Becoming More Decisive

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Maybe it's selecting what to order from an extensive restaurant menu. Or choosing which event to attend when two are happening at the same time. We are faced with many decisions every day. Hundreds of them, if you really stop to think about it.

Some of them are easy, like what to have for breakfast or what to wear (that one is generally easier for men than women, in my experience).

Other decisions are more involved. They may require gathering additional information or input from others.

One thing that is clear about highly productive and successful people is that they are good at making decisions. They make decisions in a timely manner, and deal with the outcomes as they occur.

To Decide Or Not To Decide

I don't know about you, but I am not a very good decision maker.

I can handle the easy stuff. In fact, I am pretty productive person and make lots of decisions that I can implement myself.

But when it comes to things that require the involvement of other people or more coordination, I struggle.

I get too wrapped up in the different possibilities. I magnify the things that need to happen in order to gather the appropriate information or to execute the decision. I worry way too much about making the wrong decision. (And later I beat myself up for making wrong decisions, or not making the right one soon enough.)

What happens is I freeze.

I do nothing. I wait to see if things will just "work themselves out."

And here's the thing. Stuff does actually work out one way or another. Days continue to go by. But there isn't a lot of change or growth that happens if you are frozen.

Being wrong

In order to become more decisive, I have to accept the possibility of being wrong.

I mean, no one can be right 100% of the time. We're human beings, and we make bad decisions all the time. It's not the end of the world.

Plus, a lot of decisions don't really have a "right" or "wrong," just different outcomes. Trade offs. Maybe several outcomes are good, just in different ways. Maybe none of the outcomes are good, but you have to choose one anyway (I hate those kind!!)

Making decisions takes a strength of character that can manage the outcomes, no matter what they might be.

Each year I choose a word to guide my actions, priorities and growth. This year, my word is decisiveness.

I will be working to improve my ability to make decisions with wisdom and courage. How about you? Could you be a little more decisive in your life and your business? Do you tend to freeze when faced with difficult situations? Maybe you have a different relationship with decisiveness. I think this is a valuable area to explore and discuss, so share your thoughts in the comments.

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How to Start Getting Better Sleep & Adjust Your Patterns

It is easy to think that in order to be successful, we should limit the overall amount of time we spend lying down in bed. After all, that time sleeping could instead be used to work a little bit more, right?

Well, it can, but there is also something to be said for more sleep equalling better productivity.

In the high-paced entrepreneurial world, it’s easy to get caught up in the culture of listening to others bragging about how little they sleep, which in turn may make you feel like you need to do the same.

However, “slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb you should connect with, as those who pace themselves can avoid being burnt out later on.

Sure, there is no denying that some successful people thrive on unusual sleeping patterns, but what works for them may not necessarily work for you.

If you’re utterly exhausted each day but convinced that less sleep means you can do more work, then you’re only fooling yourself. Ultimately it can be counterproductive to sleep fewer hours simply to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak.

How to Start Getting Better Sleep

Along with the knowledge that you are preventing fatigue later down the line, there are many great reasons why more sleep can help boost your body and mind, including becoming less distracted, making better decisions over the day, improved memory, and fewer mistakes.

Furthermore, more sleep will make you far less likely to reach for coffee or energy drinks simply to keep you focused. And don’t even think that you can simply “catch up” on sleep over the weekend after a busy week, as this method won’t work at all

Human beings need a regular sleeping pattern.

So, if you’re a busy person but have always felt that you never have the time to get a decent amount of quality sleep, then consider the following points:


1. Incorporate it into your schedule

Although it might seem odd to write “go to sleep” into your diary as part of your schedule, marking out a point in a 24-hour day when you can lie down and forget your worries is hugely important.

Of course, many people work on different timetables over the day, so stating that 11 pm should be your bedtime isn’t realistic for everyone.

However, planning out your day so you can make time for at 6-8 hours of sleep is a good habit to start. Is 2 am to 10 am the only viable option?

That’s fine, but as long as that’s a schedule you can stick to, then do it.

2. Have the best sleep that you can possibly get

It might be tempting to leave your phone on when you sleep “in case of business emergencies,” but if people are aware that they can contact you 24/7, then how can you ever truly relax?

Your mind needs to be in a state of rest at some point of the day, so try to make it a rule that when you sleep, your phone does as well.

This goes for checking emails and all manner of work communication before bed too, as this should be unwinding time, and any work news isn’t likely to make you unwind!

In general, your sleeping environment should be as close to perfect as you can get.

A memory foam mattress is often considered a great option to ensure a comfortable sleep, but make sure to read the pros and cons so you can make up your own mind before committing.

As for other sleep accessories, eye masks and white noise machines are also worthwhile to help getting the best sleep possible. This is your time to focus on anything but work, so switch off that part of your brain and simply relax.


3. Tactical naps

This is really a day-by-day scenario, but when there are a spare 20 minutes over the course of your work time, then by all means, take a 10 to 20-minute nap.

Any longer can kick your brain into a deep REM sleep, which may make you feel groggy when you wake up.

Short naps have long been associated with improved cognitive functions, so if you feel your eyes start to droop and concentration slipping, there is every reason to power down for at least 20 minutes.

Some major companies even urge their employees to take a quick nap over the working day, including Google, Zappos, Uber, and Ben & Jerry’s.

Mary Gresham, a clinical psychologist in Atlanta, says:


“MORE AND MORE, WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP AS A MECHANISM OF CONSOLIDATING INFORMATION, DEALING WITH THE EVENTS OF THE DAY, AND RECHARGING OUR ENERGY.”

Stefan Camenzind, CEO of Evolution Design, also adds:


“MOST PEOPLE ARE TOLD THAT THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LONGER YOU WORK, THE BETTER IT IS. THAT’S NOT SUSTAINABLE, AND THAT’S PROBABLY ALSO NOT TRUE. IT’S ABOUT SMART WORKING, AND THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO RECHARGE. IN THIS CONTEXT, NAP ROOMS BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT.”


Final thoughts

In the end, being successful is something that is built over time.

