To change a behavior… change the behavior
Our brains excel at coming up with shortcuts. They have to. We’re exposed to too much information and too many choices to process everything. Habits are one shortcut we take. We train—intentionally or not—our basal ganglia that when a certain condition is met, we take a specific action. Our phone dings, we check our phone […]
You can do anything you want, but not everything
Are you stuck putting off an important project because a horde of urgent tasks keep jumping the queue? You really want to work on that project—it would make such a difference—but when you sit down to work on it, there’s other stuff you need to do first. Other stuff that has deadlines. So you put […]
Our beliefs shape everything we do
Our behavior is shaped by our beliefs about how the world works. The Reality Model helps us see the connection.
Let past, present, and future work together
Think of yourself as three people in one. Your Past Self is who you used to be. Every action you have taken is in the past. Your Future Self is who you want to become. You have hopes, dreams, and ambitions for the life your Future Self is going to live. Your Present Self is […]
Act on what matters before your window closes
Your Present Self—who you are today—is the culmination of every action you have ever taken. Brick by brick, your Past Self has built your life through the actions you’ve taken. Every habit, every memory, and every personality quirk is because of these past actions. Some of it is intentional; some of it is quite accidental. […]
Accept what you can’t change. Act on what you can
Regret anchors you to the past. It robs you of your joy in living in the present and makes you give up on the future.
Hint: There is no perfect choice
If we have too many options, we get overwhelmed and can’t reach a decision. Here’s how to overcome the overload.
Margin doesn’t suddenly appear
Nature abhors a vacuum. If you take something away, something else has to move in to take its place. Nature also doesn’t like two things occupying the same place at the same time. It’s the same principle behind every waiting list, every swap, every upgrade. Something has to leave before something else can arrive. It’s […]
It’s all about progress towards your destination
You have a destination you’re working towards. If you consistently make decisions that take you in the right direction, you’ll get there.
Staying focused all the time limits your outcomes
“Focus” is almost synonymous with productivity, but distraction will help you do some of your best work.
