Why breaking tradition will help you achieve tremendous growth

Don’t let past successes lull you into putting tradition before innovation.

Tradition is safe, easy and has brought your business success at some point. So why change it now?

All too often, the urge to uphold existing methods can be detrimental to a company’s growth. Times change, and if you want your business to stay current it has to change with them or risk being left behind.

Just look at Google. In the late ’90s, Microsoft dominated the PC space to the point that there was an antitrust suit leveled against it for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. A few years later, Google exploded onto the scene when it revolutionized the search engine. It wasn’t long before the technology giant created Chrome, one of the most popular web browsers out there, busting the myth that a browser coupled with an operating system restricts competition.

If Google hadn’t broken this tradition, it probably wouldn’t be the massive, influential company it is today. But this isn’t just for giants. Your company can successfully break tradition and achieve tremendous growth, too.

Identifying Outdated Practices

When you’re analyzing where to abandon tradition to pursue growth and innovation, there are three main things you should do:

1. Examine your industry. Identify traditions and ways of doing things that are begging for re-examination.
2. Look internally. Find practices that once made perfect sense but have become unnecessary or detrimental due to company and industry maturation.
3. Get help. Involve your employees, customers and stakeholders in uncovering traditions that are no longer serving you well. As a leader within the organization, sometimes you’re too close to the traditions to spot the outdated ones. When you involve employees and customers in the discussion, they might recognize opportunities for growth that you would not have seen.

Moving Forward

Once you’ve identified the traditions that must evolve or be left behind, there are a few things you need to do before moving forward:

• Determine whether a tradition is still valuable. Sometimes, long-standing traditions still offer a great deal of value and don’t need to be done away with entirely — just revamped. In other cases, traditions have to be gently moved to the museum. Be intentional about deciding whether or not traditional practices are still useful.
• Remember that change is not an attack on the past. Just about every process and method can be refined, leading to waste elimination, reduced cycle time, improved customer satisfaction and a number of other benefits. The initial difficulty is sometimes simply recognizing that there might be a better way of doing things. But just because there’s a better way of doing things doesn’t mean that people were doing it incorrectly up until that point. Be careful to honor the past, but also learn from it.
• Rely on an expert. Once they recognize the need for change, many business leaders struggle because they don’t have the in-house expertise and resources needed to implement that change. You may need to call in someone from the outside who can guide and train your staff to carry the torch and continue changing for the better.

Change is scary, difficult and there’s no guarantee that it will bring success. So why do it now?

When you let go of unnecessary traditions, you’re seizing the opportunity to push your business into the future. If you involve your staff, customers and stakeholders in the initial evaluation of what needs to be improved, it will be much easier to identify weak areas and develop innovative ways to revamp them. It’s risky, but it’s worth it. The proof will be in your bottom line.

"Tied & Twisted" could easily be quicker than mid 9's

 But it could also be in the pan a lot quicker, I'll make a few more passes until it's sold.

The Lasting Damage Of Trump’s Disastrous Diplomacy

It’s hardly a surprise that Donald Trump blew up the Group of Seven summit. In his warped view of the world, America’s closest allies are enemies, and nations that represent dangerous threats are friends. 

Thus, Russia is to be welcomed back, while Canada, about as benign a neighbor as exists, is a menace for taking advantage of the U.S. on trade. (Fact check: The U.S. government’s own data suggest the U.S. ran a small trade surplus with Canada in 2017.) The European Union, whose subsidy and open-market policies are on a par with our own, is seen as a bigger threat than mercantilist China. And North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un gets warmer words than the leaders of Europe.

Has the world gone mad? No, only Donald Trump.

Trump’s bullshit in a china shop can best be understood on three levels. First, sheer ignorance. Second, thin-skinned petulance and pique. After barely papering over differences at the actual summit, Trump destroyed whatever shred of goodwill remained in a tweetstorm triggered by the effrontery of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s criticisms.

But the third reason is the most dangerous of all — corruption and opportunism. Trump gave China a pass on the national security risks of the telecom company ZTE as an apparent thank-you for Chinese gifts to his business empire and that of his daughter Ivanka. 

He keeps cutting Russian President Vladimir Putin slack after years of Russian bailouts for Trump’s business empire. He is now in danger of being taken to the cleaners by North Korea, because Kim is better at sucking up to Trump than, say, Trudeau or French President Emmanuel Macron, and because Trump desperately needs a symbolic win.

In the wake of the G-7 fiasco, the pressing questions are these: How much irreversible damage is Trump doing, and how long will it take for Republicans to rein him in or push him out?

The damage with our European and North American allies is likely temporary. Basically, Europe has decided to quarantine Trump for the duration. There will be some economic harm from these trade skirmishes, but the deeper amity and sense of common interest among the nations of the West runs strong, and relations will be put back on track once Trump is gone.

Trump has also given a gift to the usually fractious Europeans by reminding them of the importance of their own unity. In Canada, the popularity of Justin Trudeau, a good man and a good progressive, will rise thanks to his standing up to Trump’s infantile bullying. And in Mexico, leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has a lead of 25 percent in polling ahead of the July presidential election and is only helped further by Trump’s war of insults.

Trump met with G-7 leaders this weekend including Germany's Angela Merkel and Britain's Theresa May in Canada.
SAUL LOEB VIA GETTY IMAGES
Trump met with G-7 leaders this weekend including Germany’s Angela Merkel and Britain’s Theresa May in Canada.
Trump has managed to unite the rest of the West against the United States and himself. More serious is his amateurish diplomacy with Russia, North Korea and China.

China has a well-conceived and executed program known as Made in China 2025, through which Beijing hopes to achieve dominance in all of the cutting-edge technologies, from artificial intelligence to electric power and electric vehicles to 5G wireless networking. Some of this reflects China’s cheating on the global trade system; some of it is the result of China’s own planning system and diligence. 

The West had better respond, and in a unified way. But Trump’s self-serving incompetence does serious damage ― and time is short.

Russia continues its program of destabilizing Western democracy, unmolested. While Trump was blowing up the G-7 summit, his director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, was speaking at a conference in Normandy.

“These Russian actions are purposeful and premeditated and they represent an all-out assault by Vladimir Putin on the rule of law, Western ideals and democratic norms. … The Russians are actively seeking to divide our alliance and we must not allow that to happen,” Coats warned. 

Even more than Putin, it is Trump who is succeeding in dividing the Western alliance.

Trump welcomes Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Worker's Party Central Committee, to the White House ahea
BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Trump welcomes Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party Central Committee, to the White House ahead of the planned summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the wrong sort of nuclear deal with North Korea could allow Trump the theatrical appearance of a diplomatic win, while permitting Kim to continue with a clandestine nuclear program. This is, of course, exactly what Trump accused Barack Obama of doing with Iran, only worse.

So what it will take for his own party to say “enough”?

There are some encouraging green shoots. A bipartisan group of 27 senators organized by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) sent an angry letter objecting to Trump’s coddling of ZTE. Republican members of the House have jointed Democrats in a discharge petition forcing action on long-blocked immigration reform. The number of Republicans willing to speak out against Trump’s foreign policy follies is slowly growing. 

But mere criticism of Trump usually backfires. What he understands is power. Ultimately, nothing short of Trump’s removal will rein him in.

Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and a professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School. His new book is Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? Follow him on Twitter at @rkuttnerwrites.

Gordon could become hurricane before Tuesday evening landfall

Tropical Storm Gordon, already hammering south Florida with wind and heavy rains, is expected to make landfall at the Mississippi-Alabama border Tuesday evening, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane. The forecast path has prompted  tropical storm and storm surge warnings for portions of southeastern Louisiana and a hurricane watch and surge warning for the Mississippi coast. 

The storm surge warning is in effect for New Orleans and St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes. A storm surge watch is in place for lower Plaquemines Parish.

At 1 p.m. Monday (Sept. 3), Gordon was 15 miles west-southwest of Marco Island, Fla., or nearly 600 miles east-southeast of New Orleans. The storm was moving west-northwest at 16 mph, with top sustained winds of 50 mph.

“On the forecast track, the center of Gordon will emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by early afternoon, reach the warning area late Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday night, and move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday,” said an 11 a.m. forecast message issued by the Slidell office of the National Weather Service.

Read Me

Dubai Police Supercars Explained: The Full Story

It all started back in April 2013, with a Lamborghini Aventador. This was the obvious choice if you were in the market for a maximum wow factor "mainstream" supercar back then, so it came natural. 

Subsequently, the officials announced that they would also add a Ferrari and it wasn't long until we got to see that they went for something a bit more practical than the Aventador, going for the four-seat, and just as four-wheel driven, Ferrari FF. To make things even more exotic, it was announced that the FF would only be manhandled by... women.

