and lose ourselves seeking after false peaks. Base Camp falls into ruin, the relationship becomes disconnected and distant, and without that support, we find ourselves unable to complete any climb, let alone our “Everest”.

Stuck on the side of a mountain without any support.

On the other hand I have seen marriages where couples are so stuck in their comfort zones that they have made Base Camp the goal! Afraid to take risks, or under the false impression that “now that we are married we must do everything together”, individual dreams and goals are discarded, forgotten, or “put off”. A feeling of resentment and boredom creeps into the marriage and eventually we start to take it out on each other. We feel as if something has been stolen from us, and we forget that marriage was never meant to be the end target, but rather the launching platform. Of course, there is always a tension and a balance. And practically, in order to do a 2 week climb, we still need 3 months at Base Camp.

But my challenge to married couples out there is to understand and support your partner’s goals. To cheer them on. To be their biggest fans. To let them go if that’s what is needed.

And not to give up on your own dreams.

Vote For This Blog!

Following my blog being Freshly Pressed and getting a bunch of attention, someone nominated me for the 2011 South African Blog Awards. I’m not sure what that means exactly, but apparently if you make into the top 3, you get to go to an “event” in Joburg. And my wife really wants to go to an “event”.

So, if you are a regular subscriber, have read a few posts, or maybe have just stumbled upon my blog and like what you see, please take a minute to vote for my blog. Voting closes this Wed 9th Nov! You can just click on the badge to the right –>

To those of you who have been faithfully reading and commenting, just want to say thanks for your support and encouragement. My goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life, and I will continue to do my best to keep the fresh content coming!

If you’re new and looking to get a feel for what this blog is all about, take a stroll through some of my most popular posts below:

• 16 Tips to Simply Your Life (And Increase Your Productivity)
• Mastering the Art of Self Discipline
• All The SIngle Ladies Put Your Hands Up!
• 6 Things To Stop Caring About Today
• 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do Kettlebells
• Real Men Tell Great Love Stories
• Do PowerBalance Bracelets Really Work?
• Life’s Too Short For TV
• 3 reasons Why I Love My iPad 2

Thanks again!

3 Ways to Get On Top of Social Media Before it Gets on Top of You

700 billion minutes.

That’s how much time Facebook’s 500 million active users spend on the site every month! 700 000 000 000 minutes. That’s the equivalent of 1,3 million years – nearly 18 000 lifetimes!

And 7 years ago Facebook didn’t even exist! What did we use to do with all that time??

A recent study of media habits found that 33% of people surveyed admitted to checking Facebook before they even went to the bathroom in the morning; 21% admitted to checking it in the middle of the night; and half of them considered themselves Facebook addicts. Clearly something about Facebook has captivated us and drawn us in.

Me personally? I love social media – Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. (just not LinkedIn – please stop sending me invites!) They have all helped me build a platform, learn from influential leaders, and stay in touch with friends around the world in remarkable ways.

But even as I type this on my iPad I have a sinking feeling of being overwhelmed.

And I’m beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, all of my devices, my gadgets, my apps, my social media, own me as much as I own them. As they constantly beep, buzz and vibrate around me, screaming for my attention, I’m starting to wonder whether all this was a good idea in first place.

Now please don’t get me wrong – social media and technology are good things. But, like most good things, they can become bad things.

Social media is both a blessing and a curse.

How we use it will determine which one it will be in our lives. Here are a few tips that can guide us along the way:

1) Own Up

No one likes to admit they’re addicted to something, but if you want to get on top of your habits, you’ve got to own up.

Ask your friends/spouse/children/parents, “Am I using my iPhone/Blackberry too much? Am I on Facebook too much?” Even if their answer is subjective, it is still helpful. Chances are if your wife says you are using your iPad too much, you probably are. (Thanks darling!)

Of course there is no right answer to “How much is too much?”, but a really good exercise is to record how much time you spend on Facebook in a given week. We generally tend to underestimate, and a good look at the raw data may be shocking and revealing.

