at least a couple of years, Zen Habits was one of the top productivity blogs, dispensing productivity tips for a nominal fee (your reading time). I’d like to think I helped people move closer to their dreams, but today I have different advice: Toss productivity advice out the window. Most of it is well-meaning, but the advice is wrong for a simple reason: it’s meant to squeeze the most productivity out of every day, instead of making your days better. Imagine instead of cranking out a lot of widgets, you made space for what’s important. Imagine that you worked slower instead of faster, and enjoyed your work. Imagine a world where people matter more than profits. ... posted on Nov 15 2011 (16,907 reads)

best months of his life…even playing ball at his old age Roadie lived on the farm with me and my other dogs and the horses for seven months happy and full of life .  He played with his favorite ball and slept in my bed every night until that morning I had been dreading came. I awoke that Friday to take Roadie and the other kids out but he couldn’t get up and stand on his feet and I thought well he is just having a bad day, so I helped to his feet and outside to do his business and continued to do so over the weekend.  By Monday, his legs couldn’t support his weight even with my assistance, so just as I had seven months earlier, I carried him into my vet&... posted on Nov 19 2011 (107,091 reads)

are recent signs that a culture shift toward shorter hours has begun. In 1996, when I first surveyed on this issue, 19 percent of the adult population reported having made a voluntary lifestyle change during the previous five years that entailed earning less money. In a 2004 survey by the Center for a New American Dream, 48 percent did. The stagnant economy, difficult as it is, represents an opportunity for expanding the norm of part-time work. In the first year of the recession, many businesses avoided layoffs by reducing hours through furloughs, unpaid vacations, four-day workweeks, and flex-time. By mid-2009, one study of large firms found that 20 percent had reduced hours to fo... posted on Jan 12 2012 (45,271 reads)

he roared above the clacking wheels. “Why the hell should I talk to you?” The drunk now had his back to me. If his elbow moved so much as a millimeter, I’d drop him in his socks. The old man continued to beam at the laborer. There was not a trace of fear or resentment about him. “What’cha been drinkin’?” he asked lightly, with interest. “I been drinkin’ sake,” the laborer bellowed back, “and it’s none of your god d#*& business!” “Oh, that’s wonderful,” the old man said with delight. “Absolutely wonderful! You see, I love sake, too. Every night, me and my wife (she’s seventy-six,... posted on Dec 8 2011 (42,961 reads)

of articles on how to foster generosity in children, institutions, society—and within ourselves. Here are seven top tips, culled from the archives, for encouraging people to give all year round. 1. Communicate the value of giving. As Christine Carter writes in her Raising Happiness blog, “Research suggests that altruistic children have at least one parent … who deliberately communicates altruistic values to their kids.” The same observation applies to political, business, and nonprofit leaders, who can make a difference by talking about the value of giving and sharing. Not all the communication need be verbal. As Jason Marsh reports, researchers at the Max... posted on Dec 25 2011 (12,445 reads)

we expect to be able to feed, shelter, and provide even basic living conditions to our growing population in years to come, we must act now to change.” Hunger, poverty, and climate change are issues that we can all help address. Here are 12 simple steps to go green in 2012: (1) Recycle Recycling programs exist in cities and towns across the United States, helping to save energy and protect the environment. In 2009, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require all homes and businesses to use recycling and composting collection programs. As a result, more than 75 percent of all material collected is being recycled, diverting 1.6 million tons from the landfills annually&md... posted on Dec 29 2011 (14,192 reads)

van. One father. One son. Thirty-one cities. 30,724 pounds lost among 1,516 participants. 1,255,740 views on YouTube. When Ben Davis makes a promise to his Meemaw, he means business. It was Christmas Eve of 2008 when Ben’s grandmother expressed her concern for him simply by asking whether he was happy.    “I was 360 pounds,” Ben told me. “I was in a deep depression, I had lost a relationship as a direct result of the depression—I was, in no way, happy—and her inquisition that night … it pushed me to really examine my life and spurred me to get it together. To get a grip and get my life back on track.” Inspired, he... posted on Jan 4 2012 (11,937 reads)

closing fast. When I checked in with Tracie some 48 hours later, she reported that all were in foster care and doing well…including the mother dog. “Mom and pups are doing well,’ Tracie explains.  “The foster parents are in love with the mom and want to keep her as long as it takes for us to find a quality home for her ourselves, instead of putting her into the shelter’s program.” No matter how long I’ve been in the rescue business and no matter how many faces I’ve seen, it’s those prize winning moments of individual power that give me goosebumps. Last year, Tracie spent nearly $15,000 caring for rescue... posted on Feb 19 2012 (13,215 reads)

Japanese warrior looked perplexed. He had just offered tea to his Chinese adversary and asked whether his guest fully appreciated its quality, only to be told, “Nature does not make distinctions on tea. We do. I am not interested in the finer distinctions of the tea you have offered me because I have already decided to enjoy it.” The Japanese warrior slowly asked, “By the same logic, I take it then that you don’t consider any martial art as superior or inferior?” The Chinese warrior nodded and said, “Yes. It is the skill of the practitioner that brings out the essence of the art, and some are more skilled than others.” The Japanese warrior ret... posted on Mar 3 2012 (19,705 reads)

is the opener.” What forgiveness does is that it takes something that is frozen in the universe and ecstatically releases it, allowing you to be you and offer your connection to others.  I was asked by a woman whose uncle was a Catholic priest and violently murdered when she was a child. Now, years later, she wanted to know how to approach this man who had murdered her uncle.  I said to her, “Make it real.  Don’t make forgiveness this obligation business.  Write to him and ask, “How does he feel?  What does he feel at this point?  Does he know how much you suffered?  Open up the possibility for the real movement of e... posted on Mar 27 2012 (24,380 reads)

