Energy Notes
News You Can Use!
The New Brainstorming: An Army of One
Perhaps you’ve experienced this: Your boss gathers everyone together to solve a problem and asks you all to start throwing out your best ideas. This approach turns out to be an ineffective waste of time and energy. There is a better way.
Reaping the Creative Dividend
We now have an even better understanding as to the importance of creativity on the performance, sustainability, and bottom line of organizations. It turns out there is a substantial creative dividend, and it is yours for the taking!
Ready to Set a New Personal Best?
I’m always intrigued when the play-by-play announcer states that an athlete has just achieved a “personal best.” What a great feeling to know that all of the training and practice has finally paid off. But you can use the same techniques athletes use to achieve your own “personal best.”
Employee Engagement: Would Your Team Go on Strike for You?
The term “Employee Engagement” has been tossed about so much that many people have become completely desensitized to it. But the recent leadership drama at Market Basket grocery stores underscores its power and meaning in a very real way.
The 3 Most Important Traits of High-Performing Teams?
The 3 Most Important Traits of High-Performing Teams? Communications, communications, and communications. New research shows that communication habits are the most important factor that distinguishes high performing teams from ones that are not.
The Link Between Creativity, Productivity, and Sustainability
Maximizing these three very important attributes will allow you to accomplish just about anything you set your mind to. It turns out they are inextricably linked together! What creativity, productivity, and sustainability all have in common is that rhythm and balance are essential to each of them. Introducing rhythm and balance into your working habits will boost each of these in a significant way. Let me explain: Creativity The latest brain science has shown that although creativity is still somewhat mysterious, you can definitely improve your creativity by using your brain in the manner allows it to function at its best. You can do that by honoring the brain’s creative cycle. As it turns out, that does not involve multitasking marathons. The creative cycle is essentially based on creating a rhythm between right and left-brain, as well as creating a balance between intense focus and relaxing, restorative practices. That means working in short, focused sprints of 90-120 minutes, followed by short breaks of 10-30 minutes to allow the brain to rest, process, and create. Those “rest” periods are when the sub-conscious performs its mysterious processing and makes creative connections. Those rest periods are when the “aha!” moments are most likely to occur. For example, a recent Stanford study found that participants generated 60% more ideas while taking walking breaks compared to those who remained sitting at their desks! Productivity Your energy level and ability to focus (and thus your productivity) fluctuates with the same cycles that govern your sleep during the night – cycles of approximately 90-120 minutes. Key signs that you are in the down side of that...Creating Productive Partnerships
One of the simplest and most effective ways you can become more productive and more successful at reaching your goals is to partner or collaborate with someone. Partnerships can take many different forms, but whatever form they take, the benefits can be well worth it.
Read 3 Times Faster: The Return of Evelyn Woodhead
For those of you who don’t remember, speed-reading courses were all the rage in the 70’s. It appears they are back, but with a new “iterative” approach that makes much more sense. I can see benefit from it already.
5 Tips to Achieve Your Goals Quicker
There is a mountain (or two) of advice out there on how you can most effectively reach your goals. Unfortunately, much of it will make it less likely that you will be successful. Here are 5 tips that have been proven to improve your odds.
Feet First – 5 Remarkable Ways that Walking Improves Performance
When it comes to self-improvement and performance improvement, this is an easy one; a no-brainer. No program to follow, no new equipment to buy, no new techniques to learn. Aside from sleeping, eating, and breathing, there is no other activity that can benefit your mind and body more than taking a short walk.
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