2) Set Boundaries

I am convinced that in our information overloaded culture, discipline is becoming more and more key. Establishing clear boundaries, while tough to do at first, creates freedom and space in our lives. If we are always just reacting to our devices, compulsively checking email or scrolling through News Feeds, then it’s too easy for technology to get a grip on us and suffocate us.

Some ideas may be to have designated times in your family for going online, or perhaps a “tech-free hour” where you gather for a meal and everyone has to put their phones in a basket or switch them off.

The point is find ways of putting boundaries on your social media that work for you/your family – and force yourself to live within those boundaries.

3) Enjoy It

Having owned up, and established clear boundaries, you are then free to just enjoy the wonders of the Interweb! As I said, social media can be a wonderful thing. But we enjoy it most, when we enjoy it best.

Thanks to Tim Challies for the helpful info and statistics.

Must Have iPhone Apps

Free Apps

Evernote turns your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad into an extension of your brain, helping you remember anything and everything that happens in your life. From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, put it all into Evernote and watch as it instantly synchronizes from your iPhone to your iPad to your desktop. The key to using Evernote is learning how to get your notes in (there are so many ways!)

 

Kindle app is optimized for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, giving users the ability to read Kindle books on a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. You’ll have access to over 900,000 books in the Kindle Store, including best sellers and new releases. Find I am reading so much more these days!

 

 

IMDB is the world’s largest collection of movie, TV and celebrity information. IMDb is the leading app on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to find watch trailers, get movie ratings, browse photo galleries, find latest DVD releases, explore popular charts and share movie info. Great app for deciding what to rent from the DVD store!

 

News24 is South Africa’s leading digital news brand. Stay informed wherever you are and get breaking news, sport and business news from South Africa and around the world.

 

 

WordPress for iOS is a must for any WordPress blogger and makes it super easy to moderate comments, create or edit post or pages, add images or video, and check your stats.

 

 

Facebook for iPad and iPhone. Simple, straightforward, easy to use.

 

 

 

 

 

Hootsuite is my preferred Twitter client for a number of reasons. Firstly I love the way you can schedule tweets/Facebook status updates/Wordpress blogs all from one place. Secondly, the stats are great. And thirdly, the iPhone version is great.

 

Bible is a fantastic free app from Lifechurch.tv. Join over 30 million people who read, listen and share God’s Word using the Bible App. Huge selection of 150+ Bible versions and 200+ plans to help you track your progress. Now also with free audio Bibles!

 

SimpleNote is a very clean and simple note-taking app that I use every single day. It syncs via a cloud across all devices, much like Apple’s built-in notes, but the reason I prefer it is because it has a great online desktop version, and you are able to “scroll back in time” on each note.

 

Skype allows you to call, video call and instant message anyone else on Skype for free on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

 

 

 

SuperSport may be one of the best iPhone sports apps around! Get all the latest news, live scores and information on your favourite sports including football, rugby, cricket, golf and more. All in a well-designed and easy to use app.

 

 

 

Instagram is the iPhone’s best love photo app. With amazing photo filters that transform regular ol’ photos into works of art. Fun & simple to use, snap photos wherever you go to show the world what’s going on in your life, and follow your friends’ photo updates as they move through the world.

 

Windguru is a paddler’s/kiter’s/surfer’s best friend. Probably the best weather site is now available on your iPhone. Accurate wind, wave and weather data can be accessed for almost 3000 spots around the world, from wherever you are in the world

 

 

 

Shazam. Hear a song you don’t know? Shazam identifies it instantly – the 4th most downloaded App of all time.

 

 

 

 

Audible Audible.com, the Internet’s premier provider of digital audiobooks and more, is now available on your iPhone and iPod Touch! This free app features the most comprehensive audiobook experience ever, including Wi-Fi delivery of your Audible.com library, an optimized audiobook player, detailed listening stats, and much more

 

Discovery app is great for anyone on Discovery Health Insurance. It’s simple to use and provides a convenient way to access your information on Discovery Health, Vitality, Discovery Life, Discovery Insure, Discovery Invest and DiscoveryCard – anywhere, anytime. Was really surprised by how good this is

 

RunKeeper uses the GPS technology found in the iPhone to track your fitness activity, giving you comparable results to an expensive GPS watch. The intuitive and easy-to-use interface of the app makes it easy to track how far you went, how long it took, what your pace/speed was, how many calories you burned, and the path you traveled on a map. One of my personal favourites – without it I wouldn’t have made the Comrades Marathon!

