Value-adding time and value-neutral time
The time we use in our careers or businesses can be considered in two ways. There is the time we spend on adding value. This could be making another sale, closing a deal, helping a customer, finalising a key report, making the cost base more efficient. You want to maximise your time on value-adding tasks […]
The cost of interruptions
Researchers estimate it can take around 23 minutes to return to a task after a distraction. You may think this makes sense with distractions from others, like a coworker interrupting your flow. But we are just as likely to interrupt ourselves, like switching to another tab on your browser after starting a task. As soon […]
Don’t start with forever
If you wish to break a habit or remove something from your life, don’t adopt the mindset that you’re giving it up forever. Perpetual cold turkey can work for some people, but for many it can be really hard. If you fail at something you’ve committed to “forever”, it can be really difficult to understand […]
An age old question
Isn’t it wonderful how the ages of babies are celebrated in smaller units of time? Every new milestone is significant and appreciated. But as time passes, the measurements change, as if each unit hits a tipping point of practicality. Life is first measured in hours. Then days. Then weeks. Then months. Until the default settles […]
It is your problem
Success in life can sometimes depend more on managing the downside risk than the upside risk. So if you can sense something negative could happen around you, and the risk is not your responsibility, what do you do? You can choose to ignore the risk and let whoever is responsible manage it. And then if […]
Helping people create change
When trying to get people to take action, draw on common language and learned behaviours as much as possible. Any change comes with a level of resistance, but you can reduce this resistance if your communication and desired actions are familiar to your audience. With language, use terms that are known and simple to understand. […]
Back to it
The first workout after a break is always a grind. Movements that used to feel so natural now feel so foreign. But the sensations grow more familiar with every repetition. Lungs that were starved of oxygen grow more comfortable with each breath. The only thing that doesn’t relent is gravity, growing more intense with every […]
Adaptive and natural
Have you ever felt a connection with someone, but overtime that connection changed and you’re not sure why? The reason may lie in our understanding of adaptive and natural personalities. During the early stages of an engagement, each person is likely experiencing each other’s adaptive style. This is where both sides are conscious of their […]
Repeat it back
Communication is a two way exchange. Without confirmation between the sender and the receiver, how can both sides be sure that the right action will be taken? And yet confirming a message isn’t typically our default. As the sender of a message, you may feel that it’s impolite to ask the receiver to repeat back […]
Direction reflection
When you realise that you’re pointing in the wrong direction on your journey, it’s best to pause. Sometimes doing something feels better than doing nothing. But moving forward when you’re pointing the wrong way isn’t really going to help, and this may worsen the longer you go. Take a moment to reflect on the direction […]