The Power of Small Wins
hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-winsReprint: R1105C What is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work? Help them take a step forward every day. In an analysis of knowledge workers’ diaries, the authors found that nothing contributed more to a positive inner work life (the mix of emotions, motivations, and perceptions that is critical to performance) than making progress in meaningful work. If a person is motivated and happy at the end of the workday, it’s a good bet that he or she achieved something, however small. If the person drags out of the office disengaged and joyless, a setback is likely to blame. This progress principle suggests that managers have more influence than they may realize over employees’ well-being, motivation, and creative output. The key is to learn which actions support progress—such as setting clear goals, providing sufficient time and resources, and offering recognition—and which have the opposite effect. Even small wins can boost inner work life tremendously. On the flip side, small losses or setbacks can have an extremely negative effect. And the work doesn’t need to involve curing cancer in order to be meaningful. It simply must matter to the person doing it. The actions that set in motion the positive feedback loop between progress and inner work life may sound like Management 101, but it takes discipline to establish new habits. The authors provide a checklist that managers can use on a daily basis to monitor their progress-enhancing behaviors.
The productivity tax you pay for context switching
async.twist.com/context-switching/How distraction became our default way of working and what you can do to reclaim your focus
Know your “One Job”, continued – charity.wtf
charity.wtf/2021/03/09/know-your-one-job-continued/Holy macaroni batman, I was not expecting that post to ignite a shitstorm. It felt like a pretty straightforward observation: you were hired to do a job, you should do your best to do that job. Interestingly, the response was almost universally positive for the first 8 hours or so. But then the tide began…
How to be indistractable | Psyche Guides
psyche.co/guides/to-become-indistractable-recognise-that-it-starts-within-youStop blaming technology – distraction starts within. Manage your inner triggers to enjoy greater focus and a fuller life
Our Ability to Process Information Is Reaching a Critical Limit
onezero.medium.com/our-ability-to-process-information-is-reaching-a-critical-limit-3c761fee3259BuzzFeed once called 2016 “Actually The Worst Year.” It didn’t hold the record for long. In six short months, 2020 has already delivered Australian wildfires, election controversies, the coronavirus…
The Complete Guide to Deep Work (including a step-by-step checklist)
doist.com/blog/complete-guide-to-deep-work/Based on Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, this comprehensive guide will teach you to harness your focus, ditch distractions, and improve your productivity.
Why Gen Z Loves Closed Captioning – The Upgrade – Medium
medium.com/s/the-upgrade/why-gen-z-loves-closed-captioning-ec4e44b8d02fThese were the words from my college-aged daughter when I caught her lounging on our couch, streaming Friends with 24-point closed captioning on. She has no hearing impairment, and I wanted to know…
Focusingly – Better focus styling
focusingly.net/With Focusingly, focus styling adapts to match and fit individual elements.
How I got to 200 productive hours a month
qotoqot.com/blog/improving-focus/A tested approach to improve your focus and productivity