Living Well
The making of an Anxious Generation
This new book explains the impact of smart phones and more protective parenting on the mental health of teenagers. The author argues that children should not be given a smartphone until they are 14 or 15 (which is the age in the US that children start high school)...
A sensible article about the importance of 'being present' and advice on how to do this. This skill is very important to your success in work and in life...
Reaching mid-life? Time to write the retirement rules
A good article from the Financial Review about how our increasing longevity means that we will have another career after we ‘retire’. It is important to think about and prepare for this...
Are you playing the long game or the short game?
Most people play the short game. In everything you do, time amplifies the difference between strategies that work in the short term and ones that work in the long term. The long game allows you to compound results. The longer you play, the bigger the rewards...
This article outlines some important life lessons and provides two rules of thumb to help you navigate life...
Chasing perfectionism leads people to strive endlessly and never feel good enough. This leads to overwork and undermines future performance...
How to stop thinking about work all the time
Some practical suggestions on how to stop your mind ruminating on work and preventing you from getting to sleep...
Indian government asks public servants to practice yoga
The Indian government has asked public servants to take short breaks at their desk to practice yoga (stretches, breathing exercises and meditation). It is aimed at lifting productivity...
Walking is great for your body and your mind. You should do more of it...
Kindness Can Have Unexpectedly Positive Consequences
Kindness has a powerful and underestimated impact on others. It is a strength of many good leaders...
Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest
A long article looking at reasons for the huge increase of mental health issues in young women in the USA. The key takeaway is that it is very important to help young people to develop an internal locus of control...
Is your life like that of a hamster on a wheel? Researcher Kathleen Montagu discovered something that explains a lot about you, and plenty about your friends too. The question is what are you going to do to take some breaks 'from the wheel'?..
The difference between average and exceptional performance is what you say no to...
Envy - what it is and how to conquer it
Envy of work colleagues is common. It is a toxic emotion. Here are some strategies for dealing with envy...
16 Life-Learnings from 16 Years of The Marginalian
Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) is a great newsletter. Here is what they have learned in 16 years...
85% of early therapy gains are down to lifestyle changes
There are nine established and emerging lifestyle “pillars” to support whole-of-person care. None of these will be a surprise to members of Learning Groups...
The late Oliver Sacks writes about people giving up the achievements of civilisation: solitude, leisure, the face of their beloved and the sanction to be oneself - for their smartphone...
You cannot sustain high performance over time unless you pay attention to your life outside work...
Why is everyone so gloomy when the evidence suggests that they should not be? As a leader you need to be prepared for the worst but positive in your approach to the present. Here are some ideas about how to do that...
Every hour of exercise can buy you six hours of extended life. Seems like a good investment...
How to Deal With the Unexpected
Life is change. If you succeed in dealing with change well, it will have a positive impact on your income, your life and your relationships...
How Wanting Less Leads to Satisfaction
We all want more, without realising that this quest will guarantee that we remain dissatisfied. An excellent article about how to live a good life...
Is there such a thing as the perfect alarm tone? These researchers think so
Do you want to wake up feeling more refreshed? Two academics have designed an alarm for your phone which helps to bring you out of sleep alert and wakeful. You can find their alarm on iTunes by searching 'Dawn Birds Deliberate V1'...
Podcast - Brené Brown and James Clear on Atomic Habits
In this podcast James Clear explains why consistency is more important than intensity and the importance of your daily habits in shaping your future. The quote that sticks in my mind is "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems” (your daily habits). Highly recommended...
Time is our most precious resource and we tend to waste it. Reduce your time on social media, reduce the notifications on your phone, make some blocks of time to allow you to do your best work...
It may sound peculiar, but a reminder of death may be the best way to make people cherish life. I keep one of these medallions on my desk as a reminder to myself to make the most of each and every day...
Three Theories for Why You Have No Time
Better technology means higher expectations, and higher expectations create more work...
How to become a good listener - and why that’s important
Many of us are poor listeners. The good news is: you can learn how to do it - quite easily in fact...
The secret formula for resilience
Some people thrive despite their circumstances. Others are overwhelmed. A longer read about what we know about resilience...
Ancient wisdom. Overwork leads to underperformance...
The Hacking of the American Mind
The dangers of confusing pleasure with happiness. A four minute video. Recommended...
I’m not languishing, I'm dormant
An excellent commentary on the Languishing article that I recently circulated. Austin Kleon argues that he dislikes the term and much prefers to use the term 'dormant'. He sees himself as dormant and waiting for the right conditions to be activated so that he can burst forth. A very good way of reframing where we are. Recommended...
