Success Psychology Archives - Page 9 of 9

Nathan Lozeron March 8, 2016

The Way of the Essentialist

The pursuit of success can be a catalyst for failure. Put another way, success can distract us from focusing on the essential things that produce success in the first place.” – Greg McKeown

The basic value proposition of Essentialism:

Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” – Greg McKeown

In the following video I summarize Greg’s book and provide a framework for preventing the non-essential from creeping into your life:

1-Page PDF Summary

Nathan Lozeron February 25, 2016

A SuperBetter Mindset

SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal

“Purposeful play builds self-confidence and real-world problem-solving skills.” – Jane McGonigal, SuperBetter

Adopting a ‘gameful’ mindset is a great way to increase resilience and accelerate personal growth. A ‘gameful’ mindset leads to strategic problem-solving methods and radically alters how we approach our work.

“The SuperBetter method is designed to make you stronger, happier, braver, and more resilient.” – Jane McGonigal

Watch the following video (my latest book summary animation) to discover how the SuperBetter method can help you unlock a ‘gameful’ mindset and boost your productivity:

Click here to receive the 1-Page PDF Summary

Nathan Lozeron January 5, 2016

The 80/20 Lens

Insights from the book ‘The 80/20 Principle‘ by Richard Koch.

Time to Read: 5:49 minutes

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” – John C. Maxwell

The 80/20 Principle states that 80% of our daily effort yields less than 20% the perceived daily value.

80% of the meetings you attend could probably go unattended
80% of the emails you reply to could probably be handled by someone else
80% of the items on your to-do list could probably go ‘undone’ with little effect on your life three months from now

Upon reflecting on my time over the last few days I realized that only a few hours yielded meaningful results. This realization have radically altered my view of time.

“Time management implicitly assumes that we know what is and is not a good use of our time. If the 80/20 Principle holds, this is not a safe assumption.” – Richard Koch

In the 80/20 Principle, author Richard Koch makes the following statements regarding time:

Most of what we do is of low value.
Some small fragments of our time are much more valuable than all the rest.
If we can do anything about this, we should do something radical: there is no point tinkering around the edges or making our use of time a little more efficient.
If we make good use of only 20 percent of our time, there is no shortage of it!

When you spend more time in ‘high value’ areas of your life you generate an abundance of time.

How?

If 20% of your efforts yield 80% of the valuable results in your life, than doubling your time in those efforts should yield results that appear to have a 160% value (a 60% bonus to your expected experience).

Doubling the time you spend on rewarding activities generates a surplus of value in your life.

But how do we know what those ‘high-value’ efforts are and how can we direct our time towards more ‘high-value’ activities?

Pause & Reflect

To find the most rewarding activities in your life you need to stop rushing and start observing.

“80/20 thinking requires, and with practice enables, us to spot the few really important things that are happening and ignore the mass of unimportant things.” – Richard Koch

Since 80% of our efforts yield just 20% of the valuable results in our life, it is imperative that we learn to pause throughout the day and reflect on our efforts.

By periodically pausing we are less likely to engage in a low-value activity.

If we remain ‘busy’ throughout the day we forget that the 80/20 Principle altogether. When we learn to pause and reflect on our actions can we can interrupt the ‘busyness’ of our lives.

How do you recognize a 20% (significant) item?

Simple yet effective. Something you love doing and is valuable to others. Something that provides you with a lasting positive charge (an increase to your personal energy). Something that gives you a sense of meaning and purpose. Something that leads to a lasting impact on your life and the lives of others. An activity you find completely engaged in and measurably better than others at.

Examples:

Teaching a co-worker a valuable skill that you possess that will aid their career
Taking time to cook with your family and build healthy eating habits
Comforting a loved one during a difficult time

How do you recognize a 80% (low value) item?

Something that could easily be done by someone else. Something you hate doing and only has a marginal impact on people’s lives. Something you are doing because it has always been done that way.

Examples:

Responding to an email thread just to get the last word in
Attending meetings simply because you’ve been told to
Writing a document without a clear outline or intended purpose

Populate 80/20 Lists

Create two lists:

Low-Value Activities List
High-Value Activities List

Observe the effort you take all day long. Become a keen observer of your daily experience. Frequently ask yourself: “is this the best use of my time?”.

If the answer is ‘No’, add it to the ‘Low-Value Activities List’ (80% item).
If the answer is ‘Yes’, add it to the ‘High-Value Activities List’ (20% item).

I have found that all 20% items provide me with either a lasting increase in personal energy or a sense of meaning. If I feel energized and fulfilled after an activity I can confidently add that activity to ‘High Value’ list. If I experience no change to my energy levels and my work feels meaningless (doesn’t seem to benefit anyone in significant way), then I add that activity to the ‘Low Value’ list.

Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between a 20% item and an 80% item without conducting some tests. I like to run small trials to see if my effort is yielding a valuable result or not. I look for early signs of significance.

At the end of the week you can reflect on the list of items and plan ways to avoid or delegate the low value 80% activities and build routines/habits around the high value 20% activities..

What habits can you work on this week to ensure the 20% activities are easier to do?
What do I need to avoid to ensure I don’t fall into the trap of doing an 80% activity?

Habitualize the 20%

“Whenever you spot a 20 percent activity, run to it, surround yourself with it, immerse yourself in it, patent it, make yourself its expert, worshipper, high priest, partner, creator, propagandist, and indispensable ally. Make the most of it. If the most appears to be more than you can imagine, multiply your imagination.” – Richard Koch

It is important to establish routines and build habits around ‘high-value’ activities. We are creatures of habit and a habit can be executed frequently with very little effort.

I have a habitualized a routine for eating well, exercising daily, going to bed early, interacting with the people I love and reading every day.

Systematize the 80%

Build systems that prevent you from getting trapped by ‘80% items’.

Establish systems in your life to prevent yourself from performing low-value activities.

Delegate certain work tasks.
Hire someone to take over part of your role.
Use autoresponders for certain emails or times of the day.
Turn off all notifications and email send/receive during certain times of the day.
Install a program on your computer that prevents you from accessing distracting websites.

Re-Allocate Your Energy

Take the energy used to execute 80% activities and use that energy to build 20% habits.

“Use our resources to seize, magnify and exploit any 20% you come across.” – Richard Koch

Stop all 80% activities as soon as you can. When you stop 80% activities you can re-allocate that energy to 20% activities – activities that yield 80% of the results.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

Saying ‘No’ and stopping all non-essential, ‘low-value’ activities is a core principle in life and in business.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” – Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs turned Apple into a profitable company by eliminating all but four Apple products (iMac, iBook, Power Macintosh and Powerbook). He reestablished the Apple identity by ruthlessly eliminating 70% of all Apple products and lead the company to be one of the most profitable companies in history.

“Ruthlessly prune 80% activities. 80% time drives out 20% time. 80% assets deprive 20% activities of funds. 80% business relationships displace 20% ones. Mental energy expended on 80% activities takes away from 20% projects.” – Richard Koch, The 80/20 Principle

Stop trying to frantically get through the ‘80% items’ on your to-do list in the hopes that doing enough of them will mean something. Instead, use your time and energy to build routines around 20% of activites that reward you with the most results.

“There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.” ― Peter F. Drucker

Give your best energies to the most important parts of your life. Use your time to strengthen and multiplying the 20% ‘high-value’ items.

The TAKEAWAY

Periodically pause and reflect on the 80% of activities that add little to no value to your life. Systematically remove these activities from your life and use the newly acquired time and energy to build habits around the 20% of activities that provide you personal energy and a sense of meaning.

What Now?

Throughout the day ask yourself “is this the best use of my time?”. If the answer is ‘No…’ add it to your 80% list. If the answer is ‘YES!’ add it to your 20% list.

The end of each week review your 20% list and pick one item that you want to turn into a daily habit (make it automatic and effortless by attaching it to an existing habit, like brushing your teeth in the morning). Then review your 80% list and pick one item you want to systematically remove from your life. Come up with a way of delegating or preventing that item from showing up in your life.

Eventually you will find yourself doing more 20% (high-value) activities and less 80% (low-value) activities.

“Those who ignore the 80/20 Principle are doomed to average returns. Those who use it must bear the burden of exceptional achievement.” – Richard Koch

Nathan Lozeron December 1, 2015

Your 20X Factor

Insight from the book: Unbeatable Mind, by Mark Divine

Time to Read: 3:48

Do your goals suck?

If your goals aren’t constantly urging your forward, they suck.

I’ve come to realize that I need BIG audacious goals if I want to make significant progress. If a goal isn’t big enough, then a goal isn’t useful.

“Big challenges inspire me. I think we are all made a little like that. I believe strongly in the powerful words: ‘I took the road less travelled and that has made all the difference'” – Bear Grylls

“The point of a goal is focus. And the point of focus is to tune out all the noise” – Scott Adams

“When you try to do something BIG, you never entirely fail” – Larry Page

Here are a few of my goal requirements:

Provides a clear, concrete vision
Inspires action and guides my decisions
Keeps me hungry and curious to find out what’s possible

“It’s not about the goal, it’s about the growth” – Brendon Burchard

When a goal is rational and achievable it passes the first requirement but falls woefully short on the last two. A small achievable goal may provide a sense of certainty, but it does little else. If you only do what you ‘think’ is within your current ability your doing very little to change the course of my life.

