In order to think up new and exciting projects, Burrill lets his mind and his body wander in the world. A walk in a new neighbourhood or a weekend trip can give you a different outlook on your surroundings. “I’m constantly looking out for examples of interesting typefaces and graphic images”, says Burrill, “seeing new things helps to spark off new ideas.”

1.     Change your daily routine and look at the world through fresh eyes

When Burrill was young, he used to collect keepsakes from his family travels in scrapbooks – leaflets from museums; tickets for plays, art galleries, and historic sites; receipts from restaurants; photos of everyday landscapes and road signs. Over time he built up a collection of ephemera that continue to inspire his work. Burrill believes that “soaking up new influences is an important part of forming your creative DNA”.

2.     Document everything, take photographs, collect things and keep mementos

When Burrill began his career as an artist, he couldn’t afford a computer, so he had to find new and inventive ways to make things. “It’s much better to use what you have around you then to spend lots of money producing something” says Burrill, “it’s about being clever with what you have and seeing the benefits in the restrictions you have.” It may seem counterintuitive, but limiting yourself may give your creativity more room to flourish.

3.     Be resourceful

While social media is a great way to show off your work, it’s not the best way to stay focused and avoid distraction. Burrill checks his email just three times a day during planned, short answering sessions. This way, he stops his online activity from ruling his day, avoids procrastination and keeps his concentration. Shutting your phone off for the majority of the working day can prevent you from wasting time and help you be more creative.

4.     Keep your phone at arm’s length

After leaving art school, this became Burrill’s mantra – and still is. “Sometimes opportunities come along disguised as something else, you need to learn to look beyond the obvious”, he says. A positive attitude and openness to new projects could lead you to your next creative project.

5.     Say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’

Anthony Burrill has been exhibiting his work in galleries across the world for over 15 years, finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places. I read his book Make it Now! to discover how I too could unleash my creativity. Follow these top tips to do the same.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

problemsolving

Problem Solving

creativity

Creativity

How to be more creative

Book by Rebecca RayBe Happy's techniques are based in the science of Positive Psychology and Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy, the very movements responsible for millions of people improving their well-being. You will learn strategies like choosing joy and gratitude, cultivating positive thought and vision, and making space for good things in your life. Become a happier version of yourself by adjusting your daily routine with these powerful tools!  "Thriving is a psychological state that doesn't just rely on positive feelings like happiness but on the daily choices we make."

Be Happy: 35 Powerful Methods for Personal Growth & Well-Being

CHOOSING emotional states and values that help us to live full lives based on what's important to us deep downJoyGratitudeKindnessPatienceLaughterthe bright sideCourageSelf-loveFlow

Choose

CULTIVATING habits and routines that provide the architecture for a life of flourishingyour inner life your rest & sleep your relationships your positive feelings a calm environment green time your vision your values your goals

Cultivate

PRACTISING (over and over again) methods that create a well-being mindset.mindful productivityovercoming procrastination creativity feeling good enough forward momentum breathing a positive inner voicesetting boundariesgetting perspective

Practice

MAKING SPACE FOR life when it gets hard, so you can face the many ways life trips you up without getting stuck Imperfection Crises Your own journey Holding pain lightly Big decisions Intuition Hope Forgiveness

Make Space

You’ve heard it all before: Just think positive! Just believe! But there’s no quick fix for a happy life. Be Happy is a practical guide for forming 35 daily habits that will lead to a life of thriving rather than just surviving. Let Dr. Rebecca Ray guide you through the four central tenets of Choosing, Cultivating, Practicing, and Making Space for the good things in your world: Choosing to focus on life’s joys instead of its hardships. Cultivating a positive inner voice instead of always criticizing yourself. Practicing mindful productivity instead of multitasking overload. Making Space for crises instead of shutting down when things get tough. Be Happy's techniques are based on the science of Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the very movements responsible for millions of people improving their well-being. Become a happier version of yourself by adjusting your daily routine with these powerful tools! There is no set of habits more important than those that help you thrive—and because Be Happy’s tools are quick, simple, and enjoyable to use—integrating this book into your daily life is easy. Happiness is an emotional state that can be hard to find and hard to hold onto. By using these tools in your daily life, you can gain control over this fickle state and take your ability to thrive into your own hands. The Live Well series from Rock Point invites you to create a life you love through multiple acts of self-discovery and reinvention. These encouraging gift books touch on fun yet hardworking self-improvement strategies, whether it’s learning to value progress over perfection, taking time to meditate and slow down to literally smell the roses, or finding time to show gratitude and develop a personal mantra. From learning how to obtain more restful sleep and creating a healthy work/life balance to developing personal style and your own happy place, the Live Well series encourages you to live your best life. Other titles in the series include: Progress Over Perfection; Find Your Flow; Seeking Slow; Finding Gratitude; Eff This! Meditation; The Joy of Forest Bathing; Find Your Mantra; It Had to be You; Men’s Society; Genius Jokes; The Calm and Cozy Book of Sleep; Beating Burnout; Ayurveda for Life; Choose Happy; and You Got This.

