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The 80/20 Lens

80 20 koch

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:

  1. Low-Value Activities List
  2. 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

 

12 Guerrilla Tactics for Procrastination

Battling procrastination

Time to Read: 2:43 minutes

The resistance to starting can be powerful

We try conventional methods (fear tactics + willpower), but they have no effect.

At times like these we must resort to unconventional methods.

Here are 12 guerrilla tactics to neutralize procrastination:

  1. 1,2,3 Counts

    Count “1,2,3…1,2,3…1,2,3…” in your head, continuously.  Each time you find yourself restarting the count at “1”, take one small action and acknowledge the tiny progress you’re making.  See how many action sequences you can string together.

  2. Zombie Mode

    Activate a short countdown timer and give yourself permission to enter ‘Zombie mode’ until the timer expires.  When you enter ‘Zombie mode’ you work without really thinking.  Your work might be sloppy but you don’t really care because you’re a zombie after all!  Try making the occasional Zombie noise to reinforce the fact you don’t care about quality (for the time being).  After the timer has elapsed you won’t have a pretty product but you will have stopped procrastinating!

  3. Challenge Timer

    If you have a little more energy, activate a short countdown timer and challenge yourself see how much you can complete before the timer is up.  Start with a 5-minute timer.  Then use the first 5-minute session as a benchmark to improve subsequent 5-minute sessions.  

  4. Musical-Tasks

    Play a song you enjoy and see how much progress you can make before the song finishes (musical chair style).

  5. Paper Dump

    Get out a blank piece of paper and write what out whatever thoughts you have for 5 minutes.  Write so fast that you can hardly make out your own writing.  Write about anything and explore interesting ideas that come up.  If nothing comes to mind just write about how great you are at procrastinating!

  6. Keyboard Dump

    Open up a blank document on your computer and write down whatever thoughts you have for 5 minutes.  Type so fast that the document fills up with typos.  Don’t be ashamed; don’t use the delete key.  When you write something stupid simply hit the ‘return’ key and type out the next thing that comes to mind.  

  7. Location Triggers

    Grab your stuff and move to a new location.  Use your arrival at the new location as a trigger to begin working…no matter what.  Learn to associate a specific location with a specific action.  For example: Starbucks = writing, Library = editing, Living room chair = reading, Office desk = designing)

  8. Drink Triggers

    Grab a drink and make a tiny action after each sip you take.  For example: sip of green tea = write one line, sip of coffee = list one idea, a sip of water = read one page, sip of herbal tea = edit one paragraph.

  9. Rant

    Start a voice memo on your phone and start recording thoughts until you arrive at a useful idea.  Rant until you feel productive!  Play back the voice recording the generate more ideas.

  10. Doodle-fest

    Get out a blank piece of paper and doodle like a 5-year-old.  Doodle words and objects related to the problem you’re struggling with.  Doodle until the entire page is full.  Eventually you will stumble upon a good idea to help you get started.  Did you know that JFK was an avid doodler?

  11. 30 Second Push-ups

    Get on the ground and do push-ups for 30 seconds.  This will get your blood pumping and release a little testosterone – a hormone that will make you feel confident enough to start!  If you still don’t feel motivated to start, do another round of 30-second ups.

  12. Repeat This Question…

    “Am I willing, at this time, to make a positive difference?”  Something strange happens when you repeat this phrase…you suddenly find the willpower to get started!  “Am I willing…” frames the task as a choice,  “…at this time…” reminds you that only need to focus for a short while and “…to make a positive difference” gets us thinking about the positive impacts of our results.

Congratulations you’ve started!  You’ve defeated procrastination and you now have unstoppable momentum!

Your 20X Factor

Unbeatable Mind

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:

  1. Provides a clear, concrete vision
  2. Inspires action and guides my decisions
  3. 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.

 

Use Your Sword

Time Warrior

Insight from the book: Time Warrior, by Steve Chandler.

Time to read: 3:52 minutes

As a Time Warrior you have one battle in life: eliminate distraction

“It’s your war against interruption and distraction.  That life is yours to create. And it never just arrives, it must be created.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

A Time Warrior uses his sword to cut through distractions and carve out blocks of focus.  The warrior makes time to focus on what matters.

