Do You Really Understand What a Habit Is?

Everyone has habits, whether they’re good or bad ones! You would have started forming habits since a very young age, whether it’s sucking on your thumb as a baby, taking a nap every afternoon after school as a kid, or leaving the lights and tv on when you leave a room. These behaviors and actions form a part of our everyday routine whether we ‘like it’ or not. See the power of habit? Take a moment and try to list out some of your more prominent habits. Now, decide whether or not these are habits you actually like having! Unfortunately, we know that not all habits do us good. Thankfully, many of us recognize a need to change/get rid of the bad habits, or to cultivate new good habits; and that’s how we end up either actively seeking answers through self help books, the internet, advice from friends and family or even hiring counselors and life coaches to steer us in the right direction.

How Do Habits Form?

But, what is a habit? Before we can take any action, we need to know what a habit really is. Your brain has two distinct modes of decision making, called System 1 and System 2. System 1 is an automatic, fast and usually subconscious way of thinking. It is autonomous and efficient, requiring little energy or attention. For example, when you’re driving a car or walking to work, you ‘automatically’ know how to get there without having to think or refer to any external help.   System 2 on the other hand, is a conscious, intentional and controlled way of thinking. It requires energy and effort to sustain attention. For example, it could be researching and weighing different career options, or coming up with a new recipe for dinner. Both Systems 1 and 2 work together. How it works is that your brain naturally chooses the lazy solution first whenever there is a problem faced, as it tends to try to save energy to avoid over-processing. If it cannot find a solution using System 1, then it will go to System 2. It’s how your brain learns and maps patterns together to handle daily decision making. So, the key path of building any habit, is to go from System 2 to System 1.

The Process of Forming New Habits

Let’s use an example. Say you want to start learning a new instrument. In the beginning, your brain has not formed any patterns or relationships. Everything is new, so to play your first song you would be relying heavily on System 2: painstakingly thinking through each action and each step. Now, as you practice, the action is repeated regularly and your brain starts connecting relationships between your actions. Eventually, these connections go from simple pathways into superhighways of relationships. In the end, you perform most of the actions that were complicated in the beginning, almost automatically and effortlessly. You’re now using System 1 to play the instrument. This is how all new habits form. Well, it’s great that you now have a good idea of what habits are and how they form, but before you can start taking control of breaking or forming habits, let me ask you this question: “Do you even know what your habits are?”

Two Types of Habits

There are two types of habits: conscious habits and hidden habits.

Conscious Habits

Conscious habits are habits are easy to recognize. Usually, they require conscious input for you to keep them up. If you remove that input or attention, the habit would most likely go away. It’s easy to identify these conscious habits and you can quickly review yourself. Examples of conscious habits include waking up to an alarm every morning, going for an evening run or workout everyday, or smoking after a meal.

Hidden Habits

Hidden habits on the other hand, are habits that our brains have already turned into auto-pilot mode. These are much more tricky because we are generally completely unaware of them until some external factor or source reveals it, such as someone pointing out your behavior to you. So, it can be difficult to identify hidden habits just by a general review. Yet, hidden habits make up majority of our habits! They have become internalized and ingrained into our lifestyle and decision making process, so you almost don’t realize it when a habit is ‘acting up’.  

How to Identify Your Hidden Habits

There are a wide range of possible hidden habits. To self-identify, you need to direct your attention and zoom in. For example, to see what types of hidden habits you can reveal, try answering the following questions:

Physical Habits:

• How do you walk?
• Do you tend to slouch or sit/stand straight?  
• How much water do you drink each day?  

Social Habits:

• Do you make or avoid eye contact with people?
• Are there actions or gestures you tend to use a lot?
• What phrases or words do you tend to say a lot?

Energy Habits:

• What patterns do you follow each night right before bed?
• What’s your morning wake up routine each day?
• How often and when do you snack during the day?

Mental Habits (your automatic thought processes):

• What’s your first gut response when you receive criticism?  
• What feeling do you get when you see a friend sharing a luxury vacation on Facebook?
• How do you react to a negative news story?

Productivity Habits:

• Do you prioritize a set of tasks before starting, or just dive in?
• How do you judge if a task is more important than another?
• How often do you check your phone every hour for new notifications? Or email?

If you’re open-minded enough, you can even ask your partner, family member or close friends the same questions about yourself. They may just point out certain things about you that you never realized!

Time to Take Control!

Now that you’ve hopefully identified some of your hidden habits, would you like to know how to get rid of the unwanted ones, so that you need not be tortured by them anymore? Don’t let your habits slow you down or prevent you from achieving your full potential in life! Whether it be your career or personal development, bad habits can hinder your productivity and happiness. On the contrary, good habits can boost your efficiency, and help you to look, feel and be better. Want to learn how to have greater control over your habits? Subscribe to our newsletter today, and you’ll learn how to control your habits, and many more carefully crafted Cornerstone Skills. Understanding these concepts will guarantee you’ll find the transformation you need to help you achieve what you’re looking for.

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Acne stigma linked to lower overall quality of life, Irish study finds

Many people with acne are negatively impacted by perceived social stigma around the skin condition, a new study from Ireland has found.

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The Top 21 Kids Websites to Teach Responsibility and Life Skills

Letting your children navigate the internet on their own is like throwing them into the Wild West for them to fend for themselves. The internet can be a dangerous place for children if they are on the wrong websites. We all want to protect our children, so knowing the websites that are safe for our kids is of utmost importance. What we also want as parents are websites that teach our children life skills and responsibility. There are great websites, geared for children, that will engage your child and have them learning at the same time. Below are the top 21 websites for teaching children life skills and responsibility. All of the sites have been vetted and approved by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives." Always monitor children when they are using the internet. Parental guidance for age appropriateness is recommended when your child uses any of the websites listed below. What is appropriate for an eight year old is not always appropriate or suited for a four year old. These 21 websites can have your kids engaged, entertained, learning, and developing new skills.  Most of them are intended to engage children of various ages, so look for the content on each site that is appropriate for your child's age and ability level.

1. PBS Kids

This website is loaded with games, educational activities and videos that will please both child and parent. This site engages children in activities and videos that teach them about citizenship, different cultures, geography, global awareness, hypothesis testing, investigating, self-reflection, personal growth, empathy, respect for others, labeling feelings and more. For example, the Webonauts Internet Academy teaches kids how to be safe online and Wild Kratts teaches kids about different habitats around the world. There is a great deal of content on this website. Head to their site today to discover what your child could be missing out on!

2. Curious World

This site is geared for kids ages 2-7. The main character guiding kids on an educational journey is Curious George. If your child is a fan of the books or cartoon, then you should check out this website. There are eight key areas of learning covered on this website including math, reading, and science. This website makes learning fun with games and child appropriate online activities. It also includes hands on activities for parents to do with their child. Activities such as crafting, cooking, and art projects with detailed instructions are provided, so that parents can interact with their children to build important life skills.

3. News-O-Matic

This is a news website geared for kids. The content helps them learn about the world and its happenings, in a website that is made for kids. There are daily editions of which include new articles every day on a variety of subjects and topics. The articles are written to grab the attention of a child reader. You will find that even reluctant readers find this site entertaining. If you have a passion for the news and keeping up with the changing world, then you can ignite this passion in your children by getting them started on the News-O-Matic website. Some of the skills that kids can learn while utilizing this site include reading comprehension, increased vocabulary, geography recognition, critical thinking, perspective taking, reasoning, and cultural awareness.

