Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt due to experience. It is an umbrella term referring to the brain's ability to change, reorganize, or grow neural networks. This can involve functional changes due to brain damage or structural changes due to learning.

Plasticity refers to the brain's malleability or ability to change; it does not imply that the brain is plastic. Neuro refers to neurons, the nerve cells that are the building blocks of the brain and nervous system. Thus, neuroplasticity allows nerve cells to change or adjust.

Types of Neuroplasticity

The human brain is composed of approximately 100 billion neurons.1 Early researchers believed that neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, stopped shortly after birth.​

Today, it's understood that the brain's neuroplasticity allows it to reorganize pathways, create new connections, and, in some cases, even create new neurons.

There are two main types of neuroplasticity:

• Functional plasticity is the brain's ability to move functions from a damaged area of the brain to other undamaged areas
• Structural plasticity is the brain's ability to actually change its physical structure as a result of learning.

How Neuroplasticity Works

The first few years of a child's life are a time of rapid brain growth. At birth, every neuron in the cerebral cortex has an estimated 2,500 synapses, or small gaps between neurons where nerve impulses are relayed. By the age of three, this number has grown to a whopping 15,000 synapses per neuron.

The average adult, however, only has about half that number of synapses. Why? Because as we gain new experiences, some connections are strengthened while others are eliminated. This process is known as synaptic pruning.

Neurons that are used frequently develop stronger connections. Those that are rarely or never used eventually die. By developing new connections and pruning away weak ones, the brain can adapt to the changing environment.

Benefits of Neuroplasticity

There are many benefits of brain neuroplasticity. Allowing your brain to adapt and change helps promote:

• The ability to learn new things
• The ability to enhance existing cognitive capabilities
• Recovery from strokes and traumatic brain injuries
• Strengthening areas where function is lost or has declined
• Improvements that can boost brain fitness 

Characteristics of Neuroplasticity

There are a few defining characteristics of neuroplasticity.

Age and Environment Play a Role

While plasticity occurs throughout the lifetime, certain types of changes are more predominant at specific ages. The brain tends to change a great deal during the early years of life, for example, as the immature brain grows and organizes itself.

Generally, young brains tend to be more sensitive and responsive to experiences than much older brains.4 But this does not mean that adult brains are not capable of adaptation.

Genetics can have an influence as well. The interaction between the environment and genetics also plays a role in shaping the brain's plasticity.

Neuroplasticity Is an Ongoing Process

Plasticity is ongoing throughout life and involves brain cells other than neurons, including glial and vascular cells. It can occur as a result of learning, experience, and memory formation, or as a result of damage to the brain.

"While people used to believe that the brain became fixed after a certain age, newer research has revealed that the brain never stops changing in response to learning."

In instances of damage to the brain, such as during a stroke, the areas of the brain associated with certain functions may be injured. Eventually, healthy parts of the brain may take over those functions and the abilities can be restored.

Brain Plasticity Has Limitations

It is important to note, however, that the brain is not infinitely malleable. Certain areas of the brain are largely responsible for certain actions. For example, there are areas of the brain that play critical roles in movement, language, speech, and cognition.

Damage to key areas of the brain can result in deficits in those areas because, while some recovery may be possible, other areas of the brain simply cannot fully take over those functions that were affected by the damage.

How to Improve Neuroplasticity

There are steps you can take to help encourage your brain to adapt and change, at any age.

Enrich Your Environment

Learning environments that offer plenty of opportunities for focused attention, novelty, and challenge have been shown to stimulate positive changes in the brain. This is particularly important during childhood and adolescence, but enriching your environment can continue to provide brain rewards well into adulthood.

Stimulating your brain might mean:

• Learning a new language
• Learning how to play an instrument
• Traveling and exploring new places
• Creating art and other creative pursuits
• Reading

Get Plenty of Rest

Research has shown that sleep plays an important role in dendritic growth in the brain.10 Dendrites are the growths at the end of neurons that help transmit information from one neuron to the next. By strengthening these connections, you may be able to encourage greater brain plasticity.

Sleep has been shown to have important effects on both physical and mental health. Some researchers suggest that this is partly due to genetics and partly due to the makeup of the grey matter in the brain.

You can improve your sleep by practicing good sleep hygiene. This includes developing a consistent sleep schedule and creating an environment that contributes to good sleep.

Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity has a number of brain benefits. Some research indicates that exercise might help prevent neuron loss in key areas of the hippocampus,12 a part of the brain involved in memory and other functions. Other studies suggest that exercise plays a role in new neuron formation in this same region.

A 2021 study adds that physical exercise also appears to boost brain plasticity through its impact on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, a protein that impacts nerve growth), functional connectivity, and the basal ganglia—the part of the brain responsible for motor control and learning.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercises (such as walking, dancing, swimming, or cycling) per week and a minimum of two days of strength training exercises (lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises).

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness entails completely immersing your mind in the present moment, without ruminating over the past or contemplating the future. Awareness of the sights, sounds, and sensations around you is key. Many studies have shown that cultivating and practicing mindfulness can foster the brain's neuroplasticity.

Play

Games aren't just for kids: Studies show that playing board, card, video, and other games can improve your brain's neuroplasticity.

Problems With Brain Plasticity

Brain changes are often seen as improvements, but this is not always the case. In some instances, the brain's structure and function can be negatively influenced or changed.

For example, brain plasticity can be problematic when it allows detrimental changes caused by substance use, disease, or trauma (including brain injury or traumatic experiences that result in post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD). Even lead poisoning can negatively impact brain plasticity.

There are also some medical conditions that can limit or hinder brain plasticity. Among them are a variety of pediatric neurological disorders such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, tuberous sclerosis, and Fragile X syndrome.

How Neuroplasticity Was Discovered

Beliefs and theories about how the brain works have evolved substantially through the years. Early researchers believed that the brain was "fixed," while modern advances have shown that the brain is more flexible.

Early Theories

Up until the 1960s, researchers believed that changes in the brain could only take place during infancy and childhood. By early adulthood, it was believed that the brain's physical structure was mostly permanent.

In his 2007 book, "The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph From the Frontiers of Brain Science," which took a historical look at early theories, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge suggested that this belief that the brain was incapable of change primarily stemmed from three major sources:21

• An ancient belief that the brain was much like an extraordinary machine, capable of astonishing things yet incapable of growth and change
• The inability to actually observe the microscopic activities of the brain.
• The observation that people who had suffered serious brain damage were often unable to recover

​Early on, psychologist William James suggested that the brain was perhaps not as unchanging as previously believed. Way back in 1890, in his book "The Principles of Psychology," he wrote, "Organic matter, especially nervous tissue, seems endowed with a very extraordinary degree of plasticity."22 However, this idea went largely ignored for many years.

Modern Theories

In the 1920s, researcher Karl Lashley found evidence of changes in neural pathways of rhesus monkeys. By the 1960s, researchers began to explore cases in which older adults who had suffered massive strokes were able to regain functioning, demonstrating that the brain was more malleable than previously believed. Modern researchers have also found evidence that the brain is able to rewire itself following damage.

Thanks to advances in technology, researchers are able to get a never-before-possible look at the brain's inner workings. As the study of modern neuroscience flourishes, research has demonstrated that people are not limited to the mental abilities they are born with and that damaged brains are often quite capable of remarkable change.

Interested in how you can include neuroplasticity in your valuable work with your clients or on your SELF? Learn how you can transform yourself and your community, creating a life of your dreams, with science-backed principles. Request a brochure about the Neuro Change Method Practitioner Program here and mention my name.

There is a lot more to goal setting than just picking a goal and moving forward. While that is important, it’s also important to ensure that you are setting the right goals at the right time so that you can truly be successful. In order to ensure that you are setting the right goals for yourself, answer the following questions:

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Are You Setting Specific and Realistic Goals?

It takes a little research to ensure that a goal is realistic. If you’re not sure if something is actually achievable then you’ve not done enough research. Once you’ve set a goal that is indeed realistic, then you need to be specific enough in your description of it so that it’s also easy to take the goal, and work backwards to create a schedule of actions needed to succeed.

Are Your Goals Multifaceted?

Focusing on only one part of your life is a bad idea. People live multifaceted lives and need to make goals for all areas of their lives in order to feel successful. If you have a wonderful business and career but your personal life suffers, then no matter how successful you are, you will not feel successful. Something will always feel as if it’s missing from your life if your goals aren’t inclusive. Therefore, make sure your goals include something from each aspect of your life.

Is Your Scheduling Representative of Real Need?

