When you feel overwhelmed, don’t try and work harder. That’s not even fighting the symptom rather than the underlying disease… It’s feeding the problem and making it worse. There’s a never-ending stream of tasks that you could do. Ticking some of them off the list only allows even more to drop into the ‘to do’ … Read more
It’s a strange thing. But one that I’ve seen over and over again in myself and others. The moment you find an approach that really works… That delivers the results you’ve been lusting after… You stop using it. If your first instinct is to deny this then you’re in good company. Most people I know … Read more
Simplicity is where it’s at. Unfortunately, complexity has all the sex appeal and allure. Temptations and distractions cause you to veer off the simple path in the blink of an eye as soon as you relax your vigilance. Life finds a million persuasive ways to whisper in your ear that you need to complicate things. … Read more
It seems self-evident that truth is good. So it’s important to recognise that what’s untrue might be even more desirable. Some things are true… but have absolutely no use to me. Other things are untrue (or at least unproven, and likely untrue) but are some of the most powerful thoughts I can have. For me, … Read more
Planning is not all it’s cracked up to be. It feels like we’re capturing the facts on paper, manouvering them into the right order, and surgically removing what’s irrelevant or impractical. We’re taking unbiased stock of reality, then moulding it to our will. Aligning resources and channeling our efforts to reach the outcomes we desire. … Read more
Predicting the future is an impossible task. If that weren’t the case then we’d all be stock market millionaires. This seemingly leaves us with a dilemma — either make that dangerous prediction and stand or fall on whether it turns out to be right or wrong; or refuse to commit altogether. But there’s a middle … Read more
It’s common to feel that if you’re going to do something, you should do it ‘properly’. That’s all well and good, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking ‘properly’ to mean that you’ve got to include everything possible — that it’s not ok to leave things out. The phrase “Go big, or … Read more
Some people meander lazily, while others forge ahead with energy and urgency. It’s usually the apparently ‘lazy’ ones who end up achieving more. It’s natural to want to get to your goals as fast as possible. But the key phrase here is “as possible”. That means no faster than possible. When you try and rush … Read more
This year I’ve declared an ambition to be ruthless. Actively exhorting myself towards it — and feeling downright disappointed when I don’t measure up. It makes perfect sense to me, but I get dodgy looks whenever I mention this to others. Shouldn’t you be aiming for something ‘nice’ like “patient”, “playful”, “kind”, or “bold”? They … Read more
It’s really important to think conceptually about what you want from the world. Unless you have deep insights and grand plans you’ll tend to end up spending your energy indiscriminately. Head down in the weeds getting things done without a plan. Or going around in circles. But this is only ever half the battle… You … Read more