Once upon a time, leisure and stress-free time were considered marks of success and admirable aspirations. People envied those who could afford to relax and enjoy life’s finer moments. That attitude has significantly transformed. In our current workplace culture, busyness remains a coveted status symbol, even if organizations publicly tout the importance of mental health and … Read more
For years, we complained that we couldn’t focus in open offices. Then when we started working remotely, we found it just as difficult in our home offices. Is the problem external distractions, or are our own brains holding us back from that coveted “flow state” where big ideas happen? There’s been a shift in the … Read more
It’s probably not unusual for your boss to add something to your already full plate. A study from Gallup found that 58% of employees have been asked to take on additional responsibilities in response to the current labor market. But what if you could get your boss to do the opposite? What if they removed … Read more
So, here’s how to make this time less miserable: Reduce the hours spent in meetings We asked our LinkedIn followers how many hours they spend in meetings a week and while a lucky 31% said less than five hours a week, the second highest response—at 28%—was more than 15 hours a week. For me, it … Read more
Between the constant email and Slack notifications and the onslaught of news and social media, it can feel like there are a lot of forces conspiring against us getting things done. But at the heart of many of our feelings of overwhelm is our own tendency to distract ourselves from important or difficult tasks. How … Read more
Call it what you want—sustainable productivity, intentional living, healthy productivity: all of us want to be productive without burning ourselves out. But earlier this year, I was stuck in a pendulum swing between hustle culture and vilifying productivity. On the glorifying busyness side, I “utilized” every minute, and on the other end of the spectrum, I … Read more
In the adrenaline-packed world of professional sports, the power of sleep rarely gets adequate attention. Here are some key facts to understand why sleep matters. The critical role of sleep in performance Sleep is a complex, cyclical process that progresses through several stages, each with distinct characteristics and functions. Initially, it begins with light sleep, encompassing stages 1 … Read more
I can tell you the time of day within a matter of minutes, all without ever peeking at a watch or clock. My accuracy is uncanny. Here’s why. For 21 years my employers mandated that either weekly or daily I fill out a time sheet. I tabulated, in quarter-hour increments, every major task I performed, … Read more
“The basic orientation of ‘peak mind pivots’ is orienting toward effortlessness instead of efforting more,” she says. Jha reminds herself to “be calm to get calm,” too. Still, the mantra didn’t stem from her lab at the University of Miami, where she is director of the Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, … Read more
In most cultures, the calendar builds in some time for reflection. There’s a certain point in the course of a year when it’s natural to look back over the past, evaluate how things are going, and then think about what you might want to change in the future. In Western cultures, this time happens around … Read more
