Habits, routines, and rituals are all frequently written about and discussed. Sometimes they are interchanged in conversation, and many don’t understand the difference. As I have spent years working on routines and habits, I’ve had question like: Do...
The last two days, we have covered time and strengths as two self-awareness areas to help achieve our goals. Today, we are going to cover the third (and final) area - motivation. The three assessments below can help us understand projects that get us excited to wake...
Keeping a journal isn’t for everyone. For those who do journal, there are a lot of different approaches. The Gratitude Journal. The One Sentence Journal. The Bullet Journal. Since today, April 17th, is National Haiku Day, you could give Haiku journaling a try...
There was a concept from the book That Will Never Work by Mark Randolph the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix. He incorporated a process in business that he called “scraping the barnacles off the hull. Background For those who aren’t familiar, barnacles are marine...
Yesterday, we covered the shift in language to change things you want to do from verbs to nouns. Instead of “I want to run more” you say, “I am a runner”. The subtle change is to shift your identity into that of a runner which will increase the likelihood that...
In my post on Saturday, I highlighted a Daily Boost Podcast titled How Bad Do You Want to Live Your Dreams. During this podcast, the host challenges us to think about the things we want in life. Below is the quote that really struck me: “You will always do what you...
I recently read a short article from Luxe Digital focused on the latest luxury trends. Over the years, the definition of luxury has changed. Sometimes the focus has been on products. Other times on experiences. Sometimes the expression was opulent. Other...
As I prepared my coffee this morning, I smiled at the statement inside the cup – “You Grow Girl”. I thought about it and realized that every morning that this mug is in rotation, I smile. The day starts off right. There are two additional mugs...
Last week, The Next Big Idea Daily podcast (S4; E1-5) focused on Greg McKeown and his book Effortless. Each day, there was a lesson from the book and then a conversation between Greg and host Michael Kovnat. The week was full of interesting ideas and...
Mise en place is a French phrase used by chefs in professional kitchens. This statement means “putting things in place” or “gathering”. The idea is that when you do a proper setup before cooking, the kitchen will run more smoothly, keep things in order,...
This week has been focused on the benefits of not multi-tasking. We covered why shift to single tasking to improve focus and productivity. We reviewed how task batching and time blocking could help with single tasking. Then, we looked at how those strategies might...
The Pomodoro technique is a productivity approach that suggests you focus on a single project for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes. After four 25-minute segments, you take a longer 15-minute break. There are many advantages to this technique. You...
Ten to fifteen years ago, multi-tasking was a part of many conversations on how to be more productive. Making calls while driving. Answering emails while in a meeting. Dealing with text messages while working on a presentation. Watching TV while playing with...
When life gets busy, we can suddenly find ourselves running our lives in defense mode. We are going to the meetings, completing deliverables, getting the kids to events, making meals, and all the other things. These are the times that we feel like we are on defense...
Yesterday, the blog covered a foundational understanding of your energy each day. When it peaks and what you need to recharge. This post will take that knowledge and introduce activities that make up our days. By combining your understanding of your daily...
We all procrastinate. In fact, Darius Foroux conducted a survey of 2200 of his newsletter readers and found that 88% of professional workers procrastinate at least one hour per day. You can read all his findings here. There are many reasons we give ourselves for...
The other day, I heard someone mention “OOPS Syndrome” in a conversation about calendars. I questioned what OOPS was and the response was “it’s Overly Optimistic Planning Syndrome”. This made me laugh out loud with familiarity – both something I see in myself as...
We have all been there. Our email box is full of messages. Some have been read, but not responded to. Some are “looming” unread. Important ones are likely lost in the mix. Unnecessary ones are taking up space. For some, this mess of email causes mental clutter. This...
This past week, in a workshop I’m taking, I was prompted to write down my process of creating. While this seems obvious, I hadn’t done it before. Writing the process down was quick and the result was so valuable. This reminded me of Laura Woodruff...
Today, I’m combining thinking from Gretchen Rubin and Laura Vanderkam with a bit of my own perspective sprinkled in. Several years ago, Gretchen started talking about alternatives to the “to do” list. She turned her concepts into a cute gift. You might want to...
Personal development is an ongoing process. We continue to work on different areas of our lives with the goal of improvement. Along the way, some things we try will work and we stick with them. Others will fail and fade away. Adapting a test and learn mindset helps...