Early-career setback and future career impact
Scientists who have an early career setback do better later in their career than those who do not. It is the setbacks that forge your character. I never cease to be surprised by how often people who have suffered a significant setback tell me later that it was the best thing that happened to them...
Lifestyle creep is a trap to avoid
We are all prone to lifestyle creep. Our pay increases and so does our spending. Then we end up trapped, unable to save and unable to retire. Here is some guidance. The best advice I received from a boss early in my career was to save 50% of every pay increase. It is that advice that allowed me an early choice as to when I could afford to leave the public service...
Most of us do not understand the value of time and we constantly waste it. When in doubt, buy more help at home and carve out some time for you and your family...
Personal Renewal, by John Gardner
A speech about the meaning of life and how to renew yourself. A longer read...
How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains
A TedTalk on the four pillars of a healthy mind: awareness, connection with others, insight into ourselves and having a sense of purpose. Recommended...
How to help someone when they are anxious
A short video which provides excellent advice on how to help family members who are anxious...
How Oliver Sacks put a human face on the science of the mind
A wonderful story about Oliver Sacks, his life and the impact that he had on medicine. Very important reflections on life, death, the importance of personal relationships, the power of gratitude and the trap of envy. There are also some great lessons about the dehumanising impact of language and systems on the vulnerable. Public Servants in service delivery systems need to pay close attention. We previously highlighted this article in our April 2016 newsletter...
How People, Companies and Nations Can Grow from the COVID-19 Crisis
A video by Jonathon Haidt about how we can thrive in the Age of COVID-19. Excellent advice for individuals, leaders and parents. Highly recommended listen to the first twenty minutes...
A lesson for our times. Recommended for you and for any children you know...
A wonderful commencement address by C.S. Lewis about one of the greatest traps in life. This should be compulsory reading for you and your children. Thank you to Sandra Parker for bringing it to my attention...
Oliver Burkeman's last column: the eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life
Oliver Burkeman has written a weekly column on health and well-being in The Guardian for many years. This is his last column and summarises what he has learnt...
Every Situation Has Two Handles. Which One Will You Grab?
Ryan Holiday argues that we should look for the positives in this current crisis and hold on to these...
How People, Companies and Nations Can Grow from the COVID-19 Crisis
A video by Jonathon Haidt about how we can thrive in the Age of COVID-19. Excellent advice for individuals, leaders and parents. Highly recommended listen to the first twenty minutes...
Looking after yourself during the crisis
Beyond Blue has suggested 10 ways to take care of yourself during the coronavirus...
How To Get Sleep In Uneasy Times
Having trouble getting to sleep these days? You're not alone. For people with a history of insomnia, sleep problems are magnified right now. Here's what you can do about it...
HA very thoughtful article explaining what parents can do to build resilience in children and to reduce anxiety. There are lots of lessons here for us as well as our children...
An excellent list of wisdom accumulated by a 68 year old...
It’s not all bad: six keepers from life in lockdown
We have learnt a lot from the lockdown. Here are things that people say that they want to hold on to...
A two page summary from the UN on how to stay healthy at home during COVID-19...
How Will You Measure Your Life?
A graduation address at Harvard Business School. It looks at how to find happiness in your career and how to have great relationships with your spouse and family and argues that 'management is the most noble of professions, if practiced well'. Recommended...
If we see someone throwing money away, we call that person crazy. This bothers us, in part, because money has value. Wasting it seems nuts. And yet we see others—and ourselves—throw away something far more valuable every day: Time...
Lessons from the stoics about the importance of a daily routine which includes something that restores your equanimity...
The Secret to Achieving Peak Productivity
In a world full of digital diversions, how are some people able to achieve a higher level of productivity than others? Here is a case study. The basics are to batch work and to have periods of high focus...
Why time spent near water is the secret of happiness
An interesting study about the positive impact of time spent near water. This builds on the evidence of the positive impact that comes from spending time in nature. Time to head for the coast?
Gratitude is the foundation for a better life
A psychology professor explains why gratitude may be one of the most efficient ways of living a virtuous life...
The Evolutionary Benefit of Friendship
Friends are actually a key component of success. Without them we become isolated and vulnerable to loneliness, pain and poor health. With them we live longer, with more laughter and less fear, and a higher quality of life. Are you paying enough attention to your friends?..
How to Be Happy: A Cheat Sheet
What peaked my interest is that this is a summary of the most popular course at Yale. Great read for those of you with teenage, or older children. A good read for you too. A tidbit - more time makes you happier than more money- buy some help!..
Modern life leaves no room for pause
We are too ready to boast about how busy we are. It is the new mantra and consigns us to a less than optimal life...
As life gets busier we make less time available to friends and our friendship circle reduces in size. This is a particular danger for busy executives...