What is this instrument called? Is it on the tip of your tongue?

“What’s the name of that guy who was in that film with…you know the one…he’s…no, no it’s not Denzel Washington, the other guy. Oh God, I know it, it’s right there. This is driving me crazy…! I can see his face. This is ridiculous! No, not Denzel Washington!”

The tip-of-the-tongue or ‘TOT’ phenomenon is now well-documented in psychology. It is a very common example of what Daniel L. Schacter calls ‘blocking’, one of the seven sins of memory (Schacter, 1999). It’s the subjective experience that the memory is right there and yet for some reason you can’t quite access it. (more…)

You may not realize it, but you likely persuade someone to do something most every day of your life. Whether it involves getting your kids to eat their vegetables or making a sale for your company, honing your persuasive skills can make getting what you want a lot less cumbersome.

Want to convince your spouse that your vacation spot is the best? Persuade your coworkers that your new business plan will succeed? Negotiate a raise in your allowance?

Want the top 10 keys right now? (more…)

How to Make Sure the Tone & Message of Your E-mail Messages are Never Misunderstood

E-mail imparts a great deal of convenience to our everyday communication. But while typing up a quick e-mail is certainly faster than playing phone tag or meeting in person, it lacks the personal cues that often make communication meaningful.

This is why it is very common, and very easy, for misunderstandings to occur. Perhaps the line you intended to be funny didn’t come off that way on the other end. Or, you had no intention of being rude, yet your closing remark sounded so to the recipient.

Why E-Mail has Limitations, and Why Many Underestimate Them (more…)

Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.
- Benjamin Franklin

Return on investment (ROI) is a term you hear frequently, usually in relation to business and finance. The goal (obviously) is to maximize return on the money you invest. The implications of this concept go much deeper when you start to think of time as your primary investment rather than money. Everything you do is an investment of time. When you watch television, you’re making an investment in entertainment. If you watch a show that sucks, you’ve made a bad investment and receive a poor return for your time.

In many ways time is more valuable than money. You’ll always have the opportunity to make more money, but once time has been spent it’s gone forever. When you think of time as a commodity, and all of your actions as investments, it changes the way you approach every day decisions. (more…)

Lately I started thinking about switching my personal schedule to earlier rising and therefore having longer working day and more time to do things I want to do. I found a great resource of tips how to do that and now I’m going to change my life

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Let me first start by saying that waking up early has made a huge difference in my life. I used to be the complete opposite - late sleeper and late riser. These days, I wake up at 5:30am everyday.

What I like most about being an early riser is getting that extra quiet time in the mornings to work at a few next actions even before the day officially begins. Lately though, I’ve opted to go to work earlier, so that I can clock in my 8 hours, leave at a reasonable time and still have a few precious moments with my baby daughter before she heads off to bed. Being able to maximise my free time doing things I rather be doing has made all the difference to my quality of life.

Here is a list of things that worked for me:

1. Have a good reason to get up.

I’ve found this to be the single most important element in being an early riser. Days in which I did not crystallise the reasons for getting up were more likely to result in sleep ins. Now, I make it clear the night before what it is I want to wake up early for. Initially, I found writing things down to be helpful, but this isn’t always necessary, as long as it is clear what the reasons are.

2. Be productive in the mornings. (more…)

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Einstein

The biggest misconception about creativity is that it involves a moment of magical creation when the incredible appears out of thin air. The truth is less romantic. Everything comes from somewhere. All ideas have been thought before and all artists, especially the most brilliant, have their sources of inspiration. I’m going to break Einstein’s famous rule by revealing some of my sources and explaining how I use the genius of others to further my own ambitions. (more…)

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.

Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter.

1. Minimize Television Watching - This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise. (more…)