“How do you make time? By slowing down. Paradoxically. By creating your day. By being ruthless. With great swings and swipes of your samurai sword. You develop a brutal grace. Cutting out the unnecessary” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

You will never ‘find’ time for anything, if you want time you must make it. – Charles Buxton

“Management and efficiency studies in the workplace tell us that one hour of interrupted time is worth three hours of time that is constantly interrupted.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

As a Time Warrior, you MUST declare war on:

  1. People pleasing
    • Saying “yes” to every request that comes your way.
  2. Thinking without doing
    • Thinking about an action without taking an action.

“A warrior takes his sword to all circumstances that don’t allow him to fully focus.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Stop People Pleasing

“I have never seen a greater time-waster then people-pleasing.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Repeat the following prayer to yourself each day: “God, spare me from the desire for appreciation and approval from others.”

“A time warrior is a peaceful warrior but a warrior still. Peaceful taking a sword to all those negative, frightening, depressing thoughts that are automatically believed… So that a great, timeless, active day can be created. A day with no time in it unless you want to make some.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Start Doing, Stop Deliberating

Our minds have the wonderful ability of simulate future action.  But letting the mind chew on your next action without doing something about is a form of mental torture.

“All fear comes from picturing the future.  Putting things off increases that fear.  Soon we are nothing but heavy minds weighing down on weary brains.  Too much future will do that. Only a warrior’s approach will solve this.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Acknowledge all internal desires and external requests for action.  Advance these actions in any way possible:  Write a quick note.  Start a new list.  Sketch a quick design,  Draft a new email.  Schedule a reminder.  Setup a meeting.

“Once I identify the big scary imagined task as a distortion produced by my own worried mind, I want to go small, as small as possible.  What can I do in the next three minutes?” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Advance your ‘imagined tasks’ with short bursts of energy.  Use short swings of your sword to advance things forward and get them out of your mind for the time being.

“I am a coach by profession, and when I work with a client who is “Overwhelmed” with too much to do and not enough time to do it I will often ask him to give me an example of one of the things they are burdened by every time they think about it. The client will give me an example and we will do that thing right now. The client is amazed. The only thing missing in this client’s life was a bias for action.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

“All this time that they spend thinking and feeling they could have been taking action.” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Develop a bias for action: advance things forward enough to get them off your mind.

The feeling of ‘Overwhelm’ is now your cue for Action.

What if we take the wrong action?  

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Action focuses the mind.  A focused mind generates enough energy to make progress and course correct if need be.

The Way of the Warrior

“A time warrior does not ask, “How do I feel?” but rather asks, “How can I help?” – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Shifting your mindset into ‘warrior mode’ puts feelings aside for the time being.  As a warrior you have a cause.  There is a reason for doing the work and that reason is greater than how you may feel at this moment.  

How can we stay true to the warrior way?  Set commitments.

“Commitments are things you keep no matter what happens to make them difficult to keep.  Commitments are powerful.  So be very selective when using them.”  – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

The TAKEAWAY

“Time Warriors arrange the “chaos” around them by slowing down–way, way, down–and then letting go of people-pleasing, approval-seeking and every shade of mood-based and future based thinking.”  Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

What Now?

“Don’t create your year, create your day.  Figure out the perfect day and then live it.  The year will take care of itself.  So will your life.”  – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Before your day begins, establish boundaries that eliminate distraction.

“As a warrior [not worrier] I will wake up and create my day based on how I prefer to serve this world.”  – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

The questions is: How “violent” of a swordsman will you be today?

“How much interrupted time will you carve out for yourself? Will you be a true time warrior? Because if you will you’ll love your timeless time. You’ll be amazed at what you can create when time is not an issue.”  – Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

The Power of Identity

Screenshot_111615_042427_PM

Time to Read: 7:42 minutes

Stuck?

Having trouble choosing between 2 or 3 ‘good’ options?

When college students are offered a choice between a ‘desired option’ and a ‘much less desired option’ (attend a lecture by a famous author OR study at the library), they chose the ‘much less desired’ option 21% of the time. When a third option is added, one equally as desirable as the first option (watch a foreign film they’ve been dying to see), the college students picked the ‘much less desired option’ (studying), 40% of the time! (Tversky, 1992) 

We all have a tendency to pick less favorable options when faced several good options.  This is due to what psychologists call ‘decision paralysis’.