4. National Geographic Kids

The National Geographic Kids website teaches kids about animals, space, the natural world, dinosaurs, insects and more. They use games, videos, and online activities to connect children with learning about our natural world. There are valuable skills reinforced in the online activities including the use of logic, memory, applying information, investigation, problem solving, and imagination. There is a great deal of free content on this website that can be utilized without being a paid subscriber.

5. ABC Mouse

This website is geared for children ages 2-7. This is a learning website that covers the subjects of reading, math, social studies, science, health, writing, art, and music. Some of the skills that are taught on this site through the website activities include following directions, letter recognition, word recognition, phonics, reading comprehension, speaking, memorization, solving puzzles, measurement, goal achievement, rhythm, and more. This website boats that it contains a comprehensive curriculum with more than 8,500 learning activities. It is a great tool for preschoolers preparing for kindergarten. There are also lessons and activities that are more advanced beyond kindergarten. This is a subscription based program. It has won many awards because of its comprehensive nature and successful curriculum.

6. FunBrain

This educational website has a great deal of free content, so your child can access hundreds of activities without a subscription. There are games and activities for kids to play while they learn at the same time. Kids will use the following skills while playing on this website: problem solving, puzzle solving, reading, vocabulary, math, and reasoning. What makes this site unique is that there are online versions of popular kid's books including the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.

7. Nourish Interactive

This website is geared toward nutrition for children. It is a free website. There are games, printable activities, recipes and tools on this site that teach children about nutrition. The goal of the site is to help children learn to make healthy eating choices at a young age, so they can have this skill for life. The site also teaches about cooking, with many healthy recipes available free.

8. Arthur Family Health

Arthur is a favorite cartoon character on PBS. The Arthur Family Health website is for kids to learn about resilience, fitness, peanut allergies, asthma, and more. Health is not an easy topic to address with children, but this website does a great job by utilizing games, videos, and activities that are age appropriate and fun.

9. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

This website uses the popular PBS cartoon character Daniel Tiger. This website has games, activities, and videos geared toward younger children. The skills that are taught on this site include expressing emotions appropriately, eating healthy, making friends, brushing teeth, dealing with disappointment and toilet training. There are stories with a narrator for kids to listen to, simple games to play, videos to watch, and songs to engage younger children. It is an entertaining site for younger kids and the topics teach great life skills for little ones! This is a free website.

10. BrainPop

This website is geared for children in the fourth grade and older. It is a paid subscription site. However, there are some games and videos that are available free on this site. This website helps kids academically. There are also life skills and lessons addressed on the site. They address even the most sensitive and tough topics such as war, terrorism, sexual development, and alcoholism. Reviewers of the site say that this website is useful for kids all the way through high school.

11. Arcademic Skill Builder

This website is geared toward helping young students acquire math, language arts, English and critical-thinking skills. This site is filled with games and activities to keep kids entertained while learning. This website has a strong emphasis on math skills including addition, subtraction, counting, division, fractions, money, multiplication, ratios, and shapes. If your child is struggling with their math skills, then this site can be of great help. Many of the games and activities are free.

12. Cyberchase

This website is based on the PBS show Cyberchase. It is geared toward children who can read or are learning to read. It helps kids acquire critical thinking and reading skills. The site is filled with free games, videos and activities that keep kids entertained, engaged, and learning. Some of the games get kids to think about real life situations to utilize their problem solving skills. Brainstorming is a another skill that is utilized on this site. It is a free website.

13. Fact Monster

This website was created in partnership with educational professional. It is a site that is a great help for children completing homework. They can find facts on dozens of subjects on this site along with dictionary and atlas. The content is more than browsing and providing information. There are games and activities to entertain kids on the site while they learn. Interesting to note, the site contains more than 30,000 short biographies! This website is a game changer for home work time. Some of the skills that kids apply on this site include problem solving, thinking, reasoning, and self-direction.

14. Maggie's Earth Adventures

This website gets kids thinking and learning about the world and its vast ecosystems. It is a free site that teaches kids about the earth. Real life situations are presented in short videos. Then kids play games that touch on the subjects of animals, earth, recycling, and injustice. Some of the skills that they can acquire on this site include cultural understanding, global awareness, reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, investigation, prediction, and thinking critically.

15. PBS Lab

PBS Lab is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This grant requires them to research the games and their effectiveness in helping kids learn real skills. The result is a website where kids actually learn while they have fun. This site teaches kids the skills they need to be successful in school. The website is useful for kids ages three and up. Some of the skills that kids learn on this site include math, reading, spelling, word recognition, measuring, and pattern recognition. This site is free!

16. Sesame Street

This website is based on the TV program. Kids are entertained by their favorite Muppets in games, songs, podcasts, videos, and activities. This site can be used by children ages two and up, so it is one of the best options for very young children. Some of the skills taught on this site include empathy, labeling emotions, brushing teeth, hygiene, addition, subtraction, counting, measuring, recognizing shapes, understanding cultural differences, following directions, letter recognition, word recognition, spelling, respecting others, asking questions, problem solving, use of imagination, and making new creations. This site has a great deal of value for parents who want their children to be learning practical life skills while they are on the internet being entertained. This website is completely free!

17. Star Fall

This educational website is geared for children ages four and up. Although this is a subscription website, there is content that users can try out before purchasing. The website is run through a non profit organization and the price for subscription to the site is low because they want to make the content available widespread to benefit many children. Some of the skills that kids can learn on this website are addition, subtraction, counting, division, equations, fractions, geometry, grouping, measuring, multiplication, number recognition, shape recognition, reading, letter recognition, and word recognition. There are games, lots of songs, and activities to engage young children. The primary focus on this site is math and literacy.

18. How Stuff Works

This website is geared toward older children. It is a site filled with articles, podcasts, games, quizzes, and polls. There is a wealth of information on this site, which makes it useful for homework projects. The articles are attention grabbing, which help to snag the reader and get them interested in everything from the history of specific holidays to learning how super-volcanos work. This site touches on eleven primary categories of learning: animals, health, science, tech, automobiles, culture, home & garden, finances, lifestyle, entertainment, and adventure. Some of the skills that kids can learn through using this site include: building, gardening, self-direction, creativity, researching, empathy, understanding different cultures, and developing novel solutions.

19. Nick Jr

This website is based on the tv shows from the Nick Jr network. Young kids can learn while they interact with their favorite characters on this website. Bubble Guppies, Paw Patrol, Sunny, and dozens of other characters can be found on this site. There are games, video, stories, and printable activities found on this website. The site is entertaining for kids and they learn a variety of skills including math and reading. The content is geared toward preschool learning, and it is free.

20. Space Racers

This website is based on the show. The site is designed to get preschoolers excited about space and science. The learning on this site is based on STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). It comes through games, coloring pages, videos, music segments, lesson plans, and printouts from the lessons. There are a total of 17 lesson plans that use STEM concepts. The skills that kids learn from using this site include observation, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, mathematics, decision making, hypothesis testing, and goal setting. The science subjects taught on this site through the entertaining and engaging content include astronomy, rocket science, geology, and physics. This website is free!

21. Crayola

This website comes from the Crayola company. It is a free website. When kids click on the "play zone" they can find educational games and activities. The site has many free printable and coloring activities. The following skills can be learned by kids who use this site: following directions, drawing, painting, making digital creations, use of imagination, innovation, and making new creations. There are a great deal of DIY craft projects with detailed instructions found on this website.