Once you create the schedule for yourself to reach each goal that you’ve set, you need to truly consider how representative it is of reality. Say your goal is to be healthy and reduce your cholesterol by 10 percent in six months. But, you haven’t set aside the time needed to exercise and eat right. If you don’t schedule in the time needed, you won’t succeed because something will always be in your way taking time away from you. It will be very frustrating to practice your schedule because it doesn’t represent reality.

For instance, if you are going to exercise 30 minutes per day, setting aside only 30 minutes isn’t going to be realistic. You’ll probably need to set aside an hour to account for getting ready as well as cooling down or getting cleaned up to go back to work.

Are You Learning from Failure?

Many times when setting goals and schedules, instead of learning from failure, people give up. Using the example above, once you implement your schedule to reach the goals that you have set, when you notice there are things you’ve forgotten to take into account, don’t give up. Learn from the failure and change the schedule to be more realistic.

You might find that in practice you have to rewrite all your goals and your schedule, but this is perfectly acceptable. Many people believe failure is something negative, but the truth is, if you don’t fail sometimes you’re not going to learn much and it’s likely your goals are too easy.

Do Your Goals Represent Your Needs and Wants or Someone Else’s?

A lot of people set goals that represent what someone else wants instead of what they want. This can really cause a lot of bad feelings and resentment which can derail the best laid plans. As you set your goals for your life, ask yourself if they’re really what you want for yourself or what someone else wants for you. Ask yourself if you’re okay with any goal you make being for someone else before you embark on your journey.

It’s okay to do things because of someone else, but it’s important that you are honest about that and make some goals for yourself too that don’t involve anyone else’s needs or wants.

Are You Checking in Often to Stay on Track?

Schedules are very important to the success of reaching any goal in life. To do lists pale in comparison to a well laid out calendar of tasks and activities that get you from point “A” to point “B”. Ensure that you look at your schedule every morning and every night and note when you succeed on sticking to your schedule and where you don’t. Noticing a pattern of activity can be helpful in fixing a poorly written schedule as well as staying realistic about whether or not you’re sticking to the plan.

Are Your Goals Focused Positively?

When writing a goal, it’s important to write them in a positive way, or at least a way that feels positive to you. In the quest to improve your life, try writing down a goal and then changing the words to sound more positive to see if it isn’t more motivating. For instance, “losing weight” seems like a good goal, but for some people it might signify deprivation. So instead, the person might frame the goal as “improving my BMI by 10 points” or “improving my cholesterol by 10 percent.”

Do You Have Too Many Goals Set at One Time?

Just as setting too few goals can be a problem, so can setting too many. Everyone has a personal life and a career life and points in between. If you have set goals in too many areas of life at once, you might tire yourself out and get overwhelmed. Instead pick one personal goal, and one other type of goal to focus on until you reach them, and then you can add more goals as time goes on. You don’t need to do everything today. Slow and steady wins the race is a good motto to hang on to.

Setting the right goals for yourself takes some thought and consideration. Don’t try to set all your goals in one day - instead, set some goals in different stages and in different areas of your life and give a lot of thought to why you’re making the goal in the first place.

II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“It’s harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals.”

― Patt Sumitt was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012.

“The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

― Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known simply as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance born in the Republic of Florence, who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art.

Source: developgoodhabits.com/wikipedia

III. 1 QUESTION FOR YOU

What are your short term goals that will help you achieve your longterm goals?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

In order to prioritize your goals, you’ll need to have a good understanding of what you need to be happy in your life. There are typically four areas in which most people make goals:

1. Family – Spending more time with your kids or partner
2. Financial – Saving toward your six-month emergency cash or starting a business
3. Physical – Being healthy and more active
4. Personal – Getting more education, or devoting more time to spiritual pursuits

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Within each of these areas are numerous concerns, but most goals can be summed up into one of these four areas. As to which goals are most important at any given time, you’ll need to ask yourself some questions to determine where to place your focus.

* Which goals nag at you most often? – What keeps you up at night that worries you? Are your finances suffering because you cannot earn enough money at your current job and you want to figure out how to get off the debt treadmill? This is a goal that fits in with all four of the areas above because financial stress can cause a lot of problems with your health and personal development as well as cause problems within the family.