But although many entrepreneurs will make the point that hard work and dedication are the tools for accomplishment, they are not the only means.

Along with the many great ways to reduce stress, good sleep lets us remain focused on the tasks ahead and allows us to unwind.

“Sleep on it” is yet another proverb that you’ll be familiar, but it certainly holds true, as often that “Eureka” moment first thing in the morning.

Work is important, no doubt, but it isn’t our whole life.

Do you really want to sacrifice your social and family life simply to tell others how hard you’re working?

Think about the long-term. So, if you are feeling beyond tired and believe that you need to work longer in order to keep up with your competitors, think again. Take the time to genuinely rest your body and mind and you will be far better off in the future.
Are you getting better sleep after reading this article? Leave a comment below
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7 Habits All Successful Supermoms Possess

Being a supermom is pretty simple;

A supermom is someone who makes everything look easy.

They get work done like a breeze, cook and clean, manage kids and hubby with complete ease, and still have time to volunteer at the homeless shelter, arrange dinner gatherings and last but not least, look amazing at all times.

7 Habits Successful Supermoms Possess

But the question is, how do they manage get all that done?

Here are the 7 habits of a successful supermom that make them the happiest mothers:


1. Get an early start

Getting an early start is the secret to the organized life of a supermom.

Start your day with a warm shower and get things done with the help of a daily check-list. All you need is to get into a routine of waking up early.

For example, many women have a crazy obsession with their kitchen. It has to be clean before they do anything else. So, they wake up and clean the kitchen each morning.

Doing that one thing right sets up their whole day for small victories like this one.


2. Stick to your schedule

Find out what kind of schedule works best for you and stick with it.

With the many things that you need to take care of at home and work, it can be a little hard to keep up. Save your time – and your sanity by making a list all of the things you need to do. Jot them all down priority-wise.

Cross each item off the list as soon as it’s done. A simple way to efficiently manage your time and schedule is to divide the day into blocks or chunks. Allocate each chunk for specific tasks and do your best at them all.

When the time’s up, move onto the next task. For instance, one hour for cleaning, one hour for kids’ play time, TV time etc.

3. Family comes first

No matter how tough your schedule, your family should always come first.

Always consider your spouse and your children your very first priority. Take time out for your children every day. Have them sit on your lap and read a book.

Get on your hands and knees and play with their toys, have arts and crafts sessions with them, bake brownies with you daughters in the kitchen. There are loads of things you can do to spend time with your family, even if it is for a couple of minutes.


4. Embrace a healthy lifestyle

Being a mom can be stressful at times, but the experience is also a very beautiful one.

Every mother is usually seen running after her kids and finishing errands. But no matter how busy she is, a successful supermom never runs out of time when it comes to living healthy.

Yoga is an amazing way to bring a beautiful, self-loving and accepting energy into your life. You should think of incorporating yoga in your life, because a regular practice will keep you centred and strong. Also, get creative in the kitchen and create delicious and healthful meals for the whole family.

Let’s admit it mommies. That cup of coffee or tea during a hectic day is a much-needed and pleasurable break that can’t be missed. But instead of coffee, take green tea or herbal tea instead. A cup a day will add much more energy to your life!


5. Laugh your heart out

Life is lot better when you are laughing.

Learn to smile and laugh at anything and everything that comes your way.

Nothing can go perfectly every day. There will be days when you actually just want to cry and that’s okay. As a mother, you may also sometimes bump into chaotic situations.

Try not to get cross on petty issues, because we all make mistakes. To relieve the stress, all you need is to laugh out loud.


6. De-clutter your home

A successful supermom knows how to de-clutter her home. Your home will be a lot more harmonious when everyone can find what they are looking for.

Throw out anything that you have not worn or used in the past 1 year. Furniture, old newspapers and weekly magazines, clothes the kids have grown out of and regular stuff in general.

After every three months, you can do a ‘grand cleaning’ to de-clutter the entire house. Involve your kids to clean out the closets and donate what you don’t need to charity.

Pack and set aside the seasonal clothes in storage under the beds. Arrange a garage sale where the kids (and you!) can sell any old possessions that you want to part with. And if you are short of space, you can still keep things in order with shelving, hooks, and storage bins.
7. Have fun because you deserve it

Taking some time out to have fun and enjoy some ‘me time’ is just not only okay, it’s a good thing! You can always leave the kids with your husband, friend, mom, cousin, or baby sitter and have a girls’ night out!

You can also plan a weekly get together with your lady friends for lunch or dinner. Such outings for your leisure can be an awesome way to regain the positive energy that you will need for the week ahead.

Socializing with friends you can count on is always wonderful.

Alternatively, you can also fix an appointment with your stylist to get some beauty treatments like a mani-pedi, a hot oil massage and a fresh haircut. Remember all the hard work you put in every day, you deserve this bit!


Summary

Here’s a quick recap on the seven habits all successful supermoms possess:
Get an early start
Stick to your schedule
Family comes first
Embrace a healthy lifestyle
Laugh your heart out
De-clutter your home
Have fun because you deserve it
Are you a supermom? Has this article helped you? Leave a comment below.

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How to Start Getting Better Sleep & Adjust Your Patterns

It is easy to think that in order to be successful, we should limit the overall amount of time we spend lying down in bed. After all, that time sleeping could instead be used to work a little bit more, right?

Well, it can, but there is also something to be said for more sleep equalling better productivity.

In the high-paced entrepreneurial world, it’s easy to get caught up in the culture of listening to others bragging about how little they sleep, which in turn may make you feel like you need to do the same.

However, “slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb you should connect with, as those who pace themselves can avoid being burnt out later on.

Sure, there is no denying that some successful people thrive on unusual sleeping patterns, but what works for them may not necessarily work for you.

If you’re utterly exhausted each day but convinced that less sleep means you can do more work, then you’re only fooling yourself. Ultimately it can be counterproductive to sleep fewer hours simply to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak.


How to Start Getting Better Sleep

Along with the knowledge that you are preventing fatigue later down the line, there are many great reasons why more sleep can help boost your body and mind, including becoming less distracted, making better decisions over the day, improved memory, and fewer mistakes.