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The Top 21 Kids Websites to Teach Responsibility and Life Skills

Letting your children navigate the internet on their own is like throwing them into the Wild West for them to fend for themselves. The internet can be a dangerous place for children if they are on the wrong websites. We all want to protect our children, so knowing the websites that are safe for our kids is of utmost importance. What we also want as parents are websites that teach our children life skills and responsibility. There are great websites, geared for children, that will engage your child and have them learning at the same time. Below are the top 21 websites for teaching children life skills and responsibility. All of the sites have been vetted and approved by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives." Always monitor children when they are using the internet. Parental guidance for age appropriateness is recommended when your child uses any of the websites listed below. What is appropriate for an eight year old is not always appropriate or suited for a four year old. These 21 websites can have your kids engaged, entertained, learning, and developing new skills.  Most of them are intended to engage children of various ages, so look for the content on each site that is appropriate for your child's age and ability level.

1. PBS Kids

This website is loaded with games, educational activities and videos that will please both child and parent. This site engages children in activities and videos that teach them about citizenship, different cultures, geography, global awareness, hypothesis testing, investigating, self-reflection, personal growth, empathy, respect for others, labeling feelings and more. For example, the Webonauts Internet Academy teaches kids how to be safe online and Wild Kratts teaches kids about different habitats around the world. There is a great deal of content on this website. Head to their site today to discover what your child could be missing out on!

2. Curious World

This site is geared for kids ages 2-7. The main character guiding kids on an educational journey is Curious George. If your child is a fan of the books or cartoon, then you should check out this website. There are eight key areas of learning covered on this website including math, reading, and science. This website makes learning fun with games and child appropriate online activities. It also includes hands on activities for parents to do with their child. Activities such as crafting, cooking, and art projects with detailed instructions are provided, so that parents can interact with their children to build important life skills.

3. News-O-Matic

This is a news website geared for kids. The content helps them learn about the world and its happenings, in a website that is made for kids. There are daily editions of which include new articles every day on a variety of subjects and topics. The articles are written to grab the attention of a child reader. You will find that even reluctant readers find this site entertaining. If you have a passion for the news and keeping up with the changing world, then you can ignite this passion in your children by getting them started on the News-O-Matic website. Some of the skills that kids can learn while utilizing this site include reading comprehension, increased vocabulary, geography recognition, critical thinking, perspective taking, reasoning, and cultural awareness.

4. National Geographic Kids

The National Geographic Kids website teaches kids about animals, space, the natural world, dinosaurs, insects and more. They use games, videos, and online activities to connect children with learning about our natural world. There are valuable skills reinforced in the online activities including the use of logic, memory, applying information, investigation, problem solving, and imagination. There is a great deal of free content on this website that can be utilized without being a paid subscriber.

5. ABC Mouse

This website is geared for children ages 2-7. This is a learning website that covers the subjects of reading, math, social studies, science, health, writing, art, and music. Some of the skills that are taught on this site through the website activities include following directions, letter recognition, word recognition, phonics, reading comprehension, speaking, memorization, solving puzzles, measurement, goal achievement, rhythm, and more. This website boats that it contains a comprehensive curriculum with more than 8,500 learning activities. It is a great tool for preschoolers preparing for kindergarten. There are also lessons and activities that are more advanced beyond kindergarten. This is a subscription based program. It has won many awards because of its comprehensive nature and successful curriculum.

6. FunBrain

This educational website has a great deal of free content, so your child can access hundreds of activities without a subscription. There are games and activities for kids to play while they learn at the same time. Kids will use the following skills while playing on this website: problem solving, puzzle solving, reading, vocabulary, math, and reasoning. What makes this site unique is that there are online versions of popular kid's books including the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.

7. Nourish Interactive

This website is geared toward nutrition for children. It is a free website. There are games, printable activities, recipes and tools on this site that teach children about nutrition. The goal of the site is to help children learn to make healthy eating choices at a young age, so they can have this skill for life. The site also teaches about cooking, with many healthy recipes available free.

8. Arthur Family Health

Arthur is a favorite cartoon character on PBS. The Arthur Family Health website is for kids to learn about resilience, fitness, peanut allergies, asthma, and more. Health is not an easy topic to address with children, but this website does a great job by utilizing games, videos, and activities that are age appropriate and fun.

9. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

This website uses the popular PBS cartoon character Daniel Tiger. This website has games, activities, and videos geared toward younger children. The skills that are taught on this site include expressing emotions appropriately, eating healthy, making friends, brushing teeth, dealing with disappointment and toilet training. There are stories with a narrator for kids to listen to, simple games to play, videos to watch, and songs to engage younger children. It is an entertaining site for younger kids and the topics teach great life skills for little ones! This is a free website.

10. BrainPop

This website is geared for children in the fourth grade and older. It is a paid subscription site. However, there are some games and videos that are available free on this site. This website helps kids academically. There are also life skills and lessons addressed on the site. They address even the most sensitive and tough topics such as war, terrorism, sexual development, and alcoholism. Reviewers of the site say that this website is useful for kids all the way through high school.

11. Arcademic Skill Builder

This website is geared toward helping young students acquire math, language arts, English and critical-thinking skills. This site is filled with games and activities to keep kids entertained while learning. This website has a strong emphasis on math skills including addition, subtraction, counting, division, fractions, money, multiplication, ratios, and shapes. If your child is struggling with their math skills, then this site can be of great help. Many of the games and activities are free.

12. Cyberchase

This website is based on the PBS show Cyberchase. It is geared toward children who can read or are learning to read. It helps kids acquire critical thinking and reading skills. The site is filled with free games, videos and activities that keep kids entertained, engaged, and learning. Some of the games get kids to think about real life situations to utilize their problem solving skills. Brainstorming is a another skill that is utilized on this site. It is a free website.

13. Fact Monster

This website was created in partnership with educational professional. It is a site that is a great help for children completing homework. They can find facts on dozens of subjects on this site along with dictionary and atlas. The content is more than browsing and providing information. There are games and activities to entertain kids on the site while they learn. Interesting to note, the site contains more than 30,000 short biographies! This website is a game changer for home work time. Some of the skills that kids apply on this site include problem solving, thinking, reasoning, and self-direction.

14. Maggie's Earth Adventures

This website gets kids thinking and learning about the world and its vast ecosystems. It is a free site that teaches kids about the earth. Real life situations are presented in short videos. Then kids play games that touch on the subjects of animals, earth, recycling, and injustice. Some of the skills that they can acquire on this site include cultural understanding, global awareness, reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, investigation, prediction, and thinking critically.

15. PBS Lab

PBS Lab is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This grant requires them to research the games and their effectiveness in helping kids learn real skills. The result is a website where kids actually learn while they have fun. This site teaches kids the skills they need to be successful in school. The website is useful for kids ages three and up. Some of the skills that kids learn on this site include math, reading, spelling, word recognition, measuring, and pattern recognition. This site is free!

16. Sesame Street

This website is based on the TV program. Kids are entertained by their favorite Muppets in games, songs, podcasts, videos, and activities. This site can be used by children ages two and up, so it is one of the best options for very young children. Some of the skills taught on this site include empathy, labeling emotions, brushing teeth, hygiene, addition, subtraction, counting, measuring, recognizing shapes, understanding cultural differences, following directions, letter recognition, word recognition, spelling, respecting others, asking questions, problem solving, use of imagination, and making new creations. This site has a great deal of value for parents who want their children to be learning practical life skills while they are on the internet being entertained. This website is completely free!