When choosing between two ‘good’ options we’re more likely to select a third option that is clearly ‘less good’ simply because we don’t want the discomfort of having to decide between two similar options.

Economists recommend that we use a cost-benefit analysis approach to our decisions – weigh the options according to their expected value and pick the most rational option.  However, a cost-benefit analysis can often be a laborious task when trying to differentiate between similar options.  In many situations we either don’t have enough information to distinguish between two of more ‘good’ options OR we simply don’t have the time and energy to do so.  As a result, we typically rely on our ‘default mode’ to make decisions for us.

Default Mode

After decades of research, behavior economists and psychologists have discovered that human behavior is guided by a collection of heuristics (mental shortcuts) and cognitive biases (thinking preferences). These fallacies and biases often operate without awareness and dictate the majority of our decision-making (you can find a complete list of biases here).

Two common ‘mental shortcuts’ are loss aversion and cognitive ease.  The brain is constantly fighting to avoid loss and maintain the status quo.  It also wants to conserve energy and take the path of least effort. The result?  We avoid tough decisions and end up doing the easiest thing, instead of the most important thing.  

You may think that knowing what you should do and having a pre-defined set of goals is enough to ensure you’re making the right decisions from moment the moment…but it’s not.

In one series of interviews led by William F. Pounds of MIT, managers were asked to share the important problems they were facing in their organizations. Most managers mentioned five to eight problems. Later in the interview, they were asked to describe their activities from the previous week. Pounds shared the punch line that “no manager reported any activity which could be directly associated with the problems he had described.” They’d done no work on their core priorities! Urgencies had crowded out priorities.

– Decisive by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Is there a way to make effective decisions throughout the day without using a systematic approach AND prevent the ‘default mode’ from taking us off track (causing urgencies to crowd out priorities)?

Yes, there is a way…and it’s something very fundamental to who we are.  In fact, ‘who we are’ happens to be the answer to our decision dilemma.

The Identity Model

In the identity model of decision making, we essentially ask ourselves three questions when we have a decision to make: Who am l? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this situation? Notice what’s missing: any calculation of costs and benefits. The identity model explains the way most people vote, which contradicts our notion of the “self-interested voter.” It helps to shed light on why an auto mechanic in Oklahoma would vote against a Democrat who’d give him health insurance, and why a Silicon Valley millionaire would vote against a Republican who’d cut her taxes. Generally, when we use the word identity, we’re talking about an immutable trait of some kind-such as a racial, or regional identity. But that’s a relatively narrow use of the term. We’re not just born with an identity; we adopt identities throughout our lives. We aspire to be good mothers or fathers, devout Catholics or Muslims, patriotic citizens, and so on.

– Switch by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

We all create stories about ourselves.  We consciously or unconsciously repeat those stories to ourselves and form an identity.  These identities reveal our values, and our values dictate our actions and decisions.

What controls our lives is the concept of identity.  It doesn’t matter what’s true, it matters what you believe.  You have a set of beliefs that control who you are.

– Anthony Robbins

It’s easy to align our choices to our identity because we have a vivid image for how someone with that identity should act.  Our identity compels us to act in the accordance of who we are thanks to a phenomenon called ‘cognitive dissonance’.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs.

When we form an identity we establish certain expectations regarding how we should act from moment to moment.  Cognitive dissonance results from the inconsistency between our expectations and our actions. We will experience discomfort and tension until we either change our beliefs (our identity) or change our behavior.

When I became an avid runner I started to see myself as ‘a runner’.  If I had to choose between going for a run after work or going home to watch TV, I’d make the decision to go running quite easily.  If I didn’t choose to go running I would feel anxious because watch TV instead of running wasn’t consistent with who I was: ‘a runner’.  

I am often impressed by vegan’s who can resist hundreds of delicious foods that don’t align with their diet.  However, I’ve recently come to understand that it’s much easier for a vegan to stick with their diet than to eat something which isn’t consistent with who they are: ‘a vegan’.  If a vegan were to eat meat it would violate the concept of who they are as a person and they would be plagued by the discomfort of cognitive dissonance.  Their strong identity and the need to avoid cognitive dissonance allows them to filter through an array of tempting food choices with relative ease.

When we remind ourselves of ‘who we are’ we can sort through several ‘good’ options and avoid decision paralysis.  

