Parkour practice includes proprioceptive training, increasing the spatial awareness of one’s limbs, which increases your body’s capabilities to do things that might otherwise seem impossible.

I can’t say I’m training heavily, or even do a tenth of some practitioners of the sport, but being able to navigate obstacles without seeing them as obstacles is a good mindset to cultivate. Such a mindset has wide ranging application.

In this video the stunt skilled driver displays how it can be done turbo style, with minimal fuss, and no to-ing and fro-ing. Forget parallel parking, this is the time saving method of lateral car parking. See how it’s done after the break…

(I love the info-graphics overlaid on that clip, awesome work!)

Stuff. That’s what clutters up or lives for the most part.

We tend to think that having more items to fulfill functions within our lives will enhance our lives, whilst forgetting that for each item a place must be found for it to live, and to be useful we must spend time/energy in caring for it. Each item is a pet, each is an animal, and we are spending time in caring for our time zoo.

To lower the number of occupants in your zoo, consider integrating devices. Often there may be a small amount of compromise, that would not be the case when using specialized devices.

Even so, keeping only one horse to ride instead of keeping a donkey, ass, camel, and elephant as well (in the off chance you might ride one of them) would save more in feeding and upkeep over any riding efficiencies of the specialized animals. Plus, if you really have to negotiate that desert you could hire a camel when you need it.
Setting some animals free from your Time Zoo also sets you free in equal measure. Less time spent tidying up those things that clutter up life.
So the next time you’re about to purchase that ‘must have’ item, think about how much time it ‘must have’ from you when it occupies your Time Zoo.

Apparently this hypothetical question is about showing what is important to you. It was posed to me a number of years ago, but with a change of situation over the years my answer has remained constant. In fact, I don’t see my answer ever changing from what instantly popped into my mind at the time.

What would you take with you?

I’ve heard a number of answers, ranging from the obvious; “the family”, “the pet”, through the material; “passport”, “files”, “jewellery”, “phone”, to the eclectic such as “Love”. No, I don’t understand that last answer either, but the question is a personal one and as such it has no right or wrong answer.

From the answer I gave to the question I’ve discovered that what is important to me is a fresh approach to problem solving. In fact the answer partly influenced the creation of thoughtlateral.com.

What was my answer? “The fire itself”.

I hypothesize that increased pollution is either directly causing the symptoms of hayfever, or accentuating the sensitivity to pollen.

Hayfever? Pollution fever more likely!

Ultimately you decide whether it's raining debt, or raining credit.

“You don’t need a job to survive the recession?…Yeah, right!” some may serve up as a retort – along with a generous side portion of sarcasm. Others may envisage that I’m about to expunge the joys of financial prudence like a nan.

“You don’t need a job to survive the recession”. Honestly I really mean it, and truly believe it. Here’s why…

A job, unless you’re self-employed, means someone else giving you a ‘handout’ (salary) according to the value your services have to them.

Think about why you supposedly need such a job?

To make ends meet. To keep the baliffs out. To put bread on the table. To keep a roof over your head. It’s all about making money.

You don’t really need a job, what you need is to make money. A job just provides you with one way of doing that.

Freeing up your thought process to see the wider picture allows you to be more creative in the solutions to making money that you come up with.

For example,  de-clutter the house by selling unused possessions. (Many people are currently looking to buy cheap goods to ‘make do’ and help them through a financial rough spot).

Or perhaps, start a local leaflet around your neighbourhood with money saving tips. See if local businesses would be interested in offering a modest discount to customers holding your leaflet, which has an advert for their business on it.

Or even, join ailing businesses together into a ‘service chain’. Help an accessories store to cross-advertise with a hairdresser and nail bar – helping ladies to get glammed up for a night-out without breaking the bank to do so.

You don’t really need a job, what you need is to make money. So if the Recession, like Life, doesn’t give you an opportunity – then feel free to make one!

No, that’s not a euphemism for swearing. You did read it correctly.

“Swoopo” is the cross between an auction site & gambling site. An odd idea, intelligently humourous, and well executed.

The idea is that bids only increase by a nominal amount (e.g. 10pence) for each bid made. When a bid is made it increases the auction’s countdown clock by a few seconds (e.g. 20secs). If the clock reaches zero with your username on the bid you get the goods going for a song. Music to the ears of most people during a recession, no?

It offers paticipants the potential for massive savings up to 100% off, I kid you not.

Such savings can be offered as each bid made has been prior purchased, and 50p of which goes towards meeting the company’s needs. So if we do the maths… an auction item reaching £100.00 would have involved 1000 bids, each earning the company 50p. For those of you reaching for a calculator – that’s £500 for the company. (Well I did say their idea was “intelligent” didn’t I?)

Now that’s what I call e-Commerce with an Eeeeeee!

I’m sure they will be in the news in the not too distant future…

Some bagged bargains on completed auctions

A simple fiddle of the knob, and you're in the future already!

T – 5:00 and counting….

I used to have a digital watch for a Digital age, and perceived them to be superior to analogue watches. Modern digital watches are for modern times – or so the reasoning went.

…T- 4:00…

However, such a view was short sighted as analogue systems have a  benefit I much underestimated .

…T- 3:00…

You can see the scale as a continuous range. For example, on a watch you can see the future time lying ahead of the minute hand, and the past that lays behind it.

…T – 2:00…

Using this advantage, I’ve set my analogue watch five minutes ahead of the actual time.

…T – 1:00…

This continually conditions the mind to see five minutes into the future. It helps re-align my present actions so I’m in the correct place, or have done what I need to, when the time arrives.

…0:00 Time out!

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

“What does every man wish he had more of, but never knows when he has it?” says the Riddle.

“Sleep” replies the Answer.

I’ve come to think that battles of  “Morning commute rush” and “Groggy afternoon malaise” are won the night before, particularly in the time I go to sleep. The earlier the bedtime, the less likely the following morning would seem like a rat race, or the afternoon turn into a sleep-deprived stupor.

It is said the sleep hours before midnight are worth double those after, and I’ve found this has some truth to it.

However, there is a counter force that resists earlier bedtimes. Long work hours means there’s no evening to be had. So watching a late movie tempts to improve the work-life balance. Thinking laterally though, the long work hours may be shortened if adequate sleep is obtained the night before – as the better productivity results.

So the more sleep, the more likely this vicious cycle will get a puncture.

Can any road really be "safe"?

“Road safety” is a term used to represent “Road traffic safety”. However, I feel it to be a misnomer as it suggests the possibility of a ‘safe road’, which is non-existent.

A road of itself is neither safe nor unsafe. It is the manner in which the road is used that creates danger, or lack of safety.

For example, a road with a particularly sharp bend is neither safe nor unsafe. If however a driver decides to navigate such a road at high velocity, they are likely to come a cropper, almost certainly in fact. This is not due to any fault with the road, but the driver choosing the incorrect velocity to get around the bend.

A road is neither good or bad. It just is. It is up to the driver to accept it, and drive accordingly to the road conditions.

Surely an icy road is unsafe?

No. An icy road is simply less tolerant of driver error. A vehicle with the correct tyres driven with good skill would have no difficulty, but an uprepared driver with unprepared vehicle would be a different matter.