Morning Habits For You

Would you like to get a jump start on your day and keep yourself in a high state of productivity all day, every day? Before you start your work routine at your normal earthly time, consider this: many of the world's most successful founders and CEOs (think Apple's Tim Cook) have an edge because they're starting their day at a time when the rest of us are still asleep.

How early are we talking? As I covered here, 4 a.m. may be the most productive time of the day, because there are minimal distractions before the sun rises, no one is emailing or texting you, and there's less to see on social media.

If that's not your cup of tea, there is another way to set the stage for a productive day before distractions start to pile up and fires need to be put out. Follow these morning steps as the pathway to mastering the rest of your day.

1. Meditate
Spend 15 minutes alone doing deep breathing and some form of meditation. If 15 minutes feels too hard, start with five, but be consistent. Leading-edge brain research shows what monks have long known--that meditation calms the mind and cultivates focus. 

It can also increase the brain's gamma waves, which are associated with attention, learning, memory, happiness, and the "a-ha!" moments we experience when we make a complex connection.  READ MORE...

Develop the Growth Mindset

Illustration: Getty Images

Where success is concerned, growth and fixed mindset aren't an either/or proposition. Instead, you need a bit of both.

According to research on achievement and success by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, most people embrace -- whether consciously or not -- one of two mental perspectives where talent is concerned:

Fixed mindset: The belief that intelligence, ability, and talent are inborn and relatively fixed.

Someone with a fixed mindset might think, "Numbers have never been my thing... so I probably shouldn't try to start a business."

Growth mindset: The belief that intelligence, ability, and talent can be learned and improved with effort.

Someone with a growth mindset might think, you're likely to think things like, "I didn't do well in math in school, but with a little time and effort I can understand the financial side of running a business."

Clearly, embracing a growth mindset is advantageous.

Assume you are what you are, and you can't change what you are -- that you aren't smart, or aren't talented, or aren't a natural leader, etc. -- and when the going gets tough and you start to struggle, you almost immediately feel overwhelmed and even helpless, because what you "are" just isn't good enough.

So you stop trying. (Or you never started trying in the first place, because you assumed that you're just not cut out for whatever you imagined achieving.)

But here's the thing. While fixed and growth mindset are usually considered as opposites -- you possess either one or the other -- fixed and growth mindset are separate mindsets.

You can have both. In fact, you want to have both.  READ MORE...

A Leadership Lesson

On Tuesday, Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai (above) sent a memo to Google employees to let them know that the company would slow its hiring for the balance of the year and take other cost-cutting measures in response to worsening economic conditions. 

The memo, obtained by The Verge, is a master class in leadership and emotional intelligence and it teaches a lesson every CEO should take to heart.

Needless to say, Google is not the only tech company currently fearing the effects of inflation and a possible recession. Twitter and Netflix, among others, have announced layoffs, and numerous other companies have said that they are freezing or slowing hiring. 

But only Pichai seems to see the current market uncertainty as an opportunity to focus on what's most important, and inspire employees in the process. The memo he sent should be a model for every leader facing uncertain times like these. (You can find the full memo at the end of this piece.)

To begin with, Pichai starts the memo by thanking Google employees. Noting that 2022 is half over, he writes, "It's the right opportunity to thank everyone for the great work so far this year, and to share how my Leads and I are thinking about H2." 

Of course, thanking employees for all their great work is pretty much boilerplate for CEOs these days. Still, the fact that Pichai puts it right at the top of his memo makes it seem slightly more sincere.

Pichai then acknowledges that Google leadership is concerned about the same economic headwinds that are affecting the rest of the economy. 

Noting that Google has already hired about 10,000 people so far in 2022, he explains that the company will slow that trend for the rest of the year, focusing its hiring on what he terms critical roles such as engineering and technical. 

And there's more bad news. Noting that Googlers will need to work with "sharper focus" and "more hunger" than in better economic times, he warns that the company will need to streamline and consolidate some initiatives, and pause others altogether.  READ MORE...

How Emotionally Intelligent People Rewire their Minds

Emily's a passionate entrepreneur who's doing a lot of things right. But she's also a workaholic.

Emily has every intention of closing shop on Friday and spending the weekend with her family. But a potential client asked for a meeting this Saturday, and she couldn't say no. Sunday won't be a day off either, since she's trying to meet a deadline on a major project.

A similar scene repeats itself week after week, month after month.

Emily's always exhausted. She knows overwork causes here to get irritated easily. And she feels terrible every time she misses her son's soccer games.

Still, she can't unplug from her business. She finds it impossible to say no. No matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to break that bad habit.