Furthermore, more sleep will make you far less likely to reach for coffee or energy drinks simply to keep you focused. And don’t even think that you can simply “catch up” on sleep over the weekend after a busy week, as this method won’t work at all!

Human beings need a regular sleeping pattern.

So, if you’re a busy person but have always felt that you never have the time to get a decent amount of quality sleep, then consider the following points:


1. Incorporate it into your schedule

Although it might seem odd to write “go to sleep” into your diary as part of your schedule, marking out a point in a 24-hour day when you can lie down and forget your worries is hugely important.

Of course, many people work on different timetables over the day, so stating that 11 pm should be your bedtime isn’t realistic for everyone.

However, planning out your day so you can make time for at 6-8 hours of sleep is a good habit to start. Is 2 am to 10 am the only viable option?

That’s fine, but as long as that’s a schedule you can stick to, then do it.

2. Have the best sleep that you can possibly get

It might be tempting to leave your phone on when you sleep “in case of business emergencies,” but if people are aware that they can contact you 24/7, then how can you ever truly relax?

Your mind needs to be in a state of rest at some point of the day, so try to make it a rule that when you sleep, your phone does as well.

This goes for checking emails and all manner of work communication before bed too, as this should be unwinding time, and any work news isn’t likely to make you unwind!

In general, your sleeping environment should be as close to perfect as you can get.

A memory foam mattress is often considered a great option to ensure a comfortable sleep, but make sure to read the pros and cons so you can make up your own mind before committing.

As for other sleep accessories, eye masks and white noise machines are also worthwhile to help getting the best sleep possible. This is your time to focus on anything but work, so switch off that part of your brain and simply relax.


3. Tactical naps

This is really a day-by-day scenario, but when there are a spare 20 minutes over the course of your work time, then by all means, take a 10 to 20-minute nap.

Any longer can kick your brain into a deep REM sleep, which may make you feel groggy when you wake up.

Short naps have long been associated with improved cognitive functions, so if you feel your eyes start to droop and concentration slipping, there is every reason to power down for at least 20 minutes.

Some major companies even urge their employees to take a quick nap over the working day, including Google, Zappos, Uber, and Ben & Jerry’s.

Mary Gresham, a clinical psychologist in Atlanta, says:

“MORE AND MORE, WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP AS A MECHANISM OF CONSOLIDATING INFORMATION, DEALING WITH THE EVENTS OF THE DAY, AND RECHARGING OUR ENERGY.”

Stefan Camenzind, CEO of Evolution Design, also adds:

“MOST PEOPLE ARE TOLD THAT THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LONGER YOU WORK, THE BETTER IT IS. THAT’S NOT SUSTAINABLE, AND THAT’S PROBABLY ALSO NOT TRUE. IT’S ABOUT SMART WORKING, AND THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO RECHARGE. IN THIS CONTEXT, NAP ROOMS BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT.”

Final thoughts

In the end, being successful is something that is built over time.

But although many entrepreneurs will make the point that hard work and dedication are the tools for accomplishment, they are not the only means.

Along with the many great ways to reduce stress, good sleep lets us remain focused on the tasks ahead and allows us to unwind.

“Sleep on it” is yet another proverb that you’ll be familiar, but it certainly holds true, as often that “Eureka” moment first thing in the morning.

Work is important, no doubt, but it isn’t our whole life.

Do you really want to sacrifice your social and family life simply to tell others how hard you’re working?

Think about the long-term. So, if you are feeling beyond tired and believe that you need to work longer in order to keep up with your competitors, think again. Take the time to genuinely rest your body and mind and you will be far better off in the future.
Are you getting better sleep after reading this article? Leave a comment below.
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Patience, Persistence, Pioneers and a Bamboo Tree

When you feel down or unable to “chase your dreams”, look for ways to motivate yourself so that you can take some action and work on those goals again. Make it a part of your weekly schedule to go online and listen to motivational speakers.

World-renowned motivational speaker, Les Brown, talked about being patient and persistent in his famous talk, It’s Possible. Notably, he gave an inspirational analogy of the Chinese bamboo tree.
The Chinese Bamboo Tree

These trees go through a long process before they fully develop. Planting a Chinese bamboo tree requires a lot of attention and it’s imperative that you water and tend to it every day. For five years, there’ll be no sign of budding. It takes that long for it to break through the ground.

But here’s what it makes it special: once it does break through, it only takes five weeks for it to grow up to 90 feet tall!


If at any time the tree was not nurtured, it would have died beneath the earth.

And that tree, as Brown said, is your dream. Your idea.

And when you’re starting up a business, think of the bamboo tree. You need a lot of patience and perseverance on days that seem fruitless. ‘’Water” your goals every day without taking a day off and just like the bamboo tree, you’ll soon see that all your hard work, patience and persistence will be rewarded. Watch that business grow!
The Importance of Patience & Persistence

As a business owner, there’ll be days when it seems like you can’t quite keep up with the competition. That’s okay, though. It’s normal.

What you need to remember is that you have to keep working every day at developing your ideas, no matter how absurd they may seem to others. If you have complete faith in your vision, then you must exert all of your energy to reap returns in the long term.

It’s rare for people to “get it right” the first time. And what’s even more scarce is having a huge success story without any sign of setbacks. Success, for anyone, doesn’t come easy. Everybody had to endure difficulties while trying to “make it.” You’ll be able to overcome the challenges if you stay true to your cause and never give up.

The following three gentlemen are personalities who did just that. They were patient, they persisted, and then they succeeded:
Sir James Dyson

He had 5,126 failed prototypes. That’s literally failing 5,126 times.

When he was still developing the now-leading vacuum brand, Dyson not only had to start over that many times, but he also had to make do with his savings for 15 years. That’s a lot of time and money.

