Smarter Faster Better

Identify Your Choices: Start by recognizing the decisions you make daily. Whether it's choosing to start a project, exercise, or even read a book, acknowledge that these are choices you're making, not obligations forced upon you.

Reframe Your Tasks: Once you've identified your choices, consciously reframe them as empowering decisions. For instance, instead of saying 'I have to work on this project,' say 'I choose to work on this project because it leads me closer to my goals.'

Set Personal Goals: Align your tasks with personal goals or values. This connection makes the task more meaningful and enhances your motivation to complete it. For example, if you value learning, frame a work assignment as an opportunity to gain new knowledge.

Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate the completion of tasks, no matter how small. This reinforces the idea that you are in control and making progress by choice, which can boost your motivation and satisfaction.

Imagine you're not particularly excited about starting a fitness routine. Instead of thinking, 'I have to exercise because my doctor said so,' reframe it as, 'I choose to exercise to feel stronger and more energetic.' This mindset shift can make the activity feel more like a personal decision rather than a chore.

Consider a scenario where you need to clean your home but find the task daunting. Reframe it by thinking, 'I choose to clean my house today because I love living in a clean environment, and it makes me feel calm and happy.' This perspective turns cleaning from a tedious task into a positive, self-chosen action.

Define Your Goal Clearly: Start by writing down exactly what you want to achieve. Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of saying 'I want to save money', say 'I want to save $5,000 for a vacation'.

Make It Measurable: Determine how you will measure your progress towards this goal. In the savings example, you could track your progress by setting monthly savings targets.

Ensure It's Achievable: Set a goal that is challenging yet possible to achieve with the resources and time you have. If saving $5,000 in a year seems too ambitious, adjust the amount or extend the timeframe.

Relevance Matters: Choose goals that are important to you and align with your long-term objectives. Saving for a vacation might be relevant if relaxation and travel are your priorities.

Set a Deadline: Having a specific timeframe in mind keeps you focused. Decide when you want to achieve your goal by, such as saving $5,000 by next December.

If you're aiming to improve your physical health, a SMART goal could be: 'I want to run a 5K in under 30 minutes by the end of six months, by training three times a week.'

For career advancement, a SMART goal might be: 'I aim to gain a promotion to senior manager within the next year by completing three additional leadership training courses and leading a successful project team.'

Encourage Open Dialogue: Make it a point to regularly ask for opinions and alternative viewpoints during meetings. This can be as simple as saying, 'Does anyone see this differently?' or 'I'd love to hear a counterpoint to this approach.'

Create a Safe Space for Dissent: Establish clear norms that it's not only okay to disagree but encouraged. You might start a meeting with a reminder that all perspectives are valuable and that challenging the status quo is a way we grow.

Celebrate Diverse Thinking: When someone offers a unique perspective or challenges an idea, acknowledge and thank them publicly. This reinforces the behavior and shows the team that diverse thinking is appreciated.

Implement a 'Devil's Advocate' Role: Rotate this role in meetings where the designated person is encouraged to question and challenge ideas constructively. This ensures that there's always a voice pushing the group to consider different angles.

In a product development team meeting, the project leader asks for feedback on the proposed design. One team member suggests an alternative approach that hadn't been considered, which leads to a productive discussion about potential improvements. The project leader thanks the team member for their contribution, highlighting the value of bringing new ideas to the table.

During a strategy session, a manager introduces the 'devil's advocate' role. A team member assigned to this role challenges the feasibility of the timeline for a new project, prompting the team to re-evaluate and adjust their plan to be more realistic. This intervention prevents the team from committing to an unachievable deadline and demonstrates the importance of critical evaluation.

Visualize Your Day: Every morning, take a few minutes to envision your day ahead. Picture the meetings, tasks, and any potential challenges you might face. Think about how you'll handle these situations and what success looks like for each scenario.

Prepare for Obstacles: When planning a project or task, identify potential obstacles in advance. For each obstacle, brainstorm possible solutions or strategies to overcome it. This prepares you mentally to tackle challenges as they arise.

Reflect on Past Experiences: At the end of the day or week, reflect on what went well and what didn't. Use these reflections to update your mental models and improve your strategy for similar future events.

Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness exercises to improve your focus and mental clarity. This can help you become more aware of your thoughts and better equipped to construct useful mental models.

Imagine you have a crucial presentation at work. You visualize not only the presentation itself but also potential questions from your audience, technical difficulties, or time constraints. You then think through how you'd handle each situation, making you feel more prepared and confident.

Before a family road trip, you anticipate challenges such as traffic jams, car troubles, or restlessness from the kids. You mentally prepare by planning alternative routes, packing an emergency kit, and bringing along games and snacks to keep the kids entertained. This preparation helps make the trip smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.

Break Down Tasks: Start by dividing complex projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. This can make the overall project seem less daunting and help you focus on one thing at a time.

Prioritize Wisely: Each morning, or at the start of your work session, take a few minutes to list your tasks for the day. Then, rank them based on urgency and importance. Focus on completing high-priority tasks first.

Eliminate Distractions: Identify what commonly distracts you during work or study sessions (social media, emails, noise, etc.) and take steps to minimize these distractions. This might mean turning off notifications or finding a quieter place to work.

Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them in one go. For example, if you have multiple emails to send, do them all at once rather than sporadically throughout the day. This reduces the cognitive load associated with switching between different types of tasks.

If you're working on a large report, break it down into sections like research, writing, and editing. Focus on completing one section before moving on to the next.

When planning your day, decide that the first hour will be dedicated to high-priority tasks, such as finishing a project proposal, before moving on to less critical tasks like responding to non-urgent emails.