17. Star Fall

This educational website is geared for children ages four and up. Although this is a subscription website, there is content that users can try out before purchasing. The website is run through a non profit organization and the price for subscription to the site is low because they want to make the content available widespread to benefit many children. Some of the skills that kids can learn on this website are addition, subtraction, counting, division, equations, fractions, geometry, grouping, measuring, multiplication, number recognition, shape recognition, reading, letter recognition, and word recognition. There are games, lots of songs, and activities to engage young children. The primary focus on this site is math and literacy.

18. How Stuff Works

This website is geared toward older children. It is a site filled with articles, podcasts, games, quizzes, and polls. There is a wealth of information on this site, which makes it useful for homework projects. The articles are attention grabbing, which help to snag the reader and get them interested in everything from the history of specific holidays to learning how super-volcanos work. This site touches on eleven primary categories of learning: animals, health, science, tech, automobiles, culture, home & garden, finances, lifestyle, entertainment, and adventure. Some of the skills that kids can learn through using this site include: building, gardening, self-direction, creativity, researching, empathy, understanding different cultures, and developing novel solutions.

19. Nick Jr

This website is based on the tv shows from the Nick Jr network. Young kids can learn while they interact with their favorite characters on this website. Bubble Guppies, Paw Patrol, Sunny, and dozens of other characters can be found on this site. There are games, video, stories, and printable activities found on this website. The site is entertaining for kids and they learn a variety of skills including math and reading. The content is geared toward preschool learning, and it is free.

20. Space Racers

This website is based on the show. The site is designed to get preschoolers excited about space and science. The learning on this site is based on STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). It comes through games, coloring pages, videos, music segments, lesson plans, and printouts from the lessons. There are a total of 17 lesson plans that use STEM concepts. The skills that kids learn from using this site include observation, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, mathematics, decision making, hypothesis testing, and goal setting. The science subjects taught on this site through the entertaining and engaging content include astronomy, rocket science, geology, and physics. This website is free!

21. Crayola

This website comes from the Crayola company. It is a free website. When kids click on the "play zone" they can find educational games and activities. The site has many free printable and coloring activities. The following skills can be learned by kids who use this site: following directions, drawing, painting, making digital creations, use of imagination, innovation, and making new creations. There are a great deal of DIY craft projects with detailed instructions found on this website.

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Productivity vs Efficiency: Which One Matters More and Why?

In this article you will discover the key difference between productivity and efficiency, and which one will help you achieve your goals. Productivity vs efficiency is a discussion between quantity and quality. A productive person is known as someone who gets things done. Although their accomplishments may be short-lived if they did not build their strategy for the long-haul. In most of our lives, productivity and efficiency are at odds with each other. When you are focusing on productivity, your efficiency is the first thing to suffer. Likewise, when you are confirming your plans are thoughtful and well-crafted, you run the risk of burying your goal in months of red tape.

Productivity In Your Life

Measuring productivity tends to be straightforward, so it is usually where people place their focus. People usually calculate productivity by measuring a person’s output during two similar time periods. For example, if you read two books in January and four books in February, you were more productive in February. Businesses will calculate productivity by comparing employees, departments, and locations. For instance, the California office of a firm generated $60,000 in March, while the Florida office generated $50,000 in the same month, making the California office more productive.

Productivity’s Blind Spot

Because most people measure productivity by calculating output, you have probably felt at least once in your life that productivity was capturing the complete picture. If your supervisor asks you for a report by end of day, they are thinking it is a reasonable request. While it is true the report only takes 30 minutes to create, that is not the only thing you are working on today. If the report was your only task, you agree you should have it completed by the end of the day. However, your department added a new employee and you agreed to train them on all the processes. Depending on the complexity of your role and the engagement of the trainee, it could take you an entire day to walk step-by-step through your work. You also have a few additional time sensitive matters that you accepted last week and they have the same deadline. As you are starting to see, when you only capture someone’s output to determine if they are being productive, you are lacking key information. You open yourself up to the possibility of thinking someone had a less productive week, when they were more productive than last week.

Efficiency, the Other Half of the Productivity Coin

If productivity focuses on your output, then efficiency emphasizes the quality of your work, which usually focuses on saving time or conserving resources. Think of your productivity as the revenue you generated from a sale, and think of your efficiency as the money you get to take home after you pay your expenses. Using the business example from before, while the California office generated $60,000 in sales, they spent $20,000 in related seminar and travel expenses. The Florida office generated their sales by using an inexpensive online-webinar platform, so the Florida office was more efficient and generated larger profits. Efficiency also accounts for quality in relation to time. For example, Autumn and Alek work in a call-center where their job was to survey 100 customers per day. Autumn reached her number after she called 150 customers and Alek reached her number after calling 300 customers. While they both achieved their productivity milestone, Autumn was more efficient because she only had to call an extra 50 people, while Alek had to call an additional 200 people.

Is There Such a Thing as Being Too Efficient?

Like productivity, focusing solely on efficiency can lead to unintended consequences. You do not want to complete your work hastily, but you also do not want to set the unreasonable expectation that you can achieve perfection. Challenges, missteps, and failure are a part of growth and achieving results. Whenever you focus too much on quality, you will find yourself coping with self-doubt, anxiety, and procrastination. If you are in a leadership position, your team may be too scared to produce anything because they are so worried about making a mistake. Out of fear, everyone remains in the analysis phase as they continue to plan for every possible outcome. Even though it is tempting to celebrate successful perfectionists like Steve Jobs and others, there are studies that confirm most successful people in any given field are less likely to be perfectionist. Perfectionism keeps most people from making decisions because the anxiety about making mistakes holds them back.((American Psychological Association: Is perfect good? A meta-analysis of perfectionism in the workplace.))

Striking a Balance Between Productivity and Efficiency

When trying to decide whether productivity or efficiency is more important, it is important to understand you need both. Accomplishing your goals and keeping your resolutions provide a great feeling, but you are going to want to measure the cost. You need to monitor the amount of time and resources you invested into achieving your goal. There is a point of diminishing returns where you are producing at such a high output, your work is full of errors and requires additional attention. The same diminishing returns exist if you are concerned about quality to the point you are teetering on perfectionism -- as perfectionists have an unhealthy fear of failure that keeps them from producing anywhere near optimum levels.

Three Strategies to Maximize Your Results

1. Be Intentional with Your Time and Resources

Start by attempting to maintain your current level of production while lowering the resources you use. This strategy requires you to be intentional with your goals. For example, if you oversaw the marketing budget for a multi-billion-dollar company, you may be reaching your results, but only because of you are flooding the market with ads. If you wanted to increase your efficiency without impacting your productivity, what would you do? One simple strategy is to conduct a review of all your marketing campaigns. Once you have completed the review, you can rank your campaigns based on their return on investment. You can then increase your productivity and efficiency by reallocating the money you spent on the bottom 10% of ads and moving them to your top 10% of ads.

2. Reduce Waste

Another strategy that will provide an immediate impact is for you to focus on reducing your waste. Again, we are going to implement techniques that will positively impact your efficiency and productivity. Start reducing waste by finding less expensive alternatives that will accomplish the same tasks you are currently producing. As was the case with our business example where the California office spent significantly more money that the Florida office. Are there more cost effective, but reputable options that you have not explored yet? It is a great idea to review your expenses annually to see if there are places you can improve. If you are not sure, shop around to see if your prices are in line with the market. You can even employ this technique with your own personal finances. Have you ever wondered why every car insurance commercial promises they can help you save 40%+ on car insurance? It is because most people do not update their auto coverage on a regular basis. Since automobiles are a depreciating asset, your car is losing value every year. If you bought your vehicle for $20,000, then it may only be worth $15,000 after the first year. However, if you are still paying insurance based on a $20,000 value, you are naturally going to be paying more if you received insurance based on a $15,000 value. Therefore, when you call the new insurance company, they are going to offer you insurance based on the vehicle’s current value of $15,000. The reason car insurance companies are so confident they can save you money is because they know you are paying for insurance on a $20,000 car when your car may be worth half or a third of that.

3. Prioritize Your Goals

The third approach to help you balance productivity and efficiency is to prioritize your goals. If you want to avoid falling into the perfectionism trap, you are going to have to admit you cannot have everything exactly the way you want. You are going to need to decide what matters to you most and be willing to sacrifice other less important goals to ensure you achieve your top priority. For instance, the truck driving industry is extremely competitive and as a result, truck drivers must focus on keeping costs down and operating higher efficiency. To manage their costs, truck drivers like to make sure they are never driving an empty truck. If they have a delivery in Miami, they want to make sure they have a pickup in Miami to cover the drive back. Anytime a truck driver is unable to find cargo for their drive back, they are wasting time and resources. Imagine if your next pickup was in Atlanta. Without cargo, that entire drive would be an uncovered expense and those can add up quickly. To ensure they have their costs under control, truck drivers will prioritize ensuring they are not driving empty over all other goals and objectives. Sometimes the driver is unable to find a pickup at their drop-off location at the same rate they hauled the cargo down. However, since they have prioritized “not driving empty,” they do not have an issue offering reduced pricing when they find themselves in this situation. If they did not prioritize their goals, they would be waiting in Miami for a back-haul that would cover their drive to Atlanta. Perfectionism tells you that you must accomplish all your goals or none of them.

When You Cannot Have It All

When you find yourself faced with difficult decisions, take a moment, and determine what matters to you most. If you can only accomplish one or two goals, which one will provide the greatest impact? Then, take the time to understand and account for the necessary shift you will need to make to your productivity or efficiency levels. In the case of the truck driver, they sacrificed their productivity by taking a lower rate for their back-haul. Yet, they increased their efficiency because they covered their costs and made a small profit with their lowered rate. What it ultimately means is the truck driver increased his productivity because the choice was not between their normal rate or a reduced rate, it was between an empty haul and a reduced rate haul.

Conclusion

By being intentional with your time and resources, reducing waste, and prioritizing your goals, you can increase your overall efficiency and productivity. No matter the goal you have set for yourself in your life, there will always be a benefit to working more efficiently and balancing that with increased productivity.

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Skin is a battlefield for mutations

Normal skin contains a patchwork of mutated cells, yet very few go on to eventually form cancer and scientists have now uncovered the reason why. Researchers genetically engineered mice to show that mutant cells in skin tissue compete with each other, with only the fittest surviving. The results suggest that normal skin in humans is more resilient to cancer than previously thought.

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Childhood poverty may have lasting effects on cognitive skills in old age

Children who grow up in poverty or who are otherwise socially and economically disadvantaged may be more likely in old age to score lower than others on tests of cognitive skills, according to a new study.

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Method to determine oxidative age could show how aging affects nanomaterial's properties

New work looks to understand how iron oxide nanoparticles age, and how aging may change their functional or safety profiles. By combining lab-based Mössbauer spectroscopy with 'center of gravity' analysis, researchers can quantify the diffusive oxidation of magnetite into maghemite, and track the process. The work is poised to help understand the aging mechanisms in nanomaterials, and how these effects change the way they interact with the human body.

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25 Super Fun Things to Do With Family to Strengthen Your Bond

Strengthening your family bond doesn't have to be difficult. There are fun activities that can create many happy memories, help you get to know each other better, and let you experience the world in new ways. To help you along, we've produced a list of 25 fun things to do with family members so you can easily find out a little bit more about each other.

1. Get Some Board Games

Traditional, sure, and maybe even a little out of place in an era of smartphones and games consoles. But board games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit offer a different type of socialising. Get yourself a few and set a game night so you can set some happy memories.

2. Have a Picnic

Heading out into the fresh air to enjoy a picnic is something of a lost art. Although the occasional wasp might be an issue, there's still the sense of serenity and a chance to catch up over some homemade foodstuffs.

3. Get a Family Pet

You may already have a cat or a dog, but how about adding a new member to your family? Pets make for a great talking point and you can get a lot of happiness from simply watching animals can be a special experience.

4. Read Together

Reading is essential for personal development. It provides mental stimulation, stress relief, memory improvement, and vocabulary improvement. It's also fantastic for bonding - reading a story to your kids each evening is a popular family pastime that can create many positive memories. Here're 30 unforgettable kids books you can consider.

5. Take Up Crafts

We have you covered for these as well, with 30 awesome DIY projects you can try at home. Crafts are a brilliant way to express creativity. But as you have to work as a team, it's a great chance for families to enjoy making something together.

6. Take Up Your Children's Hobbies

Whether they play video games or read book series you would normally avoid at all costs, being aware of your children's hobbies can have many benefits. From conversation points to understanding what sort of culture your child likes, you can then direct them to other things. Plus, it makes buying them birthday and Christmas presents a touch easier if you know their hobbies.

7. Set a Movie Night

Most people love films (I've only ever met one person who doesn't). The magic of cinema can unite people in unexpected ways. So set yourself a movie night, get some popcorn ready, and take a tour through the classics (or latest releases). It's kind of the reason why Netflix was invented.

8. Volunteer

Check your local community and offer to chip in where possible. There may be a cat shelter in need of staff, a local park looking for helpers, or a race track looking for marshals. You never know what it could involve, but it'll off endearing new experiences all the same.

9. Bake Food

Baking is fantastic fun and highly rewarding. As a family activity, it's a character building, entertaining, and skilful practice. Try out some new recipes and work together as a team - get your baking perfected and then head on to a new recipe. Here are 40 mind-blowing baking hacks to help you along.

10. Build a Blanket Fort

Perhaps try this one with your movie or reading night. But building a blanket fort is great fun - no matter how daft it seems. Calming, cosy, and quiet, you've got a great chance to chat or enjoy some culture together as a family. Plus, it'll show your kids adults aren't ultra-serious sticks in the mud at all times. Here's how to build a blanket fort:

11. Go For a Walk

It could be a walk around your local community or a trip to the countryside. Either way, walking has many health benefits – weight loss, better cardiovascular and pulmonary (that’s heart and lung) fitness, meditative purposes, you get to see some sights; and all the while providing you with the ideal chance to chat with your family members (and walk the pet dog, if you have one).

12. Pick a New Holiday Destination

Liven up your holiday routine with a trip to somewhere new. It can be tempting to fall into a generic pattern of choosing the places you’re familiar with. But shaking up your next trip abroad with a new destination can revitalize your routine and provide your family with an exciting new environment to explore.

13. Visit Your Grandparents

Having a lazy weekend? Visit your grandparents. It’s a chance for your kids to learn about their lives and heritage. Surely this ranks as one of the leading things to do with the family - a chance to bond across multiple generations!

14. Have a Dinner Party

Get your family friends around for a dinner party. Socializing is a great way for your kids to make new friends, which can lead to new social opportunities in the future. Whilst it’s great getting to see your kids flourish, you can also be an active part in their developing personal life.

15. Get Artistic

Bring out your family’s creative side. Buy some plain white paper, some coloring pencils, and challenge each other to create something spectacular. You can provide feedback, support, tips, and could start a blog documenting your efforts to connect with the wider world.

16. Teach Others Your Skills

What are you good at? Can you juggle? Are you still proud of that Super Mario Kart track record, but your SNES is in the attic? Are you a brilliant knitter looking to pass on your skill set? Well, there’s nothing stopping you from (at least trying) to get your family interested. Having a shared passion is a great way to spend some fun, quality, productive time together.

17. Learn Something New Together

Of course, you can also learn a new skill entirely. Thinking of the future, you may want to learn the basics of web coding. Or you could start blogging on a platform like WordPress, take up photography, or learn a new sport together. There are also sites like Udemy where you can learn a huge variety of topics at your own pace. Whilst great for family bonding, it can also set your kids up with some essential new skills.

18. Go Camping

Kids more used to their gadgets may need some convincing, but a camping trip is essential. It’s almost a rites of passage for any family – a trip into the wilderness to set up camp, cook around a fire, and enjoy some rural sights. It’s relaxing, fun, and a great chance for your kids to get away from a blue screen for a while.

19. Try glamping

If camping seems too primitive, try glamping. It’s glamorous camping. You can have all of your creature comforts around, but enjoy the great outdoors simultaneously. Some glamping hotspots offer tempting venues, so have a scour around online to find the right match for you.

20. Keep a scrapbook

Store your family memories in one of these! You can buy some beautiful scrapbooks online that are just waiting for you to fill them with memories. You could update it one a week as a family, but looking back and reminiscing is also a memorable bonding activity. Take a look at this example:

21. Build a garden

Gardening is relaxing, rewarding, and teaches your kids about the natural world. Sow the land, work hard to create a living garden, and keep tabs of your progress in a diary (or, again, a blog). You can add to the experience by maintaining (even building!) birdhouses. Attracting some local wildlife to watch is educational and also great fun.

22. Play I Spy

There’s something weirdly compelling about this game. From my experiences as a kid, it was always brilliant for long car journeys. Staring down at my Game Boy wasn’t always desirable. Simply think of something you can see, then your family can gradually work their way towards working out what it is. Again, fantastic for long car journeys.

23. Perfect Some Healthy Snacks

Moving on from #9 (baking) above, it’s not always the healthiest food to eat. Why not learn a few nutritious snack recipes as well? Popcorn is a great example. Here are 15 of them you should always have at home (make it 16 now that you know to remember the popcorn option).

24. Create a Time Capsule

Put together a time capsule to hide away for the future. You can throw together some memorable items from your life now (perhaps not your iPhone, though) and put them in an airtight capsule. You can then plan to revisit it in a decade and see what memories it can throw up for you. Opening it can throw up some powerful emotions. Memories pay a big part in family life, so this can be something to cherish further ahead in time.

25. Dress Up

Last of all… why not? Pick a theme for the weekend and spend your day waltzing around as a dashing pirate, vicious Viking, go for Victorian era wigs, or as a celebrity of your choice. There's no real purpose to this other than to have a few giggles, although you could add some pictures to your scrapbook for safekeeping.

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How to Use More of Your Brain to Become More Productive and Happy

I’m not a morning person. I always hoped that when I grew up, I’d become that person who was magically “on” (happy and productive) the second my eyes opened. You know, like the old guy in Jerry McGuire who wakes up, claps his hands and says “Today is going to be a great day!” Adults are supposed to be morning people, right? We’re supposed to be able to use our brains and be productive members of society right out of the gate, waking with smiles on our faces with hearts full of gratitude. That’s the pressure I’ve always put on myself anyway--that I should feel excited and grateful in the morning. But if I’m being honest, I’ve never felt that way. And generally, my mornings kind of suck... I wake up everyday with a three year old pulling on my arm (or if I’m not so lucky she’s pulling up the lid of my eye) telling me it’s time to get out of bed because I’m officially on duty as her personal chef, stylist, and chauffeur. (I mean, I’m basically her glorified celebrity handler). Most days, it’s a battle of wills, struggling to get her to put on pants and get in the car and usually I resort to sugar-laced bribes just to keep my sanity. Suffice to say, by the time I get home from taking her to school, I feel spent and quite honestly, stupid. As a mom of a preschooler, I feel like my brain is operating in “react” mode so much of the morning that I forget it’s possible for me to be an intentional, productive person in the AM hours. I thought working from home would be easier in this way, but it turns out it’s actually a lot easier to not be productive without the positive peer pressure of other hyper-focused adults visibly working hard at their computers around me. So what winds up happening is I get home and find it hard not to get on my computer and let my inbox send me on whatever trip my brain decides it wants to go on in that moment. No plan, no focus, I’m just...doing stuff…I think? At least I’m fighting the urge to go back to bed, I tell myself. I’m being a grown up. Most mornings I’ve felt like a failure as an adult because of this chronic morning brain fog. So recently I’ve been trying to figure out why I still feel like a 17-year old recovering from mono who can’t get out of bed for first period. I’m not depressed. My life is good. I love my work. So why is it so hard for me to follow through on doing things I want to do at a reasonable, productive “adult” hour? I couldn’t help but wonder...what is wrong with me? But, it turns out, I may have been asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking WHAT is wrong with me and WHY can’t I, the question I forgot to ask, and the question we all need to be asking is WHEN.

When: The Forgotten Four-Letter Word

It all became a little more clear when my husband brought home a book called WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink. According to chronobiology experts, it’s very possible that a lot of our brain power, productivity and even happiness doesn’t necessary stem from what we are doing, but WHEN we are doing it.

What Kind of Bird Are You?

Imagine you’re on a relaxing vacation for a week. No meetings. No kids or obligations. It’s just you, a cozy bed, and your whims. What time do you go to bed, knowing you can sleep in as late as you want and nap as much as you want the following day? Got it? Great. Next, what time would you wake up, by choice? Now take the time you’d ideally go to bed and the time you’d ideally wake up and find the time exactly halfway between the two. That time will tell you if you’re an “early bird” (or Lark), a Night Owl, OR, neither. Turns out 65% of us are what chronobiologists have come to call “Third Birds”—somewhere in the middle. Once you determine your “type” you can start planning your day’s activities based on the right time for your brain—or WHEN you’re best cognitively equipped for that type of task, based on science. According to Pink and the research, knowing WHEN you are going to perform your best on certain tasks can be an absolute game-changer. For example, say you have an important exam that’s full of analytical questions: Larks and Third Birds are going to perform better on those sorts of tasks in the morning, but Owls are going to perform far better on analytical tasks in the late afternoon or evening. Knowing when you’re in the ideal state to be your most productive self can make the tasks you do easier and relieve unnecessary stress. Bottom-line is when it comes to using more of your brain and being happier overall, it may be more of a question of knowing your nature, asking WHEN, and leaning into your natural rhythm rather than constantly fighting it.