After seeing an Aventador and an FF dress up in the Dubai Police uniform, the news that they were also getting a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a Bentley Continental GT didn't shock anybody. Most of those who reported it didn't even bother to mention it was the W12 model, not the V8. This is SpartaDubai, so it was all understood.

Nevertheless, it was at this point that it became obvious an army was being gathered. Since the soldiers were already there, they needed a commander, a car that would cost more than the aforementioned four together.

The choice was rather unexpected, with the Dubai Police welcoming one of the seventy seven units of the Aston Martin One-77. This was described by its creators as a form of art, so we guess fitting it with a light bar was a metaphor.

The Chevrolet Camaro SS that followed afterwards may have seemed like a joke coming after all those big names, but it's still cooler than most police cars on Planet Earth.

Just when we were starting to think that the Camaro was hired as a personal assistant for the Aston, we were hit by the news that the Dubai Police would put its name on a Bugatti Veyron. Things were done in a bit of a rush, with Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim tweeting the adjacent image of a Veyron in Police livery, which turned out to be a rendering. Even though this was just an image manipulation, the aforementied announcement assured us that they would actually get a Bugatti.

We don't even know if the Dubai Police are satisfied with the supercar fleet yet. Who knows, maybe someone in their offices has a passion for Koenigseggs...The supercars were dressed in the Dubai Police livery by a company based in the Au Quoz industrial area
. Sixty Seven Auto Services got its hands on the job of wrapping the supercars. The foil comes from the US and while most of the cars only needed the green bits, the Aston Martin One-77 was truly special. The car left the factory dressed in silver, so they needed to make it white before moving on to the usual process.The question that has been sitting on everybody's lips, "why?" has more than just one answer.
First of all, this question is incorrect. The right form is "why not?". Since they've described themselves as " The City of One Thousand and One Arabian Lights", why not add a few red and blue light bars... attached to some of the most exotic cars in the world. This would be a display of financial force, just like Burj Kalifa or Palm Jumeirah.

In fact, the authorities themselves pointed out that these supercars wouldn't be used for hot pursuits, but rather for patrolling touristic areas around the city. The aforementioned Burj Kalifa, together with the Dubai Mall, Jumeirah Beach Residence, as well as the Burj Al Arab, they're all enjoying the charms of these hypermachines.

When Dubai runs out of petrol, all its eggs will be in the touristic basket and this fleet is simply another attraction, a mobile one. These days, you need more than just sand to create a mirage in the desert. However, it seems that the supercars are having a mesmerizing effect on the tourists, as you can see in the videos below.

The addition of such vehicles to the Dubai Police fleet is also part of a bigger plan. Dubai has set itself the goal to host the World Expo 2020 and the new toys are a valuable asset. The authorities have even taken them off the streets for a while, displaying them at the mall where everybody can see them.

If we take away the PR aura and see these supercars as pure instruments of law enforcement, it's hard to tell if they still make sense.Speeding
is a major issue in Dubai, with the authorities recently announcing that drivers exceeding 125 mph (200 km/h) face criminal charges. However, the strict law enforcement in Dubai also means that there aren't too many drivers who would ever consider running away from the police.

Chase or no chase, it is extremely interesting to see police equipment inside the red leather interior of such a machine. Most of these vehicles can't accomodate arrested persons anyway, so their cabins will certainly stay in a tip top shape.

While there have also been negative reactions, with fingers pointed at the opulence, the Dubai Police definitely gained international popularity thanks to its multimillion acquisitions.As for the future of the Dubai Police supercar fleet
, we really can't tell if this is bright or not. You see, Dubai also has a dark side, which includes booming projects whose enthusiasts was cut out completely by the global recession and/or lack of demand. Some of these frighteningly-big investments are now deserted, having been put on hold indefinitely.

Sure, you can always sell the cars, so the story here is different, but that would still mean disassembling the fleet.

Until we find out more about the future of these Arabian Knights, here are two clips that shows them in action. Notice how one of the drivers comes to admire the Camaro after being handed a fine... 

Interactive 

It's been a great day & have a good week

 I usually apply for overseas jobs on Sundays yet this week I took two days to complete my task. I don't believe in luck yet I do believe, "Persistence overcomes resistance every time".
I'll get where I "think" I need to be or I'll recluse right here. All my plans are contingency plans because I can not discern a main.