Two Identity Types

There are two type of identities:

  1. Our individual identity
  2. The identity of our community, peer group or organization

I am a ‘Mucker’

In the late 1800’s, Thomas Edison (inventor of the phonograph and the light bulb) built an industrial research and design lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey.  The researchers in his lab  were called ‘muckers.’

As Chip and Dan Health explain in their book Made to Stick:

The term comes from two slang phrases of the time—’to muck in’ was to work together as mates, and ‘to muck around’ was to fool around. 

In any entrepreneurial organization, there’s a natural tension between efficiency and experimentation.

The term ‘muckers’ is a strategy statement masquerading as a nickname. It makes it clear that, given the tough choice between efficiency and experimentation, you choose experimentation. Why? Because you’re a mucker. Muckers don’t obsess over Gantt charts. Muckers muck.

Adopting the identity of a ‘mucker’ is an effective decision-making strategy.  The image of a ‘mucker’ is powerful and can thus guide behavior. If you’re a ‘mucker’ you have an obligation to uphold the ‘mucker’ tradition: avoid detailed planning and start mucking

We are ‘Nordies’

Nordstrom is a department store known for outstanding customer service. The management at Nordstroms wants all their employees to provide exceptional service at almost any cost.  To ensure their employees maintain a highly level of customer service they tell stories across the company to solidify the companies identity.

In the book Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras detail a series of Nordstrom customer service stories:

– The Nordie who ironed a new shirt for a customer who needed it for a meeting that afternoon;

– The Nordie who cheerfully gift wrapped products a customer bought at Macy’s;

– The Nordie who warmed customers’ cars in winter while they finished shopping;  

When you’re a ‘Nordie’ you go out of your way to help customers, even at the expense of efficiency.  If you hold this identity in mind you will quickly make the decision between saving money and going the extra mile to increase the customer service experience.

If a ‘Nordie’ sees an opportunity to make the customers experience more pleasant, like entertaining children while a mother shops, the ‘Nordie’ doesn’t have to think long before deciding what to do next: she helps out the customer, even if her actions seem unproductive.

Reminding ourselves of our identity is an excellent decision-making strategy.  Our identity guides our behavior by eliminating all choices that don’t align with our current identity.   Thinking of our identity compels us to do that which MOST aligns with our identity, even that thing is the harder thing to do.

Being reminded that we’re a ‘mucker’ or a ‘nordie’ effortlessly leads us through the identity decision-making model:

  • Who am I? (Or, who are my peers?)
  • What is the situation?
  • What would a person like me do in this situation?

Script Your Identity

Start off by consciously forming identities in the two areas of your life:  

  • Personal life (at home, with friends and family, etc.)
  • Work life (at my desk, in meetings, etc.)

Here’s a few rules for scripting your identity:

  • Make it short and profound (like a proverb)
  • Make sure you get excited thinking about it (make it playful and a little odd)
  • Make sure it brings to mind concrete images (thinking of the identity bring several examples to mind)

Examples:

My personal role: ‘Personal Energy Generator’

  • When I’m sitting on the couch feeling lazy I stop and ask myself: “am I doing what I can to generate personal energy?”.  This usually gets me exercising or reading a book, which energizes my mind.
  • When tempted to eat fast food I always ask “will this lead to sustained personal energy throughout the day?”

My work/business statement: ‘Chief Productivity Engineer’ – helping people get more done & enjoy the process

  • If I’m deciding what article to write next I simply have to ask myself: “what will most help people ‘get more done & enjoy the process’?”
  • When tempted to check my Facebook feed I simply have to ask myself: “will this allow me to help people ‘get more done & enjoy the process’?”

Other examples:

  • A venture capitalist could spice up his identity by thinking of himself as a ‘treasure hunter’
  • A school teacher could turn-up her identity by thinking of herself as a ‘nurturer of the human spirit’

Make Your Identity Conscious

It’s important to be conscious of your identity throughout the day (remember the executives who didn’t address any of their problems?!).  If we want decision-making to be easy we need to frequently remind ourselves of who we are in any given context.  

The TAKEAWAY:

Identity is a powerful tool to guide behavior.  Being conscious of our identity allows us to navigate tough decisions with relative ease.

Now What?

Start off by establishing two identities: one for your work life and one for your personal life.

