A Thinking Labber wrote: "Contrary to your advice to have one emotionally-challenging initiative, I have 4-5 major challenging initiatives at work and 3-4 in my personal life, none of which I feel I can realistically defer without significant consequences." This is an...
What is Missing from Your Plan for the Day?
Do you take 15 minutes to plan each and every day? I strongly recommend you do so. 15 minutes is enough time to let you review your calendar and consider your priorities. 15 minutes is enough time to get an overview so that you know what matters most today. 15 minutes...
The Alternative to a “No Choice” Rule
I am halfway through The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person. Judith Beck's exercises, combined with MyFitnessPal, are helping me adhere to a lose-a-pound-a-week diet. I don't agree with everything in the book, but I give it a qualified...
Smarter Execution
Smarter Execution Smarter Execution is the basic course on goal-achievement. It starts with goal clarification, continues with conflict resolution, and ends with making free choices. Here is the short ad copy for the course: As a manager, business owner, or other...
So You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
I've had every motivational problem ever. So when a participant in Launch 21 reported that she suddenly didn't feel like doing anything, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I call this being in a "funk." Suddenly, you live in a world that has nothing to offer...
Summer Coaching in the Thinking Lab
Sign up for private coaching in the Thinking Lab with Lin Zinser this summer and get 4 bonus group coaching calls with Jean Moroney. […]
Addendum to Spiraling Exercise 8
Addendum to Spiraling Exercise 8 Case Study: Scaling Down a Plan to Improve a Marriage Recently, I was asked how the "layering" or "spiraling" approach could apply to improving a relationship. This seems like a hard case, because there are uncountable ways to improve...
The Unfounded Assumption that Can Stop Logical Thinking in Its Tracks
Join me in the campaign to eliminate prejudice against messy thinking tactics. Floating in the back of many people's minds is the idea that "logical" means "neat." People sometimes hesitate to make a list unless they can write down the items in their proper order....
When You Might Want to Procrastinate…
A while ago, I read an interesting book called The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Goals by Keith Ellis. Much of his approach is compatible with mine. Here is a clever tactic of his for using your skill at procrastination as a power for good. The problem...
What’s So Hard About Managing Time?
It's simple. "I need to manage my time" is a euphemism for "I am choosing not to spend time on important stuff." Sometimes the "important stuff" is work. Sometimes it's rest or recreation or relationships. But if you're dissatisfied with how you spend your time, your...