Month: March 2026 Page 1 of 2

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Steve Jobs.

The technology company Apple is 50 on April 1st. Since its formation in 1976, Apple has been driven by a belief that progress comes from those who challenge convention and imagine what could be.

Apple is known for the quality of their products and it is an ethos that is deeply entrenched in the company’s culture. For instance, their current CEO, Tim Cook, when outlining the company’s business philosophy said “We don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company.”

Steve Jobs, was co-founder of Apple along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. He was said to be obsessed with the way things were crafted and the quality of the things unseen. He was not just content to just meet specifications; he frequently went above and beyond to ensure that the products he had a hand in were made in the best way possible.

Walter Isaacson suggests in his biography of Steve Jobs that the likely source of this focus on craftsmanship was Jobs adoptive father, Paul Jobs. He was a mechanic, good with his hands and his work focused mainly on cars.

Jobs once told Isaacson, “I thought my dad’s sense of design was pretty good, because he knew how to build anything. If we needed a cabinet, he would build it. When he built our fence, he gave me a hammer so I could work with him.”

His uncompromising attitude towards quality originates from a very specific moment in his childhood about painting a garden fence.

Fifty years after the fence was constructed, Jobs showed it to Isaacson, still standing and recalled the lesson his father taught him he would never forget. Touching the boards of the inside of the fence, he said that “He loved doing things right. He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn’t see.”

As a curious child Steve wondered why his father would paint the parts of the fence that you couldn’t see as you would use less paint if you skipped those parts and also get the job done quicker.

His father told him that a great craftsman cares about doing a great job and if you compromise with the quality in any part of a quality product, even in a hidden place, then you don’t have a quality product.

Paul Jobs said that it was important for him to know he had done the best that he could.  Whilst others wouldn’t be able to see the hidden parts of the fence, he would know that the fence hadn’t been painted inside and therefore couldn’t consider it to be a quality job.

He said that his father refused to use poor wood for the back of cabinets or to build a fence that wasn’t constructed as well on the back side as it was the front. Jobs likened it to using a piece of plywood on the back of a beautiful chest of drawers. “For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

This is a good rule of thumb to remember. If you want to know whether you are looking at the work of a merely good craftsman or that of a great craftsman, simply look at the hidden parts and see if those are done properly as well.

Jobs would recall the lessons taught by his father about the attention worth paying, even to the things unseen, throughout his career and life and users of Apple products often reaped the rewards.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider any hobbies, projects, teams or work that you are involved with. What little tweaks or changes can you make to improve the quality of your output?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci.

The clocks go forward in the UK in the early hours of this coming Sunday morning and we are now in the spring season. This annual event always signals to me that it’s time for me to reflect and consider if there is a need for me to let go of anything, to declutter and simplify my life. I feel that clearing clutter helps to create some space for growth, new projects and adventures.

Completing a decluttering exercise always provides me with a sense of completion and accomplishment and it energises me. It sharpens my focus, provides clarity on my key priorities moving forward and somehow makes me feel lighter.

Clutter is defined in the dictionary as a “crowded and untidy collection of things”. That is true but it is only part of the story and describes clutter on a physical level.  A more complete definition would be:

• Items that you no longer need, want or love.
• Things that are untidy and disorganized.
• Too many things in a small space.
• An overloaded busy mind, with too many priorities to focus on.
• Anything unfinished. This can be projects or emotions.

 
Clutter can affect us on a physical level and have a negative impact on our energy levels. It can lead us to feel tired and lethargic and make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. Valuable time can also be wasted as we search for things such as looking for a document in a pile of papers.

It can weigh us down, make us put things off, procrastinate and keep us stuck in the past. As a result, we may not be able to “see the wood for the trees” and there may be no room for anything new to come into our lives.

Disposing of clutter is an important part of the change process and aligns with the Socrates quote “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”

Why not pause for a moment and consider how much of your life, home and workspace is taken up with clutter.

Clutter prevents us from focusing on what’s really important and valuable to us, our key priorities and the people closest to us. Everything we have has a call on our attention and therefore the more clutter we possess means that more of our energy is tied up in mundane matters.

When we clear out the clutter, it allows us to focus and put the important things in our life into perspective rather than being bogged down in the details of day-to-day maintenance.

The process of clearing clutter is all about learning to let go. It isn’t just about letting go of the belongings but the feelings and fear that keep us holding onto an excess of stuff. Life is constantly changing, so when something comes into your life, enjoy it, use it well and when it is time, be prepared to let it go so that you can experience new things.

As well as physical clutter, our minds can become overloaded and we can suffer from mental clutter. This is a bi-product of the modern world and our access to many forms of technology and distraction. It’s said that our conscious brain can hold just 7 bits of information. Is it any wonder then that we can sometimes feel overloaded mentally given that we’re exposed to millions of bits of information every day?

This week, why not take some time to reflect and consider if you need to let go of anything physically or emotionally.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” William E Gladstone.

International Day of Happiness is a global observance held annually on March 20. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals in the lives of human beings around the world.

This year’s theme explores the relationship between social media and happiness, highlighting the potential challenges for our wellbeing as well as ways we can all use technology for good. There’s no one “right” way to use social media but small, thoughtful choices about how we use it and how we treat each other online can make a real difference. More information about the day and how you can get involved can be found at www.dayofhappiness.net.

Here are three ways you can put happiness first and create a healthier, more intentional relationship with social media:

Step 1: Choose

Be mindful of if, when and how much you are on social media.

Pause and ask yourself, “What do I really want to do right now?” Keep a list of analogue activities you can do instead, like playing music, drawing, gardening or going outside for a walk.

Set a timer so scrolling is a short snack rather than a wormhole.

Give your mind space to think, keep the bedroom phone free, try a ‘digital sabbath’.

Step 2: Connect

Don’t let scrolling be a substitute for real connection.

Phone a friend for a chat or send some voice notes, instead of scrolling.

Make plans offline, get excited about your next adventure with loved ones.

Use social media to connect with supportive friends and communities that are meaningful to you.

Step 3: Curate

Personalise your experience to support your wellbeing.

Follow plenty of positive accounts – bloom scroll, don’t doom scroll.

Share and amplify uplifting stories, messages and ideas, be aware of misinformation.

Be kind in the comments, it matters more than you think.

If you have found this useful, spread the word and encourage others to do the same. Use the hashtag #InternationalDayOfHappiness.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider how you can use social media as a force for good, to spread a little bit of happiness and positivity.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk