"It would be wonderful if this world was guided by little children, because they are closer to life than anybody else.

<ul><li>It is a natural human trait that when you get to know something that you did not know, it brings much joy to you.</li><li>If learning is making people miserable, then we have not understood what learning is.</li><li>If the thirst for knowledge is kindled in the child, you cannot stop him from learning, he is going to learn anyway.</li></ul>

Learning

<ul><li>The pressure is only because you are putting two absolutely unique beings in comparison.</li><li>Is there one more person exactly like you on this planet? No. There is only one like you. So each being is an absolutely unique being.</li></ul>

Stop Comparing

<ul><li>True human capabilities will not find expression in competition. True human capabilities will find expression only in absolute relaxation.</li><li>When you are trying to race with somebody, you are only thinking of going one step ahead of him, that is all. You are not thinking of what your ultimate potential is.</li></ul>

Stop Racing

<ul><li>We want to teach the children how to use their brains, not just to read and write. Reading and writing are important, but using your brains is more important.</li><li>Education should stimulate your brain, not dull your brain.</li></ul>

Use Your Brain

<ul><li>Intelligence twisted out against our own wellbeing is no intelligence</li><li>Intelligence is the biggest blessing that a human being has, but right now it has become a curse upon humanity simply because the human being is nocoming out as a well-coordinated being.</li></ul>

Real Intelligence

<ul><li>Our educational systems have become 100% informative - there is no inspiration.</li><li>Without inspiration, no human being raises beyond the limitations in which he lives.</li><li>Making the whole education system purely informational has caused an enormous damage, and that time of life when you are youthful, when you are capable of many things, that span of life unfortunately goes to waste simply because the necessary inspiration is not there.</li></ul>

Information + Inspiration : Education

<ul><li>Only if the teacher's role is to inspire people to learn, to create a thirst for knowledge, only then a teacher's role has something to give.</li></ul>

Role Of A Teacher

<ul><li>A criminal is also concerned about human wellbeing, but his idea of humanity is just himself. Somebody's idea of humanity is him and his family; somebody else's idea of humanity is him and his country; somebody else's includes the whole world.</li><li> Everybody is concerned about human wellbeing in different proportions.</li><li>One big thing that needs to happen with the youth and with everybody, is that their identification with humanity should not be limited to just themselves, and that it includes a larger society and the larger world around them; this is missing in education today</li></ul>

Human Wellbeing 

Only when we are inspired, we go beyond and do things that human beings wouldn't normally do.

Sadhguru in this book (discourse)  takes a dig at the modern education system and points out that inspiration is missing in today's education and elaborates the need for inspiration in education. 

In this book, Sadhguru answers probing questions, discussing the state of modern education and the need to inspire a child to reach his or her true potential.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

education

Learning & Education

books

Books

Inspire Your Child Inspire Your World (eBook)

The main motivator to begin a project is urgency. When the problem can wait until tomorrow, you'll never start today. The three-step process to start today:<ol><li>Identify the conflict: "I'll never succeed."</li><li>Define the solution: "Do this every day."</li><li>Explain why you must start today: "I need sixty comics for my meeting in two months."</li></ol>

Use Goal Urgency 

January 11, 2022 — Big projects are intimidating, but how motivated would you feel if tomorrow was no longer an option? Ever since I spent 3,000 hours on a daily comic challenge in 2019, the one…

How to Start That Big Project You’ve Been Dreaming Of

When Steve Jobs was young, he dropped out of college, which enabled him to take a calligraphy course that interested him, but had no immediate practical benefit. Looking back, the Mac would not have had multiple typefaces or well-spaced fonts if Jobs had not dropped in on that course in college. You can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect it in hindsight. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart.

How your experiences join up

Getting fired from Apple was at first devastating for Jobs, but it was also the best thing that could have happened. Being a beginner again freed him to enter the most creative period of his life. In the next five years, Jobs started the company NeXT and Pixar. What kept him going was that he loved what he was doing.  You have to find what you love. Work will fill the largest part of your life, and you will only be satisfied if you do great work. If you haven't found what you love, keep looking. Don't settle.

Love and loss

If today is the last day of your life, would you do what you plan to do that day? If the answer is "no", you need to change something. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Instead, dare to follow your heart.

Live each day as if it was your last

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005. Transcript of Steve Jobs' address: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html Stanford University channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/stanford

career

Career

videos

Videos

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.

Transcript of Steve Jobs' address:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Stanford University channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanford

Stanford is a place of discovery, creativity and innovation located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the ancestral land of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Dedicated to our founding mission—benefitting society through research and education—we are working toward a sustainable future, accelerating the impact of research with external partners, catalyzing discoveries about ourselves and our world, and educating students as global citizens. Our main campus, which welcomed its first class in 1891, is now home to 650+ student organizations, 36 varsity athletic teams, 20 libraries, 21 living Nobel laureates, 18 interdisciplinary research institutes, seven schools, and a vibrant arts scene. More than 9,000 graduate students and 7,000 undergraduates pursue studies at Stanford each year. Our financial aid program, one of the most generous in the nation, makes it possible for any admitted undergraduate to attend without taking on student debt. Learn more at stanford.edu.

Stanford

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

• The art of making great and lasting change comes through small, steady steps.• Kaizen circumvents the brain’s built-in resistance to new behaviors.• Small rewards lead to big returns.

Short Summary

• Kaizen is a process of improving a habit using very small steps.• Small steps can lead to big changes.• Kaizen disarms the brain’s fear response making change come more naturally.• By taking steps so tiny that they seem trivial or even laughable, you’ll sail calmly past obstacles that have defeated you before.

Kaizen

Myth #1: Change is hard.Myth #2: The size of the step determines the size of the result, so take big steps for big results.Myth #3: Kaizen Is slow; innovation is quicker.

Three Common Myths About Change

• Your brain is programmed to resist change. But, by taking small steps, you effectively rewire your nervous system.• Kaizen questions such as ‘What’s the smallest step I can take to be more efficient?’ allow us to bypass our fears.

Take Very Small Steps

If you tend to berate yourself with negative questions (Why am I so fat?), try asking: What is one thing I like about myself today? Ask this question daily, writing your answer down in a journal or on a sheet of paper you keep in a specially designated place.

Gratitude

• If you are trying to reach a specific goal, ask yourself every day: What is one small step I could take toward reaching my goal?• What is one small step I could take to improve my health (or relationships, or career, or any other area)?• If somebody’s annoying you, ask yourself, “What’s one good thing about this person?”• What is one small thing that is special about me (or my spouse, or my organization)?

Quality Questions

<ul><li>Small actions are at the Heart of kaizen. </li><li>By taking steps so tiny that they seem trivial or even laughable, you’ll sail calmly past obstacles that have defeated you before. </li><li>Slowly—but painlessly!—you’ll cultivate an appetite for continued success and lay down a permanent new route to change.</li><li>The kaizen approach to life requires a slower pace and an appreciation of small moments. This pleasant technique can lead to creative breakthroughs and excellence.</li></ul>

Baby Steps 

The essential guide to kaizen—the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps—is now in paperback. Written by Dr. Robert Maurer, a psychologist on the staff of both the University of Washington School of Medicine and Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, and an expert on kaizen who speaks and consults nationally, One Small Step Can Change Your Life is the gentle but potent way to effect change. It is for anyone who wants to lose weight. Or quit smoking. Or write a novel, start an exercise program, get out of debt, or conquer shyness and meet new people. Beginning by outlining the all-important role that fear plays in every type of change—and kaizen’s ability to neutralize it by circumventing the brain’s built-in resistance to new behavior—Dr. Maurer then explains the 7 Small Steps: how to Think Small Thoughts, Take Small Actions, Solve Small Problems, and more. He shows how to perform mind sculpture—visualizing virtual change so that real change comes more naturally. Why small rewards lead to big returns by internalizing motivation. How great discoveries are made by paying attention to the little details most of us overlook. Rooted in the two-thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching—“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”—here is the way to change your life without fear, without failure, and to begin a new, easy regimen of continuous improvement.

habits

Habits

The essential guide to kaizen—the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps—is now in paperback. Written by Dr. Robert Maurer, a psychologist on the staff of both the University of Washington School of Medicine and Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, and an expert on kaizen who speaks and consults nationally, One Small Step Can Change Your Life is the gentle but potent way to effect change. It is for anyone who wants to lose weight. Or quit smoking. Or write a novel, start an exercise program, get out of debt, or conquer shyness and meet new people. Beginning by outlining the all-important role that fear plays in every type of change—and kaizen’s ability to neutralize it by circumventing the brain’s built-in resistance to new behavior—Dr. Maurer then explains the 7 Small Steps: how to Think Small Thoughts, Take Small Actions, Solve Small Problems, and more. He shows how to perform mind sculpture—visualizing virtual change so that real change comes more naturally. Why small rewards lead to big returns by internalizing motivation. How great discoveries are made by paying attention to the little details most of us overlook. Rooted in the two-thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching—“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”—here is the way to change your life without fear, without failure, and to begin a new, easy regimen of continuous improvement.

Robert Maurer

One Small Step Can Change Your Life

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.Camus' own philosophy was grounded in absurdism, which refers to the inherent conflict.This conflict often causes a certain amount of tension, and these tensions can cause anxiety and doubt if left unresolved.<ul><li> Many believe that life has no inherent meaning, and it is therefore up to us to decide our own meaning.</li><li> Others believe that meaning can be found in the world around us, and we have to be open to it when it presents itself.</li></ul>Here are some of his philosophical quotes:

Albert Camus

The evil in the world comes almost always from ignorance, and goodwill can cause as much damage as ill-will if it is not enlightened. People are more often good than bad, though in fact that is not the question. But they are more or less ignorant and this is what one calls vice or virtue, the most appalling vice being the ignorance that thinks it knows everything and which consequently authorizes itself to kill. The murderer's soul is blind, and there is no true goodness or fine love without the greatest possible degree of clear-sightedness

I continue to believe that this world has no ultimate meaning. But I know that something in it has a meaning and that is man, because he is the only creature to insist on having one.

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.

If absolute truth belongs to anyone in this world, it certainly does not belong to the man or party that claims to possess it.

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken.

Don’t walk in front of me… I may not followDon’t walk behind me… I may not leadWalk beside me… just be my friend

There can be no question of holding forth on ethics. I have seen people behave badly with great morality and I note every day that integrity has no need of rules.

In the world there is, parallel to the force of death and constraint, an enormous force of persuasion that is called culture.

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.

When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him.

Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.

People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves.

A man wants to earn money in order to be happy, and his whole effort and the best of a life are devoted to the earning of that money. Happiness is forgotten; the means are taken for the end.

You’re worried about getting things successfully done in order to attain some degree of self-worth. Your soul is for sale; You most likely deceive yourself in order to convince yourself. Letting go equals failing, isn’t that right? And you forget outstandingly well, don’t you? You forget that It takes admirable courage not only to try but also to gracefully give up.

I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). I therefore conclude that the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions.

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist, awarded the 
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.

His work includes The Stranger, The Plague, The Fall and The Rebel. Camus' 
own philosophy was grounded in absurdism, which refers to the inherent 
conflict present in many of us when we have a tendency to seek meaning and 
value in life but are ultimately unable to find it with certainty.

philosophy

Philosophy

communication

Communication

Albert Camus: Greatest Quotes

Guilt is that feeling which one experiences after doing somthing that he/she shouldn't had done.

Guilt 

Guilt is like regret, it appears due to urge of "getting pleasure". First a person have a trigger to do something not to be done. And then he/she did it due to small dopamine rush due to that event.

Why Guilt Appears? 

<ul><li>Remove or try to come less in contact of the "trigger" .</li><li>If you have already did it, try not to think about it and start rebooting now.</li><li>Choose alternate but safe medium of that work.</li><li> Start 'deleting' that guilt work and adopt some new 'habit' because new good habits helps to overcome anything bad.</li></ul>

How To Deal With This? 

I have undergone through this and want others to not fall in this. 

Why guilt has pleasure? 

We all go through times when we see the world through cloudy-colored glasses. Times when it’s tempting to just climb into bed — or bathtub — and hide out, maybe for up to a month. Fortunately for your loved ones, your livelihood and your life, we’ve gathered together eight tactics from TED speakers to cut through the fog.

Be Hopeful

At times, it can seem impossible to stay optimistic in the face of the day’s headlines. When you wake up and think it’s going to be a blah day, you’re helping set yourself up to have just such a day. So the next time you catch yourself making a gloomy prediction, first congratulate yourself for noticing. Then, think about a few things you can look forward to throughout the day and you’ll begin training your brain to zoom in on positive events.

1. Shift your expectations.

“Optimism changes subjective reality. The way we expect the world to be changes the way we see it. But it also changes objective reality. It acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Do you feel like it’s hard to be look forward to the future because it seems all too predictable?<ul><li>Choice #1: resign yourself to the inevitable </li><li>Choice #2: open yourself up to the possibilities that exist for everyone, at every age.</li></ul>Consider <a href="https://twitter.com/paulietaz?lang=en">Paul Tasner </a>. He was shaken out of his daily grind when he was laid off at the age of 64. At the age of 66, he decided to become a first-time entrepreneur.The Californian now makes biodegradable packaging that helps combat the plastic pollution crisis — and says, “I am doing the most rewarding and meaningful work of my life right now.” <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_tasner_how_i_became_an_entrepreneur_at_66"> </a>

2. Recognize that you can change your life at any point.

For some, pessimism is not a passing inclination but a near-constant outlook shaped by difficult, maybe brutal times. “Avoidance and endurance can be the entryway to forging meaning,” says Andrew Solomon . Solomon transformed a childhood marked by bullying and emotional torment into a life of helping others communicate their own stories of growth.

3. Look for meaning in the most challenging moments.

“You need to take the traumas and make them part of who you’ve come to be, and you need to fold the worst events of your life into a narrative of triumph, evincing a better self in response to things that hurt.”

When you’re feeling down, it can help to get out of your own head.This week, make it a point to ask someone — a family member, friend or even a stranger — to tell you a story about a meaningful time in their life. Listen deeply and intentionally.When you hear a story about the love, wisdom and courage that fill our most important moments, says Isay, “it can sometimes feel like you’re walking on holy ground.”

4. Listen to another person’s story.

Does your discouragement stem from being knocked down one too many times? Writer <a href="https://twitter.com/GilbertLiz?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Elizabeth Gilbert </a>knows what that’s like. After the blockbuster success of her memoir <a href="http://geni.us/rB3l">Eat, Pray, Love </a>, she released another book — and “it bombed,” she says.“I was fine,” she adds.That’s because her home base is the act of writing itself — not getting good reviews, watching her books become best-sellers, or selling movie rights.How can you find your own center amid life’s sturm und drang ? Identify the thing or things in this world that you love more than you love yourself, says Gilbert.

5. Return to your home base.

“I will always be safe from the random hurricanes of outcome as long as I never forget where I rightfully live,”

It may seem wrong to stay cheerful in the face of the many big problems confronting us.Think for a moment about the practical know-how, creativity, teamwork and just plain gumption that made the idea a reality — and know that world-changing ideas are being hatched all around us. Swap some of the time you spend reading or listening to the news; instead do a search for news stories with the key word “innovation”.

​  6.  Add some wow to your world.

“Innovation leads to more innovation leads to more innovation”

After her mother who was a Cancer patient Latham started collecting stories of human kindness from all 50 states, staying with strangers along the way. She is compiling a book that she hopes to place in hospital waiting rooms. “There is an unfathomable amount of kindness that I have seen,” she says, “and when we put our fears aside, when we connect to strangers, when we smile at the people next to us or put away our judgments, it opens up a door into an entirely different way of life.”

7. Remember the essential goodness of humanity.

After someone close to her passed away, Chang was inspired to transform an abandoned home in her city of New Orleans into a giant chalkboard with a single fill-in-the-blank sentence: “Before I die I want to ___.”As people completed the sentence with answers like the wall changed from a neglected space into one that connected neighbors and highlighted their hopes and dreams. In this way, preparing for death — and thinking about all the things you can achieve right now — can be one of the most uplifting things you can do.

8.  Think about your death (yes, really).

“In our age of increasing distractions, it’s more important than ever to find ways to maintain perspective, and remember that life is brief and tender.”

How to be more hopeful : The ideas of 8 Ted speakers. 

8 TED speakers show you how to nudge your mind toward the sunny side

How to Be More Hopeful

Sadhguru never let schooling interfere with his education. Hence, behind his various educational initiatives, the emphasis has always been on inspiration, not indoctrination. It has never been about accumulating information but enhancing perception. Below are a few quotes he has shared on the subject.

Quotes About Education by Sadhguru

"Our concept of education has to go beyond manufacturing cogs for the economic engine" ~Sadhguru

Quote

"Education need not only be a tool for survival but for enhancing perception. The children must blossom and flower into great human beings." ~Sadhguru

Education is about making the child grow with an uncluttered intelligence. An intelligence that is not identified and entangled in culture, religion, ideology, or prejudice will naturally lead to the ultimate blossoming of the individual.~Sadhguru

Teaching should not be a profession – it must be a passion. Only then can education move from imposition of facts to exploration of truth. ~Sadhguru

Education should not be about molding children the way you want them, but about supporting their natural longing to know. ~Sadhguru

Education is about empowerment, about cultivating a human being to the highest possible potential – a tool for fulfilling the immensity of Being. ~Sadhguru

Education is not about loading the child’s mind with information, but about making it capable of razor-sharp perception, capable of knowing life in its full depth and dimension. ~Sadhguru

From the day you are born, everyone is trying to educate you about something that has not worked in their lives. ~Sadhguru

It is not the qualification but the competence that opens a door.~Sadhguru﻿

Education does not mean getting a certificate. It means enhancing yourself. ~Sadhguru

Education should be about enhancing your horizons, about having a larger vision of life.But generally ,just the reverse is happening.~Sadhguru

The focus of education should not be on suppressive information but on kindling the thirst for knowledge.~Sadhguru

Education needs inspiration, not just information. Only inspired human beings can transform their own lives and lives around them.~Sadhguru

Modern education is purely informative – there is no inspiration. Without inspiration, no human being rises beyond the limitations in which he lives.~Sadhguru

Sadhguru never let schooling interfere with his education. Hence, behind his various educational initiatives, the emphasis has always been on inspiration, not indoctrination. It has never been about accumulating information but enhancing perception. Below are a few quotes he has shared on the subject.

problemsolving

Problem Solving

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?”
— David Foster Wallace
The water is habits: The unthinking choices and invisible decisions that surround us — and which, just by looking at them, become visible again.

Habits = water

<ul><li>Some habits matter more than others in remaking our lives.</li><li>These are ‘keystone habits’, and they can influence how people work, eat, play, live, spend, and communicate.</li><li>The habits that matter most are the ones that, when they start to shift, dislodge and remake other patterns.</li><li>For example, a common personal keystone habit for many people is regular exercise. It’s common for people who nail get that right start to sleep and eat better, drink less, etc.</li></ul>

Keystone Habits

This is how new habits are created: By putting together a cue, a routine, and a reward, and then cultivating a craving that drives the loop.
To create a new habit (such as running each morning), you need to choose a simple cue (e.g. leaving your gym clothes out, lacing your sneakers before breakfast, etc), and a clear reward (e.g. a midday treat, the satisfaction of completing the run, etc).

How to CREATE new habits

• Cues can be almost anything, from a visual trigger to a time of day, an emotion, a sequence of thoughts, the company of particular people, etc.• Routines can be incredibly complex or fantastically simple.• Rewards can range from food or drugs that cause physical sensations, to emotional payoffs, such as the feelings of pride that accompany praise or self-congratulation.

Cues, Routines And Rewards

We know that a habit cannot be eradicated. Instead, it must be replaced. Most habits are most malleable when the golden rule is applied:
To change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.
1. Use the same cue.
2. Provide the same reward.
3. Change the routine.
Almost any behaviour can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same.

The GOLDEN RULE of habit change

To understand your own habits, you need to identify the components of your habit loops. Once you’ve diagnosed the habit loop of a particular behaviour, you can look for ways to supplant old vices with new routines.
There are four steps to doing this:
1. Identify the routine
2. Experiment with rewards
3. Isolate the cue
4. Have a plan
Recap: All habits follow the loop of (A) cue, (B) routine, and (C) reward.

How to CHANGE your habits

So, if you’re trying to figure out the cue for a habit, write down five things the moment the urge hits:1. Where are you?2. What time is it?3. What’s your emotional state?4. Who else is around?5. What action preceded the urge?

How To Figure Out The Cue?

Obviously, changing some habits is more difficult than this, but the framework is a good place to start.
Once you understand how a habit operates — once you diagnose the cue, routine and rewards — you gain power over it.

Note

Simple Strategies to Build Habits, Stay Motivated and Reach Your Goals

health

Health

New Year, New You

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives. With a new Afterword by the author “Sharp, provocative, and useful.”—Jim Collins “Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception. Charles Duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good.”—Financial Times “A flat-out great read.”—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity “You’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind “Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”—The New York Times Book Review

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives. With a new Afterword by the author   “Sharp, provocative, and useful.”—Jim Collins   “Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception. Charles Duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good.”—Financial Times   “A flat-out great read.”—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity “You’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind “Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”—The New York Times Book Review

Charles Duhigg is an American journalist and non-fiction author. He was a reporter for The New York Times, currently writes for The New Yorker Magazine and is the author of two books on habits and productivity, titled The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business and Smarter Faster Better.

Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit

When you work from home, it can be tempting to stay in bed until the very last minute possible. While it’s OK to treat yourself and do this on the odd occasion, wake up at the same time every day.You don’t have to wake up ridiculously early, just set your alarm for whatever time is realistic and works for you.

Wake up at the same time

You need to set boundaries between your life and your work.<ul><li>Avoid logging on as soon as you wake up — unless it’s urgent, your inbox and messages can wait until you’re ready to start working.</li><li>If you can, try not to waste too much time mindlessly scrolling on social media.</li><li>Cut your screen time as much as you can and remember you’ll get plenty of it while you’re working.</li></ul>

Avoid going online first-thing

Go for a walk, do some light yoga, go to the gym, or sign up for an online class.It’s really down to individual choice, but if you can, mix things up so that you don’t become easily bored or complacent.

Exercise

Showering and getting dressed before you start working is key. You’ll feel more confident and focused.It’s tempting to roll out of bed and sit at your desk, but before you know it, it’ll be noon and you’ll have to dash off to get ready for your video call. Don’t do this, save yourself the stress!

Shower and get dressed

Have your coffee, tea, or whatever but make sure you hydrate yourself both at breakfast and during the rest of your day.Consider getting organized and preparing your breakfast the night before. Overnight oats are a deliciously healthy option.It’s easy to stuff yourself with chocolate biscuits and crisps when you’re working from home but try and keep a balanced diet. Your mind and body will thank you.

Have breakfast

Set some time aside every morning to do some household chores. This will help you feel more productive before you start working and you’ll be less distracted by the possibility of tidying or cleaning while you’re sitting at your desk.Be time-efficient and set an alarm on your phone to avoid getting carried away. Do whatever you have time for and then stop.

House chores

Start your day with something that makes you happy. <ul><li>You could, for example, listen to music while you’re doing some housework.</li><li>Catch up with your favorite podcast and get yourself into the zone.</li></ul>Enjoying some time to yourself before your work begins will make you feel more at ease.

Listen to music or a podcast

<ul><li>Go through your to-do list and set realistic goals for the day.</li><li>Think about what needs to happen for you to achieve your goals and set yourself a clear strategy.</li><li>Try and keep the list short, though, otherwise, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed. Try and stick to a maximum of five goals.</li></ul>

Set your goals for the day

In order to meet those realistic goals you set for the day, make sure distractions like social media and push notifications don’t get a hold of you.Don’t set a vague goal like “I will drastically cut my screen time.” Instead, focus on things like “I will watch one episode of Succession per day,” or ‘I will scroll through Instagram for 15 minutes before I start my work.”

Limit your screentime and distractions

Limit the number of decisions you have to make in the morning.Prepare as much as you can the night before: set out your clothes, think about what you want to have for breakfast, or lunch. Batch cook if you can.The less time you spend on making trivial decisions, the more time you’ll have to spend on things that matter to you and make you happy.

Golden tidbit

Working from home? Here are 9 tips to perfect your morning routine to help you feel better throughout the day. Thank us later.

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9 tips to perfect your ‘working from home’ morning routine

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