Your Brain on Tech

I’d be remiss, in today’s digital age, if I didn’t bring up the impact technology is having on our brains, productivity, and our general sense of well-being. I mean, the one thing I didn’t mention in my description of my morning is that I’m constantly fighting the urge to check my email or do work while I’m feeding, dressing and wrangling my three year old off to school. It feels like a compulsive thing, like I can’t help myself from looking at my phone even though I know there’s nothing that can’t wait. If I have a “free” second, I feel the need to do SOMETHING (more accurately, HOLD something). It would be easy to posit that technology is a dirty, addictive brain-cell killer and I’m sure I’d find plenty of evidence to support that assertion, but the undeniable truth is that technology has enabled us to get so much more done in such a shorter period of time. We no longer have to drive 30 minutes each way to a brick-and-mortar retailer to buy miscellaneous items, we can order them it in less than a minute with one tap. So when it comes to productivity, I feel like all of the good technology has done is not trumped by the bad. That being said, there’s a flip side to the world literally being at our fingertips--especially when it comes to our cognitive abilities. The question on my mind is: Now that our brains are able to get more information, or input, instantaneously because of how readily available it is, are we actually able to process all of this information without overload? According to the experts, there’s a false belief among consumers that technology is helping us be better multitaskers, but it’s just not true. The fact is we’re not capable of successfully giving our focus to more than one thing at a time.((Computer History Museum: Our Mind’s on Tech: How Technology Affects the Human Brain.)) Multitasking, at least for humans, is a myth. So what is actually happening is this: We think we can be more productive by using our phones to multitask but this leads us to spend more and more time on our phones where we usually get distracted by the overwhelming human need for connection. One of the expert panelists, Larry Rosen, a research psychologist, explained how technology can actually make us feel chronically anxious because:

“we are feeling a lot of pressure that we have to connect, that we feel a responsibility to connect, and that’s the anxiety-provoking part.”

It’s really this innate desire for connection, for feeling a part of the “tribe” if you will, that leads us to what sometimes looks and feels like technology addiction. But according to Rosen “addiction should give us some sort of a good feeling, a pleasurable feeling.” But since most of us don’t feel a “high” from being glued to our screens, he believes technology is more like an obsession or compulsion, since we feel a constant need to “check in.” The experts also agree that all of this “multitasking” and information overload has had consequences on how we learn and retain information because it’s just simply not possible for our brains to focus on so many different things at once. So we have this desire to be productive, and an even deeper desire for connection, but a lot of the time our devices distract us from doing either very well.

Give It a Rest Already

I don’t know about you but my brain hurts from all of that tech talk. Luckily, I have the perfect remedy and if you love coffee and sleep as much as I do, you’re about to have a deep desire to hug me through your computer screen (but thank Dan Pink, I’m just passing this gem on). If you’re feeling like your brain is fried and your productivity is waning, I’d like to introduce you to your new best friend: The Nappuccino:((Daniel Pink: When: Napaccino)) According to the latest research, naps are incredibly beneficial for our brains and overall productivity, but only if done “right.” The Nappuccino is the recipe for the perfect nap: Since caffeine takes about 25 minutes to kick in, if you drink a cup of your favorite java, then lay down it takes approximately 5 minutes to fall asleep--giving you the optimal 20 minute snooze sesh (long enough to feel refreshed, but not too long to make you drowsy). When to do this, you may be wondering? The Mayo Clinic suggests that the best time for a nap is between 2pm-3pm, when we all typically hit our mid-day slump. The best part? You wake up with your caffeine kick in full effect, ready to get back to work. You’re welcome!

Not a Happy Napper?

If you’re not remotely jazzed about the fact that I just gave you permission to drink coffee and take a nap in the afternoon, you may be one of those people who hate naps. Maybe napping makes you feel like a lazy, good for nothing bum and you feel like it’s weak? You may even pride yourself in never taking a lunch break and eating at your desk. If this sounds familiar, you may need to hear this more than anyone: According to Pink and all of the studies, taking lunch (more specifically a social lunch where we connect with someone face-to-face) as well as an afternoon nap, helps us work better, faster and more efficiently. It also helps prevent us from making mistakes. As Pink puts it “Breaks are not a sign of sloth, but a sign of strength.” And if you still need more proof, a student at Stanford noted in her report on trying the Nappuccino:((The Standard Daily: The nappuccino))

“This process has extended my capacity from measly journal entries to full-on drafts of essays. Thus, I have been proven utterly wrong in my castigation of naps as emblems of counterproductivity.”

In other words, don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

The Big Takeaways

If you’re like most hyper-productive adults and you just scrolled to the bottom to get the gist of this article, I get it, no judgement. As I’ve stated above, our brains can only take in so much. So here’s the bottom line: If you want to be more happy, productive, and use your brain more efficiently:

1. Lean into your unique internal clock and work your WHEN. If you’re a morning person, do the hardest stuff in the AM. If you’re a night person, give yourself permission to not think so hard first thing (and be nice to yourself, okay?)
2. Focus on one task at a time (our brains can’t multitask, even if our phones can)
3. Get your fix for connection by talking to other humans in real life (and take a lunch break)
4. Give your brain a break by unplugging from the screen and treating yourself to an afternoon Nappuccino

The truth is we don’t need to use more of our brains, we simply need to stop distracting our brains and start understanding them. Most importantly, we need to give our brains a rest so our incredible, life-sustaining, built-in supercomputers can function at their highest potential. These days, I’m not so hard on my more “Owly” nature. Somehow cutting myself and my brain some slack and giving it permission to not be “on” in the morning...online that is…has made "adulting" in the AM feel much brighter. It may take an hour or two, but eventually, after a couple of cups of coffee, I’m able to clap my hands and say “today is going to be a great day.” And mean it.

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How to Use More of Your Brain to Become More Productive and Happy

I’m not a morning person. I always hoped that when I grew up, I’d become that person who was magically “on” (happy and productive) the second my eyes opened. You know, like the old guy in Jerry McGuire who wakes up, claps his hands and says “Today is going to be a great day!” Adults are supposed to be morning people, right? We’re supposed to be able to use our brains and be productive members of society right out of the gate, waking with smiles on our faces with hearts full of gratitude. That’s the pressure I’ve always put on myself anyway--that I should feel excited and grateful in the morning. But if I’m being honest, I’ve never felt that way. And generally, my mornings kind of suck... I wake up everyday with a three year old pulling on my arm (or if I’m not so lucky she’s pulling up the lid of my eye) telling me it’s time to get out of bed because I’m officially on duty as her personal chef, stylist, and chauffeur. (I mean, I’m basically her glorified celebrity handler). Most days, it’s a battle of wills, struggling to get her to put on pants and get in the car and usually I resort to sugar-laced bribes just to keep my sanity. Suffice to say, by the time I get home from taking her to school, I feel spent and quite honestly, stupid. As a mom of a preschooler, I feel like my brain is operating in “react” mode so much of the morning that I forget it’s possible for me to be an intentional, productive person in the AM hours. I thought working from home would be easier in this way, but it turns out it’s actually a lot easier to not be productive without the positive peer pressure of other hyper-focused adults visibly working hard at their computers around me. So what winds up happening is I get home and find it hard not to get on my computer and let my inbox send me on whatever trip my brain decides it wants to go on in that moment. No plan, no focus, I’m just...doing stuff…I think? At least I’m fighting the urge to go back to bed, I tell myself. I’m being a grown up. Most mornings I’ve felt like a failure as an adult because of this chronic morning brain fog. So recently I’ve been trying to figure out why I still feel like a 17-year old recovering from mono who can’t get out of bed for first period. I’m not depressed. My life is good. I love my work. So why is it so hard for me to follow through on doing things I want to do at a reasonable, productive “adult” hour? I couldn’t help but wonder...what is wrong with me? But, it turns out, I may have been asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking WHAT is wrong with me and WHY can’t I, the question I forgot to ask, and the question we all need to be asking is WHEN.

