The beginning of a new year is often a time to reflect and try out something new. Coming out of a challenging year, 2020 was the year of the pandemic, we even more yearn for some change and improvements in our lives. It’s easier said than done though as implementing a change is not only about one’s motivation, it’s about discipline and forming a new habit. So below a collection of tips on how to be more efficient at work, improve your life and most of all how to stay on the journey of change and happiness.
A more complex world calls for changes in leadership styles/types. This Forbes article shares one example on how great leaders can make a difference. But are we doing enough to enable the next generation of leaders/managers to step up their game?
Lots of us have ongoing commitments no longer aligned with our values, interests etc and we therefore dread to fulfill but think we ought to. As things slow down due to the summer break it might be the right time to re-evaluate our commitments and break up with a few … How to break your commitments
Listen First! So much more can be achieved by listening and asking questions before springing into actions. More laws on cultivation influence here
We often think we need to get as many things done as possible, ticking off all the items on our to-do list, not necessarily assessing whether or not all of these items/tasks lead to the overall result we’re after.
Whilst asking yourself “What does success look for me today/this week?” will help you to create a broader vision for your day/week, this article describes six simple steps to help you decide what activities bring the most value in relation to a specific area in your life or work you like to have better results or less stress. More tips on productivity are in this Harvard Business Review article
The common opinion is that success is down to setting a goal, followed by hard work and by putting lots of hours into it. And of course an amount of ‘good luck’ is needed too. But is that really the case, are these the key ingredients or is there more to it, in particular can we create our own ‘good luck’? What if we could change our mindset, allowing us to better spot opportunities, making sense of the unexpected and seeing change as a chance, ultimately enabling us much better to design our success in life and our success in business. The book ‘The Serendipity Mindset’ from Dr Christian Busch offers fantastic insights into the science of creating good luck and provides practical tips how we can change our mindset into a serendipity mindset to have a more fulfilled and successful life.
Starting something new can be a challenge and often we go from zero to a hundred, yet the secret is to go smaller. If you can’t learn an exercise, reduce the range of motion. Struggling to grasp a new concept, project or task? Break it down. Make a habit easy if you’re falling to stick with it. In general, master stage one then advance.
Starting an upward spiral of happiness in your life. UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb explains: “Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reduced pain improves your mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment. Enjoyment gives you more to be grateful for, which keeps that loop of the upward spiral going. Enjoyment also makes it more likely you’ll exercise and be social, which, in turn, will make you happier.”
It’s enough to just list three things you’re grateful for per day to kick start the upward spiral. And don’t worry if you don’t have the answer to the question “What am I grateful for ?” – the search already helps. And as with everything in life, mastery comes with practice!
Guilty of being a perfectionist? I certainly am and this article sums up some great nuggets to try to tame your inner perfectionist.