Daily Tracker is a very basic but easy-to-use app, which lets you take notes, organize lists or track other important things in your life, such as time, workouts, expenses, calories, food, weight, sleep and actually… pretty much anything else you can think of.

 

MyFitnessPal is without a doubt the best calorie and exercise tracker around (and I’ve tried a bunch!) With the largest food database of any calorie counter (over 1,000,000 foods including many South African brands), and amazingly fast food and exercise entry.

 

Paid Apps:

 

Photosync ($1.99) will transform your photo handling forever. It‘s the first app that makes wireless transfer of your photos/videos from/to your Computer, other devices, Dropbox, and Flickr a breeze. You will never want to use a cable again! Although iCloud now provides this in some form, I still prefer PhoytoSync just in terms of syncing between multiple devices.

GoodReader ($4.99). With GoodReader on your iPad, you can read virtually anything, anywhere: books, movies, maps, pictures. It is hands down the best PDF reader and lets you annotate notes, highlights, freehand right onto the PDFs.

 

 

 iBank ($4.99) Mobile lets you track your day-to-day spending and monitor account balances on the go. It’s easy to enter and categorize transactions, track expenses, or view running balances — all from your iPhone or iPod touch. This comes with a great Desktop app ($59.99). If you are serious about getting your finances and budget in order, this is well worth the price.

 

GoodPlayer ($2.99) Do you enjoy watching videos on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch? Do you hate not being able to because your device cannot support the video format? Or do you hate the inconvenient and time-consuming hassle of trying to convert video formats to fit into one that your iPhone/iPad can support? This is why GoodPlayer was created.

 

 

Jamie Oliver’s Recipes (Free, but with in-app purchases) is honestly phenomenal! I have been using it for a while now and it has truly opened up a whole new world of cooking! My wife is a useless cook (by her own admission), but even she makes the most delicious meals using the app. It is elegantly and beautifully designed with all the details well thought out! Try it – you won’t regret it!

 

TomTom South Africa ($59.99) offers world-class TomTom navigation on your iPhone or iPad. COmplete with South African accent and constantly updated SA maps. Has got me out of some sticky situations..

 

 

MyPhone+ ($0.99) is a nifty little app that keeps your contacts up-to-date with their latest pictures and information from Facebook. MyPhone+ automatically finds the matching Facebook friends for your contacts and download their data (picture, birthday, status, address, website, company & job title)

 

 

 

AppBox Pro ($1.99) is like the Swiss Army Knife of the iPhone! It is a multipurpose app that combines 21 single purpose applications into one, including unit converter, currency exchange, clineometer (level), date calc, loan calc, ruler, tip calc, translator etc etc.

 

 

WhatsApp ($0.99) Messenger is a cross-platform smartphone messenger currently available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones. The application utilizes push notifications to instantly get messages from friends, colleagues and family. Switch from SMS to exchange messages, pictures, audio notes and video messages with WhatsApp users at no cost.

Of course there are so many other great apps out there. That is the beauty of Apple devices – they are all personal depending on what apps you use.

So what are your favourite apps? I’d love to hear from you.

Must Have iPad Apps

Free Apps

Zite is a personalized magazine for your iPad that automatically learns what you like and gets smarter as you use it. It gives you personalized news, articles, blogs, videos and other content from a variety of both mainstream and niche publications and sites, and have found it to be my number one news reader app.

 

Flipboard is a fast, beautiful way to flip through the news, photos and updates your friends are sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Flickr and Instagram.

 

 

 

Evernote turns your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad into an extension of your brain, helping you remember anything and everything that happens in your life. From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, put it all into Evernote and watch as it instantly synchronizes from your iPhone to your iPad to your desktop. The key to using Evernote is learning how to get your notes in (there are so many ways!)

