One of the keys to a healthy lifestyle is getting a good night sleep, but a lot of people find it difficult to fall asleep at night, and that may apply to you as well. Here are three things you can do to fall asleep faster at night. Stop using electronics. Turn them off and […]
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Using Mindfulness to Boost Performance
Mindfulness is becoming more and more popular in the professional world. Leaders can often feel overwhelmed, stressed and like they’re running a never ending race. Mindfulness can help with that. But does mindfulness training work well for teams? A recent article in Forbes took a look at the research behind this question and suggested some […]
efficiency, engagement, leadership skills, Performance, ProductivityThree Ideas for Reducing Workplace Stress
In today’s world, we’re inundated with technology that’s supposed to help us work smarter, play harder and live our best lives. Although they do offer some advantages, the unintended consequence is that we’re more distracted than ever, and there’s pressure to reply more quickly to emails, texts, and social media messages. Combined with the “normal” […]
health, Human Performance Institute, Mindfulness, stress managementIs Sleep the New Coffee?
Of course not! But if you find yourself dosing with coffee just to stay awake, or otherwise feel sleep-deprived during the day, it’s likely impacting your work life and your personal life. Why is it so challenging to get that full eight hours of rack time? Between work, family, and social obligations, late-night social media […]
Leaders, Performance, Productivity, SleepWhen Taking a Break at Work, a Little Goes a Long Way
Most people recognize that taking breaks are important, but what they often don’t realize is that even very brief breaks — of just a few minutes — provide benefits in terms of concentration, focus, better performance, and sustained energy throughout the day. A recent article entitled “Give Me a Break” in the American Psychological Association’s […]
Attention, Breaks, Energy, Focus, Mood, PerformanceBack to the Future: It Often Works Better
I used to equate technology with efficiency. But lately I’ve been re-examining the things I do and how I do them. And technology is not always the most efficient, in my own experience. For example, I’ve found it easier to use a paper calendar than an electronic one. I periodically scan in a few weeks […]
Seek Efficiency
One of my favorite books of all time is The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. I was listening to the audiobook version again the other night. One of the breakthroughs for me was their discussion of how high-net-worth people are often entrepreneurs who apply lessons from their businesses to their […]
What making a cup of coffee can teach you about peak performance.
Research has shown that measuring something is the start of improving it, and this post explains how you can apply that to everything from making a cup of coffee to radically improving your professional performance.
If leading is not managing, then what are you doing?
Stephen Covey says you lead people and manage processes. I agree with that. If you’re in a leadership position, the implications are you want to spend as little time managing processes as possible, because your most effective and high-leverage role is leading the ones who are supposed to be managing. Think of it this way: […]
The Micromanagement Trap
The head of a fast food chain still approves the color and style of employee name badges. The managing partner of a law firm individually initials each photocopy of firm-wide memos to make sure that each one is copied correctly. The president of a major electronics distributor decides what sodas will be sold in the […]