“If you get what you expected, it isn’t good enough” – Ron Carlson

“Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.” – Unknown

Enter Mark Divine:

“You are capable of so much more than you think you are, but you have been kept in the dark about this potential your entire life. I call this potential your 20X Factor, in the that you are capable of at least twenty times what you current paradigm allows you to believe. It is not as though your family or our culture purposefully kept you in the dark about this important fact. No, they were ignorant about it as well and can’t be held to blame…Tap into the vast potential lying dormant inside of you – so that you can achieve your fullest expression of yourself, help those around you, and send positive ripples throughout the world.”

OK, that might come across a bit cheesy (motivational, self-help, infomercial-like), but consider this: Mark was a Navy Seal who later became a Navy Seal Commander. He now runs a collection multi-million dollar businesses. Oh, one more thing: he recently wrote 3 best-selling books in one year!

Mark is the embodiment of the 20X Factor.

Mark seems superhuman. How could us mere civilians hope to achieve 20X results, improve our daily experience by 20X and realize a life that 20X beyond what we currently think is possible?

Uncommon resolve

“It took me considerable resolve to write three books in one year in 2013 when I finished The Way of the SEAL, 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, and this one all in an eleven-month period. Some may call that uncommon resolve.” – Mark Divine

The recipe for 20X result is uncommon resolve, cultivated through mental toughness.

Mark started out as a CPA (certified public accountant) in corporate America. He had a good life and a promising career. But despite that he ditched the suit and become a Navy Seal…a rather uncommon resolve!

“Is a resolve a quality that can be developed? Of course it can – it is a natural corollary to forging mental toughness. You develop uncommon resolve by deepening confidence and courage, fortified with five attributes that define character and resolve.” – Mark Divine

The 20X Recipe

Here are the Five Attributes of Uncommon Resolve:

1. Desire

Cultivate desire and feel compelled to step outside of your comfort zone.

“Feed your unfettered mind with Superfood for success. This food is in the form of powerful, positive imagery as well as positive emotions directed towards your desired future states, skills, and victories.” – Mark Divine

2. Belief

Define your purpose and trust in your purpose.

“What ONE thing am I supposed to accomplish in my life, and what does that mean for me right now?” – Mark Divine

Your DNA is completely unique to you. There will never be anyone exactly like you (pending advancements in cloning…). It’s important to ask yourself: what one thing was my DNA meant to accomplish in its lifetime? Don’t wait for answers from others. Instead, look for patterns. Try things out and see what sticks. When you think you’ve found it, advance it for as long as your lifetime will allow you.

3. Attitude

Develop your ‘challenge response’.

“Witness negativity. Interdict, or stop, the negative thought with a power statement. Redirect your mind with self-talk and imagery to something positive and productive for your current goal. Maintain your new mental state with a jingle or mantra.” – Mark Divine

The Navy Seals use the word ‘Oorah!’. I like to think ‘Go Time!’ when faced with a challenge. What’s your challenge response?

4. Discipline

Commit to a daily practice.

“A virtue is a value that you have habituated until it becomes a character trait.” – Mark Divine.

As the great personal development coach Jim Rohn once said: “The most important question to ask is, what am I becoming?”

5. Determination

Seek constant and never-ending improvement.

“(Be) content with where you are while executing a simple strategy for getting to where you want to go.” – Mark Divine

This statement may seem counter-intuitive given that we are talking about finding your 20X Factor, but it actually makes perfect sense. On the long journey towards 20X you need a sense of gratitude to sustain you. Without gratitude you’ll allow fear and anxiety to take you off course, causing you to falter well before you reach your destination.

As Naval Ravikant, CEO and a co-founder of AngelList once said: “Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”

Balance that potential unhappiness with gratitude.

Have the determination to stay grateful AND hungry.

Happiness is found in the present moment AND in the pursuit of something great.

The Take-Home Message:

“To live an uncommon life, one needs to learn uncommon disciplines.” – Mark Divine.

Your uncommon life is fueled by Desire and sustained with Belief, Attitude, Discipline and Determination.

Nathan Lozeron November 2, 2015

5 Productivity Lessons from a Surgeon

The main takeaways from the book: Better by Atul Gawande

Time to read: 3:48 minutes

What can we learn from a world class surgeon on performance & productivity?

Here are the 5 takeaways from Surgeon Atul Gawande:

Takeaway #1: ASK unscripted questions

“Ours is a job of talking to strangers. Why not learn something about them?”