Despite all the hardships, he persevered and relentlessly worked at his idea because he knew it was destined to be a success—he just hadn’t figured out the minor details yet. After a few more tries, it finally took off. The 5,127th prototype worked! The Dyson brand then went on to become the best-selling bag-free vacuum brand in the US. According to Forbes, Sir James Dyson is now worth a whopping $4.5 billion.

Always stay focused even if things don’t go as planned. It might just need a little tweaking and it’s best to ask colleagues for advice. Sometimes a fresh perspective is all it takes to turn a nearly-ready product into a finished one. Keep watering that idea until it blooms!
Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Writers determine success by readership. They write for their material to be read. The more an author sells a book, the bigger his or her success.

Unfortunately, Dr. Seuss’ first book was turned down by 27 different publishers! And for an artiste or creative, rejection can often be deemed more personal in comparison to an entrepreneur. They invest a lot of emotion into what they do and would sometimes draw from personal experiences. Hence, any refusal of their work is partly a rejection of their personal lives.

Dr. Seuss did not tear up his book and quit, though. Where most would probably give up after the fifth rejection, he still persisted. And had he not, the world would now be deprived of legendary classics such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. His books eventually sold more than 600 million copies.

Sometimes, “tweaking” the idea is not anymore needed. You just have to find people who can see how valuable it can be. Unlike Dyson, Dr. Seuss had to endure the rejections of publishers rather than “rework” his creation. And after 28 publishers later, Dr. Seuss’ bamboo tree stood tall.
Soichiro Honda

It’s no wonder Honda eventually became a household name. After all, he was heavily inspired by Thomas Edison, who himself holds more than 1,000 patents and has invented some of the world’s most important products.

Honda was considered a industrial genius but had a very unique personality. He had a passion for aggressive individualism, which went against the Japanese value of teamwork, and then led to his ostracism by the Japanese business community.

Through his undeterred faith in his products and ability, Honda not only stood-out from his Japanese counterparts, but he was able to dive in the American automotive industry as well and succeed. In one year, during the development of Honda Motor Co. Ltd, Honda motorcycles outsold both Triumph and Harley-Davidson. Persistence is what made Honda become a globally recognized name and why he had been noted for pioneering a Japanese automotive revolution. Just as Dyson and Dr. Seuss, he did his best regardless of how he was perceived by others.

The two qualities that determine every entrepreneur’s success are patience and persistence. Results do not come overnight. Treat your goals like the Chinese bamboo tree. Persistently nurture your ideas and then wait patiently. Soon enough, your efforts will break through the ground. And when they do … they’ll grow as high as you imagine it would.

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6 Great Techniques for Staying Focused At Work

Do you struggle to focus while you work?

How often does it happen when you’ve been sitting at your desk for hours only to look back when the day is over and feel like you’ve accomplished nothing?

Or maybe you’re trying to work on something only to constantly be interrupted by email notifications, your smart phone beeping, or yet another interruption by a team member.

6 Techniques for Staying Focused At Work

Every day feels like a never-ending battle to keep your attention on what’s important, but more often than not distraction is winning the day.

This is a shame.

Because in many ways what we choose to focus on is the most valuable resource we have. We should treat it accordingly.

The good news is that if you set things up to maximize your focus, you’ll be able to get more done in any given day than you ever imagined. Below are 6 great ways to develop laser-like focus while you work:


1. Build Your “Focus Muscles” Like a Weightlifter

The same principle that weightlifters use to get stronger can also be used to develop your ability to focus. The only way for a weight lifter to get stronger is to stimulate his or her muscles with more and more weight. If not, the person’s strength will stagnate.

Studies show that we only have the ability to do a maximum of four or five hours of focused work per day. This is what we should aspire to work up to. However, just like a weightlifter’s strength does not come overnight, you slowly work up to your four or five hours per day of focused work.

When starting to build your focus muscles, doing an hour of focused work is a good starting point. But start at whatever point would be a challenge for you but still doable. So if an hour is too much start with 15 minutes and build from there.


2. Work In Focused Blocks of Time

Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr helped popularize the idea of “periodization” for entrepreneurs in their book, the Power of Full Engagement. Periodization in this context means we should work in a series of focused “sprints” throughout the day followed by periods of recovery.

A popular application of this strategy is the Pomodoro Technique, which advises us to work in a 25-minute burst followed by a 5-minute break. This 30-minute block is known as a “Pomodoro session.”

After four Pomodoro sessions you would then take a longer break.


My personal preference is to work for longer focused session of around 55 to 60 minutes followed by a 10-minute break (I use a kitchen timer to time my sessions). Experiment and see what works best for you.


3. Have a “Break Ritual”

Have you ever planned on having a quick 5-minute break to check something on the Internet only to come back from an “Internet black hole” 45-minutes later and have no recollection of what you just looked at?

You’re not alone.

Many well-meaning entrepreneurs struggle to stay focused because they don’t manage their breaks properly.

In addition to spending too much time surfing the Internet and checking our smart phones during our breaks, other culprits include getting distracted on long eating breaks and taking too much time talking to our friends and colleagues.

So how to fight against these ‘time robbers’?

By implementing a “break ritual.”

This means you’ll decide ahead of time exactly what you’re going to do during your breaks. I highly recommend you stay away from technology during these break rituals.

In fact, my preferred ritual is to “just sit there.”

Meaning after my timer goes off I’ll simply walk to the room next to me and sit down and relax for 10 minutes. No checking email, no looking at text messages, nothing. I find this is a great way to relax and clear my mind.

Another benefit: the 10 minutes seem to go by much slower than before when I would get lost in Internet-land during breaks. Other good things you can do during break rituals include stretching and going for a walk.

4. Schedule Your Distraction Time

In his book Deep Work, Georgetown University professor and MIT graduate Cal Newport presents the novel idea that instead of scheduling breaks from distraction to focus, we should schedule breaks from focus to distraction.

Meaning we should block out specific times when we’ll allow ourselves to check our smart phones and emails, but we should avoid these distractions at all other times.

We want to make not being distracted our “default” state.

This is one of the true secrets or “hacks” to being more productive. Numerous scientific studies show that the constant switching between stimuli has a negative effect on our ability to focus. When we force ourselves not to do this, we take our “attention power” back, which makes focusing much easier.