habits

Habits

books

Books

A practical guide for forming thirty-five daily habits that will lead to a life of thriving rather than just surviving. You’ve heard it all before: Just think positive! Just believe! But there’s no quick fix for a happy life. Let Dr. Rebecca Ray guide you through the four central tenets of Choosing, Cultivating, Practicing, and Making Space for the good things in your world:<ul><li>Choosing to focus on life’s joys instead of its hardships.</li><li>Cultivating a positive inner voice instead of always criticizing yourself.</li><li>Practicing mindful productivity instead of multitasking overload.</li><li>Making Space for crises instead of shutting down when things get tough.</li></ul> Be Happy’s techniques are based on the science of Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the very movements responsible for millions of people improving their well-being. Become a happier version of yourself by adjusting your daily routine with these powerful tools! There is no set of habits more important than those that help you thrive—and because Be Happy’s tools are quick, simple, and enjoyable to use—integrating this book into your daily life is easy. Happiness is an emotional state that can be hard to find and hard to hold onto. By using these tools in your daily life, you can gain control over this fickle state and take your ability to thrive into your own hands.

Rebecca Ray

Be Happy

Your brain may only weigh 3 pounds, but it holds the ultimate power that invented the electricity, the telephone, the Internet and millions of other scientific marvels that our world depends upon. Knowing each and every detail about this powerhouse isn’t easy. Scientists around the world have been trying to decode the human brain for centuries but are still unable to understand it completely. So, next time when you’d think you know how your brain works, think again!

A Powerhouse

You’ve got more than 100 billion neurons inside your brain transmitting information at the speed of a bullet train. That’s almost equal to the total number of stars in our galaxy!For all the plans you make, the things you do, and the decisions you take, there are neurons inside your brain sending electrical signals to each other round the clock. Without diving deep into the complexity of this grey matter, let us look at those amazing things about your brain that you should be aware of.

Complexity

If you think you are great at multitasking, I would say think again. Only 2% of human beings can multitask efficiently. This is because the human brain cannot process information from two different sources at the same time.You must be thinking that I’m kidding because you multitask every now and then. You can listen to music while studying or you can easily drive while talking over the phone. A chef is capable of cooking two, three, or maybe four dishes at a time, isn’t it?

A Multitasking Myth

Basically, the tasks that you regularly perform become a part of your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind stores your skills, experiences, and memories so that you won’t stress your brain every time you perform a regular task. This makes it even easier and faster to switch between the two tasks. Moreover, the transition is so dynamic that you would feel like you’re multitasking. But in reality, you’re not.

The placebo effect is one of the most powerful effects in psychology. Moreover, it is widely accepted by medical sciences around the world. A placebo is something that seems to be a real treatment, but it isn’t. It is effective only because of the patient’s belief in the treatment. Similarly, you can easily fool your brain into believing that you’ve had enough sleep, even when you haven’t. A <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-01016-001">research </a>showed that just by thinking that you’ve got a good sleep you can make your brain work more efficiently and in a much better way.

Placebo Sleep

Your brain is inclined towards negative thoughts. Yes, you’re hardwired to focus on negativity and the reason behind it lies far back in history before civilization.In ancient times, paying attention to dangerous, negative, and bad things in the world was literally a matter of life and death. Those who were more attentive to dangerous and negative things were more likely to survive. Though you don’t need to be that attentive anymore, your brain still pays more attention to something that may harm you in the future.

