Reading Time: 4 minutesI read another article recently telling me to stop buying things and start buying experiences. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen that advice. It’s been repeated in newspaper articles, magazine articles, and by bloggers and podcasters. It’s more than just advice at this point — it’s a cultural mantra. As a result …
Reading Time: 3 minutesMost of us go through the day forming intentions and making choices by default rather than through deliberate decision-making. Instead, our choices are made through habits, social contagion, and unexamined assumptions. In his recent book, Intentional, productivity expert Chris Bailey reveals that researchers have found that most of our actions run on neural autopilot. This …
Reading Time: 4 minutesOne Purpose, One Life — Who Invented That Rule? For years, I couldn’t figure out my life purpose. Everyone seemed to have one. I didn’t. That bothered me. When I was growing up, there was an assumption that everyone had a specific life purpose to discover and follow. According to this viewpoint, you were expected …
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Question That Changes Everything About Productivity Productivity advice is everywhere. Tips, tricks, hacks, systems. The goal is always the same: get more done, faster. But here’s the question almost nobody stops to ask: Why? Why be productive in the first place? Science Has Already Figured Out What Drives You In his recent book, Intentional: …
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Age of Anxiety Many people today live their lives filled with anger and fear much of the time. I have a friend who was one of the kindest, gentlest, and most positive people I knew. However, over the past ten years, she has become increasingly negative, angry, and hateful. She became obsessed with political …
Reading Time: 5 minutesStart with Why, Not How The majority of material in the productivity realm focuses on the “what” and the “how” of productivity. Apps, hacks, and software systems are the meat and potatoes. These typically overlook the key question of “Why?” Why be productive? What’s the point? About five years ago, I found an approach that …
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhen Productivity Stops Helping For some years, I’ve been a productivity nerd. At one point, I read every new productivity book and tried every new app. I spent more time messing with my apps than producing work. If this is you too, keep reading. You likely got into productivity because it promised to help you …
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Familiar Resolution Cycle It’s New Year’s Day, and you’re excited because it brings a feeling of a fresh start. This past year you haven’t exercised much, and you’re feeling out of shape and unfit. It’s time for a change. You make a New Year’s resolution to “get fit.” For the first week, you hit …