  • When you wake up, go through your list of things to do and ask: “How will I fulfill ___(my/our identity)___ today?”
  • When you get interrupted or distracted, ask: “Does this align with ___(my/our identity)___?”
  • Set an alarm to go off every hour.  When the alarm rings ask: “Am I being true to ___(my/our identity)___?”

5 Productivity Lessons from a Surgeon

The main takeaways from the book: Better by Atul Gawande

Time to read: 3:48 minutes

better

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

Declare ‘To-do’ List Bankruptcy

Time to read: 4:09 minutes

Audio Version:

 

Screenshot_101515_105013_AM

‘To-do’ lists are helpful, to a certain point…

A ‘to-do’ list is handy for capturing action items that come our way.  Keeping a ‘to-do’ list nearby creates a gap between the requests people make and the next action we take.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

– Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl

When a request comes our way we capture it on our ‘to-do’ list and return to what we were focusing on.  By putting something on a ‘to-do’ list we tell ourselves: “this thing will eventually get done, but now is not the right time”.

“The things which are most important don’t always scream the loudest.”

– Bob Hawke

However, ‘to-do’ lists have a dark side: they get long and overwhelming.  Eventually, our ‘to-do’ lists become a dense array of activities.  In an attempt to get our list back to a manageable state, we frantically do one activity after another and lose sight of the results that we actually WANT – the results that actually matter.

At this point you could step back, analyze each item on your ‘to-do’ list and prioritize it.  But I have a different idea…

Declare ‘to-do’ list bankruptcy!

By allowing ourselves to let go of our current ‘to-do’ list we have an opportunity to create a meaningful ‘to-do’ list.

If you’re willing to give this a shot – bring out a blank piece of paper and answer the questions listed below.  Simply write down whatever comes to mind.  If nothing comes to mind – write down some something stupid or obvious, and continue onto the next question.

Step 1: Adjust Your Mindset

  • Pretend that everything you NEED do today is optional.  There will be consequences for failing to do certain things BUT the choice to accept those consequence is yours.  Be grateful for things you’ve already accomplished and learn to see each new thing as a bonus to your life.  With this new ‘mindset’ you stop thinking: “I should do this” or “I need to do this”, and you start thinking: “I have the opportunity to do this” or “I want to do this”.  This perspective change allows you to see more opportunities and options when answering the questions listed below.

Step 2: List

Think commitments

  • DAILY: “What appointments do I have today?”
  • WEEKLY: “What do I need to prepare for this week?”
  • LONG-TERM: “What long-term results am I committed to?”

Think opportunities

  • PREVIOUS: “What recent result(s) can I build upon?”
  • PROJECTS: “What result, if achieved, would accelerate progress?”
  • PEOPLE: “Who do I need to contact to make these results happen?”

Think threats

  • PREVIOUS: “What issues are outstanding/unresolved?”
  • PROJECTS: “What issues, if not resolved, will slow down progress?”
  • PEOPLE: “Who do I need to contact in order to address these issues?”

Step 3: Combine

  • Which items have similar end results/outcomes? – Merge these items together

“See if you can cobble together a ‘Perfect 10’ option that combines the best features of multiple alternatives.”
– Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath

  • ‘What items can I batch together and complete at the same time?’ – Group these items together
    i.e.: same context – computer admin work, phone calls, errands, etc.

Step 4: Eliminate

  • “If I had a schedule conflict and was only able to do half of the items on this list, which items would I defer to tomorrow?”
    Cross-out half of the items that are deemed not essential at this point and time.  Now, look at your new list ask the same question – cross-out half of the remaining items.  In the end you will have 25% of your original list.

Step 5: Prioritize

  • For each item not crossed out, ask: “What effect will completing this item have on my life or the lives of others?”
    Start by making a small line next to the least significant item on your list that is not crossed out.  Then, on the right side of each item, draw a line representing the impact the result will have on your life or the lives of others, relative to the least significant item on your list.

We now have a list of outcomes and issues that we can focus on.  The list has been merged, trimmed and prioritized.  The most important item, the item we should focus on next, has longest line next to it.

A list of outcomes, issues and batches is digestible.  This list is meaningful because we’ve taken a proactive approach to it.