Attraction Towards Negativity

You can make long-lasting beneficial changes to the physical or neurological functioning of the brain. If you like to learn something new or to give up an old bad habit, you can do that in just 3 to 4 weeks. You only have to take one step forward towards your goal every day. Once you visualize what you want and identify the beliefs that support your intention, you just need to take actions that’ll rewire your brain as per your preferences. However, the final result will depend on your consistency and the intensity of performing those actions.

Rewiring Your Brain

Laughter works in a way similar to antidepressants. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21280463/">research </a>showed that laughing literally improves your mental health as it releases the feel-good hormones, namely dopamine and serotonin in your brain. Laughing also helps in decreasing pain while improving the resiliency of your body by releasing endorphins in your brain. So, laugh and spread happiness because you never know who might be needing it.

Laugh!

Your brain may only weigh 3 pounds, but it holds the ultimate power that invented the electricity, the telephone, the Internet and millions of other scientific marvels that our world depends upon…

health

Health

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Things You Should Know About Your Brain

When organizations take time to recognize the hard work that went into the completion of a release or even a bite-sized milestone, this helps employees recharge and stay motivated.

Big launches and milestone achievements deserve to be celebrated

Are these failures discussed? Do employees feel comfortable talking about what went wrong with their manager and team? Does your team take the time to reflect upon these situations through sprint retros or post-incident reviews? Does your team explore ways to overcome these mistakes in the future with a different path forwards or approach?

But what happens when a team fails? 

A psychologically safe work environment encourages team members to speak up with ideas, concerns, or recent failures instead of choosing to remain silent.

What is psychological safety?

e belief that the environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. It is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.

Psychological safety in the workplace

Qhen employees work in a psychologically safe environment, the discretionary effort can improve up to 24%.

2017 Gartner Culture Workforce Survey

By having a psychologically safe environment, employees perceive risk as a good thing, and there is an understanding that employees won’t be seen as ignorant, incompetent, or invalid.

Psychological safety and high-performing teams

There is a tolerance for mistakesEmployees are open about the mistakes they made instead of avoiding them or, worse yet, covering mistakes up. Micro-moments of learning occur regularlyLeaders model curiosity by sharing their ignorance on a topic and asking questions. Employees are empowered to ask questions, poke at proposals.Space is created for reflection and reviewThe team takes time to learn from past performances to help with future improvements. Retrospectives allow teammates to discuss what went well and what didn’t go so well.

Evaluating your organization’s psychological safety

Employees voice radical business and technical ideas. They’re willing to take interpersonal risks by speaking up in meetings, voicing their concerns, and never settling without asking “why.”

Risk-taking is encouraged

Creating a workplace environment that promotes psychological safety is an art, and there is no silver bullet. There are unspoken agreements, company-wide values, leadership qualities, and technology to help support this ongoing work. 

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

teamwork

Teamwork

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

Psychological safety is critical for high-performing teams

Interpersonal skills are often essential to success in your job. Unfortunately, one of the most difficult personalities to work with is someone who thinks they're the smartest. When you work with someone who fails to give others space when sharing ideas, you can still find ways to work with them successfully.

Collaborating with a difficult person

People may behave arrogantly not because they are confident but because they feel insecure. They may be trying to prove themselves. Instead of trying to put them in their place, you may be able to dissipate their arrogance by validating their contribution. When they raise a point, build on it or use it to develop the discussion. Ask them questions and seek their opinion.

Consider motivations

Sometimes, someone intent on proving they're super smart can make you question your own expertise. You need to feel good about your own contribution to work confidently with others. Remind yourself of all you can bring to your position and embrace your talents. This can help to keep you from falling into the comparison trap.

Maintain your confidence

An egocentric person is often loud and abrasive, and you may find it challenging to get your point across. You can be direct and constructive: 'Before we close on this, let's find out what others think." Your team will benefit from the diverse opinions. However, the best balance is where everyone has an opportunity to express their perspective freely.