When: The Forgotten Four-Letter Word

It all became a little more clear when my husband brought home a book called WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink. According to chronobiology experts, it’s very possible that a lot of our brain power, productivity and even happiness doesn’t necessary stem from what we are doing, but WHEN we are doing it.

What Kind of Bird Are You?

Imagine you’re on a relaxing vacation for a week. No meetings. No kids or obligations. It’s just you, a cozy bed, and your whims. What time do you go to bed, knowing you can sleep in as late as you want and nap as much as you want the following day? Got it? Great. Next, what time would you wake up, by choice? Now take the time you’d ideally go to bed and the time you’d ideally wake up and find the time exactly halfway between the two. That time will tell you if you’re an “early bird” (or Lark), a Night Owl, OR, neither. Turns out 65% of us are what chronobiologists have come to call “Third Birds”—somewhere in the middle. Once you determine your “type” you can start planning your day’s activities based on the right time for your brain—or WHEN you’re best cognitively equipped for that type of task, based on science. According to Pink and the research, knowing WHEN you are going to perform your best on certain tasks can be an absolute game-changer. For example, say you have an important exam that’s full of analytical questions: Larks and Third Birds are going to perform better on those sorts of tasks in the morning, but Owls are going to perform far better on analytical tasks in the late afternoon or evening. Knowing when you’re in the ideal state to be your most productive self can make the tasks you do easier and relieve unnecessary stress. Bottom-line is when it comes to using more of your brain and being happier overall, it may be more of a question of knowing your nature, asking WHEN, and leaning into your natural rhythm rather than constantly fighting it.

Your Brain on Tech

I’d be remiss, in today’s digital age, if I didn’t bring up the impact technology is having on our brains, productivity, and our general sense of well-being. I mean, the one thing I didn’t mention in my description of my morning is that I’m constantly fighting the urge to check my email or do work while I’m feeding, dressing and wrangling my three year old off to school. It feels like a compulsive thing, like I can’t help myself from looking at my phone even though I know there’s nothing that can’t wait. If I have a “free” second, I feel the need to do SOMETHING (more accurately, HOLD something). It would be easy to posit that technology is a dirty, addictive brain-cell killer and I’m sure I’d find plenty of evidence to support that assertion, but the undeniable truth is that technology has enabled us to get so much more done in such a shorter period of time. We no longer have to drive 30 minutes each way to a brick-and-mortar retailer to buy miscellaneous items, we can order them it in less than a minute with one tap. So when it comes to productivity, I feel like all of the good technology has done is not trumped by the bad. That being said, there’s a flip side to the world literally being at our fingertips--especially when it comes to our cognitive abilities. The question on my mind is: Now that our brains are able to get more information, or input, instantaneously because of how readily available it is, are we actually able to process all of this information without overload? According to the experts, there’s a false belief among consumers that technology is helping us be better multitaskers, but it’s just not true. The fact is we’re not capable of successfully giving our focus to more than one thing at a time.((Computer History Museum: Our Mind’s on Tech: How Technology Affects the Human Brain.)) Multitasking, at least for humans, is a myth. So what is actually happening is this: We think we can be more productive by using our phones to multitask but this leads us to spend more and more time on our phones where we usually get distracted by the overwhelming human need for connection. One of the expert panelists, Larry Rosen, a research psychologist, explained how technology can actually make us feel chronically anxious because:

“we are feeling a lot of pressure that we have to connect, that we feel a responsibility to connect, and that’s the anxiety-provoking part.”

It’s really this innate desire for connection, for feeling a part of the “tribe” if you will, that leads us to what sometimes looks and feels like technology addiction. But according to Rosen “addiction should give us some sort of a good feeling, a pleasurable feeling.” But since most of us don’t feel a “high” from being glued to our screens, he believes technology is more like an obsession or compulsion, since we feel a constant need to “check in.” The experts also agree that all of this “multitasking” and information overload has had consequences on how we learn and retain information because it’s just simply not possible for our brains to focus on so many different things at once. So we have this desire to be productive, and an even deeper desire for connection, but a lot of the time our devices distract us from doing either very well.

Give It a Rest Already

I don’t know about you but my brain hurts from all of that tech talk. Luckily, I have the perfect remedy and if you love coffee and sleep as much as I do, you’re about to have a deep desire to hug me through your computer screen (but thank Dan Pink, I’m just passing this gem on). If you’re feeling like your brain is fried and your productivity is waning, I’d like to introduce you to your new best friend: The Nappuccino:((Daniel Pink: When: Napaccino)) According to the latest research, naps are incredibly beneficial for our brains and overall productivity, but only if done “right.” The Nappuccino is the recipe for the perfect nap: Since caffeine takes about 25 minutes to kick in, if you drink a cup of your favorite java, then lay down it takes approximately 5 minutes to fall asleep--giving you the optimal 20 minute snooze sesh (long enough to feel refreshed, but not too long to make you drowsy). When to do this, you may be wondering? The Mayo Clinic suggests that the best time for a nap is between 2pm-3pm, when we all typically hit our mid-day slump. The best part? You wake up with your caffeine kick in full effect, ready to get back to work. You’re welcome!

Not a Happy Napper?

If you’re not remotely jazzed about the fact that I just gave you permission to drink coffee and take a nap in the afternoon, you may be one of those people who hate naps. Maybe napping makes you feel like a lazy, good for nothing bum and you feel like it’s weak? You may even pride yourself in never taking a lunch break and eating at your desk. If this sounds familiar, you may need to hear this more than anyone: According to Pink and all of the studies, taking lunch (more specifically a social lunch where we connect with someone face-to-face) as well as an afternoon nap, helps us work better, faster and more efficiently. It also helps prevent us from making mistakes. As Pink puts it “Breaks are not a sign of sloth, but a sign of strength.” And if you still need more proof, a student at Stanford noted in her report on trying the Nappuccino:((The Standard Daily: The nappuccino))

“This process has extended my capacity from measly journal entries to full-on drafts of essays. Thus, I have been proven utterly wrong in my castigation of naps as emblems of counterproductivity.”

In other words, don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

The Big Takeaways

If you’re like most hyper-productive adults and you just scrolled to the bottom to get the gist of this article, I get it, no judgement. As I’ve stated above, our brains can only take in so much. So here’s the bottom line: If you want to be more happy, productive, and use your brain more efficiently:

1. Lean into your unique internal clock and work your WHEN. If you’re a morning person, do the hardest stuff in the AM. If you’re a night person, give yourself permission to not think so hard first thing (and be nice to yourself, okay?)
2. Focus on one task at a time (our brains can’t multitask, even if our phones can)
3. Get your fix for connection by talking to other humans in real life (and take a lunch break)
4. Give your brain a break by unplugging from the screen and treating yourself to an afternoon Nappuccino

The truth is we don’t need to use more of our brains, we simply need to stop distracting our brains and start understanding them. Most importantly, we need to give our brains a rest so our incredible, life-sustaining, built-in supercomputers can function at their highest potential. These days, I’m not so hard on my more “Owly” nature. Somehow cutting myself and my brain some slack and giving it permission to not be “on” in the morning...online that is…has made "adulting" in the AM feel much brighter. It may take an hour or two, but eventually, after a couple of cups of coffee, I’m able to clap my hands and say “today is going to be a great day.” And mean it.

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