I'm an advocate of routines — highly individualized routines. A good routine ensures you do what's best for you, without a lot of time or trouble. For example, routines for getting up and going to bed protect your time for sleep. When you're sleepy — in the morning or...
In the age of streaming video and audiobooks, many people turn to listening as their primary way of learning new ideas. This has some cognitive risks that aren't generally considered. If you are concerned with your operational intelligence, i.e., your ability to think...
Elsewhere I have argued on the importance of having a central purpose. To refresh your recollection, "a central purpose is the long-range goal that constitutes the primary claimant on a man’s time, energy, and resources." (Leonard Peikoff, OPAR). Recently I've been...
Much chronic pain can be eliminated by better posture, but good posture cannot be forced. Rules such as "stand up straight" and "don't slouch" can do more harm than good. Until it is fully automatized, a change in posture needs to be initiated and maintained...
For years, I've been arguing against a simplistic "just do it" approach to getting things done. That approach uses pressure as the prime motivator. But pressure sabotages your ability to think clearly and creatively. The alternative I developed is self-direction, a...
My mother had a few one-liners she used to encourage us. If you were in a funk, she would say, "You need to stand on your head." If you faced a daunting task, she would say, "Effort, St. Swithins!" I never did learn how to stand on my head, nor why St. Swithins should...
In my previous article titled So You Hate Your Job, I said, When you feel forced into a decision to take a job, it means you need to seriously look at the negatives of not taking the job. My Thinking Labber joked about being homeless if he didn't...
I had an interesting conversation the other day with a Thinking Lab member who has hated his job off and on for a long time and wants to do something constructive about it. The key word here is "constructive." People "hate" all kinds of things: the culture, how their...
It's a bromide that the holiday season can be stressful. There are plenty of reasons for that. Likely you have more social engagements than usual, so you have less time to yourself. You may undertake several seasonal projects with firm deadlines — decorating the...
If you've read my newsletter for a long time, you know a few things about my thoughts related to working on a deadline. I don't think it is ever wise to suppress your emotions (barring a literal life-and-death emergency) — a related discussion is here. Based on this...
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