First Things

In this episode, we go through nine steps to find your passion in life.  I also present an alternative to "Abandon everything and pursue your passions" ... and suggest that "Do what you like/love to enable what you love" is often a great strategy to use ... as long as you don't find yourself wasting months and years not doing anything with your passions.

In this episode, we return to the topic of multitasking.  We do an experiment showing how multitasking can double or triple your efforts, how multitasking is actually switchtasking, and how there might be some times you do actually want to do more than one thing at time.

In this episode, we tackle the issue of perfectionism.  We discuss how it is true that done is better than perfect.

I am returning to podcasting!  I talk about what I've been doing and what we will be covering in the new year.

In this episode, you will— Learn about my crazy summer. :D Discover my recent hacks regarding sleep, reading, and planning. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks.

In this episode, you will— Learn about the various aspects of life that can be considered "shallows" Discover various ways we can "drain the shallows" to regain more time in our day Hear about specific strategies to deal with meetings and email Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this st...

In this episode, you will— Learn that we can become addicted to social media Discover that we often use social media if it provides any benefit to our lives Hear about the "craftsman" approach to deciding which social media to keep in our lives Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this st...

In this episode, I talk about the hectic last few weeks I've had ... and some of the lessons I've learned.  We will return to our previous study in the next podcast.

In this episode, you will— Learn that we can become addicted to avoiding boredom Discover that it is not unusual for your mind to wander Hear about strategies to minimize addiction to distractions Learn the importance of scheduling your distractions Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on th...

In this episode, you will— Learn about the 4 approaches to Deep Work: Monastic Bi-modal Rhythmic Journalistic Discover why I think an emphasis on Rhythmic (with occasional Journalistic) is the best approach for most people Hear about strategies you want to put into place when doing Deep Work Learn the importance of measuring Deep Work, and how your output isn't the best way to measure it Be offere...

In this episode, you will— Hear about the importance of Deep Work. Learn that without intensity of focus, we are left with spending more time to achieve quality work. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about the importance of Deep Work. Hear from Cal Newport about how he implements this in his life. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about the various ways in which we can take long breaks. Discover the importance of "mini vacations". Understand the necessity of sleep. Hear how longer time off is something to consider. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about the various ways in which we can take short breaks. Discover the importance of naps. Discover the importance of short walks. Hear how exercise is not optional for us. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about how 4 hours of intense work is about as much as we can do. Discover the importance of a morning routine for your productivity. Discover the importance of Stopping. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about how work and rest are partners. Listen to various statistical studies about the importance of rest. Discover some of the problems we push regarding rest. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study,  please click here .

In this episode, you will— Hear about our new study on Rest. Listen to Alex Soojung-Kim Pang talk about the idea of Rest and details of his book. Be offered a free worksheet/guide on the topic of this month. Hear a preview of what will be covered in future weeks. For a free worksheet/guide on this study, please click here .

In this episode, you will— Understand why I quit podcasting. Learn why I decided to return to podcasting. Hear where we will be going with the podcast in the next year.

In this episode of First Things, I give a brief episode announcing that I am returning to the world of podcasting.  I give a few brief details of these plans.

Most would never guess the biggest secrets to verbal communication … learning to listen and observe.  This means our biggest hindrance is often our own mouths … from overuse! This week, we look once more at techniques to help us better observe and listen to people around us. Click to Listen "Listen & Observe" Show Notes […] The post #088 – Listen & Observe (Like Switch Pt 10) [Podcast] appeared fi...

We can implement certain "attraction laws" into place that will better enable deeper friendships.  Last week, we discussed one such law … the law of similarity. This week, we look into the various attraction laws and how to practically implement them into our lives. Click to Listen "Attraction Laws" Show Notes Law of Reciprocity: When […] The post #087 – Attraction Laws (Like Switch Pt 9) [Podcast...

There are certain "laws of attraction" that we can invoke as tools to help us establish friendships.  One of these is the "law of similarity." In a culture that often idolizes diversity, it is the commonality that often builds the strongest relationships.  What is the "law of similarity" and how can we use it effectively? […] The post #086 – Law of Similarity (Like Switch Pt 8) [Podcast] appeared...

We continue talking through the "Golden Rule of Friendship."  How does this rule apply to compliments?  Do compliments help? Complimenting other people (especially new friends) can be a powerful tool. But … you must be careful and not abuse this technique. Click to Listen "Compliments" Show Notes I want to encourage you to give a […] The post #085 – Compliments (Like Switch Pt 7) [Podcast] appeare...

The more you can let go of your ego, the better your friendships will be.  Making your conversations more about the other person (and less about you), the more people will love being around you.  This is referred to as the "Golden Rule of Friendship." This can be very difficult to do since we want […] The post #084 – Golden Rule of Friendship (Like Switch Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Th...

In previous weeks, we have looked are the various "friend" signals. But what about foe signals?  What are some things we may do that make us appear unfriendly to other people? During every social approach, humans must assess each other's intentions. Facial expressions provide cues to assist in these assessments via associations with emotion, the […] The post #083 – Foe Signals (Like Switch Pt 5) [...