* Which goals can be accomplished most easily? – Some goals are very short term but give maximum impact without too much work. For instance, maybe you have a goal of walking 15 minutes per day. This goal may only fit in with the personal and physical areas above, but walking 15 minutes per day will not take much away from the other areas and can give you huge results and a feeling of accomplishment.

* Which goals would give you the most pride in yourself? – Will you feel better if you lose 20 pounds or will you feel better if you spend 20 minutes extra with your son? Keep in mind there is no wrong answer, although being healthy might ultimately give you more time in terms of years with your son.

* Which goals have the most permanent results? – When choosing whether to spend that extra money on your degree, determine how permanent the results are, and realize that no one can take that degree from you; it will always be an accomplishment. What is it worth?

* Which goals will still impact me in 5 years, or 10 years? – If you start a business today, and work daily toward meeting the goals of that business, what will be different in five or ten years? How will that impact you now and in the future?

* Which goals align with your core values in life? – Any goal that fits into all four areas of your life is worth pursuing if it also fits into your schedule at the time.

* Which goals are completely up to you, that you control 100 percent? – Remember that you cannot control what anyone else does, so if any goal relies on the participation of someone else, and you don’t have their participation, you might want to switch gears and focus on something only you control.

* Which goals are just for you? – Some goals are completely personal in nature and have nothing to do with anyone else. For instance, you might want to read a particular author that has nothing to do with anything but your own pleasure. This is perfectly fine.

* Which goals are just for others? – There are “should” that often get in the way of proper goal setting and these are goals that are only for other people. Your spouse wants you to lose weight, your mom wants you to go to college, your best friend wants you to start a business. None of these are a good reason to do something, although as long as you know going in why, it’s okay to make it a goal.

* Which goals cause you the most fear? Why? – Sometimes the very thing you fear most is what’s best for you to do. Look clearly at your goal and figure out why it frightens you. Sometimes it’s the unknown, and like ripping off a Band-Aid, just doing it might be the best cure.

* Which goals make you excited? – Some goals immediately send tingles down your body and into your mind, pushing you forward to doing it. These are goals that are easy to do and probably impact your life a lot. However, do pay attention because if it’s a goal of becoming the high scorer on a video game you might want to question your “why”.

* Which goals are most realistic? – The best goals to put first are the goals that best fit into your life today, cover all four areas of life, and still fit into your schedule and where you control 100 percent of the effort. When you answer all these questions, you’ll be able to see how the goals practically organize themselves. Try making a chart and adding each goal to the four areas, then choosing the ones that cross the most areas to add to your schedule first.

II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“Today's priorities should be reflective of tomorrow's regrets that you don't want.”

― Germany Kent is an American print and broadcast journalist. Kent has also authored ten non-fiction books, including The Hope Handbook series, and You Are What You Tweet. Kent is also regarded as a social media etiquette expert.

“The key is to not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

― Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman,
and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People.

Source: goodreads.com/wikipedia

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

What will provide the most value for you and how great is the impact?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance
Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

If you think about the word commitment, what comes up for you? Does it sound like a chore or a burden, or perhaps something that you have to do instead of want to do? Well committing to positive actions is different and not like that at all.

When you commit yourself to positive actions, guess what. You gain all the benefits and reap all the rewards. Committing yourself to positive action means committing to your authentic self.
​
Although commitment may sound like a bad word, when it comes to committing yourself to positive actions, there are a few steps you can take to make it easier.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Start Small

If you are like most individuals, you may have set grand goals and desires only to fall flat and feel as though you have failed. More often than not setting goals that are too big is one surefire way to flop.

When you have a desire, a dream, or a vision, it is important to set smaller goals, ones that are more manageable. When your goals are more manageable, they are quite simply easier to achieve.

Once you have achieved one small goal, the feeling of confidence in you will soar and you will be able to achieve the next bigger goal.

Have an Accountability Partner

Once you have chosen and set smaller goals, find yourself a buddy, co-worker, or family member who will sign up to be your accountability partner. So, when you set those goals, you will now have someone to answer to so to speak.

In other words, make a promise and have someone check in on you to see if you are keeping that promise. It might be to sign up for a class or it might be to make a phone call. Whatever it is, have someone to answer to and you will see how this has a positive impact on your end goal.

Reward Yourself

Whenever you reach a goal no matter how big or small, reward yourself. Whatever the goal was whether it was to find one new client or to lose five pounds, when you reach your goal reward yourself.

