How To Optimize Your Daily Schedule
know how most people spend their time. What can research tell us about the best way to spend our time? Maybe you're a night owl. You don't want to get out of bed. There's a way to get out of that habit. And it's important because your mood in the morning affects your entire day. Is it Monday? Don't worry, it won't be as bad as you think. (On the other hand, Fridays aren't that great, either.) There are…
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What’s the sweet spot for optimal improvement?
ile practicing, you want to be succeeding on 50-80% of attempts. Fewer than that and you're going to be confused and feel like it's all luck. More success than that and you're not pushing yourself. Via Daniel Coyle's excellent book The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills: Comfort Zone Sensations: Ease, effortlessness. You’re working, but not reaching or struggling. Percentage of Successful Attempts: 80 percent and above. Sweet Spot Sensations: Frustration, difficulty, alertness to errors. You’re…
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What can we learn about expert performance from the raid on Bin Laden’s compound?
e key to expert performance in any scenario is having done it before -- or the closest thing to that. Via Daniel Coyle's excellent book The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills: When U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 mounted its May 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, it prepared by constructing full-scale replicas of the compound in North Carolina and Nevada, and rehearsing for three weeks. Dozens of times the SEALs simulated the operation. Dozens…
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5 tips for picking an awesome mentor
ghlights from Daniel Coyle's excellent book The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills: 1) Avoid Someone Who Reminds You of a Courteous Waiter ...one who focuses his efforts on keeping you comfortable and happy, on making things go smoothly, with a minimum of effort... This is a good person to have as your waiter in a restaurant, but a terrible person to have as your teacher, coach, or mentor. 2) Seek Someone Who Scares You a…
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3 Things The Greatest Generals Of History Can Teach You About Strategy
Don't do what your enemy is prepared for. Frontal assaults against prepared defenses are stupid. Via How Great Generals Win: From the beginning of organized warfare, frontal attacks against prepared defenses have usually failed, a fact written large in military history for all generals to see... great generals strike where they are least expected against opposition that is weak and disorganized. Almost all successful attacks have hit enemies from the rear, from the flank, or anywhere it is not…
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This Personality Trait Leads To Long Lives, Happy Marriages And Money
ing conscientious. "Conscientiousness, which was the best predictor of longevity when measured in childhood, also turned out to be the best personality predictor of long life when measured in adulthood." "...our findings suggest that conscientiousness is the trait most broadly associated with marital satisfaction in this sample of long-wed couples." "Measured concurrently, emotionally stable and conscientious participants reported higher incomes and job satisfaction." "...the personality traits Conscientiousness and Neuroticism have a strong impact on the instantaneous probability of finding a…
1 min read
The Secret To Eliminating Stress, According To Research
is often said, stress isn't about what happens to us, it's how we react to it. This is very true. We don't feel as stressed when we feel in control. Again, the emphasis is on feel. Even illusory feelings of control can eliminate stress. (This is the secret to why idiots and crazy people may feel far less stress than those who see a situation clearly.) Anything that increases your perception of control over a situation -- whether it…
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Here’s The Best Time To Schedule Your Next Job Interview
rly in the morning. You want to be the first interview. Two reasons why: 1) Research shows college admissions interviewers who have said yes to many applicants in one day are less likely to approve another that day, despite the arbitrary distinction. Most people use similar informal groupings in their head for comparisons. Best to be first and not be on the losing end of such considerations: Many professionals, from auditors and lawyers, to clinical psychologists and journal editors, divide…
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