 A female acquaintance suggested that I begin dating again, said it would be healthy for me. Ehhh, ooo, ehhh, I don't know about that? I'll say it flat, "After Central America and SER Asia, I'm spoiled"! In the countries I frequent, women typically range from 5' to 5'5 / 120 to 140 pounds, they're bigger than that by 8th grade in the states...

 BUT ANYWAY, don't pay me any attention LOL Don't worry about what you don't have, use what you got. If it talks or has been written it lies, question everything! In this world the one who questions and quantifies his / her own answer is the winner and the winner takes all!

Many Floridians waited on the calendar

 And this is what their fearless leader gave them for their loyalty.

FL Radar

How to escape poverty

 This is so simple yet difficult for most, "Financial poverty is an extension of your mind, build yourself a prosperous mind and you will have prosperous pockets". It's just that simple!

 *Hint - The bullshit on your TV, Facebook and Instagram Will Not Help You!

Every advancement costs, few go past what they're willing to sacrifice

 I have almost given up everything to study almost everything. (That almost sounded like a Farmer's Insurance commercial)
 My true CV would be a book if I didn't constantly trim it down. I don't write this for bragging rights because it's done out of fear. My craptops have "Never" played a game, they're tools in this ever decaying world of financially profitable choices.

 My colleges taught me that there were columns of knowledge and there is no such thing. I.E. Arthmatic needs English, Engish needs math, math needs science, science needs philosophy so on and so forth.
 There is but one intelligent value combining all columns and I label that, "Growth". And growth demands sacrifice.
 It may be your family, time, comfort, drinking and even friendships yet to move forward you will give up something.

Do you have your statutes together, free case search

Got caught with your hand in the cookie jar?

So Search

A quick update on ownership

 I had spent the night with a friend in Bonita Springs, FL. when Katrina passed over me. There was some rain and wind but nothing of substance. I headed across state to begin a contract and on the job site, I kept hearing, "Katrina this & Katrina that" I thought they were talking about a stripper.

 People in New Orleans went to bed saying, "My wife, my car, my house, my food, my life" my my my my MY!
 They woke up the next morning realizing that "nothing" under the sun belonged to them!

 Be careful with the "my" shit, not even your mind is yours, you could lose it.

What did I mean by treat yourself well leaving others no choice

 When others enter your life they tend to watch the things you do, where you live, how you live, the clothes you wear and how you fold or store them
 With "food", anyone that comes into my life will see that I don't use box pancake mix, I don't use cheap meats, I avoid white/bleached eggs, I don't use table salt, I don't use butter or syrup - I only use fresh fruit or go without.
 With these things in mind, people can readily see that if they hand me some garbage I'm not eating it.

I don't BBQ often and here's why

Carcinogens in BBQ smoke absorbed more by skin than lungs

By monitoring a group of people enjoying a barbecue, Chinese researchers discover that the carcinogens in barbecue smoke are more likely to enter our bodies through our skin than our lungs.

Air pollution is a massive global problem, but, for most of us, there is little we can do to limit our exposure to poor quality air.

However, during the summer season, many of us willingly stand next to a device that pumps out harmful emissions: the humble barbecue (BBQ).

In the United States and farther afield, the BBQ is an incredibly popular outdoor event.

Family members and friends have been joining together to eat grilled foods since the invention of fire.

For instance, according to the authors of a recent study, on July 4, 2016, 87 percent of people in the U.S. used an outdoor grill.

BBQ fumes and the skin

Despite its popularity, outdoor grilling comes with many hazards. BBQ smoke contains a high level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known to cause DNA mutations, respiratory disease, and even lung cancer.

Many people are well aware that breathing in the fumes of a BBQ is less than ideal, and many of us will also know that eating grilled foods can have negative consequences for our health.

Both the inhalation and consumption of grilled foods have received a fair amount of research. However, according to a new study, PAH absorption through the skin might be an equally significant issue — and one that has mostly been overlooked.

Researchers at Jinan University in China, led by Eddy Y. Zeng, set out to quantify exactly how much PAH passes through the skin of someone at a BBQ. Their results were published recently in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

To investigate, the researchers attended a BBQ in Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China.

They divided 20 revelers into three groups: the first was exposed to fumes, food, and skin contact; the second was exposed to just fumes and skin contact; and those in the third only experienced skin exposure (they wore hoods and masks, breathing compressed air throughout the event).

Participants provided four urine samples: 17 hours before the BBQ, on the morning of the event, right before it began, and 35 hours after the event.

Follow up.

