The Progress Principle

Thinking Big Picture about the work you do can be very energizing in the face of stress and challenges because you are linking one particular, often small action to a greater meaning or purpose. 

Something that may not seem important or valuable on its own gets cast in a whole new li...

Interest doesn't just keep you going despite fatigue, it actually replenishes your energy.  Keep in mind:

• Interesting is not the same thing as pleasant, fun, or relaxing (though they are certainly not mutually exclusive.) 
• Interesting does not have to mean effortless

To the tasks on your to-do list, add a specific when and where to each. Try the if-then planning (or the  "implementation intentions").

For example, "Remember to call Bob" becomes "If it is Tuesday after lunch, then I'll call Bob." This enables you to seize...

• When you have a Be-Good mindset, you expect to be able to do everything perfectly right out of the gate, and you constantly (often unconsciously) compare yourself to other people.
• A Get-Better mindset leads to self-comparison and a concern with making progress—how well ...

Self-compassion is being willing to look at your mistakes or failures with kindness and understanding—without harsh criticism or defensiveness. 

Most of us believe that we need to be hard on ourselves to perform at our best, but it turns out that a dose of self-compassion when things are...

• Some people think of their jobs as opportunities for achievement and accomplishment—they have a promotion focus: all about maximizing gains and avoiding missed opportunities. 
• For others, doing a job well is about security, about not losing the positions they've worked so hard...

Every time you make a decision, you create a state of mental tension that is, in fact, stressful. 

The solution is to reduce the number of decisions you need to make by using routines. If there's something you need to do every day, do it at the same time every day. Have a routine for...