Living Through Life's Challenges: An Interview with a Ninja Black Belt Life is full of ups and downs. Yes, this is absolutely true. But the question is what can help us live through the difficulties with greater ease and even find the joy in everyday life. Mindfulness is one of those tools, but how about zen practice or ninja training? Dr. You can see maybe why I wanted to bring him here today to talk about why mindfulness is helpful for our present day maladies, a helpful tool from Zen practice, and what we can learn from ninja training to get out of our heads and into our lives. Elisha: Why is mindfulness so effective in working with our personal mental, emotional and physical maladies? Richard: I begin to feel like a snake oil salesman when I talk about all the research demonstrating the benefits of mindfulness, but the key factor is awareness. In this fast-paced world of amazing technology, it becomes so easy to get lost in our heads, stuck in our thinking. Mindfulness practice also helps us become more kind to ourselves.
How To Get Things Done: Organization & Systems I am now deep into this series on getting things done, but before I go any farther, I would like to pause for a quick review. I began this series by explaining what productivity is and why it matters [Part 1]. Then I had you look at your life from a high-level perspective so you could divide it into areas of responsibility [Part 2]. Once you defined those areas of responsibility, you listed specific roles and projects within each of them, and then you worked on some brief mission statements that define what you mean to accomplish in each of them [Part 3]. In the most recent article I explained the four categories of tools required for top productivity, and told you the ones I use [Part 4]. Today I want to explain and demonstrate what your areas of responsibility have to do with your tools (and why you will be missing out if you skip the hard work of defining those areas). Living in Systems What is a system? The fact is, to be productive, you need a system. An Organizing Principle
Super-Focus: 10 Natural Steps to Nurture Your Attention How to deal with interruptions, structure your environment, enter a flow state and much more… “Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. 1. It might seem strange to start a series of pointers on building attention with the directive to stop paying attention… …actually not. You can only concentrate efficiently for a certain period of time. A good general rule, though, is that most people’s ability to focus on anything starts to waver after the length of a typical sitcom: 20 minutes or so. After that, it’s time to take a short break and recharge the attentional batteries. By building in regular breaks for your attention, you’ll be able to concentrate more in the long-run. 2. Since attention only lasts a certain period, it’s good practice to chunk down whatever you’re doing. It helps to boost motivation if there’s a smaller task to be completed in a manageable block of time that contributes to your overall goal. 3. 4.
How to Ruthlessly Prioritize Your Task List to Get More Done Jeff Weiner On How To Focus And Get The Right Things Done Source: PicJumbo. If you want to be successful in life and work, you have to learn how to lead. But before you can lead others, you have to lead by example. You have to learn how to lead yourself. Jeff Weiner, founder of LinkedIn, has a powerful mechanism for leadership: he has FOCUS (a.k.a. FCS). But Weiner’s philosophy isn’t only applicable to running a successful social networking company; it’s applicable to behaviour change as well. Let’s discuss how. F: Fewer Things Done Better “When [Weiner] took the reins of [LinkedIn] he could easily have adopted the standard operating procedure of most Silicon Valley start-ups and tried to pursue everything”, writes Greg McKeown in Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Learning new behaviours and Tiny Habits is exciting – especially when you’re new to it. Instead of stopping and starting new habits as and when you feel motivated, focus on ONE and “show up” consistently. I recommend Coach.me. Do ONE habit well then move onto your next.
People Who Love Expanding Their Minds Do These 13 Things — Do You? Wise Bread Picks There are those out there who refuse to let their brain get into a rut. The intellectually stimulated, the cranially curious, the people who love expanding their minds. (See also: 13 Easy Ways to Improve Your Brain) Are you one of them? 1. Whatever their favorite sort of puzzle, whether it's a jigsaw puzzle, Sudoku, a crossword, or a logic game, people who love expanding their minds know that it's good for your brain. 2. If you value expanding your mind, chances are you value having a lot of creative ideas and being able to communicate them to others. 3. Math may not be your favorite, but people who want to expand their minds know that if you want your brain to fluidly process letters and numbers and to have greater facility in your first language and others, you should spend some time studying math. 4. Exercise doesn't just make us happier, it makes our brains work better. 5. Learning a new language literally makes your brain grow. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
The ONE Thing: How to Get Things Done Using The Focusing Question Source: PicJumbo. On June 23, 1885, Andrew Carnegie stood before a room of wide-eyed students at Curry Commercial College and addressed the audience. “‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ is all wrong” he said. [1] Carnegie, then 49 years old, was at his peak of success: his company, the Carnegie Steel Company, was the largest and most profitable company in the world. “I tell you ‘put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket’” counselled Carnegie, “Look round you and take notice; men who do that do not often fail”. The question is: which basket do you watch? The Power of Questions We’re all guilty on occasion of going through life devaluing the importance of thinking about and deciding on the kind of life we want to live. We daydream about dieting, starting a business and running a marathon, but do little to make our goals happen or worse, blame our circumstances and do nothing at all. People who live extraordinary lives simply ask themselves better questions. . . . . . .
How Successful People Spend Their First Hour At Work Zanshin: Learning the Art of Attention and Focus From a Legendary Samurai Archer In the 1920s, a German man named Eugen Herrigel moved to Japan and began training in Kyudo, the Japanese martial art of archery. Herrigel was taught by a legendary Kyudo master named Awa Kenzo. Kenzo was convinced that beginners should master the fundamentals of archery before attempting to shoot at a real target and he took this method to the extreme. For the first four years, Herrigel was only allowed to shoot at a roll of straw just seven feet away. When he was finally allowed to shoot at targets on the far end of the practice hall, Herrigel’s performance was dismal. The arrows flew off course and he became more discouraged with each wayward shot. Kenzo paused for a moment and then said, “Come to see me this evening.” Archery, Blindfolded After night had fallen, the two men returned to the courtyard where the practice hall was located. Immediately, Kenzo drew a second arrow and again fired into the night. Everything Is Aiming In practice, though, zanshin has an even deeper meaning.
Successful People Do The First 10 Minutes At Work - Business Insider Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/flickrThey prioritize and map out their day. How you handle the first 10 minutes of your workday can largely determine how productive and effective you'll be the rest of the day. "Getting off on the right foot isn't just important with relationships, it's important with the start of any workday, as well — particularly busy ones," says Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "You Can't Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work." "The first 10 minutes can also set the tone and your attitude for the day — so it's imperative that you start it off right, with a clean slate." Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job," agrees. She says you can, and should, choose to proactively resist the temptation to succumb to chaos by viewing morning developments as new challenges that you're equipped to handle. Taylor concurs. 1.
To Stay Focused, Manage Your Emotions A leader’s most precious resource is not their time. It’s their focused attention. Time merely passes, while focused attention makes things happen. When we’re able to gather and direct our attention toward a particular task or interaction, we can have a significant impact in a minimal amount of time. But when we’re unable to bring our attention to bear on the work at hand, all the time in the world is insufficient. Leaders must recognize that it’s essential to work at enhancing their ability to direct their attention and minimize unhelpful distractions, and one of the most important steps in this process is managing emotions. Consequently, awareness and regulation of our emotions are central to the productive use of our attention. Build Capacity. While these activities are often enjoyable in themselves, they aren’t indulgences–they’re investments in our ability to operate at peak effectiveness. Plug Leaks. Create Space.