Doing things that feel uncomfortable and like hard work can seem counterintuitive. But by understanding what’s going on in your brain, instead of in your gut, you can work toward accomplishing hard things and manage your fears better.

The result is that many of us are naturally inclined to do what simply feels right — be that asking people to come back to the office because our...

To challenge patterns or systems that enable or inhibit new habits from taking hold, it’s helpful to have the support of others. One way to do that is by sharing stories of trying, in a setting where attempts are prized as much as the results. For example, a team of executives re...

One way we can get ourselves in the right mindset is to do what’s called “reappraisal,” in which we create a shift in our brain of how we perceive a task. Reappraisal can be incredibly effective when we choose one simple, sticky word or phrase that labels where we want to be

Expediency bias means doing the thing that feels right, or rushing to judgement, without properly considering all the variables. The brain does this because it’s much easier to process existing ideas than new ones, a principle in psychology called fluency. It’s t...

The Individuals who have a growth mindset believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. These individuals tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset, those who believe their talents are innat...

So, how do we do hard things when our brains are constantly telling us to avoid effort?

Here are 3 things we can try:

1. find or create the right mood to tackle hard things
2. present our brain with real data that represent choices and their consequences
3. train ourselve...

A 2016 study found that when people are upset, they’re less likely to try to do hard things. When they’re feeling upbeat, however, they’re more likely to take on the hard-but-essential tasks that ultimately make life better.

We do hard things because we know they can have tremendous benefits — ones that may not be visible for some time. Think about starting a new exercise routine. Maybe we have an insight — “If I can run a mile, I’ll have more energy to play with my young kids” — that generat...

A funny thing happens. When we go for that initial run, it doesn’t feel good. Neither does the next run, or the run after that. Our muscles hurt. The money we’ve spent on the new hobby causes friction in our household. The schedule keeps us from the quality time we used to spend catching up with ...

A month after experimenting with the scheduling, the team decided it wasn’t working well because of conflicting time zones and opted for a different tactic: only making Monday morning free of meetings. By acknowledging the progress made by trying a new habit, the team was able to continue experim...