To do this, we need to schedule our “distraction sessions” into every work day. Preferably later in the day to allow time for us to get our focused work done earlier. It is during these distraction sessions where you can check email, your smart phone and your favorite social media sites (if you really have to).


5. Manage Your Energy For Maximum Focus

Managing your energy is one of the best ways to improve your ability to focus. We do this primarily through proper diet and exercise. A diet designed for productivity will not only give you the energy you need to stay focused throughout the day but will also give your brain a boost.

The keys to a productive diet are:
Eat plenty of healthy fats (including avocados, fatty fishes and nuts).
Eat plenty of greens (including leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach and broccoli)
Stay away from all processed sugars.

Similar to diet, exercise not only will give you energy throughout the day, it’s also been shown to improve brain function as well. And what type of exercise you do is much less important than the fact that you do exercise at all.

At a minimum, you’ll want to engage in 20-minutes of moderate exercise at least three times per week. But also look for opportunities to move your body whenever possible: take the stairs, park your car a little farther when you go to the store, carry a hand basket at the grocery store instead of pushing a cart around if you can. All of these things make a difference for both your energy levels and your health.
6. The 3,515 Year-Old Secret For Improving Mental Focus

Did you know that one of the most amazing “hacks” for improving your mental focus has been around for over 3,500 years?

What’s more, this secret is completely free and can do wonders to improve your focus in as little as five minutes a day.

I’m talking about meditation.

Meditation has been called a “mental workout” for your mind and that’s exactly what it is. We talked above about building your “focus muscles” while you work. Think of meditation as a way to further train your focus muscles so you really “stretch” them during work time.

Many top running coaches have their athletes train their legs with weights in addition to their strenuous running workouts to prepare them for their races. Think of meditation as “weight training” that will help you perform even better at the race that happens everyday at work.

A great way to get started with meditation is to sit comfortably and simply focus on your breath: take a slow deep breath through your nose and say the word “in” to yourself while you do this. Then slowly exhale while silently saying the word “out.”

Repeat this for five minutes. Once you can do that, slowly build up to 10 then 20-minute meditation sessions.


Summary

To summarize, we just covered six great ways to develop laser-like focus while you work:
Building your focus muscles
Working in focused blocks
Having a break ritual
Taking breaks from focus
Managing your energy
Meditating

If you implement these strategies one by one, your days of struggling to focus and get things done will be over forever.

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Why Taking A Day Off Can Transform Your Life

Entrepreneurs are passionate, driven, and hardworking folks. We love to grind. We love to go hard. “I’m building my future”, is what we all say. No more 9-5!

The problem with this attitude is that it can lead to burn out – that state where youKNOW you should be doing something productive, but you physically and/or mentally can’t.

All you can do is sleep, watch YouTube or Netflix, and deal with the guilt and shame that comes with that. You can hardly get out of bed. It’s even hard to go to social things with friends because you are so zapped of energy.

The stress behind this will kill you. Seriously.

So you keep promising yourself things will be different. “I’ll take it easier next week! I’ll take some time to myself!”, but you know it’s probably not going to happen.

You over-complicate things unnecessarily stressing yourself out even more. So, you hope the burn out guilt and shame kicks you in the ass tomorrow to get going for being so unproductive today.

But for now, you just feel like you’re wasting time as you mope and watch The Walking Dead.


I’m going to discuss why taking a day off every week has helped me and many other workaholics, counter-intuitively, do better work. Here’s what I’ll be going through:
I’ll start by talking about you shouldn’t work continuously everyday and where this all comes from.
What’s the idea behind taking a day off per week.
I’ll get into some science and the psychology behind it all (decision fatigue and ego depletion), as to how all humans were built for cycles of energy and productively, and how you CANNOT work continuously.
I’ll wrap it up connecting the ideas with the science so you have proof that not only should you take time off, but YOU NEED TO.

By the end of reading this you should be convinced (even if your mind says you should be working CONSTANTLY on your business) that time off and a day off are both necessary.


Who Else Feels Like They Should Be Working 13-16 Hour Days?

Many entrepreneur gurus and acolytes promote the working 13 hours a day getting a business started thing, especially in the early years. Personally coming from an engineering background in University, I know I can do this. My life was spent going from class to class, then burning oil on my homework.

But you know what? I missed out on eons of socializing, connecting with people, and growth.

I get the whole work hard now, enjoy the fruits later thing… But I don’t see the reason why we can’t have a balance. After all, a human can only output 6 hours of productive work a day. The rest will be sub-par, or downright crappy.

Would you like to make decisions with a brain that’s tired, that could potentially cost you thousands?


Amount of hours working per day is an easily quantifiable metric.


Quality of work is not. Doing the right things to really push your business forward is not.

I’m not saying that this is an excuse to slack off and do one hour of work per day or that you shouldn’t work hard, but there needs to be a balance with friends, hobbies, and so on. These things re-charge you so that you can do BETTER work.

We were not made to run at full on productivity all day, everyday. We need re-charge cycles. This applies to at the end of the work day (not doing work at night and going to the gym), during the work day (only working in 1.5 hour spurts with breaks in between), and all throughout your life (vacations).

For a step-by-step breakdown of turning this into an entire productivity system and organising your day to get the most done, check this out.

Sure, there are certain times you’re going to grind. You’re going to have to. For my new book, Mastery Of The Mind, I grinded out 13 hour days for a week and it was worth it because it sold far past my expectations and became a #1 bestseller… but then I took a few days off and went back to a normal work schedule.

It’s better to work at your maximum productivity level, stop, re-charge, and then begin over again, compared to burning oil and doing crappy work.

So how can we apply this to output better work week after week?



How To Feel Better And Re-vitalised For Work – Take A Day Off

While the energy cycle idea applies everyday – work to a certain point, then relax: be with friends, go to the gym, play a musical instrument, read, sleep, etc… It also applies to your entire week.

