From Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything by Tony Schwartz.
1. Pursue what you love. Passion is an incredible motivator. It fuels focus, resilience, and perseverance.
2. Do the hardest work first. We all move instinctively toward pleasure and away from pain. Most great performers, Ericsson and others have found, delay gratification and take on the difficult work of practice in the mornings, before they do anything else. That’s when most of us have the most energy and the fewest distractions.
Here’s a pop quiz. Which of the following statements are true for you?
These six statements represent six key dimensions of psychological well-being; that is, how good you feel about yourself and your life. I’m sure you’ll agree that your sense of well-being profoundly influences how you perform in every area of your life, especially work and creative pursuits. With that in mind, here are six ways to increase your well-being, love your life, and in turn, create more positive energy to do great work.
One great thing about working online nowadays is there’s an endless supply of free and low-cost software to help you be more creative and productive. Unfortunately, with all the choices, it can often get a little overwhelming. As a full-time webworker for the last five years, I’ve managed to come up with a short-list of apps that have become virtually indispensable to me. Here are ten of my favorites.
For more Monday morning inspiration, see: Monday Morning Inspiration: 10 Inspirational Messages to Fuel Your Week.
In January 2007, Leo Babauta launched his blog – ZenHabits – to share what he’d learned about simple living, changing habits and how to create an amazing life. With a full-time job, a part-time freelance writing career and a wife and six kids, he had no free time, no money to invest and little knowledge about blogging. But that didn’t stop him.