Formatting documents, filling in spreadsheets, answering emails – we all face mundane tasks that bore us but need to be done. While delaying them for a bit is perhaps inevitable, we need to get them out of the way sooner or later, so we can focus our energy fully on purposeful and fun activities. But how do […]
Continue readingHere’s what overcoming severe procrastination is not about: Time management, better to-do lists, seeing a therapist, getting organized, setting goals, creating deadlines, ridding yourself of distractions, using rewards, or finding an accountability buddy. While useful, none of them will make a big difference unless you understand the one underlying principle every consistent improvement in any behavior […]
Continue readingWe all use tools to get things done – we eat frogs, set Pomodoro timers, take naps, drink coffee, plan our days, block distracting websites, put our phones in airplane mode, listen to music, wear noise-canceling headphones, swallow caffeine pills. More and better tools mean greater productivity. “Getting things done the dysfunctional way” is another such […]
Continue readingDistractions kill productivity like nothing else. For starters, they are time wastes. Let’s say you check email 50x per day, scroll through your Instagram feed 10x, have a glance at your phone 80x, and watch YouTube videos 3x per day. Even if you give only ten seconds, on average, to every distraction, the time adds up […]
Continue readingHow do I stick to my schedule when sudden and spontaneous requests catch me off guard, and I agree to them even though I don’t really want to? This is one of the most common questions I receive in regards to procrastination and productivity. You may be on your way home from grocery shopping and run […]
Continue readingIf you’ve been following us for a while, you know we’re big on reading here at NJlifehacks. And big on journaling. And big on meditation. But who’s got time for that? How do we find the time to read 50+ books a year, meditate regularly, keep fit and healthy, and write in our morning and evening journals […]
Continue readingHoliday season is upon us and it’s time to consider what gifts to give to your loved-ones. While you may dread the process and want to get it over with quickly, keep in mind that the point of gifts is to strengthen relationships. Picking the right gift can increase feelings of appreciation and connection between people. It […]
Continue readingDaniel Coyle is the author of The Talent Code, in which he explains how talent is made. The short story: talent is the result of practice + motivation + having a great coach. It’s not about innate traits; it’s all about (the right kind of!) practice, practice, practice. Coyle arrived at this conclusion after visiting nine so-called […]
Continue readingThe Talent Code by Daniel Coyle takes a look at extraordinary performers and describes how they became so extraordinary in the first place. Over the course of 18 months, Coyle visited nine so-called talent hotbeds – places that produce Everest-size amounts of talent. When he investigated those hotbeds in detail, he found that they all shared […]
Continue readingAnders Ericsson is the world’s leading scientist on elite performance and deliberate practice. His research involves finding expert performers who can reliably do things that others can’t, and then figuring out how they’re able to do it. Peak is the result of more than three decades of research. The book is packed with fascinating studies, eye-opening facts, […]
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