– Atul Gawande

Be genuinely interested in people. Make it your mission to learn something interesting from everyone. Everyone is fascinating in their own way.

“You don’t have to come up with a deep or important question, just one that lets you make a human connection. You will find that many respond – because they’re polite, or friendly, or perhaps in need of human connection. When this happens, try seeing if you can keep the conversation going for more than two sentences. Listen. Make note of what you learn.”

– Atul Gawande

I am currently a member of a Toastmasters group. When a new member joins the group they are asked to do an ‘ice breaker’ speech – a collection of personal stories about who they are and how they got here. When I hear an ‘ice breaker’ speech my perceptions inevitably change. The person speaking goes from a nervous guy named ‘Doug’ to a guy named ‘Doug who has a passion for table tennis and cheers for the same hockey team I do!’. Their stories open up an avenue for a deeper, on-going social connection.

“The children’s television host Mr. Rogers always carried in his wallet a quote from a social worker that said, ‘Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.’”

– Andrew Stanton, TED Talk

Takeaway #2: NEVER complain

“The natural pull of conversational gravity is toward the litany of woes all around us. But resist it. It’s boring, it doesn’t solve anything, and it will get you down. You don’t have to be sunny about everything. Just be prepared with something else to discuss: an idea you read about, an interesting problem you came across – even the weather if that’s all you’ve got.”

– Atul Gawande

I recently took on a no complain challenge suggested by author and blogger Tim Ferriss (@tferriss). I purchased a prank handshake buzzer from eBay for $2 and put it on my keychain. Each time I complained without proposing a solution I took out my buzzer and gave myself a little shock by squeezing the device. It was a simple and jolting reminder to be aware my complaining. The effects were immediate and life-changing.

WHY?

As Tim says: “Fix the words and you fix the thoughts.”

When you cut out the complaining you stop coming up with excuses and you start finding solutions. The exercise made me much more aware of my thoughts which ultimately lead to more thoughtful and deliberate actions.

Ways to provide solutions:

“From now on…”
“Next time I will…”
“I will talk to…”
“I will learn to…”

My challenge to you – for 2 weeks, do one of the following exercises:

A) Move a ring to another finger every time you complain without providing a clear solution.

B) Put on a rubber band on your wrist and snap it against your wrist every time you complain without providing a clear solution.

C) MY FAVORITE: Put a prank handshake shock device (eBay link) on your key-chain and shock yourself every time you complain without providing a clear solution.

Takeaway #3: COUNT something

“Regardless of what one ultimately does in medicine – or outside medicine, for that matter – one should be a scientist in this world. In the simplest terms, this means one should count something.”

– Atul Gawande

From a productivity standpoint measuring something leads you to understand it better and ultimately allows you to automate it.

“What gets measured gets managed.”

– Peter Drucker

When you measure something you automatically think of ways to improve. If you measure aspects of your health, like your morning heart rate or your energy levels throughout the day you can’t help but think of ways to improve those metrics and improve your health.

“If you count something interesting, you will learn something interesting.”

– Atul Gawande

Takeaway #4: WRITE something

“Just write. What you write need not achieve perfection. It need only add some small observation about your world.”

– Atul Gawande

Write leads to clear thinking. When you write you naturally want to display your thoughts in a logical, sequential fashion. The more you write the more logical and organized your thoughts become.

If you commit to posting and publishing you can’t help put nervously wondering: What will people think? Does it make sense? Was there a better way to say it? Was that interesting to my audience – if not, why not? These questions lead to higher standards and greater personal growth.

“So choose your audience. Write something.”

– Atul Gawande

Takeaway #5: FIGHT ignorance

“Recognize the inadequacies in what you do and to seek out solutions.”

– Atul Gawande

Atul explains that doctors who cling onto what they learned in medical school or simply do what other doctors are doing are not truly serving their patients. History is filled with doctors subscribing to outdated science:

Frontal lobotomies were once performed for the control of chronic pain and it turned out to severally alter ones personality
Anti-inflammatory medication Vioxx was prescribed to people and resulted in 1000’s of heart attacks

Change is the cornerstone of growth – without a willingness to change we become stagnate. You are either growing or dying – there is no middle ground.

Clinging to the status quo can be dangerous. It may feel safe but when the time comes to take decisive action we will be grossly under-prepared.

Each day I aim to fight my ignorance and discover my blind spots.

“I am the wisest man alive for I know one thing – I know nothing.”

– Socrates

Always be adapting, always be changing, always be growing.

Take-home message:

“So find something new to try, something to change. Count how often you succeed and how often you fail. Write about it. Ask people what they think. See if you can keep the conversation going.”

– Atul Gawande