People SEVERELY under-estimate how much a day completely off from work can do for them. If your muscles need days off from the gym to grow and strengthen, why the hell shouldn’t your brain be any different? It needs dead time as well.

Back a few years ago during my stressful Master’s degree, a good friend of mine recommended I do this.

Initially, I resisted. But now while being busier than ever (working on two businesses of my own along with a full-time job working with for else’s business, gym, socialising, cooking, errands, having to deal with some family issues, trying to stay healthy emotionally, etc.etc.)… I refuse to give up this day off. I’d rather get less “stuff” done.

For one day (your choosing), you have a completely blank day.

There are no responsibilities. No set plans. You sleep in. No work. No e-mail.

Just laziness, relaxation, and fun.

Think I’m pulling your leg? Check this out. Here’s my current schedule as it is (yeah I’m a bit OCD with it but it really helps me XD):

You can see I’ve got writing, work for my blog, a company I work for, the gym all there, but Saturday… there’s nothing. Even when I look at that I just breath a sign of relief because I know I grind on all these great things during the weekdays but on Saturday… That’s time to do whatever I want.

Alright so this all SOUNDS good and you think taking a day off is great, but again, you keep telling yourself you should and it doesn’t happen and the shame/work cycle continues.

Let’s get into the science and psychology that will help convince you to take a day off:


Why You Make Bad Decisions – The Science Of Decision Fatigue And Ego Depletion

This has been an obsession of mine as of late, along with looking into outsourcing (I need to get on those virtual assistants!).

We’ve all felt it… At the end of the day we want to stick to our diet but we’re tired and we can’t fight our brain. We crack a beer and pig out on pizza and ice cream. “I deserve it”, you say. True, you might. But why couldn’t you hold back?

Decision fatigue, or ego depletion, refers to the phenomenon of how we only have so many “points” of making good decisions everyday. This is why many successful people advocate setting up habits, because then you don’t need to make decisions at all… The habits are nearly automatic for good but simple tasks (e.g., you usually don’t have to decide whether you brush your teeth or not).

The thinking is that for the really important decisions during the day where you need your “points”, such as in business mergers, software to use, choosing employees to hire and so on…

If you’ve used up your energy on way less meaningful decisions like what to eat for breakfast and because of that you get lazy and make rash decisions based on whom to hire… yeah, you’re going to run into issues.

It doesn’t matter the type of decision (what type of toothpaste to buy in the store vs. whether to accept a business proposition or not), it’s making decisions in general. Decision fatigue does not discriminate.

It’s also why many people have set rules for making decisions to make their lives easier and less stressful. For example, Tim Ferriss discusses in an article on simplifying life and decisions some things he does to make things easier. He suggests you:
Eat the same thing for breakfast everyday.
Limit your options in any one decision to 3-4 choices (e.g. at restaurants, for new hires, and so on). More options doesn’t mean you make a better decision. In fact according to Dan Ariely in Predictably Irrational, the more options we have, the more difficult it is to make a decision, and the less satisfied we are (because we always wonder “what if” about the options we didn’t choose).
Consider if a decision will only result in a potential loss of $100 (or whatever monetary amount you choose), you should let an assistant make the call.


How Can A Day Off Help Me Make Better Decisions?

You can read more about how decision fatigue works and you might be thinking “OK, this is interesting, but what’s the point? What does it have to do with taking a day off?”

Well after a long week of hard, regimented work, hopefully where you HAVE been taking breaks when you are done for the day… you’re still going to feel exhausted.

Having a set, strategic day where you can do whatever you want gives your body a HUGE re-set and lowers your stress. You’re giving yourself permission to not be productive, not follow through on any habits, and not do work for an entire day. Basically, here, you should give in to hedonism and be a kid and do whatever you want.

Follow the 80-20 rule: If 6 out of 7 days (86%) a week you are doing work and working towards your goals, don’t worry about one day off.

By giving yourself a day where you don’t need to do anything, you are strategically fighting decision fatigue for the next week and after a day off, you will feel re-charged and can get back to crushing it.

An example of where a strategic “day off” produces better results: diets. Wonder why some diets don’t work or people have a hard time sticking to them, yet something like Ferriss’ slow carb diet seems very successful?

One main reason is Ferriss’ inclusion of a strategic cheat day where people can eat whatever they want – Not only does their willpower get re-charged, but I can tell you from having a day where you eat pizza and ice cream… you get pretty amped to just get back to healthy eating (and swear you won’t eat crappy food… until the week ends again and the cycle repeats *sigh*).


4 Other Reasons Why Taking A Day Off Can Help You

It injects play and fun into your life for a whole day, which gives you inspiration to work harder.
It allows you to catch up on lost sleep (slept debt).
It allows you to catch up with friends, socialize, etc., which entrepreneurs typically neglect.
The time off actually allows your mind to subconsciously work on new ideas you wouldn’t get if you constantly churned and burned with no breaks.


“I Don’t Feel Like I Can Stop”

Stop making excuses. I’m a workaholic and I do it too, all entrepreneurs do. I know how hard it is, but trust me, you will feel better because of it. If you don’t feel like you can take an entire day off, just try taking half a day and see how you feel and continuously bump it up.

As Tim Ferriss says, work will always be there tomorrow, but your life is passing you by. It’s up to you to prioritize what’s important, because work expands to fill the available time you give it.

Don’t just work, that’s not what makes life – Working on your passion will make you happy for sure, but so will relationships, trips, exploring new places, and travelling – even if it’s just an hour away.

Rules: No work. Go have fun. Play. Get outside. Spend time doing something you love. No e-mail. Cutting off tech completely can be a good idea (unless you are trying to arrange when to meet up with friends).

Laugh. Nap. No responsibilities. Make “bad” (i.e. non-productive) choices. Eat chocolate cake and ice cream. Drink some good wine.

Your body, mind, and work will thank you when you get that next project done feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and inspired.

Good luck, enjoy your life, and I’ll see you when I get out of bed at… I dunno, maybe 2PM?


Further reading:
Most links go back to Tim Ferriss’ site. Tim has written extensively on escaping technology and work to enjoy life, and I’ve found that he is one of the best resources on the topic.

