Archive for February, 2016

Mindset Solver All-in-One: Conquer Any “Inner Game” Issues Including Negativity, Positivity, Productivity, Focus, Perfectionism, Clarity and More (in 252 Tips Plus 272 Deep-Probing Questions)

Whatever money issue, technology issue, or motivational issue you're dealing with, chances are the things that slow you down or hold you back are currently 80% internal (the way you think about things) and 20% external (your actions and the things around you).

Many times, if I'm feeling a bit lost or otherwise unfocused, I'll first identify the SPECIFIC problem I'm having (i.e. frustrated, overwhelmed) and then find a bunch of articles dissecting the problem.

Usually, reading about the cause of things like burnout, guilt, and distractions (for example) -- and the various strategies for dealing with specific problems like journaling, meditation, exercise, find a mastermind, complete smaller tasks -- are far more helpful than any amount of denial or self-reflection...

That's why I'm revealing my "master file" of inner mindset solutions to you...

• First, if you're trying to overcome a negative issue (like a bad mood), then find your problem and solution in the first section
• If you're looking for a positive change in your life (focus, doing more in less time) then jump to the second section
• If you want to get motivated, check out the third section below
• And finally, if your goal is daily maintenance or you're looking to think your way out of a problem, jump to the bonus section where there's an interesting list of questions to ask yourself

Have fun. I see this post being a resource you turn to again and again when you need that little boost.

Part 1: Overcome Negativity & Bad Habits (eliminate the bad): 85 Tips

Fight Negativity (HuffingtonPost)

• Know your triggers: recognize unhelpful thought patterns, challenge them, create a new habit
• Explore the opposite reality: tell yourself "I can lose weight" instead of "I'll never lose weight"
• End black and white thinking: watch out for the words "always" or "never"
• Play out the worst case scenario: realize that the consequences of your actions aren't that extreme
• Grill yourself: ask yourself probing questions to re-frame

Conquer Stress (WebMD)

• breathe deeply
• meditate
• exercise
• practice guided imagery
• eat well
• talk positively to yourself
• sleep well

Get Out Of A Bad Mood (Psychology Today)

• Don't wait for the dark cloud to lift: Narrow down the problem and apply that specific solution.
• Guilt: atone for your actions in a small way
• Small rejections: you don't know the other person's circumstances, so don't take things personally
• Outstanding tasks: make a plan to tackle outstanding tasks
• Brooding: use a two-minute distraction like Sudoku to stop the "short film" playing in your mind
• Low self-esteem day: have a small victory such as a stress-relief workout
• Fearing failure: focus on the things you can control
• Feeling disconnected: brief social interactions
• Getting caught up in small annoyances: make a list of five things you're grateful for
• Hunger: have a snack
• Exhaustion: take a 15-minute power nap

Beat Overwhelm (Christine Kane)

• Get out of the weeds: get your top 3 priorities for the week, get breakthrough lessons from the week before, and schedule work-out time/downtime
• Project vs. task: separate big projects from small tasks
• Experience completion: set super small goals so that you feel good about completing something
• Set the timer: you're on a time limit, so you aren't pulled away by other tasks
• Eliminate all-or-nothing thinking: don't expect to be perfect. Instead, expect yourself to practice good habits

Overwhelm II (Think Simple Now)

• Step out: move to a different location to view your circumstances from a fresh perspective
• What is most important? Ask yourself, how do I want to feel? What is important to me?
• Journaling: sort out thoughts on paper
• Give up control: allow others to contribute
• Ask for and allow help: what's the worst thing that could happen?
• Create boundaries: set rules such as, don't check email during family time
• Shut out noise: engage in a creative project, sit back, meditate
• Bedtime ritual: quiet your mind and ask what you enjoyed about today

How To Not Be Hard On Yourself

• Your mistakes are part of your learning.
• Don't compare yourself to others because you are not them.
• There is no right way to do anything.
• Stand up for what you believe, even if it's unpopular.
• Learn from people who criticize you.
• Accept your weaknesses as your "features."
• Look at your past as an adventurous biography.
• Don't underestimate your talent until you apply it 100 times.
• Every single problem you have is not unique.
• Intelligence is relative, self esteem is not.
• Express your anger in a creative way.
• Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed.

Self-Sabotage And Fear Of Success (Six Healthy Habits)

• Success threatens because it creates change: increased challenges and responsibilities
• Believe in your ability to change: your skils and talents are variable
• Flight or fight response is natural: fear of being inadequate and fear of rejection
• To overcome fear, make it conscious: failure is not the enemy of success. If you don't succeed, try something new. The real enemies of success: complacency, apathy, over-zealousness
• Fear itself as a motivator is only a defensive tool: engage fully with life, and not timidly.

Frustration (Dragos Roua)

• accept reality
• shift your focus
• talk about it with a friend
• journal it
• write a letter about it
• write a worst-case scenario
• identify a list of possible actions
• sleep on it
• be your own avatar
• read something funny
• stop blaming yourself
• take a walk
• see it from the future
• cook a delicious meal
• go to a party
• write about your past successes
• borrow some enthusiasm: get involved in fresh projects and be around enthusiastic people
• soak and dry
• watch a comedy
• attach with the why weapon: why am I broke?
• volunteer for something
• stand up and dight
• stop blaming others
• do small and repetitive tasks
• see it from the past: you have a huge life experience, you just don't trust it enough
• read similar stores
• assess progress: the more you write, the bigger your progress seems
• disguise it: it's bad now but look what it can become
• contrast it with a worse situation: imagine what it would be like to live on a desert island the rest of your life
• dilute it with meditation
• get physical: exercise to release endorphins
• this too shall pass: everything fades away in time
• write a list of 33 ways to overcome frustration

Remove Distractions (LifeHack)

• remove bad habits: turn off TV and set a bedtime routine
• declutter your mind
• clear your day before you start it
• prepare your workplace
• zen your computer: close down email, use RescueTime
• set your time: create time slots for individual tasks
• solidify your attitude: pretend you're being watched or that there is an approaching deadline
• close the door
• manage the task: break big problems into smaller chunks
• go an extra mile

Make a Change, Get Out of a Rut & Be Positive (add the good): 67 Tips

How To Have A Great Day Every Day (Inc Magazine)

• listen to or read something that inspires you
• make your body stronger and more resilient
• review and hone your plans for the future
• do at least one thing that's worthwhile
• help somebody less fortunate
• spend 20 seconds appreciating what you have
• record at least one good memory

Improve Confidence And Self-Esteem (ReachOut)

• positive self-talk
• don't compare yourself to others
• exercise
• don't strive for perfection
• don't beat yourself up when you make a mistake
• focus on the things you can change
• do things that you enjoy
• celebrate the small stuff
• be helpful and considerate
• surround yourself with supportive people

Stop Being So Busy (Inc Mgaazine)

• Stop doing work that is not aligned with your talents
• Be discerning when you book meetings
• Schedule time for thinking
• Ask yourself why you are so busy
• Stop multitasking

Overcome Procrastination (Entrepreneur Magazine)

• know yourself
• practice effective time management
• change your perspective
• commit to assignments
• work in productive environments
• be realistic
• self-talk positively
• un-schedule: keep time free for extracirricular activities
• swiss-cheese tasks: devote small chunks of time to a big task
• don't indulge fantasies: devise physical steps to achieve results
• plan for obstacles
• improve learning behavior
• help yourself
• reward progress
• learn to forgive yourself

Change a Bad Habit (Success Magazine)

• disgust: enough is enough
• decision: don't camp at the fork in the road
• desire: find your hot-button that makes you want it now
• resolve: promise yourself you'll never give up

Change Your Life In Six Steps (Success Magazine)

• change your beliefs, change your expectations
• change your expectations, change your attitude.
• change your attitude, change your behavior
• change your behavior, change your performance.
• change your performance, change your life

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals (MindTools)

• set goals in these categories: career, financial, education, family, artistic, attitude, physical, pleasure, public service
• make those goals S.M.A.R.T.: specific (or significant), measurable (or meaningful), attainable (or action-oriented), relevant (or rewarding), time-bound (or trackable)
• achieve the goal: make it harder if you hit it too easily, or easier if you didn't make it. set other goals this achievement opened up for you.

Become Smarter (LifeHack)

• Drink 2 glasses of water within 30 minutes of waking up
• Read a book summary during breakfast
• Listen to stimulating podcasts/audiobooks during your commute
• Drink green tea while working
• Take naps during the day
• Don't take sugar during the day
• Visit social media / meme websites only a couple of times a day
• Play games instead of watching TV or movies
• Read a book instead of watching tv
• Do some programming
• Watch TED talks while cooking
• Do some simple exercises during the day
• Spend time with someone smarter than you
• Talk to people who disagree with you
• Go for a walk in nature
• Carry a notepad
• Take 10 minutes at the end of the day to plan tomorrow

Productivity & Motivation (get it done): 100 Tips

Time Management To Work Smarter And Not Harder (The Creativity Post)

