1: The competition to host the 2016 Summer Olympics was down to the final four cities: Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.

How much was winning the games worth, according to a Credit Suisse study?

The answer: ten billion dollars.

“Three of the cities had reason to be optimistic,” Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer write in their book Conversations That Win the Complex Sale.

“Chicago had President Obama … continue reading

1: What happens to your brain when you connect with someone or something bigger than yourself?

In moments like this, you experience “presence,” Daniel Coyle writes in his book Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment.

Lisa Miller, a psychologist at Columbia University, has spent years studying what happens in the brain during these deeper connections.

In one study, she tracked brain changes in twenty-seven people … continue reading

1: You and your friends are at a karaoke bar on a Friday night.

The moment has arrived. It’s your turn to hit the stage and grab the mic.

Picture yourself saying, “I’m excited.”

Will you sing better if instead you say “I’m nervous”?

2: “Many people would probably say no, because we presume that singing ability is a stable skill, dependent on factors like experience, interest, and practice,” Daniel … continue reading

1: “Why does this matter to you?”

That’s the question author, consultant, and facilitator Peter Block asked Daniel Coyle

They had just met. Daniel, a writer, had set up an interview with Peter. They met at a coffee shop in Cincinnati, which is where Peter now calls home.

“A rangy eighty-five-year-old, Peter had settled into his chair and gave me a fond, knowing smile, as if we’d met each other … continue reading

1: Darlene worked as a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, near Dayton, Ohio.

One day as she walked past an incubator, she sensed something was wrong.

“All of the machines hooked up to the child showed that her vitals were within normal ranges,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better.

The nurse caring for the baby didn’t seem worried.

But to Darlene, something seemed off.… continue reading

1: What’s the best way to make your to-do list?

There’s something satisfying about writing down a task and then crossing it off your list.

“That’s exactly the wrong way to create a to-do list. That signals you’re using it for mood repair, rather than to become productive,” says Carleton University psychologist Timothy Pychyl in Charles Duhigg‘s book Smarter Faster Better.

Writing down a series of short-term objectives … continue reading

1: Tynan thought mindfulness and meditation were “too wishy-washy and time consuming,” he writes in Superhuman by Habit.

When he tried meditating, he found it hard to keep his attention on his breath. His mind kept wandering, which left him frustrated and ready to give up.

But then he discovered something that completely changed how he saw meditation.

“If meditation were easy, it would not be as beneficial,” he writes. … continue reading

1: The year was 1993.  GE CEO Jack Welch was in Japan when he heard a story about the country’s railway system.

After World War II, Japan’s economy had been decimated.

“A large portion of the country’s population lived in or between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, which were separated by just 320 miles of train track,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real … continue reading

1: A GE worker had an idea.

He suggested to his managers that they stop outsourcing the construction of protective shields for their grinding machines, as Charles Duhigg explains in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

This employee was taking part in what GE called a “Work-Out” within a struggling division that made jet engine parts.

Yesterday, we looked at a potential trap with SMART … continue reading

1: You’re angry. Lately, it feels like Phil keeps leaving the toughest or most unpleasant tasks for you to handle.

How do you respond?

You vent to your friends about always being the one who has to clean up the messes.

But what is it that you don’t mention?

“That you smile broadly when your boss compliments you for your willingness to take on challenging jobs,” Joseph Grenny and his … continue reading