WORK-LIFE BALANCEStop and Smell the Soap
Everyone needs a way to wind down from work, especially at the end of the work week. Here’s a neat one from a list of “100 tiny changes to transform your life” that ran in THE GUARDIAN newspaper recently: Use a soap that reminds you of a fun vacation. “I use a soap I brought home from Yucatán in Mexico. The smell shifts my mind from work mode to relaxation, with fond memories of the jungle,” related a reader from Colorado.
FINANCESInvest in Preparedness
Fortunes are difficult to make and surprisingly easy to lose. It’s why the more you amass, the more time you need to devote to protecting it. In his latest book, Same As Ever: A Guide To What Never Changes, venture capitalist Morgan Housel urges his readers to think of risk the way California thinks of earthquakes. “California knows a major earthquake will happen. But it has no idea when, where, or of what magnitude. Emergency crews are prepared despite no specific forecast. Buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes that may not occur for a century or more. As Nassim Taleb says, ‘Invest in preparedness, not in prediction.’”
MANAGEMENTExploration VS Exploitation
At a restaurant, do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? At work, do you make what you know will sell or try something new? According to technology writer Kevin Kelley, the optimal balance for exploring new things vs. exploiting them once found is 1 to 3. Spend one-third of your time on exploring and two-thirds on deepening. “It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1:3,” he says.
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MOTIVATIONEmbrace the Embarrassment
Do you feel a slight twinge of when you look at some of the custom design work or even the business decisions you made 5, 10 or 20 years ago? Embrace it, says James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Speaking on a podcast he said, “A good indicator of progress is the feeling of slight embarrassment by the quality of your earlier work,” he says.
FINANCESPay the Taxman First
A state-dependent tip that has brought financial discipline and mental calm to Tim Sherrer of Lou’s Jewelry in Mobile, AL: “Deposit 12 percent of everything you do into a separate bank account for taxes. 12 percent will pay sales taxes and property taxes at the end of the year,” he says.
MANAGEMENTBe Remembered
Speak first, last or both in meetings. Research shows that it’s not just how you say something, but when you say it that matters. We remember things best if they come at the beginning or end of a list, a presentation, or a trip to the mountains. What gets stuck in the middle often is forgotten, says Dan Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets Of Perfect Timing.
TIME MANAGEMENTGo Henry Ford with Your Sock Drawer
If getting dressed in the morning takes an inordinate amount of time, replace all your socks with identical black pairs. “It’s a tip I found in a book on ADHD, and it’s made getting ready in the mornings much easier. It’s definitely helped with my decision fatigue,” says beauty and lifestyle writer Anita Bhagwandas.
FEEDBACKLearn from Three-star Reviews
Everyone loves a 5-star reviews, but sometimes, the three-star reviews are more helpful, says podcast host Tim Ferriss, explaining that perfect reviews don’t offer much useful information while 1-star reviews are often the result of something out of your control, a one-off error, or a crank who can’t be satisfied. “But with three-star reviews, or the most critical three-star reviews, you tend to get a lot of really helpful feedback,” he notes.