This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.
Like Cortez who burnt his ships, limit your options to be successful. Careers blogger Penelope Trunk says having a lot of alternatives makes you lazy, increases anxiety, and leads to decision avoidance. Ignore the fear of some formidable project or career leap; just go for it, without fallback possibilities. PenelopeTrunk.com
Don't just follow the trend
Beware the zeitgeister, who only cares what's trending now, warns entrepreneur Seth Godin. The zeitgeister interrupts long-term strategy discussions to talk urgently about today's micro-trend and has little knowledge of the industry's foundations, just an out-of-context understanding of today's state of the art, which is insufficient for future success. Seth's Blog
Prioritize that to-do list
Try a 1-3-5 to-do list – write down one big thing you need to accomplish, three medium-priority tasks, and five smaller "nice to haves." That provides a simple, prioritized list to attack. Lifehacker
When planning, look for 'swing factors'
When faced with a big-ticket investment decision – a complex, multibillion-dollar effort – start with "swing factors," items where uncertainty is the greatest, before developing a detailed business plan. Examples might be commodity prices or for a mining project the cost of a railway line through difficult, remote terrain. McKinsey & Company
How do you want to wake up?
Your work day often begins with a struggle with the alarm. Tech blogger Michelle Smith recommends Alarm Clock Xtreme for Android, which lets allows wide customization, including a gentle wake up, snooze with a math puzzle solver, and an alarm repeater with many options. Lifehack.org
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter