Fewer Things Better

We'd love to hear from you! Imagine you got an extra hour added to your day today. How would you spend those bonus minutes?  How we spend our time reveals how we value our time. This episode explores two tips to try if you find yourself with found time and how to make the most of minutes in your everydays. 

We'd love to hear from you! In a world that is always on, there is a tangible benefit to making time to turn the brain off. Chronic fatigue is more than just a sleep issue. It ties back into the brain. This episode looks at mood and energy benefits that come when the brain has a little extra space + three tips to try in your daily life. 

We'd love to hear from you! This episode explores the concept of the Ridiculously Small Step (RSS) and how a lot can be done by doing just a little. RSS is more than a methodology; it’s tied into the science of subtle shifts between the conscious and subconscious brain. Learn how consistent quick action can kickstart ongoing progress.

We'd love to hear from you! There is a crushing consumerism to buy in order to give. This short episode explores how the act of giving thanks returns a gift back to your body and brain. Gratitude is a multiplier. The more that you actively give thanks, the more the brain is programmed to look for positive experiences in your daily life. It's also a gift with purchase as each effort extend...

We'd love to hear from you! We all have places and spaces that have too much stuff, either physically or digitally. A recent experience led me to explore the scientific and psychological impact of more space. This episode also offers three simple tactics to help your brain shift to action vs. indecision to make room for space. 

We'd love to hear from you! As we get back to more people-y activities, there are a few quick tools you can try to turn an interaction into a connection.  From extending a quick compliment to posing a curious (but easy) question, never underestimate the big importance of small things. This episode shares some of the psychology and brain science behind making conversations memorable. 

We'd love to hear from you! Sleep is one of the most overlooked and underrated productivity hacks that we can take in our daily lives. It’s also the thing we often trade in our pursuit of productivity. A recent study showed that two consecutive days of getting less sleep can affect you for up to six days. This conversation looks at how you can power up your productivity by improving how you po...

We'd love to hear from you! Your brain processes 70,000 thoughts each day.  These thoughts create patterns that get encoded in our brain. How much of what is encoded is outdated and/or negative information? Like any software system, it's possible to update our cognitive code in a way that better serves us. 

We'd love to hear from you! The average adult gets interrupted about every 6 minutes. Each distraction comes with a cost – some that we willingly pay and others that cost more than we initially realize. This conversation looks at the quantity & quality of the costs of when our attention is scattered, and how to make investments in our attention bank along the way. 

We'd love to hear from you! Our brain can process 100 pieces of information every second. It does so by scanning the daily horizon and honing in on patterns and preferences that are most relevant to us. It’s like doing an online search and then hitting the filter button that says: Makes The Most Sense to Me. This episode explores the part of our brain that filters information, the odds of prob...

We'd love to hear from you! Chinese philosopher Confucius one said: Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.  That shows up in science and in habits as we tend to trust something that appears more complex than a simple solution. As we write our own adventure story, we can make it as complex or as simple as we want.  We may not be in control of every event, but we can choo...

We'd love to hear from you! The brain, just like the day, is full of activity.  Some research has indicated that the average person makes more than 35,000 decisions a day.  This episode focuses on the decisions you are not making, and how that can be a signal of what you are avoiding. 

We'd love to hear from you! Odds are you’re more likely to keep promises to others before you keep one to yourself. And that’s from research, not just popular psychology. There is a neural component to promise keeping and promise breaking. When looking at promises related to productivity principles, there is both art and actual science behind what motivates some actions over others. Consistenc...

We'd love to hear from you! Giving yourself permission to explore new & big ideas is an important brain exercise. Flexing this mental muscle tips the brain into actively looking for ways to turn dreams into potential possibilities. This episode highlights three simple steps to try when you give your mind permission to play. 

We'd love to hear from you! In this noisy world, technology seems to be knocking on our brain at all hours of the day. This episode explores the idea of a tech sabbath - a set period of time for a digital detox.  There are tangible benefits to your brain and body even after a matter of minutes. Learn a few ways where you can be a little less connected for a little while. Your brain will thank...

We'd love to hear from you! Progress, and productivity, require energy - and that energy has a cognitive and physiological cost. Our brain is one of the hungriest parts of your body. It consumes approximately 20% of all of the energy each day. All of our thinking and doing draws down on the cognitive and physical reserves. But energy can be counterbalanced by exploring where you are using your...

We'd love to hear from you! We often overestimate what we can get done in a day and underestimate the progress that can happen in just a few minutes. This episode outlines the time-based tool of a 10 Minute Kickstart and how the act of simply starting something gives your brain a boost that can propel further progress. 

We'd love to hear from you! This episode explores the powerful potential of words – seven words in particular – and how using them might bring opportunities to different situations in your life. Words unspoken often leave larger regrets than those shared. While a few words don’t brush away all the thorns of life, they can, at times, offer a salve for the soul. And sometimes the impact of our w...

We'd love to hear from you! As we seek shortcuts to buy more time, there is a cost to every convenience. Technology has brought many innovations – and it can also add wide layers of aloneness.  Every shortcut you use is a detour from something else. So make sure you know the cost of each trade and where it's better to take the longer, less convenient route.

We'd love to hear from you! When the brain – and the body – is processing a traumatic experience, it’s as if all the wires were pulled out of the wall all at once. The surface functions all still work fine, but your brain and body have been jolted into survival mode. The nervous system is halted from its regular flow and works overtime to try to go around that giant rock that was just dropped...

We'd love to hear from you! This episode is for those who struggle to make their words be perfect. As a former journalist, I get it. And I've learned - the long and hard way - that being messy helps you write better, faster. Too often, we are trying to craft the finished product from start to finish. There's time to revise later, but start by starting. Words are meant to create a con...

We'd love to hear from you! It’s fun when you get lucky or win on the first try. However, there are gifts that come from disappointment. Grit comes after the gravel of life shows up. It’s a gift with purchase alongside the sting of heartache. We can take a loss today and compost the parts of it that fertilize the mind and invigorate the action forward. 

We'd love to hear from you! Exhaustion is not a status symbol. We do not win by doing it all.  This episode focuses on the often-overlooked benefit of Rest and explores the productivity boost that comes in three ways:  Reboot, Recalibrate, and Recharge. Rest is a companion you must invite into your life. Once you embrace the art of slow, you can spend time enjoying the life you have worked so...

We'd love to hear from you! This episode is being posted on the day that my oldest son graduates from high school. In honor of this, today’s topic is about how specific words have the power to propel us forward.  The Bottom Line on Top (or BLOT) is that certain ceremonies of life are within our control to designate, recognize, celebrate, and claim. “Graduate” is an important word to adopt and...

We'd love to hear from you! Our relationship with time is both tangible and psychological. It's the one asset everyone shares equally and yet also seems to be in short supply universally. This episode explores our role in this relationship in three areas: The indecision loop, the ambiguity of 'maybe', and the gift of time with no agenda. Invest six minutes to learn ideas on how...