Most who read this blog are into some version of self-help and hacking. The growth modalities I'm most interested in are the ones that preach to just get to your "better." There is no end to growth. As far as we know the universe is darn near infinite (or fully infinite). For me, my drive is not about being the best or better than others (team members, family members, or competitors). My growth is a deep inner journey that literally doesn't have an end.
Read MoreBefore I worked at Focus to Evolve, I had a job in the financial industry. The clients that we serviced at that job had our phone numbers and email addresses and had direct access to us. We frequently received emails from clients, and often those emails had multiple instructions. I have been surprised throughout my professional career by how often other people didn’t see or address all of the requests in the emails they received.
Read MoreAs the months go by in this remote working era with schools oscillating between in school and remote learning and no end in sight, the number of distractions and general loss of routine have resulted in an unprecedented decline in getting meaningful things done with efficiency and craftmanship.
Read MoreIn my last blog post, I talked about a mind trick that I perform when my energy is waning but I still have items left on my to do list for the day. The trick is to move the task on my list to tomorrow, and then I get a jolt of energy thinking of doing it today, which is now ahead of schedule. This isn’t the only mind trick that I use to manipulate my energy however. If that maneuver doesn’t work, my next step will usually be to visualize myself completing the task.
Read MoreThere's a lot of talk about the ever-growing gap between the wealthy and the poor, the haves and the have nots. The massive global economy, they tell us, is adding fuel to the fire. I look at this situation quite differently. The gap has been mislabeled. I feel that the gap is between those who learn the meta-skill of not being distracted and those who do not learn that skill.
Read MoreHave you ever had one more thing on your to do list for the day but you didn’t feel like you had the energy to complete it? Sometimes when I feel like I don’t have the energy, I really don’t have the energy and my body or mind just needs a break. Usually when I really need a break, my mind doesn’t even allow me to think about the task that was left undone. My brain just peacefully lets go of it until the next day so I can rest today. But if I don’t think I have the energy, but my mind keeps ruminating on the task, then I’ll try a little mind trick.
Read MoreHere at Focus to Evolve, we teach a few skills that once applied cause deeply meaningful change in the recipient's work and life in general. Students are shocked by how this one small tweak or that tiny adjustment eliminated this feeling of overwhelm or that feeling of being off balance or out of control.
Read MoreYear-end is a time when people look toward to the future and start making resolutions or goals for the following year. We’ve all heard it said that most people who make resolutions don’t actually keep the resolutions. Gyms everywhere tend to be full in January and back to normal capacity in February. So where’s the disconnect? Why do we make resolutions and fail to follow through on them?
Read MoreAs we all spend hundreds and even thousands of hours in front of our computers every year, I'd like to share one of my favorite little fast hacks as it relates to better usage of Microsoft Outlook. This is a nice click-reducer and time saver. In my world, it's all about minutes saved adding up to hours which eventually leads to full days saved.
Read MoreI have dreaded and hated cold gray weather as long as I could remember. I suffered from winter blues/SAD for many years. I grew up believing that my happiness was directly tied to the weather. As I have been untangling the web of my wintertime depression, it has been helpful to finally see my unconscious patterns, thoughts and habits.
Read MoreTis the season for holiday shopping. 2020 has been a difficult year for many people. Some people particularly hard hit are retail, restaurant, and other service industry essential workers. From concerns for their own health and welfare to decreased customer foot traffic, some of these businesses are suffering, and I’ve made it a point to do whatever I can think of to ease that suffering in small ways.
Read MoreWhy do we coach on the awesomely-important metaskill of focus? Because it is the fuel which enables your dreams.
Read MoreRecently, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson's Law is the adage that work expands to fill the time allotted. In other words, the amount of work required adjusts (usually increasing) to the time available for its completion. Knowledge of Parkinson’s Law is important, especially during remote working, where employees often feel pressure to be on the clock all day every day because there’s no separation between your home and your office. I would encourage all employees to make that separation between work time and home time with a time deadline.
Read MoreOur highest self starts with a problem and works to create a solution. On the other hand, our egoic mind starts by offering a solution (because it knows everything, obviously) and creates a problem to ensure its validity.
Read MoreHave you ever sent an email to a co-worker and realized after you pressed send that you sent it to the wrong person? Gulp! There is a way to recall that accidentally sent message!
Read MoreCheck out this conversation between Focus to Evolve balance and productivity trainer, Jason Henkel, and his wife, Tanya. Their discussion about the thorny topics of getting things done and maintaining balance in a multi-child, fast paced (remote working) world is a must see!
Read MoreWhen embarking on a new path in life, thoughts about the fearful unknown may arise unbidden in our minds. Here’s a brief look at the limiting beliefs that have popped into my brain this past year along with the peaceful response that keeps me on my true path.
Read MoreMorning routines are important. They often set the tone for the rest of my day, so I structure my routine so I start my day with the positive energy that I want to carry me through until I go to bed at night.
Read MoreAs we all do our best to navigate this unpredictable economy and society, it can make present-minded focusing on high quality (craftmanship) work very difficult. To potentially help with this, I recall hearing once from a wise sage that the richest person you will ever meet is the one who deeply feels he/she has "enough" in this moment. And the number showing in the bank account is not the driver of that feeling.
Read MoreWhen I was in my mid-twenties and living in New York City, I had a nightmare. In my dream, many of my loved ones died. The next morning, when I woke up to discover that the agony was just a dream, I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge.
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