Who will win the Champions League?

Football

This blog was written a few years ago but the decision matrix can be applied to the Chapions league just as well today as it could several years ago. Download a weighted decision matrix template and pick your winners today.

The Champions League starts again tonight. Chelsea only won it what seems a few short weeks ago but we can’t get enough of the Champions League apparently. Money talks of course so the main contenders are the richest clubs in Europe: Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester Utd. Man Utd didn’t even qualify for the knock put stages last year and with Scholes and Giggs a year older I don’t give then much chance so replacing them on my short list for honours come the end of the season are Bayern Munich who always do well.

It’s actually harder to pick the factors that they are to be judged on in this weighted decision matrix than it is picking the teams! We’ve gone for “Manager” as the man at the helm is instrumental in getting the tactics right. Mourinho is a master of the Champions League and gets top marks for Real Madrid.

“Record” is the second factor I chose because if you’ve done it before you’ve got an inherent sense of belief that you can do it again. You know what we mean, if you managed to kiss the girl once you’ve a great chance of kissing her again! Man City have never come close so get the lowest score here whilst Chelsea do better than you may have expected following last season’s win.

Next we get onto football basics namely, “Defending” and “Attacking”. Chelsea won last year because of a solid defence and who’s to say they won’t do it again? It was a bit dull though so hopefully Real Madrid will live up to their attacking score of five.

Lastly we’ve factored in the “Desire” element. As my old PE teacher used to say, “If your hearts not in it boy, you won’t win it” or something like that. Man City get a five for this although that may be because the motivation is one of fear in not performing for the mega rich owners whereas Real Madrid get a five because they haven’t won the Champions League in so long they will be desperate to do so.

Anyway, that’s our thoughts so now it’s your turn. You can download a matrix here. Have fun and tweet the results to your friends.

Who will win the champions league

Purposeful or Random Brainstorming?

A guest blog post by Naomi from Mindomo that can help us come up with factors to use in our weighted decision matrix tool.

Which side are you on?

There have been great debates regarding the efficiency of brainstorming in project and business planning, productivity enhancement and problem solving. Some argue that brainstorming is a powerful tool for boosting creative ideas especially as people collaborate together as part of the same group. Others suggest that brainstorming is more efficient when the person is generating ideas on its own without being influenced by the thought process of other group members. Along the same lines, in one of his articles posted in The New Yorker, Jonah Lehrer makes the point that group brainstorming stifles personal creativity. His conclusion was based on an empirical research study performed with university students from Yale University in 1958.

So, which side are you on? Has brainstorming been efficient for the development of your business life so far or not?

The debate regarding the utility of brainstorming may not be solved on the spot, in the light of a one true answer. And for this very reason it may be that the question in itself may not have been well asked to begin with. It all depends on the perspective someone is having on a particular issue or topic.

Firstly, visualize the concept on a mind map

Here’s a suggestion on how you can expand your thinking and allow yourself to visualize and analyze a concept by looking at the big picture so you won’t be tempted to look at it from one point of view only.

Brainstormining

With the help of Mindomo mind mapping application have a look at “brainstorming” and the questions mentioned above and analyze other possible options as you branch out ideas on a mind map: Secondly, give your concept a purpose

a. Know and define the topic

In this case the topic is already known as “Brainstorming”. And when placed on a mind map it becomes the central topic as it can be seen in the illustration above.

b. Research information about the topic

On a mind map, you can insert the links and keep track of your research data, having access to the desired links straight from the mind map you created.

c. Set objectives

Starting from the central topic, add other main topics that are related to the central topic or that help explain it and then branch out into clear objectives which you want to focus on as you develop your mind map.

d. Add actions to your objectives

Without establishing the right steps that need to be taken in order to achieve your objectives, your brainstorming will be purposeless. Give purpose to your brainstorming by identifying the action you need to take in order to make it efficient.

e. Get the group involved

Ask your team members to provide useful feedback and contribute with their ideas to the development of your concept. A collaborative approach may enrich your experience of brainstorming depending on how active the group members are, how focused they are on the topic and how involved they are in the process.

Mindmapping

And now see in a snapshot the details that you should focus on to make your brainstorming purposeful by using mind mapping:

Thirdly, learn how to use the concept for your work process

Just because you know or you can define a certain concept, idea or topic it does not necessarily mean that you are prepared to use it, or understand its relevance for your work process. So, before jumping to conclusions ask yourself if you are ready to learn how to make the best of an idea, in this case: are you ready to make the best of brainstorming and learn how to use it so that your work is more efficient?

How to Decide on Your Post Workout Meal

Post Workout Meal

A guest blog on a subject that can be helped with the use of weighted decision matrix.

Congratulations on starting out on a brand new fitness schedule to meet your weight loss and body weight goals. And as most newbies go, you are still grappling with what exactly you need to do after you have had a gruelling gym session. Do you reach out for that protein shake recommended by your friendly trainer? Do you head out to the nearest fast food joint to reward yourself with food? Or do you stare blankly at your kitchen wondering what you need to eat or drink? Here are some tips that can help you in deciding what you need to do immediately after your workout and help in preventing any mistakes that can nullify your fitness goals.

Drink up

Your first priority after a workout should be to replace the fluids you have lost in sweating and burning off calories. According to sports nutritionists and dieticians, guzzling water is not only helpful in reducing appetite but it also helps in quenching your thirst and rehydrating your body. Remember, however, not to consume water in massive quantities as too much water or any other fluid can result in water intoxication because of the low levels of salt in the body.

Keep refuelling along the way

If you are training for a marathon or a long bike ride, carry a sports drink bottle with you or suck down a sports gel that can help you from feeling ravenously hungry afterwards. Workouts that last longer than two hours need to be refuelled along the way. According to research, people who digest fewer calories after exercise are usually the ones who take in small quantities of carbs during exercise. Individuals who do this have a lower calorie intake over a 24 hour period (including the workout), since they have been fuelling up during the workout session. More importantly, by refuelling yourself during your gruelling training sessions, you will realise that you also do not run out of steam halfway. Look at consuming approximately 30g to 55g of carbohydrates, which is approximately 150 to 220 calories, every hour after the first hour of the workout. Keep away from anything that is protein related, as it takes a long time for the stomach to digest.

Consuming fewer calories than needed

If you are of the opinion that you are burning more calories than usual and rewarding yourself daily with heavy meals, make use of a heart rate monitor to exactly estimate your calorie burn and prevent bad food choices. A heart rate monitor can be wound around the wrist as a watch, along with a sensor strapped around the chest that synchronises wirelessly together and accurately monitors calorie burn and heart rate. Hence if your heart rate monitor reveals that you have burnt 500 calories, it is not an excuse to wolf down a 500 cal milkshake. Look at smaller and lighter snacks especially if you are trying to lose weight as the lesser calories you consume the faster will be your weight loss.

Are usually hungry?

Although you have heard that the cardinal rule of a post workout session is to consume something immediately after the exercise for your muscles to recover, the truth is you might not actually need to. For instance you would have finished up a tough run and you are aching to hit the gym for weight training. In this case, it is important that you have something to eat. But if you have taken a few days off before hitting the gym, you probably do not need to worry about refuelling your body immediately. If you are not feeling hungry, do not force yourself to eat. You can save those calories for your next meal when you are actually hungry. Listen to your hunger cues and eat accordingly.

More info here: meet your weight loss and body weight goals

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