Stand your ground

If you have tried what you could, but your colleague is still lacking self-awareness, try to direct your thoughts and attention toward something else. If you fixate on this person, your anxiety might grow. Instead, keep your distance as much as you can. Try to continue with a thoughtful and respectful manner towards your coworker. Regardless of the people you interact with, take the opportunity to learn and find ways to improve.

Let it go

Working alongside the so-called smartest person in the room can be difficult but not impossible.


career

Career

communication

Communication

4 tips for working with a colleague who lacks self-awareness

Researchers interviewed successful and effective people to discover how they learned to become successful. They found that: <ul><li>70% of their learning was from the experiences they had.</li><li>20% was from other people.</li><li>10% was from books and courses.</li></ul> We often go through experiences mindlessly. We move from one place to another and don't remember how we got there. We interact mindlessly with other people. However, we can only learn from our experiences if we are present in them.

The 70/20/10 tactic

The growth mindset, or learning mindset, is the idea that you want to come to this experience open to learning instead of clenched-jawed and with a performance mindset. You still want to perform but also learn from others about yourself.

The mindset you bring to experience

<ol><li>Work on your mindset. You won't learn if you try to prove how great you are or prevent people from thinking you're weak.</li><li>Set an intention for how you want to grow. Experiences are random. If you know which area you need to grow, such as being a better listener or more open, you will likely pay more attention to that dimension.</li><li>Consider how you will achieve your intention to grow in a specific area.</li><li>Ask for feedback.</li><li>Emotion regulation. Extreme emotions get in the way of learning. Try to keep them in check.</li><li>Reflection. During and after an experience, think about what you've learned.</li></ol>

Practices of a growth mindset

Experiences that help people learn the most are: <ul><li>Highly visible experiences because they're more challenging.</li><li>Experiences where there's a lot at stake.</li><li>Experiences where you're crossing boundaries. For example, a marketing person works with someone in operations.</li><li>Experiences that cross cultural divides, such as working with someone from a different country, race, gender, or other difference.</li></ul> Experiences are only useful if you have a way of capitalizing on the learning, which involves using the six practices of a growth mindset.

Opportunities to challenge yourself

People returning to the office will want a certain kind of leadership. So it comes down to three things: <ul><li>Confidence, because they are scared and want to know that someone is confident that we'll get through this.</li><li>Competence, so that they can be confident in you.</li><li>Compassion, because they want people that are compassionate about what they're going through.</li></ul>

Types of leaders we need to be

artificialintelligence

Artificial Intelligence

The 70/20/10 Rule For Growing in Your Job

Insanity us doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Before presenting an idea at a meeting or sending an email to your colleague, come up with 3 reasons your idea is bad. Challenge yourself to find the flaws in your own thinking, and then adjust the way you've presented your idea to overcome the weaknesses in your argument.

Come Up With 3 Reasons You're Wrong

Too often we allow "accepted" ways of doing things to infiltrate the way we see the world. We create limiting beliefs for ourselves based on what we think others think of us.
For example, we might decide that we aren't ready to start speaking out in meetings because we are too young / others our age don't ever speak in meetings.
Instead, challenge those limiting beliefs with contrary evidence. 
For example, the last time you spoke out at a meeting, your boss liked your idea. Plus, you're a better speaker than the others. And finally, you genuinely believe your idea is worth sharing.

Find 3 Pieces of Contrary Evidence When You Experience Self-Doubt

We are very often presented with a problem, which we immediately try to solve.
It could be a problem we think we have (e.g. we don't have enough money to go on a nice holiday), or it could be a problem our colleague asks us to help solve at work.
Either way, far too often people waste time trying to solve problems at a superficial level. We don't first seek to understand WHY the problem is a problem at all, or whether there is a more fundamental problem we should be trying to solve. 
So, when presented with a problem, ask "Why?" five times - this helps you identify what is REALLY at stake.

Ask The 5 Whys

Other ways of thinking open us up to new ways of approaching problems we may otherwise struggle to solve. 
Watch YouTube videos or listen to podcasts where you expose yourself to the views of others. AND most importantly, watch / listen with an open mind and allow your views to be challenged.