The NEW ‘to-do’ list is meaningful for another reason: a phenomenon in behavior psychology called the ‘availability heuristic’.  The availability heuristic states that the more ideas we are able to generate, to more important we believe a list is.  The brain is effectively saying: “if I came up with all these ideas – then I must be experienced in this area, therefore it must be important”.  Translation: when we re-generate a ‘to-do’ list by going through the steps listed above, our new list will automatically seem meaningful to us, even if it isn’t the perfect list.

To prevent falling back into the ‘to-do’ list activity trap we must continually ask ourselves the following question when faced with new action items:

“Is this the best use of my time?”

“If it’s not a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
– Essentialism by Greg Mckeown

Asking this question stops us from simply accepting every action item that comes our way.  To take on a new task that day it needs to be more important than ALL the other items on your list.   With this in mind we will learn to push back OR delegate several tasks that come our way.

Remember: It’s OK to throw out your ‘to-do’ list and start over again.

Starting over helps you to escape the endless activites of a long ‘to-do’ list and allows you to re-focus on what you really want to achieve!

Get your PDF to-do list checklist here.

Procrastination Language

Time to read: 3:28 minutes

Inspired by the book The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

Now-Habit

Most things we need to get done are similar to crossing a board 2 feet wide and 100 feet long.  When the board is on the ground we are likely to walk across it without hesitating.  However, when the board is raised 200 feet in the air, resting between two buildings, the thought of crossing the board becomes terrifying.

When a board is 200 feet off the ground we are unlikely to cross it until we notice that the board is on fire.

Fires are lit from the pressure of deadlines and the expectations of others.  The fear of fire is greater than the fear of falling off the board.

The book The Now Habit explains that we are asked to cross 100 feet boards every day. However, procrastinators raise their boards off the ground because they crave perfection.  Procrastinators see mistakes as unacceptable.  They see failure as intolerable.

Is there a way to cross a 200-foot high board (a difficult task) without lighting a fire?  Could we could install safety nets underneath our boards to ensure the fall won’t hurt?

There are safety nets we can install and their cost includes a simple mindset shift.

“The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”

– John Milton

To change our mindset we need to change our language – picking a better set of words to describe a situation.

“Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

When we procrastinate our self-talk often suggests and reinforces feelings of ‘victim-hood’.  We use language such as ‘I have to do it’ or ‘I should do it’.  Such statements send a clear message to our minds: “I don’t want to do it, but I must force myself to do it.”

Our ‘I have to’s’ provide us with ‘no-win’ situation:

A) “If I don’t do it I will be punished”

B) “If I do it I will be going against myself”

Our ‘I should’s’ translate to: “I’m angry and disappointed about the way things are and I’m going to resist it”. This belief forms over several years of negative self-talk from what was once: “I dislike the way things are, and I’m going to do something about it.”

  • Whenever you notice yourself saying ‘I should…’, replace it with ‘This could lead to…’ (see the opportunities that might come from starting the task).
  • Whenever you notice yourself saying ‘I have to…’, replace it with ‘I can at least do…’ (make a small effort in that direction can make a difference).

The final and most destructive reason we procrastinate comes from a belief that our self-worth is tied to our results.   The thought of having our work be less than ideal is terrifying.  The fear of judgment causes our mind to seek safety by delaying and distracting ourselves from completing the task.

“Berkeley psychologist Rich Beery states that fear of failure stems from assuming that what you produce reflects your complete ability. You therefore use procrastination to protect your worth from being judged.”

– Neil Fiore, The Now Habit 

‘I’ve failed on this task’ = ‘I’ve failed as a person’

What you need is a simple reality check: ‘what is the likelihood that doing a poor job will permanently damage my career or social status?’  There is rarely a time in which poor performance leads to more than temporary pain.  (Note that there is a difference between procrastinating and genuine fear – you don’t procrastinate jumping off the edge of a cliff, you genuinely fear it…and rightfully so).  The next time you consider your self-worth on the line try to complete the sentence: ‘I would recover by… ‘.

By forcing yourself to complete the statement: ‘I would recover by… ‘, you create an insurance plan in your mind.  If you can think of the steps need to get you back to the status quo you will learn to see failure as a temporary outcome.  More often than not the path back to where you are now is considerably easier than you realize.

The next time you feel trapped by procrastination, just remember to use the right language:

  1. ‘This could lead to…’
  2. ‘I can at least do…’
  3. ‘I would recover by…’

Face that project, take on that task.  And don’t worry – you’ve got some safety nets in place!