So you like my writings, here you go

*I must have been about 17 when I wrote this.

....I was born Black, oops, no I wasn't. I was born to a normal family, oops, no I wasn't. Ok, I was born in upstate NY at Millard Fillmore Hospital.

 I was baptized Methodist but went to a Catholic nursery school. I then went on to a Lutheran grade school; next came a Catholic high school. Please keep in mind that all I thought was; if I’m good I go to heaven and if I’m bad I go to hell.

 My mother worked, lot more to that and my father worked, lot more to that as well.
 I was supposed to be something, can't even remember?

 My grand-ma was retired, oops, no she wasn't. My grand father, oops, no he wasn't, was my main man but not my grand pa.

 My bikes, oops, no they weren't, were always bought until I started stealing them. My cars, oops, no they weren't, were hustled, stolen or hand me downs from my mom's.

 I went to the military to avoid my problems, oops, there were the problems I brought with me as well as new conflicts, oops, no there wasn't, they were what I perceived.

 My first wife was also my "special friend" for 11 years before our marriage, oops, that wasn't a marriage - I was thinking it wasn't going to happen. That was simply a mistake......or was it my perception?

 My second wife, oops, no she wasn't - that was another man's wife when we met.
 She had her ideas of marriage and I had my own but we thought they were one in the same? Big oops, we had expectations of another person.
My life was the one of a rich kid, oops, that's what other people thought. We were simply a bit better off due to some oops that I didn't mention.

 Stick with me because this is going to hit you soon, oops, my perception of your ability to identify or understand based on my preconceived notions of your education / indoctrination based on?...........my fucking past "Oops".

 All my life, oops, my gift of life which is not mine. In all my endeavors, it's been this way or that way but.......people late in life started using a term, "Thinking outside the box"........WTF?

 Years, oops, "time" passed by since I heard that term and today I'll put this together for you.

 "Thinking outside the box"?

 First I have to look back through all those relationships with family, friends, relatives, churches, schools, acquaintances, friends of friends, cliques, mind sets, persuasions, expectations, demands, reasoning, decisions, perceptions, etc and come to understand the number of boxes I've been "mentally" placed in to?

 Thinking outside the box is mentally impossible! It simply can't be done.

 As soon as I said that I was born in NY, the first of my boxes was created. "I'm a New Yorker" born in what country and what color......go back and begin again.

 The grand scheme of life is a box, now think outside it.......even your dreams are images conjured up by the mind and create a box. Your belief in who?........is in a box.

 If you could actually think outside the box, you could create life. You could become God, Allah, Jehovah, science, numbers, algorithms or what ever you use to determine your existence.


 The title:

        No Thinking Outside the Box

Thanks to my visitors we'll hit 50,000 by noon

 I guess I'll have to start giving out some freebies again.

TOP 5 DEADLIEST HOMEMADE WEAPONS!

Why would you buy a big cumbersome gun, explore the options

 It seems everyone is seeking some sort of personal protection and I can identify with the sentiment. However, I can not discern the means to an end.
 I don't need to display a large weapon to feel better about my penis size, all I need is something effective.
 Enter the pen gun.

 There's another aspect to this lightweight gem of a weapon, for those who can implement a bit of skill, it can be easily fitted to a drone. (I don't have to build the big 2' x 3' drones to carry a 9mm or AR-15)

Let's go shopping.

Just how I play

Navigational Guide for Newcomers

Are you still waiting for the calendar to give you "permission" to eat

 Ok, you go with that, Nietzsche and I have other plans.

To be continued.

Calming meditation that anyone can do

 Before living in Asia I had met individuals that were going to teach me meditation, oh shit, what a waste.

 First off, get comfortable. No, you don't need to cross your legs, fold your hands or anything you may have heard or read.

 Next, remove yourself from any circumstance, environment that irks you. You can turn on your favorite tunes, sit in the shower, sit in the yard, whatever.

 Here's where it get's tricky > Eyes open, eyes closed doesn't matter but you will have to start counting your breaths. I count 1 on each exhale and you will do this up to the number 10 and begin again.

 If you're just starting don't worry about what you may be thinking, concentrate simply on counting your breaths.
As you can do this repeatedly until you've completed 5 sets without loss of count, you can begin to envision where you'd like to be, what you'd like to do or even who you no longer want in your life = Makes no difference, keep your count.

 Sooner or later you'll realize the music is gone but it's still playing, your breaths have slowed, your rambling thoughts are more focused (Try not to dwell) and the world seems less hostile. You'll feel more gathered and in control of yourself.