Study another philosophy, language, religion or industry

Speaking to a friend or family member who doesn't work in the same field as you / know anything about your problem is a great way to think about things differently.
First, you'll have to explain the problem in a very simple and easy-to-understand way, which may help give you some mental clarity / identify where your own understanding is poor. 
Second, their fresh perspective may open your mind to a whole new way of approaching the issue.

Ask someone with no idea

I think we all want to excel in whatever we are doing, and the secret to that is doing things BETTER than others. So, how can we think outside the box, break away from the crowd and start crushing whatever we are doing?

How To Think Outside The Box

1.When people tell you things you don’t agree withDon’t object to them firmly.First acknowledge what they say with words like, “I see what you mean” and continue with your own opinion asking “but have you ever thought about this part of it?” That approach will help you make your point without being interrupted or having someone oppose you. 2. To improve your moodYou can Write down negative thoughts and tossing them in a trash can.And if you are angry, draw lines. Simple patterns relax you. If you feel sad, paint a rainbow.

Here are 6 useful psychological tricks you can use in daily life

3. If you want someone to carry something for you
Hand it over to them while talking. Most people won’t notice that you’re handing them something and they will take it.
But note that this trick may not work on people who are naturally more attentive as well as less close to you.
 4. To make yourself look like a naturally good listener, even if you aren’t one
Paraphrase what someone else has just said and say it again. Remember to not be too obvious though.

5. To get friendlier with a person
Emphasize your shared values. In other words, try finding a point of similarity between the two of you and then highlight it.
This is according to the "similarity-attraction effect”, stating that you are more attracted to those who are similar to you.
 6. To give someone positive memories of your conversation or interaction
Let them talk about themselves. One study showed that when people talked about themselves, the reward system of the brain became activated, meaning talking about oneself felt actually rewarding.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

Here are 6 useful psychological tricks you can use in daily life:

Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) can be an important treatment component for people with <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/what-is-major-depressive-disorder/">severe depression</a>, <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/">posttraumatic stress disorder</a>, and other psychological conditions. This recently developed treatment method seeks to help people who have experienced <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mental-health-and-conditions/trauma/">trauma</a>. Therapists who use this approach believe that it helps clients by desensitizing them to their traumatic memories and making it easier to cope with the memories.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Description, Benefits, Effectiveness

Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) shows promise as a brief intervention for people with trauma-related conditions. ART draws on EMDR, CBT, experiential therapies, Gestalt therapy, and exposure therapy.

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Description, Benefits, Effectiveness - The Human Condition

Pain and pleasure are on a balance. Whenever we experience something that feels great (high dopamine level), the body will regulate itself leading to a slightly lower baseline of dopamine (i.e. less drive, joy, motivation, etc). Repeating this process without giving our body time to get back to "normal" baseline levels of dopamine can emotionally drain us and we feel depressed.

Relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain

Abstinence(e.g. a social media fast or quitting smoking or whatever you feel like you are consuming in too large quantities) resets the brain's reward pathway allowing you to enjoy the simple things in life (a beautiful day, a meaningful conversation, play time with your pet, ...).

Recovery begins with Abstinence

Activities that are exhausting, challenging, or painful like cold showers, confronting one's fears, or working out can increase your dopamine level after you did those activities. However, too much pain is not good either and pain can be addicting as well.

Pain can reset our balance to the side of pleasure

Being honest no matter the consequences improves relationships, awareness and allows us to be more authentic, spontaneous and feel more free in the moment.

The positive impact of radical honesty

Destructive shame means pushing someone away in response to uncovering their addictive behavior. This results in that person feeling isolated and more likely to lie about that behavior in the future leading to more isolation. This isolation will then lead to more overconsumption, thus, creating a destructive cycle. Prosocial shame means accepting someone's flaws without shunning them. It is based on the idea that everyone makes mistakes and people need to be forgiven. However, this does not mean encouraging addictive behavior

Prosocial Shame vs. Destructive Shame

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant… riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick As heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting… The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain…and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, as heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.   In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Dr. Anna Lembke is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Dr. Anna Lembke has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Dr. Anna Lembke's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Dr. Anna Lembke

Dopamine Nation

Find  Self Improvement Tips - Curated from popular Books like Atomic Habits, 48 Rules of Power, Deep Work, Rich Dad Poor Dad and way more!