• complete most important tasks first
• learn to say "no"
• sleep at least 7-8 hours
• devote your entire focus to the task at hand
• get an early start
• don't allow unimportant details to drag you down
• turn key tasks into habits
• be conscientious of amount of tv/internet/gaming time
• delineate a time limit in which to complete task
• leave a buffer-time between tasks
• don't think of the totality of your to-do list
• exercise and eat healthily
• do less
• utilize weekends, just a little bit
• create organizing systems
• do something during waiting time
• lock yourself in
• commit to your plan to do something
• batch related tasks together
• find time for stillness
• eliminate the non-essential

Increase Productivity (Inc Magazine)

• track and limit how much time you're spending on tasks
• take regular breaks
• set self-imposed deadlines
• follow the "two-minute rule"
• just say no to meetings
• hold standing meetings
• quit multitasking
• take advantage of your commute
• give up on the illusion of perfection
• take exercise breaks
• be proactive, not reactive
• turn off notifications
• work in 90-minute intervals
• give yourself something nice to look at
• minimize interruptions (to the best of your ability)

Focus (LifeHack)

• focus on one thing
• eliminate known distractions
• calm the mind
• de-clutter
• exercise
• clarification of goals
• simplify

Conquer Perfectionism (PsychCentral)

• remove yourself from the competition: don't return to meetings or groups that stress you out about your progress
• make up some rules: only check a metric if you feel it defines you
• do a reality check: distinguish unrealistic expectations from realistic ones
• return to your exodus moment: recognize the past moments you were freed from fear
• show your weakness: be real and express yourself from where you are, not where you want to be
• celebrate your mistakes: accept the things you've done wrong
• add some color: stop seeing things in black and white. A solution that worked yesterday might not work well today
• break the job down: break a tough task down into component parts
• be yourself instead of being perfect
• believe in redemption: you don't have to get it right on the first try

Take Action (Positivity Blog)

• reconnect with the present moment
• be accountable to others
• be accountable to yourself
• lighten up
• use a limited to-do list
• choose instead of should
• focus on the how instead of the if's
• get enthusiastic
• start small

Taking Action II (Art of Manliness)

• action is cheaper than planning: the wright brothers beat all mega-corporations for the first flight
• action allows emergence: keep trying, the solution might be just around the corner
• inaction is scarier: action gives you scars and makes you grow but inaction makes you soft and decay
• motivation follows action
• action is an existential answer: do something
• action creates courage: fake courage becomes real
• explanations follow actions
• action beats the odds
• action makes you humble
• action isn't petty: there's no room for gossip

Add More Hours To The Day (LifeHack)

• remove big chunks: television, internet, games, e-mail, work, chores, schoolwork
• reclaim gap time: books, listen, problems, articles, creativity, rehearsal, engage
• triage: e-mail, reading, television, exercise, meetings, relationships

Best Practices to Work from Home (Entrepreneur Magazine)

• Set and keep regular office hours
• Plan and structure your workday
• Dress to impress
• Set aside a designated work area
• Take breaks
• Avoid distractions

Bonus: Probing Questions (deep insight): 272 Questions

101 Questions Self-Reflective Questions

• If you have an hour left to live, what would you do?
• If you have one minute left to live, what would you do?
• What advice would you give to yourself 3 years ago?
• Are you putting any parts of your life on hold? Why?
• If you have 1 million dollars, what will you do with it?

30 Journaling Prompts

• The two moments I'll never forget in my life are... (describe them in great detail, and what makes them so unforgettable)
• Using 10 words, describe yourself.
• Make a list of everything you'd like to say no to.
• Make a list of everything you'd like to say yes to.
• Write the words you need to hear.

101 Ways to Jumpstart Creativity

• Read a different newspaper. If you read the Wall Street Journal, read the Washington Post.
• Make up new words that describe the problem. e.g., "Warm hugs" to describe a motivation problem and "Painted rain" to describe changing customer perceptions.
• Which of two objects, a salt shaker or a bottle of ketchup best represents your problem? Why?
• Imagine your idea and its opposite existing simultaneously.
• If you could have three wishes to help you solve the problem, what would they be?
• Write a six word book that describes your progress on the problem. e.g. "At present all thoughts are gray," "I am still not seeing everything."

40 Ways to Gain Clarity

• What are you tolerating/putting up with?
• Who should you be hanging out with?
• In what way is the current situation absolutely perf
• What's your favorite way of sabotaging yourself, and your goals?
• What would you go do right now with your life if time or money where not an issue?