 The goal is simple, you want to feel more stable, more in charge of your life and choices. With continued practice, you'll gain better discipline, better self-awareness, and a greater inner strength.

 Trust me.

A Master Plan for Taking Back Control of Your Life

Here’s the problem we face, every day of our lives. Nearly everything that generates enduring value requires effort, focus, and even some discomfort along the way.  At the same time, we’re deeply wired to avoid pain, which the body reads as mortally dangerous, and to move toward pleasure, the more immediate the better.

We’re also exposed to more temptation than ever. The world is literally at our fingertips, a few keystrokes away. It’s forever beckoning us, like the Sirens singing to Odysseus, who lashed himself to the mast of his ship to resist their call.The sirens sing to us, too: Have the dessert. Skip the workout. Put off the hard work. Surf the web. Check your email. Indulge your whims. Settle for the easy way out. Thanks to researcher Roy Baumeister and others,  the evidence is clear that we have one reservoir of willpower. It’s a highly limited resource, and it gets depleted by every act that requires its use. So how do we take back control of our lives?  What follows are the key moves we can make. It’s not all or none.  More is better, but each one will help.

1. Make more of your behaviors automatic.

Because our willpower is so limited, our best defense is to rely on it less. Here’s how the brilliant mathematician Alfred North Whitehead put it: “Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.” A ritual is a highly precise behavior that you perform over and over, at a specific time, so it becomes automatic and no longer requires much willpower to get it done.

2. Take yourself out of harm’s way.

You can’t easily lash yourself to a mast, but you can selectively avoid temptations. If you want to lose weight, it makes sense to remove your favorite high-calorie foods from the shelves, and to tell the waiter at restaurants not to bring the bread.  If you want to get challenging work done, turn off your email entirely for designated periods of time rather than try to resist its Pavlovian ping.

3. Whatever you feel compelled to do, don’t.

The more powerfully driven you are to take instant action, the more likely you shouldn’t. When the pull is intense, it’s likely you’ve activated your fight-or-flight physiology. That’s great when you’re actually facing a life-or-death situation and need to react instantly. In most life circumstances, it serves you better to reflect before you react.

4. Sleep as much as you must to feel fully rested.

For nearly 98% of us, that means at least 7 hours a night. “Fatigue,” said Vince Lombardi, “makes cowards of us all.” Specifically, it undermines our capacity for self-control, and we’re more likely to default to instant gratification.  The best sleep ritual is not just to choose a precise bedtime, but also to begin winding down at least 30 minutes before turning out the lights.

5. Do the most important thing first in the morning.

That’s when the vast majority of us have the most energy and the fewest distractions.  Our energy reservoir diminishes as the day wears on, which is why it’s so difficult to get to the hardest work late in the day. Conversely, the more focused you are, the higher the quality of work you’ll do, and the more you’ll get done. I often get more important work done during the first 90 minutes of the morning than in the rest of the hours of the day put together.

6. Eat energy rich foods in small doses at frequent intervals.

Food – specifically glucose – literally fuels willpower.  Unfortunately, the body can only make use of a limited amount at any given time, so we need to refuel at least every three hours.  Sugars and simple carbohydrates provide a surge of energy that doesn’t last, while lean proteins and complex carbohydrates provide a steadier, more enduring source of energy and therefore willpower.

7. Do one thing at a time.

With so much coming at us so relentlessly – emails, texts, people, and information – we assume the only way to get to it all is to juggle multiple tasks at the same time.  In fact, moving between tasks creates something called “switching time.” When you shift attention from one focus of attention to another, the average time it takes to finish the first task increases by at least 25%.

8. Work in sprints.

Human beings aren’t meant to operate like computers, at high speeds, continuously. Rather, we’re designed to pulse between spending and renewing energy. The ultradian rhythm refers to a 90-minute cycle inside us, during which we move from a state of higher physiological arousal progressively down towards fatigue. Focus intensely, ideally without interruption, for no more than 90 minutes at a time. Then take a real break, for at least a few minutes, to relax emotionally, give the mind a rest and physically recharge.

***

Above all else, it’s critical to ground yourself in deeply held values. Knowing what you stand for is a uniquely powerful fuel for behavior, especially when the going gets tough, and the temptation is to take the easy route. If you’re clear about who you want to be in any given situation, non-negotiably, the songs of the Sirens aren’t so alluring.