Whether or not you face a similar situation, you can likely relate to Emily's struggle. You might feel like you're a victim of your brain's emotional programming, and there's nothing you can do to change it.

But is that true?

If you feel like Emily, you might benefit from a technique I learned from a psychologist some years ago. It's based on principles of emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage your emotions.

I like to call it the rule of rewiring.

What is the rule of rewiring, and how can it help you rewire your brain and exchange bad habits for better ones?

Before we answer that question, let's learn a little about how habits work.

Change the way you think--using neuroscience
It's a common misconception that the adult brain is static or otherwise fixed in form and function. But as scientists have discovered in recent years, the brain has a remarkable property called neuroplasticity.

This plasticity means that you have some amount of control over your brain's programming. Through a combination of concentrated thoughts and purposeful actions, you can rewire your brain and exert greater control over your emotional reactions and tendencies.  READ MORE...

Warren Buffet's Two Letter Word

Billionaire Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, learned a long time ago that the greatest commodity of all is time. That's why he is religiously protective of his own time by setting strict boundaries for himself.

This leads to a Buffett-ism that has garnered a lot of debate over the years since he said it. It's a quote about the difference between successful people and really successful people.

The mega-mogul said: "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."

No to almost everything?
That's a tall order. Most ambitious people are driven by results and doing more, not less. If you're an entrepreneur like me, you are relentless in your pursuit of capitalizing on every opportunity presented to you if it means growing your business and income. 

It could mean, in your own mind, having to meet as many people as you can to get there. That also means saying a lot more yeses than no's. But is it sustainable?  READ MORE...

How to Speak

BY JUSTIN BARISO, AUTHOR, EQ APPLIED
@JUSTINJBARISO
Getty Images



Earlier this year, I came across a lecture by former MIT professor Patrick Winston called "How to Speak." The lecture was posted on YouTube a few months after Winston's death in 2019, and has since been viewed over 4.7 million times.


Winston, who taught at MIT for almost 50 years and was one of the school's most beloved professors, knew how to captivate an audience. His style wasn't flashy, but it was extremely compelling--even more noteworthy when you consider he worked in the technical field of artificial intelligence.


If you watch the full lecture, and I highly recommend you do, you'll learn some invaluable tips that will make you not only a better speaker but a better communicator. However, you'll also discover a priceless gem in the first five minutes of the talk, when Winston describes what he calls the "rule of engagement." It's a simple, non-negotiable policy, and it's only five words long.


Winston's classroom rule? No laptops. No cellphones.


Although simple, this is a rule that almost no one today follows, and that makes it extremely valuable. Winston's rule of engagement is also a perfect example of emotional intelligence in real life: the ability to make emotions work for you, instead of against you.


How the 'Rule of Engagement' makes you a better listener


Winston goes on to explain the reasoning behind his rule of engagement.



"Some people ask why [no laptops, no cellphones] is a rule of engagement," says Winston. "The answer is, we humans only have one language processor. And if your language processor is engaged ... you're distracted. And, worse yet, you distract all of the people around you. Studies have shown that."


He continues, "And worse yet, if I see an open laptop, somewhere back there, or up here, it drives me nuts!"  TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

Clocking Out

"It won't always be like this," I told myself. "Starting a company is hard."

Before I started my company, I spent over a decade working for a nonprofit that I loved. It was a fantastic organization where amazing mentors and colleagues taught me much of what I know about the practical side of emotional intelligence.

Over the years I worked there, I put in my share of overtime. But as much I loved my job, I had a pretty strict routine of leaving work. On most days, I clocked out at 5 p.m.

But a funny thing happened once I started working for myself: The workdays got longer and longer, later and later. And while, yes, starting a company was hard, I'd soon learn that growing a company and maintaining it is pretty hard, too.

After realizing that I was working much more than I wanted to, I made a change. I like to call it, "the rule of clocking out." It's based on principles of emotional intelligence, the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions.

I've found this rule helps me to set my priorities, keep everything in its place, and take control of my life.  Here's how it works.How to set priorities, avoid burnout, and find more time in your day

When I first started my company, I was influenced by personalities like Mark Cuban, who says you have to outwork your competition, or they'll put you out of business. To be fair, I've learned a lot from Cuban over the years--but I didn't want to live life like him. My work is definitely a priority. But so is my family. And my mental health. And volunteering my time to help others.

Of course, one of the greatest things about being your own boss is you get to set your own hours. After realizing that I was working much more than I wanted to, I made a change. I would set a time every day to clock out. Then I'd treat that time like an important appointment, one that I can't miss.

The principles of clocking out apply especially well to business owners. But in reality, they provide value for anyone.For example, do you find that despite working later and later, there's always more work to get done?

