5 Morning Habits That Will Make You Super Productive All Day

5 Morning Habits That Will Make You Super Productive All Day

If waking up at 4 a.m. isn’t for you, there are other ways to set yourself up for a fast start. Source: Inc. Would you like to get a jump start on your day and keep yourself in a high state of productivity all day, every day? Before you start your work routine at your normal earthly time, consider this: many of the world’s most successful founders and CEOs (think Apple’s Tim Cook) have an edge because they’re starting their day at a time when the rest of us are still asleep. How early are we talking? As I covered here, 4 a.m. may be the most productive time of the day, because there are minimal distractions before […]

Work Damages Your Brain Health, But 4 Strategies Can Improve It, Study Finds

Work Damages Your Brain Health, But 4 Strategies Can Improve It, Study Finds

Your brain health is just as important as the health of other parts of your body. We know that professional football players and boxers suffer brain damage from constant punches to the head. But research also shows that work stress causes structural changes in the brain circuitry that can cause long-term harm on the nervous system. Chronic job stress such as an abusive boss, sexual harassment, a bully coworker or a work culture that thrives on crisis, chaos and pressure are examples of stress that can cause atrophy of the brain mass and decrease in brain weight. Source: Forbes The 2022 Brain Health Report It’s a no-brainer that most people, whether they […]

5 Things to Declutter to Prepare For a Productive 2023

5 Things to Declutter to Prepare For a Productive 2023

Take time to remove these energy-draining items from your business. Source: Inc Entrepreneurship is a growth experience. But while you’re constantly focused on expansion, you may be inadvertently overlooking items that cause your business to contract. In fact, a consistent push forward at all costs way of thinking can prevent even the most-savvy entrepreneurs from growing. If you really want to make a difference in your business’s future success, it’s worth your time and effort to declutter unnecessary items from your day-to-day routines. Here are five tips to help you declutter unwanted, worn-out, and stagnant items in your business. 1. Declutter your mindset. The single most important thing that will determine your future success […]

How to Learn Any Skill Fast

How to Learn Any Skill Fast

It comes down to these four timeless principles. Source: inc.com If only I could have learned a new language last year. If only I learned about investing when I was still in my early 20s. For many of us, there are more things we want to learn than we have time to. Shortening the learning curve is a topic that’s been studied for many years. I’ve personally applied what I’m about to share now to learning how to speak Spanish, English, and Korean (plus a bit of Portuguese). You will also be able to leverage these principles in any topic including business, musical instruments, and more. Deconstruct the skill The first step is to […]

Περί ύπνου: Τα οφέλη της αγκαλιάς στον ύπνο!

Περί ύπνου: Τα οφέλη της αγκαλιάς στον ύπνο!

Πόσο συχνά ακούμε από τους γύρω μας ή έχουμε νιώσει και οι ίδιοι, ότι ο ύπνος μας γίνεται αμέσως πιο ποιοτικός όταν κοιμόμαστε αγκαλιά με τον αγαπημένο ή την αγαπημένη μας, με το κατοικίδιο μας ή ακόμη και με το αγαπημένο μας μαξιλάρι; Source Ο κοινός παρονομαστής σε αυτή την συλλογική ανάγκη «να κοιμηθούμε αγκαλιά», είναι η διαφορά που επιφέρει στον εγκέφαλό μας και εν συνεχεία στο σώμα μας. Συγκεκριμένα, έρευνες έχουν δείξει πως: • Κατά τη διάρκεια της αγκαλιάς παράγεται η ωκυτοκίνη, μία ορμόνη η οποία έχει οριστεί αρκετές φορές ως η «ορμόνη της αγάπης». Η ορμόνη αυτή βιολογικά, παίζει σημαντικό ρόλο αφού η έκκριση της συμβάλλει κατά τη γέννα στη διαστολή της […]

How to Get People to Actually Participate in Virtual Meetings

How to Get People to Actually Participate in Virtual Meetings

One of the most challenging aspects of a virtual meeting is keeping people’s attention. It’s important to be thoughtful about how you engage attendees. In the first minute of your meeting, help participants experience the problem you want them to solve by sharing statistics, anecdotes, or analogies that dramatize the issue. Then emphasize shared responsibility for solving it. Define a highly structured and brief task they can tackle in small groups of two or three people and give them a medium with which to communicate with one another (video conference, Slack channel, messaging platform, audio breakouts).  Then have the groups report out. Never go longer than 5-10 minutes without giving […]

Secrets of engaging remote meetings

Secrets of engaging remote meetings

During the remote meeting Source 1. Introduce everyone The video camera doesn’t show every speaker throughout the meeting. Some software shows an icon or picture of who is involved in the meeting, but it is good practice to introduce everyone attending. Managers at OnPoint Consulting post pictures of attendees on the wall when the video is not used, because people are more willing to participate and are more open when they know who’s on the call. The most important step for increasing meeting engagement in my opinion is for the meeting host to ensure that all attendees are introduced and announced at the meeting, including their role (obviously if there […]

Digital minimalism 101: How to clear out your digital clutter and find focus and calm in 30 days

Digital minimalism 101: How to clear out your digital clutter and find focus and calm in 30 days

“How do you simplify your digital life?” is quickly becoming the question of our generation. Between packed calendars, overflowing inboxes, and the constant pull of social media and news (and Netflix) it can feel like how you spend your time online isn’t really up to you. Source But what if there was a way to use your technology without feeling used by it? The answer is Digital minimalism. Coined by author and computer science professor Cal Newport in his book of the same name, Digital minimalism is a philosophy of technology use based on the understanding that our relationship with our apps, tools, and phones is nuanced and deserves more […]

Πώς να περάσεις δημιουργικά τις φετινές γιορτές;

Πώς να περάσεις δημιουργικά τις φετινές γιορτές;

Τί είναι οι γιορτές; Όμορφες στιγμές, αληθινές και ζεστές. Και αυτές οι στιγμές είναι που μετράνε πολύ περισσότερο από τα πλουσιοπάροχα τραπέζια και τα φανταχτερά στολίδια και τραπεζομάντηλα. Ας δημιουργήσουμε και φέτος στιγμές. Στιγμές που θα υπάρξουμε μέσα τους, συνδεδεμένοι με όποιον τρόπο μπορούμε με αυτούς που αγαπάμε μέσα από την καρδιά μας. Ας κάνουμε κάθε στιγμή να μετρήσει, ας της δώσουμε την αξία που της αναλογεί. Το στοίχημα είναι να μετατρέψουμε το διαφορετικό, το πρωτόγνωρο για πολλούς από εμάς, σε μία θετική εμπειρία. Στολίστε το σπίτι σας Έστω και αν είστε μόνοι. Κάντε το για εσάς. Αφιερώνοντας αυτές τις γιορτινές μέρες στον εαυτό σας! Γιορτάζοντας τις νίκες του! Φτιάξτε […]

“Pandemic posture” hurting your back? You can fix it!

“Pandemic posture” hurting your back? You can fix it!

Here’s what to do if you’ve developed back pain from poor posture habits picked up in the last year. Source Move over, “Quarantine 15.” That term, coined for pandemic-era weight gain, isn’t the only catchy phrase from this challenging time. Now there’s “pandemic posture,” referring to poor posture from slouching at a desk or on a couch during time at home — and it brings lots of back pain complaints with it. We asked Dr. David Binder, a physiatrist and director of innovation at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, about this phenomenon and what to do if you’re experiencing it. Q. Is “pandemic posture” real? Dr. Binder: Yes, we have seen increased […]