 

Kindle app is optimized for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, giving users the ability to read Kindle books on a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. You’ll have access to over 900,000 books in the Kindle Store, including best sellers and new releases. Find I am reading so much more these days!

 

IMDB is the world’s largest collection of movie, TV and celebrity information. IMDb is the leading app on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to find watch trailers, get movie ratings, browse photo galleries, find latest DVD releases, explore popular charts and share movie info. Great app for deciding what to rent from the DVD store!

 

News24 is South Africa’s leading digital news brand. Stay informed wherever you are and get breaking news, sport and business news from South Africa and around the world.

 

 

WordPress for iOS is a must for any WordPress blogger and makes it super easy to moderate comments, create or edit post or pages, add images or video, and check your stats.

 

 

Facebook for iPad and iPhone. Simple, straightforward, easy to use.

 

 

 

 

Hootsuite is my preferred Twitter client for a number of reasons. Firstly I love the way you can schedule tweets/Facebook status updates/Wordpress blogs all from one place. Secondly, the stats are great. And thirdly, the iPhone version is great.

 

 

eBay is now open for business anytime, anywhere on the Apple iPad! If you’re not an eBay user, I encourage you to give it a try. I have ordered many things now from all over the world at a fraction of the cost in South Africa. This app makes it really easy to track your orders, browse and shop, leave feedback, check shipping etc.

 

Bible is a fantastic free app from Lifechurch.tv. Join over 30 million people who read, listen and share God’s Word using the Bible App. Huge selection of 150+ Bible versions and 200+ plans to help you track your progress. Now also with free audio Bibles!

 

SimpleNote is a very clean and simple note-taking app that I use every single day. It syncs via a cloud across all devices, much like Apple’s built-in notes, but the reason I prefer it is because it has a great online desktop version, and you are able to “scroll back in time” on each note.

 

Skype allows you to call, video call and instant message anyone else on Skype for free on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

 

 

 

SuperSport may be one of the best iPad sports apps around! Get all the latest news, scores and information on your favourite sports including football, rugby, cricket, golf and more. All in a well-designed and easy to use app.

 

 

 

Paid Apps:

Photosync ($1.99)will transform your photo handling forever. It‘s the first app that makes wireless transfer of your photos/videos from/to your Computer, other devices, Dropbox, and Flickr a breeze. You will never want to use a cable again! Although iCloud now provides this in some form, I still prefer PhoytoSync just in terms of syncing between multiple devices.

 

GoodReader ($4.99). With GoodReader on your iPad, you can read virtually anything, anywhere: books, movies, maps, pictures. It is hands down the best PDF reader and lets you annotate notes, highlights, freehand right onto the PDFs.

 

 

iDesk ($6.99) is a lesser known app that I think is wonderful. A diagram is worth a thousand words. iDesk allows you to make flow charts, org charts, mind maps, take notes, sketches and do other diagrams with no constraints. If you are a student, or need to draw diagrams for presentations or lectures, this is a must app!

 

Pages ($9.99) is Apple’s default word processor. This powerful app has been exclusively designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Create, edit, and view documents wherever you are. Pages works with iCloud, so your documents stay up to date across all your iOS devices — automatically.

 

AirDisplay ($9.99). Ever wish you had an extra display for your Mac or Windows computer? There’s an app for that! With Air Display, you can use your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch as a wireless display, to extend your computer desktop.

 

 

GoodPlayer ($2.99) Do you enjoy watching videos on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch? Do you hate not being able to because your device cannot support the video format? Or do you hate the inconvenient and time-consuming hassle of trying to convert video formats to fit into one that your iPhone/iPad can support? This is why GoodPlayer was created.

 

Jamie Oliver’s Recipes (Free, but with in-app purchases) is honestly phenomenal! I have been using it for a while now and it has truly opened up a whole new world of cooking! My wife is a useless cook (by her own admission), but even she makes the most delicious meals using the app. It is elegantly and beautifully designed with all the details well thought out! Try it – you won’t regret it!

 

Of course there are so many other great apps out there. That is the beauty of Apple devices – they are all personal depending on what apps you use.

So what are your favourite apps? I’d love to hear from you.