How to stretch your sense of time
It may sound incredible, but making time for others can make you feel less stressed about time. Sounds counterintuitive, right? When you feel like you have too much to do and too little time to do it, you probably limit your activities. I know feeling pressed for time can make me cut back on seeing friends,...
Music to avoid if you want to focus
Two-thirds of us listen to music while working. But if it’s music that stimulates you or turns you on, you may be listening to the wrong music, says Will Henshall, founder of Focus @Will. I recently listened to a Ted Talk he gave on music for productivity a few years ago. Music that stimulates could...
What holds you back
Most people don’t achieve their goals. The problem is that they don’t know how to define progress, according to Ajit Nawalkha, cofounder of Evercoach. We tend to think all we need to do is: 1) define the goal, and then 2) achieve the goal. “But our progress is really three different steps,” says Nawalkha. First,...
How not working can be more productive than working
Here’s a paradox. Did you know that sometimes the best way to get work done is not to work? It sounds counterintuitive, right? How can you get work done by not working? By now, you’re probably thinking I’m delusional. But when you work more hours than usual you may neglect your health. You think you’ll...
How to-do lists could be improved
I like to-do lists. But they can be flawed. We apparently think they’re better than they are. Nearly two-thirds of professionals use to-do lists, according to a LinkedIn survey. But only 11 percent of people who use them say they get everything on their lists done in a day. What explains the gap between how...
Quitting the pecking order
Some chickens produce more eggs than others. Super chickens produce the most eggs. In one study, super chickens distinguished themselves by pecking the others to death. It seems the individually successful chickens achieved their success by suppressing the productivity of the rest. According to Margaret Heffernan, who describes this for Ted Radio Hour, people who...
It’s okay to be obsessed
On Quora.com, a reader wanted to know what goes into the making of a great entrepreneur like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, or Richard Branson. Justine Musk shed light on what it takes. As a former wife of one of the “extreme entrepreneurs” mentioned, she should know. “Be obsessed,” she wrote three times. “If...
Work habits of the creative class
Rene Descartes, the French philosopher, slept 10 hours a night. He would wake mid-morning, linger in bed thinking and writing. By 11:00 a.m., he was usually done with work for the day. Unlike many other creatives, he believed idleness was important for good mental work. It’s a position I endorse. Apparently he made sure never...
Writing on the side
Never assume anything. I used to think anyone who did something well had to spend all his or her time doing it. Someone like Emily Dickinson comes to mind. All she did was sit around in a room and write. But not everyone has that luxury. Now I’ve begun to think that if I assume...
Can’t we all just slow down?
This summer, time has been on my mind. Or rather, the lack of it nipped at my heels. At my day job, I never seemed to have enough of it. Days quickly melted into nights. My reasoning desperately sought to squeeze more work time out of the day, despite diminishing marginal returns. If I left work 15...
On the power of music
If you’ve ever had one of those days or weeks when you feel blah or a shadow of your more energetic, productive self, consider the power of music to speak to your inner core. Not only can it wake you up and change your outlook, it might even get your inspiration flowing again. If you’re...
The evolution of an innovator
Innovators don’t accept things as they are. For them, there’s always a better way of doing something. They’re not afraid to reject traditional approaches to work. When they know something isn’t a good fit, they may reinvent themselves a few times, as they home in on what they really want to be doing. Take Letitia...