Per My Last Email…
Oh, email, what a love-hate relationship we’ve had over the years. April 23rd is, for whatever reason, National Email Day. For any business owner who’s feeling overwhelmed, reviewing your email policy can help you focus on the important things instead of wasting your time reviewing messages.
What Kenya Taught Me About Life and Business
What’s on your bucket list?
One of my items was going on a safari in Africa. When a feminist writer I follow (Jill Filipovic) announced her writing/yoga/safari retreat in Kenya, I knew this was a great opportunity. I’ve also been told that it’s better to go on safari sooner rather than later because climate change is affecting the landscape. And I am so glad I jumped at the chance to go.
Is Consistent Peak Performance a Luxury?
If you’re a business owner, you know that performing at your best helps you succeed in business, whatever success means to you. Granted, no one can be at their very best every single day – life happens! However, the more often you can attempt it, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.
So why do you treat as a luxury one of the biggest factors in top performance?
For Business Owners Who Are Physically Active
Have you ever done something athletic in your adult life? Done a triathlon, a marathon, climbed Everest, or anything similar? A weightlifting competition? Anything that you’ve trained for - maybe a 5K run or walk?
If so, then you know not every day is a day to go as hard as you can. Training plans for most of these events include recovery days, where you might do some easy yoga or go for a walk. For its best performance, your body requires some rest and recovery, both during training and afterward.
Is There a Link Between Productivity and Healthspan?
You’ve probably started planning and saving for retirement, at least financially. Have you planned for your mental and physical health in retirement? If not, now is a good time to start!
March 17 is Wellderly Day. American culture has made it harder to get to old age in a healthy way, just as it makes paying attention to important tasks harder. However, you can push back on both – and the sooner you start, the better.
The Belief in “More” Leads to Burnout
Here in the US, we tend to think that “more” of practically anything is ideal. If medium fries are good, a large must be even better. If a half hour of exercise is good, then eight hours a day is better. If a multivitamin is good, one with even more vitamins in it is better.
Sometimes more is better, but very often there’s a ceiling past which more actually harms you. Too much of certain vitamins can damage your body. People have died drinking too much water as they were running a marathon.
Many of us pride ourselves on hard work, and of course, more is better, right?
Unplug For Productive Performance
If you discovered you were addicted to drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), gambling, or sex, what would you do? Or even if you didn’t think you were addicted exactly, but you thought your usage was too heavy and interfering with your life?
Flexibility in Your Business Framework
Have you ever been to the top of the Empire State Building in New York? (Or any other skyscraper?) When you go out to the observation deck, especially on a windy day, you’ll feel the platform sway a little bit.
That’s a feature, not a bug.
One Quick Trick To Get $hit Done in Your Business
Since the beginning of the year, how many days were you frantically busy yet ended the day feeling like you didn’t accomplish anything?
What If Productivity Is Like Healthy Eating?
Like many other Americans, I’m working on losing weight. It’s going so-so, but then I realized eating is just like productivity!
OK, I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.
Can You Hear Me Now?
My parents used to laugh because I’d get mostly As and Bs on my report card for school subjects, but Cs in conduct – because I talked a lot. And if you’ve been on a call with me, I’ve probably told you that I can talk about my subject 24/7. When I was a kid, I stretched out the cord on the telephone on the wall so I could talk to my friends after school.
People don’t talk as much anymore… and that’s actually a bad thing.
Is “Fun at Work” an Oxymoron?
As a business owner, are you still enjoying your business? Is it still fun, at least sometimes?
Go Slow (Sometimes) to Succeed
When people think of productivity, they often think of doing things faster. Learning 50 keyboard shortcuts to take off a millisecond here or there when typing, ignoring the demands of your bladder to try to push through, trying to work a problem that takes half an hour in the five minutes you have between back-to-back meetings.
Going slowly, or taking breaks, or doing something analog instead of digitally seems like it would be, well, counterproductive to productivity, right? In certain cases, though, slowing down helps you speed up in a healthy way.
3 Key Time Management Rules Brought To You By The Letter E
In addition to being the most used letter in the English language, the letter E is used in the LaserBrainTM method for Employ Good “Time Hygiene”. This is especially key for business owners who want to run a successful business and still have time for love and joy outside their work too.
Healthy Brain, Healthy Business
Is your New Year’s Resolution for 2025 to get healthy?
Many people think about health in terms of physical health: to get stronger, be able to climb stairs, lose weight, run a marathon, etc. All good goals, especially kicking them off in January, which is National Staying Healthy Month.
But good health isn’t just physical.
Have a Better 2025 With This One Crazy Trick
A new year, whenever you celebrate it, is a chance to look forward and think about what you want to accomplish in the new year.
Harmony and Holidays
I think the more people get back to what makes them happy outside of work, the better off the world will be. Being happy outside of work also helps you accomplish more when you’re at work, because doing things you enjoy with people you enjoy helps you recharge your brain.
R Is For Removal (Of Distractions)
If you want to be more productive, it’s necessary to spend some time each day focusing on the important, mission-critical tasks that only you as the business owner can do. Other things can be delegated, outsourced, or automated.
In order to focus, you have to lose distractions.
A Cuppa for Peak Performance
You may not be a big fan of drinking tea, and don’t worry, you don’t have to in order to work smarter!
Brace Yourselves: The Season of Overdoing is Here
For some reason, the holidays tend to bring out the perfectionism in many business owners. Even though objectively this is the WORST time to expect perfection from yourself or anyone else. Plus, you might overdo at work and then try to overdo it at home too.