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Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Upgrade From “Easy” or “Hard”

We have to train ourselves to STOP looking at tasks as “easy” or “hard.”

Tasks should be seen as either “hard now” or “harder later.”

This forces us to bring a long-term perspective into our decision making process.

I.e. Rather than this short-cut, hack, trick, or time-spend being an “easy” choice to an alternative… we ask ourselves if we can prioritize doing the “hard” thing now so that we won’t have to do the “harder” alternative later.

Honestly answering this question is the *real* short-cut, hack, and trick.

I’m Willing To Work On That

Anyone who says “That’s just how I am” (or something along those lines) is fixed in their ways and isn’t interested in changing.

Don’t waste any additional effort on trying to change / influence their mind if they believe their behaviors / actions are innate / unchangeable.

We all have the ability to change.

But, not until we can at least admit it to ourselves and adopt the mindset of “I’m willing to work on that.”

Pain Shield

The amount of pain we can withstand isn’t a matter of capability… it’s a matter of tolerance.

We’re capable of tolerating WAY more pain than we think.

And the benefit of pushing past that thinking limit (e.g. hard exercise) is that new tolerances are reached.

This isn’t about being self-destructive or self-harmful. This is about building mental strength and fortitude.

Because the pain will come.

And having an increased tolerance is like having an upgraded shield that’s ready to withstand more of whatever life decides to throw our way.

And upgraded shields against life are always a good idea.


P.s. I asked people to: Tell us a story of a time when they were the target of a random act of kindness. The answers will restore your faith in humanity. :)

Doing A Little Better

When it comes to improving our lives, I think it’s safe to say that just about all of us have a catalogue of dormant ideas, insights, and strategies that would very well lead us to a better life if we applied them.

It’s like Anne Lamott said in her brilliant TED Talk: “Food—try to do a little better. I think you know what I mean.” (timestamp)

It’s not about knowing what to do.

The real game is in finding ways we can more consistently do what we already know.

Information gathering is okay—it can certainly help facilitate change.

But, don’t fool yourself—obsessing over information gathering is a distraction; it’s an excuse; it’s an avoidance.

And moreover, don’t undermine yourself when you feel like you’re “only” doing (or “only” committing to doing) a little something better.

Doing a little something better is precisely how any of us ever moves from okay to great.

Because life is a game of applying—and every little bit counts.


P.s. Here are 9 Small Changes That Have Had The Biggest Impact On My Health.

The Tasks That Touch Deep Work

One of my most important daily tasks is writing.

Like most deep work tasks, writing is best done in longer, uninterrupted blocks of time vs smaller, interspersed blocks. 1 hour of uninterrupted writing, in my opinion, is NOT the same as four, 15 minute chunks of writing.

That said, one adjustment I’ve made to increase my writing time block is reschedule some of the tasks that touch my writing block.

During a typical 2 hour afternoon time block, for example, I would spend 40 minutes curating content ideas at the outset and 20 minutes meditating at the end—leaving 1 hour of writing time sandwiched in between (on a perfect, uninterrupted, no curve-balls kind of day).

Now I’m working to move my 40 minutes of curating into my morning routine and the meditation into my evening routine so that I can effectively have 2 hours of uninterrupted writing time in the afternoon.

Even if I don’t get this done perfectly, the big takeaway is this: if I move 10 minutes of curating to the morning and 10 minutes of meditating to the evening, that’s 20 minutes of writing—my top priority task each day—back that I otherwise would’ve lost and *wouldn’t* have been able to make up in the morning or evening.

Because, worth saying again, writing in a single 10 or 20 minute block of time is NOT the same as writing in a long block that’s extended by 10 or 20 minutes instead.

Whereas the other tasks I moved—curating and meditating—can be done just as well at any point throughout the day.

Worth considering for the deep work tasks in your day as well.

Because It’s Not Said Enough…

  • To the loyal, overworked, under appreciated parent…
  • To the initiative-taking, hardworking, underpaid employee…
  • To the relentlessly positive, upbeat, taken-for-grated friends…

Thank you.


P.s. Use this as a writing prompt: who do you think is overdue for gratitude? Even if you don’t express it to them directly, expressing it viscerally can have a rippling effect at later points in your life.

Happy IS Productive

An indicator of productivity that isn’t discussed enough: happiness.

Did the day make you happy? Then it was productive—regardless of how few “productive tasks” you finished.

Did the day make you miserable? Then it wasn’t productive—regardless of how many “productive tasks” you finished.


P.s. I also published 9 Timeless Lessons from Tuesdays With Morrie.