and "social investment." Gabi calls it her passion. She leads HP's global social innovations team, which combines its most innovative tech know-how with the brightest minds from nonprofit and government sectors to find real solutions to the world's most complex problems. Gabi's team is figuring out ways to bridge the so-called "digital divide" and intersect shareholder and social value. In concrete terms, Gabi's team has been working with small business entrepreneurs from Abujaq, Nigeria, to Tikamgarh, India, and recently figured out a way to instantly diagnose HIV in infants in Kenya. We're betting on Gabi to be this year's driving ... posted on Mar 28 2012 (17,113 reads)

at schools has become a huge issue. In looking for innovative solutions, Canadian educators turned to a unique classroom program called Roots of Empathy. At the heart of the program, now being implemented in 1,400 schools, lies this insight: When you put an infant and its parent in the center of the classroom, children start to sensitize themselves to the baby's intentions and emotions. The results that ripple out are unambiguous: a measurable reduction in levels of aggression among schoolchildren. The program is successful because it fosters the development of empathy, supporting children in tapping into an unconscious part of themselves. The baby becomes ... posted on Apr 8 2012 (17,109 reads)

you are willing to do, and what you are not. Art suffers the moment other people start paying for it. The more you need the money, the more people will tell you what to do. The less control you will have. The more bullshit you will have to swallow. The less joy it will bring. Know this and plan accordingly.” Later, MacLeod echoes Graham’s point about prestige above: 28. The best way to get approval is not to need it. This is equally true in art and business. And love. And sex. And just about everything else worth having.” LEWIS HYDE ON WORK VS. LABOR After last year’s omnibus of 5 timeless books on fear and the creativ... posted on Apr 22 2012 (56,192 reads)

to worry about my wealth; As for my health, well, it could be a little better; But take care of yourself, love your bro, I’ll storm through this weather.”     The song closes with the elder brother telling the younger one: “No, I would never let you go through what I’ve gone through.”   Oddly enough, Blood Brothers foreshadowed Nimo’s own journey.  Springboarding off Karmacy’s rapid rise, and leveraging his Wharton business degree, Nimo raised 7-digit funding to start a media production house.  The road to glittering success entangled him in a world of oversized egos, superficial connections and banal conte... posted on May 4 2012 (60,174 reads)

I awoke early with a good bit of unfinished business on my mind. My first scheduled appointment for the morning was at 9AM, and there I was awake and alert considerably earlier than I needed to be. I decided to take advantage of this early morning awakening and energy surge. I got up stimulated by the possibility of arriving at the office early and getting the jump on the day by tying up those loose ends that needed attention before the formally scheduled work day began. As part of the preparation for this flurry of activity, I prepared my preferred morning eye-opener drink. This high powered beverage is a blend of a vital green powder, which began as algae and seaweed, augme... posted on May 6 2012 (9,416 reads)

trust for her very capable people, delegating with the confidence that they will accomplish their tasks? And how much better of a father, husband, writer, and leader would I be if I could speak and write the truth as I see it without worrying about how it would make me look? It might be awkward at first. But I think it's our best shot at having a meaningful experience in a situation that often leaves us feeling shallow. That's clearly good for us. And it might just be good for business too.... posted on May 7 2012 (25,843 reads)

"We were producing travel guides and we had a couple of hundred people working in an office that would help travelers see foreign countries in a new way and travel safely," he recalls. "None of the editors had any contact with any of the actual readers." Grant suspected that the staffers would find more satisfaction in their work -- and probably work even harder -- if they could regularly interact with the readers whose globetrotting they enabled. At the travel guide business, he never got a chance to put that hunch into practice. But as he moved towards his doctoral research at the University of Michigan, he returned to the subject, using call centers, sports fac... posted on May 15 2012 (33,249 reads)

least were most readily equipped to honor the priceless.  In urban cities, the people we encountered began with an unspoken wariness: “Why are you doing this?  What do you want from me?”   In the countryside, on the other hand, villagers almost always met us with an open-hearted curiosity launching straight in with: “Hey buddy, you don’t look local.  What’s your story?”   In the villages, your worth wasn’t assessed by your business card, professional network or your salary. That innate simplicity allowed them to love life and cherish all its connections.   Extremely poor villagers, who couldn’t even afford... posted on May 14 2012 (394,886 reads)

remedies, according to the New York Times. And yet, the article concluded, there's very little evidence that any of those medicines do anything to cure, or even shorten the duration of, a cold. And some remedies, like taking antibiotics, bring along side effects that risk making some people worse. In other words, the best strategy for coping with the common cold is to do nothing. Does this strategy apply outside medicine? There's a lot of talk these days about creating new businesses through incentives. Does the money and effort put into incentives help? According to astudy released by the Kauffman Foundation, the answer is no. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indic... posted on May 27 2012 (26,632 reads)

and requirements and obligatory hoops to jump through. I was ready to be set free so I could finally do what I wanted: make art.   I often likened concentrating in sculpture to majoring in possibilities. As I learned more and more about contemporary art practice and theory, my definition of what art was and what it could be expanded until there were no limits. A sculpture could be anything from an idea to an action, a crafted situation, a social experiment, a conspiracy, a business venture, an anecdote told at a party. I spent my last semester trying to walk on the edge of what art could be. I planned field trips, elaborate parties, chance meetings, experiential devices... posted on Jun 22 2012 (13,106 reads)