Or that by focusing much of your energy on goals for your work or business, you forget about other priorities--like your mental or physical health?Or maybe you need to learn to clock out, not from work, but from something else that's draining your time and energy--like a clingy friend, or even a Netflix or YouTube addiction.

If any of the above applies to you, it can be difficult to change. This is likely because your emotions are ruling your habits, causing you to repeat the same routine.Here's where emotional intelligence comes in. TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY DO, CLICK HERE...

Rule of Reappraisals

"It's 6:00 p.m. already???"

I was in disbelief. The day was over and I still had a mountain of tasks on my desk. Where had the time gone?

The day was a failure.

Or was it?

As I sat back in my chair, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work ahead of me, I remembered a lesson a friend taught me some years ago.

It's a lesson I now like to call:

The rule of reappraisal

What's the rule of reappraisal?

As a young man, many years ago, I embarked on a major undertaking: I began learning Tagalog (Filipino), my father's native language.

It was exciting and rewarding to learn a new language, especially one that taught me so much about my father's culture and my own roots. But it was also extremely frustrating -- because as hard as I worked, I couldn't always express myself the way I wanted. The word I needed often seemed to be just beyond my grasp, and my grammar was full of mistakes.

After one especially challenging day, I broke down in frustration to a close friend. He told me something I've never forgotten, and his advice is what I refer to today as the rule of reappraisal:

Don't focus on what you have ahead of you. Instead, look back on what you already accomplished.

This pearl of wisdom helped me to change my perspective. Learning a language is a never-ending journey -- even for native speakers -- so focusing on the path ahead is self-defeating. After all, there will always be more to learn.

But what happened when I took a look behind?

Just a few years before, I could barely say a few words in Tagalog. Now, I could hold a full conversation. I could enjoy Filipino movies and humor (although I didn't get every joke). I even took a trip to the Philippines, by myself, which turned out to be a life-changing experience.  READ MORE...

The Golden Question

You really wanted to quit your job.

After months of careful planning, you figured out how to turn your side hustle into a full-fledged business--and you built up the courage to do so. So, you handed in your resignation.

Immediately, your boss tries to convince you to stay, promising a huge raise.

• It's tempting.
• You start having second thoughts.
• What should you do?

Some years ago, I learned a practice that helps me to get control of my emotions in challenging situations like this one, so that I make better decisions.

It requires asking myself what I like to call, the 'golden question.'

The golden question
The golden question is actually five questions in one, and goes like this:  When you need to make a decision under emotional circumstances, ask yourself:

How will I feel about this in:

• a day?
• a week?
• a month?
• a year?
• 5 years?

The reason why this question is helpful has much to do with the way our brains process emotions.

When it comes to higher level executive functions (such as the capacity to plan, organize, and exercise self-control), we typically engage the frontal lobe(s), the largest part of the brain. But when we feel some type of emotional threat, another part of the brain known as the amygdala "hijacks" the brain, often resulting in a fight, flight, or freeze response.

Emotional hijacks can be useful in certain situations. But they can lead us to say or things we regret.

Here's where the golden question comes in.

By forcing yourself to see how this decision will affect your future, you switch back from using your amygdala and re-engage your frontal lobe.  READ MORE

Introverts Understand Better

Many of us tend to think of personality traits as either good or bad. Being anxious, for instance, is somewhere between unpleasant and debilitating. Extroversion generally helps people enjoy life and get ahead. But studies suggest things aren't nearly that simple. Almost every "good" trait also has drawbacks, and every "negative" one confers benefits.

Anxiety, for instance, can keep you from enjoying life and taking healthy risks. It also keeps you safe and improves your memory. Introversion is similar. Being quieter is definitely a handicap when it comes to standing out in a noisy world -- studies show that just talking a lot leads people to assume you're leadership material -- but as recent Yale research underlines, being an introvert also has big upsides.

Introverted folks, the study found, may not enjoy people as much as extroverts, but they understand them better. The shy and retiring actually have a much more accurate understanding of the psychology of others than those who spend more time socializing.

Introverts are better "natural psychologists"
Psychologists spend huge amounts of energy developing and carrying out studies to better understand the intricacies of human behavior. It turns out they could probably save themselves a lot of time just by asking the wallflower observing everyone from the corner at parties.

First, the Yale team tested nearly a thousand volunteers to see how accurately they could answer questions about well-established psychological truths -- questions like "Do people work harder in groups or individually?" or "Does taking out your frustrations on a pillow or stuffed toy make you feel better when you're angry?" (The research validated answers are "individually" and "no," if you're curious). Then they gave the volunteers a battery of personality tests. The shy and melancholy definitively outperformed the jovial and friendly.  READ MORE