James Clear is an author and productivity expert who uses behavioral science to help nearly half a million newsletter subscribers optimize their habits. Nir Eyal is a tech entrepreneur, Stanford University educator and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. The two recently sat down to discuss how to put technology in its place, build a better work culture and supercharge your daily productivity. Source Nir: You’ve done a lot of work on how to change behaviors within a workplace environment. How do we prioritize properly, and how do you change productivity by developing good habits? James: So there’s a story. It’s 1918 or so, and the CEO of Bethlehem Steel, one of […]
Chances are, you know the frustration of lying awake in bed with a busy mind. Stress from the day can keep even the most exhausted of people up at night. When stress has sent you into a sleep rut, it can feel difficult—if not impossible—to get out of it. But these 10 strategies can all help your mind and body calm down so you can get the restorative sleep you’re after. Source 1. Emphasize relaxation one to two hours before bedtime. In the evening hours, decrease stimulation as much as possible. Dim the lights and slow things down. Do something you find relaxing, such as reading while wearing blue light blocking […]
Whether it’s a jolt after a cup of coffee or drowsiness after Easter dinner, most people have personally experienced how food and drinks can affect their energy and alertness. Source With as many as 35% of American adults suffering from symptoms of insomnia, it’s understandable that there’s a strong desire to take advantage of food and drinks for better sleep. Both diet and sleep are complex, which means there’s no silver bullet or single food that is guaranteed to help with sleep. However, there are some foods and drinks that may make it easier to get a great night’s sleep. Specific Foods That Can Affect Sleep Researchers, including nutritionists and […]
In our daily routines fueled by drive and ambition, sometimes we find ourselves at a crossroads: Do we push harder toward achievement, or do we take a step back and instead seek quiet happiness? Some would argue that happiness is found in the achievement. If that’s true, then I ask for someone to show me. Achievement is fleeting. Source What matters more is the feeling underneath it The challenge is how to navigate both worlds. Is it possible to both be in a position of power and be humble? Can you be wealthy outside and in? How does one navigate the grueling road of business or high-speed innovation, while […]
As gyms and studios remain closed many are taking their classes online – to Zoom, to be exact. Source: C|net I’ve been working out at home for the better part of the past two years — so when COVID-19 forced gyms and fitness studios to close down, I felt prepared to continue my workouts as usual. But even though Zoom quickly became the center of so many activities (work, hangouts with friends and family — and so much more) I hadn’t tried a workout class on Zoom pre-pandemic, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. At first I thought working out on Zoom would be strange. Why would I want anyone else to see me when I […]
It’s so tempting, but it can wreak havoc on your productivity. Here’s how to find your focus instead. And remember…it’s a two way relationship between the presenter and the attendee. Source We’ve all heard that multitasking is bad and switching between activities makes it harder to complete them. But let’s be honest—many of us multitask during Zoom meetings, especially as we enter the 10th month of working remotely and our Zoom fatigue has worsened. But checking email or making a grocery list can have a negative ripple effect you may not realize, says Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done. “Switching between tasks can […]
If there’s one wellness trend that stands out from the last couple of years, it’s mindfulness. Not only is it wildly popular, with a legion of dedicated fans across the globe, but it has also become a billion-pound business. Source: Independent So can taking time out of your day to concentrate on yourself really help to increase your health and happiness? The NHS says yes. According to its website: “Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can not only help improve mental wellbeing … but can help help you enjoy life and understand yourself better.” Thanks to the boom, there […]
Meditation is a form of mental exercise that has become a popular US health practice. Regular practice of meditation is reported to produce changes in mental state and resting electroencephalogram patterns that persist beyond the time-period of active practice. Source: Business Insider Neuroscientist Sara Lazar found that people who practiced meditation had more gray matter in the part of the brain linked to decision-making and working memory: the frontal cortex. While most people see their cortexes shrink as they age, 50-year-old meditators in the study had the same amount of gray matter as those half their age. Participants in the study averaged about 27 minutes of the habit a […]
It’s normal to feel stressed at work from time to time. But for some people, the stress becomes all-consuming, leading to exhaustion, cynicism and hatred towards your job. This is known as burnout. Burnout used to be classified as a problem related to life management, but last week the World Health Organisation re-labelled the syndrome as an “occupational phenomenon” to better reflect that burnout is a work-based syndrome caused by chronic stress. Source: World Economic Forum The newly listed dimensions of burnout are: Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job Reduced professional efficacy (work performance). In the era […]
Improve your focus, productivity, and health with this simple office fix Source: Inc Ever feel completely drained after a flight, long car ride, or just a day of sitting at a desk? Even though you were just sitting for a long time, you felt exhausted. There are so many negative side effects to simply sitting for extended periods of time. Yet, Americans sit for on average 8 hours a day, with most of these hours being at work. Sitting for such a long time can negatively affect your health, side effects include: Weight gain Poor blood circulation Heart disease Weakened muscles Diabetes Posture problems Chronic Back and neck pain Anxiety and Depression Sitting for […]