• How 1 Day Off Can Help Your Career at The Muse – Dr. Matthew Sleeth worked constantly in emergency medicine with little breaks. Learn about his book (advocating the 24/6 work week) and how he and many others started taking a full day off, feeling renewed enthusiasm for work. If you take one day off and live to 70, that means you’ve spent roughly 10 years relaxing, having fun, and being with family.

• Preventing Burnout: A Cautionary Tale at The Four Hour Work Week Blog – Charlie Hoehn, who used to be Tim Ferriss’ assistant and go-to helper for publishing The Four Hour Body, talks about his reliance on work to be thought of as “good”. Also: how he burnt out many times with associated panic attacks, uncontrollable shaking, crying, and feeling like he was about to die.

• How to Cure Anxiety – One Workaholic’s Story, Six Techniques That Work at The Four Hour Work Week Blog – Charlie talks about 6 simple things he started doing that helped alleviate his stress and anxiety. No, they weren’t meditation, yoga, or therapy (though he tried all of them). Almost everything was FREE or if not, extremely cheap.

• The Choice-Minimal Lifestyle: 6 Formulas for More Output and Less Overwhelm at The Four Hour Work Week Blog – Tim’s article on the 6 rules/guidelines he uses for decision making and greatly reducing his stress, so he can save his energy for the more important things.

• Understanding the Dangers of “Ego-Depletion” at The Four Hour Work Week Blog – Dan Ariely, Professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, talks all about knowing ego depletion and what it can do to you. Also: some experiments that have been done to examine decision making. Surprisingly, using brain power to make a silly decision before another more important decision makes it easier for us to give in to the bad option in the important decision.

• How to be More Productive by Not Being Productive at Crew – I re-read this article every few weeks. It talks about how the best people (e.g. star athletes and musicians) only output 4.5 hours of work a day, and how humans can do a maximum of 6 hours of productive work in one day (think about THAT when you’re trying to burn for 10-12 hours).



Also a reminder – why are you trying to be productive? What’s the real reason behind getting things done faster? Is it so you can do more work, or so that you can go live your life?

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Organization Tips: Cleaning Up Your Workspace And Your Calendar

A lot of people think that being an entrepreneur means that I can do anything I want, anytime I want. While it’s true that I don’t have a boss who dictates my schedule, that doesn’t mean I’m just free-floating all the time—as an entrepreneur, I have learned to have a lot of self-discipline and to be very organized in my business and my life. So today I’m sharing with you some of my favorite organization tips. Your business can only grow to its full potential if your space and your time are clearly organized—I hope these tips help you clear the clutter and maximize your potential!

DESIGNATE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Time is money, as they say, and having an organized space will save you time. If you don’t take 10 seconds to put something in its proper place, you might lose 10 minutes looking all over for it later. When I complete a project for my DIY business, I don’t call it a day until each tool is put back into its designated space and the workshop is clean. In those moments, I’m often tired and ready to relax at that point in the day, but I motivate myself by imagining how inviting my workshop will be when I set to work on my next project—and how much time (and, therefore, money!) I’m saving in the long run.

LOOK AT YOUR SPACE THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE’S EYES

Schedule frequent meetings at your workspace, whether that’s a home office, a rented space, or a workshop. Knowing that you’ll have regular visitors will force you to keep it orderly. When we’re the only one using our space, we have a tendency to become “blind” to dirt and clutter that might accumulate over time. But as soon as someone else comes by, we suddenly see what’s overflowing or out of place. Use this fact to your advantage by regularly inviting clients and colleagues to meet with you at your workspace—the pressure to have a clean, hospitable space will compel you to keep things organized.

TRY OUT THE KONMARI METHOD

If your space really needs an overhaul, I highly recommend picking up Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This unlikely bestseller has taken the U.S. by storm and, after finally having a look at it myself, I can understand why. Kondo’s “KonMari Method” of organization involves radically purging your home or workspace of anything that does not “spark joy.” While this criterion might seem strange for organizing an office space, its basic premise of getting rid of anything that’s not serving a purpose seems right on target. The extreme purge takes time—Kondo recommends laying everything out and methodically putting back only what you need—but it is time well spent if, as she argues, you’ll never need to do it again!

KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING—AND PARK ON A DOWNHILL SLOPE

The first three tips dealt with organizing our space; now let’s turn to how we manage our time. I force myself to make a plan in advance for each day and WRITE IT DOWN. If my plan for the next day (or at least for the first half of the day) is written down in my planner, then I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the evening. I can relax knowing that my instructions will be there waiting for me when I wake up. Sometimes I even make a point of stopping short of completing a particular task the day before so that I can begin the next day by picking up where I left off. Productivity experts call this “parking on a downhill slope,” and it can really help you start the day off with some momentum.

TURN A TO-DO LIST INTO A TO-DO SCHEDULE

A list is designed to be added to, so it can make it hard to feel satisfaction if you’re adding as much as your checking off. To remedy this, try turning your to-do list into a to-do schedule. When I consult my calendar at the start of each week, I write in my to-do’s alongside my scheduled appointments. If I assign an actual time to a task, I am far more likely to actually get that task done. Having a to-do schedule has taught me to be much more realistic about how much I can get done in a given time. Sometimes it means not having time for everything on the to-do list, but it’s better to know that in advance than feel disappointed at the end of the week. With this method, I’ve found that not only am I getting more done but also I’m more tuned in to my schedule and can therefore say yes or no to new projects with much more confidence.

PUT YOUR SCHEDULE WHERE YOU AND OTHERS CAN SEE IT

Put your important appointments/tasks on a shared, visible calendar where everyone else who matters can see it (family members, coworkers, roommates…). If you make your schedule and goals “public” in this way, you can avoid scheduling conflicts. You’ll also be more likely to complete tasks on time, because others can hold you accountable. You might share your schedule digitally, via a Google calendar or other shared site, but you can also go the try-and-true dry erase marker route. For home use, I got a magnetic wipe-off calendar from The Board Dudes with a set of markers so I can color-code based on category or person. For the office, I like their bigger and more professional-looking glass wipe-off calendar—it’ll keep you organized, give you a highly visible place to write down goals and important reminders, and look sleek if clients or collaborators come by.

