Distinguish “Buffering” from Procrastination and Self-Care
Have you ever found yourself teleported to the refrigerator at the time you were supposed to be doing work? Or taken a “short” break to watch one video, then had that turn into watching an entire series? Or started to tidy your desk to settle down to work, and wound...
Inoculating Yourself Against Depression
I am more upbeat than many of the people I’ve spoken with recently. This is true, even though in many cases, my expectations for the post-coronavirus future are more pessimistic than theirs. I’ve seriously entertained some pretty dire outcomes, but instead of letting...
Three Steps to Calm Down
With 20:20 Hindsight, I wish I had written this article before the last one, which analyzed the relative merits of “Don’t Panic” versus “Keep Calm and Carry On” as advice. That may have been a bit esoteric for some readers. So, better late than never, here is more...
Keep Calm and Carry On
“Don’t Panic” “Keep Calm and Carry On” Are these two pieces of advice equivalent? No. If “Keep Calm and Carry On” is your mantra, you are more likely to maintain your equilibrium in turbulent times, such as the current coronavirus crisis. Why? First, “Keep Calm and...
Concentrating at Home
Thanks to Covid-19, many people are being asked to work at home. I thought I'd share a few thoughts on how to concentrate at home in the present circumstances. Some of the concentration challenges at home are obvious. There are clear distractions: Your family and your...
The Benefits of Frequent Finishing Points
I'd like to share an invaluable technique that improves both your productivity and your motivation: Deliberately plan to reach a finishing point in your work every half hour. A finishing point is different from a stopping point. For example, if you're juggling, and...
Urgency vs. Pressure
I often talk about the negative impact of mental pressure. But I am occasionally asked whether some pressure isn't good. For example, a member of the Thinking Lab observed, "Just the right amount of pressure is desirable and beneficial.... I believe in values pressure...
Overcoming the Obstacles to Doing What Matters Most
There are only three obstacles to doing what matters most: confusion, temptation, and resistance, or some combination thereof. If you have difficulty doing what matters most, you may be under a false impression about whether you can overcome these obstacles....
What Does Your New Commitment Compete With?
Time management books talk a lot about keeping track of your commitments. Commitments are those tasks you have decided you are going to do, no matter what. They range from the trivial (mailing a letter today) to the profound (write a book). They can be personal (lose...
Introspecting Emotions in Private
I believe the essential purpose of a journal is to introspect one's emotions in private. Why do that? Well, first let's agree that introspecting one's emotions is a value. When you introspect, you answer the questions, "what do I feel?" and "why do I feel it?" By...