STICK TO A SYSTEM

Don’t be fickle. I love organizational tools, but sometimes they work against me because I get so excited about the newest app or planner that I don’t stick with one long enough to really reap its benefits. The most important thing about an organizational system is not if it’s pen-and-paper or digital, or if it’s got flashy new bells and whistles—the most important thing is that you stick to it. So do a little bit of research to decide what approach might be best for you, and then hurry up and start using it!

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5 Reasons Why the 9-5 Job No Longer Makes Sense

In five years, none of us will have jobs. At least, those are the findings according to Intuit, which predicts that by 2020, more than 40% of the American workforce will consist of “contingent” workers — that is, freelancers, temps and those with flexible alternative schedules.

Of course, this fact begs the question: why?


Why are companies increasingly relying on contingent workers, and why are workers so eager to make the change? Just what is it about the 9-to-5 workday that isn’t working anymore?

Here are 5 reasons why the 9-5 job no longer makes sense.

1) It’s Misguided

Part of the problem with the 8-hour-day model is that while many employers view it as a floor, it was originally intended to be a ceiling.

The 8-hour day, synonymous with the 40-hour workweek, finds its roots in the American organized labor movement.

That’s right: we only have weekends because of unions. Beginning in the late 1800s, in response to shifts as long as 12 or 14 hours, American workers began demanding a schedule similar to that espoused by Welsh social reformer Robert Owen: 8 hours labor, 8 hours rest and 8 hours recreation.

That demand was met with heated debate by both politicians and industrialists.

Over the next several decades, union workers sweated (and bled) in an effort to turn the tide. In 1869, those efforts bore fruit, when President Ulysses Grant passed theNational Eight Hour Law Proclamation, granting the 8-hour day to all government employees.

Then in 1898, United Mine Workers made private-sector history, when they won the battle for an 8-hour day in a series of back-to-back strikes. Finally, in 1914, Henry Ford — recognising the productivity gains to be made — voluntarily instituted the 8-hour day for all workers at his company, and the rest of the world followed suit.

(Though it should be noted that Henry Ford was otherwise no friend to organised labour. In 1932, he would oversee one of the worst acts of anti-union violence in American history, ordering his security officers to open fire on a crowd of striking workers in an event known today as the Ford Massacre.)

The point of this history lesson is that the 8-hour day wasn’t established because it was the most efficient length for a shift. It was established as an upper limit, like a reverse version of the minimum wage.

It was an agreed-upon threshold that said, “If you cross this line, you’re exploiting your workers.”

But here’s the key point: most workers are paid more than the minimum wage, because most companies are sane enough to realize that stopping just shy of exploitation is a terrible way to go about business. So why should the length of a shift be any different?



2) It’s Inefficient

Have you ever reached 3 in the afternoon and felt like you’re no longer getting anything done? There’s a reason for that. Studies show that worker productivity starts to decline above 30 hours a week, slows to a crawl at 40, and stops dead at 55.

They also show that the most efficient amount of time to work is just under an hour, accompanied by 20-minute breaks.

The 9-to-5 does not encourage these habits. It wrongly conflates butt-in-chair time with getting things done — something we all know isn’t actually true.

3) It Punishes Workers for Sincere Effort

It is a statistical fact that workers today create more profits for their companies on an individual basis than the workers of yesteryear. Thanks in part to advancing technology, worker productivity has risen almost 80% since 1973.

Yet employees haven’t been given a piece of that increasingly-large pie. Instead, they’ve been treated to stagnant wages, decreased benefits and slashed retirement plans.

Why, then, should a salaried worker on a 9-to-5 schedule bother to go the extra mile?

If they’ll be paid either way, and know their extra efforts won’t be rewarded, what incentive do they have to give anything more than the absolute minimum?

In today’s economy, an inflexible schedule decouples pay from performance. Rather than creating an environment that fosters the smartest, most efficient efforts, it encourages doing the least amount of work for the most amount of time. It punishes those who strive to do better, and rewards those who run out the clock.



4) It Treats All Work as Equal

I once knew someone who worked as a ride operator at an amusement park, and was surprised to learn that park policy mandated employees switch between rides once every 45 minutes, take breaks every 2 hours and not work more than 8 hours in a day.

Why? Because the park had run studies and discovered these were the optimal intervals for maximum employee attentiveness, and therefore guest safety.

What they knew, and what more businesses are learning every day, is that not all forms of work are created equal. Operating a roller-coaster is a much different exercise than sweating in a coal mine, flipping burgers or collating spreadsheets.

They’re all vastly different activities, require varying levels of physical and mental effort and produce different levels of fatigue over time.

That’s probably why more companies like Best Buy are exploring goal-based scheduling, which stipulates that salaried employees can come and go whenever they like, so long as they get the job done. These companies recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, and a rigid 9-to-5 simply doesn’t make sense.



5) It’s Not Flexible Enough

Numerous surveys have shown that flexibility and a proper work-life balance are consistently ranked among employees’ top desires. This is particularly true of millennials, who report they’ll even take less pay or relocate to achieve it.

The benefits of a reasonable flex-time policy are well known: workers with increased freedom are happier, healthier and more productive. As a result, more workplaces are adopting such policies every year. Companies like VRM also place importance on a healthy work-life balance that feels rewarding for their employees.

Keeping employees engaged through volunteer work not only allows employees to switch up the pace from the grueling 9-5 office time – but also fosters positive team spirit. As modern life grows increasingly busy and the needs of business expand beyond daytime hours, the 9-to-5 just isn’t agile enough to keep up.



The Workday Isn’t Working Anymore

For these reasons and more, a growing number of employers and employees have simply realised that a monotonous, inflexible daytime slab of a schedule is detrimental to everyone involved. It’s no surprise, then, that the strict 9-to-5 schedule is on the way out — and frankly, good riddance.

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