If you start out small, have someone you are accountable for when you make a promise to yourself, and reward yourself whenever you reach a goal no matter how big or small, you will see how easy it is to commit yourself to positive actions.

II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something
inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”

― Christian D. Larson was an American New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books. He is credited by Horatio Dresser as being a founder in the New Thought movement.

“When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape”

― Andy Andrews is an American author whose work has appeared on The New York Times bestseller lists in the categories of Hardcover Fiction, Hardcover Nonfiction, Business, and Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous.

Source: quotemaster.org/wikipedia

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

What went well and what could have gone better today?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance
Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

Have you ever heard the phrase low impact living and wondered what it is? It almost sounds like it means you live your life not moving around a lot. That's not exactly it, though. Low impact living refers to the amount of impact you have on the planet. That's at its absolute basic breakdown, but it's really more than that. Here's what it means to live a low impact life.

I. IDEAS FROM ME
​
You have to really plan to live a low impact lifestyle today. We live in such a disposable world that it's hard to not just run out and buy new all the time. And really, nothing is created to last anymore. Furniture, appliances, and even computers either don't last or become obsolete the moment you make the purchase. But living a life with as little impact as possible on the planet is not impossible to achieve. Here's what you need to do:

* Invest in your future. No, this doesn't mean education. Invest in things like cloth grocery bags, cloth produce bags, a reusable water bottle/coffee mug, bus pass or bike. These things can pay off in the end. While you might have to purchase those grocery bags initially, many grocery stores give you a refund for each bag you use of your own. You could pay off the purchase of these bags in just a few trips to the grocery store.

* Be prepared. Keep a few cloth grocery bags in your car and an extra water bottle/coffee mug. You never know when you'll need to run to the grocery store for something and you don't want to be caught unprepared for that trip and have to use the store's plastic bags. So being prepared will come in handy.

* Cook from scratch. Making your own sauces will use less garbage. Less waste means less impact on the environment.

* Live a minimalist lifestyle. Only purchase the clothes that you need to get you through until you wash again. Plan your shopping trips and don't stray from them. Making your own clothes will lower your impact on the environment as well. Being able to mend your own clothes instead of throwing them out will be great too.

* Buy used. Shopping in thrift stores is a good way to get some great gently used items that you need in your home. If your refrigerator goes and it can't be fixed, go with used instead of buying new. Older appliances are easier to repair anyways so you'll save money this way.

* Recycle and compost. When something has outlived its usefulness to you, that doesn't mean it's no longer useful to someone else. That refrigerator that's not worth repairing could make great parts for a refrigerator repairman. So see if you can find someone to take it off your hands.

* Refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever you can. If you follow this method of thinking when it comes to the way you live, then you'll live a low impact life.

Low impact living does not mean you have to give up certain luxuries and comforts. You can still live a very full life while also remaining a small blip on the screen of life. So give low impact living a try. You might find it to be really easy to achieve and maintain.

II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“Have the courage to build your life around what is really most important to you.”

― Joshua Becker is an American author, writer, and philanthropist.Becker has spoken publicly on his writing and on minimalism throughout America and internationally. He maintains the website Becoming Minimalist which was named one of the top ten personal development websites by SUCCESS Magazine in 2015.

“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”

― Francine Jay pioneered the minimalist living movement with her blog, MissMinimalist.com, and her book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life. In 2009, she and her husband sold their house, and all their possessions, and moved overseas with one suitcase each.

Source: lowimpactlove.com/wikipedia

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

In your opinion, is low impact lifestyle really possible today?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

Have you ever started something new - a new job, a new sport, even a new game and you’re trying to learn the information and it feels like your brain might explode? That’s an exaggerated symptom of information overload. But, most people are experiencing it daily from normal life due to fast access to information via the internet.

Information overload can cause the following symptoms:
* Headache
* Stress
* Moodiness
* Overweight
* Cardiovascular issues
* And more…

Plus, often it can cause problems in interpersonal relationships and work relationships. The reason is that most information overload is a choice you make. You choose to be on social media all day; you choose to watch every single news station and every single pundit on TV talk about whatever is the topic of the day.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

It’s Like Drinking Water from a Fire Hydrant

Anytime you want to learn something, it’s tempting to start gathering tons of information. And due to the net, it’s easy to get drawn down into the rabbit hole of unending information. It becomes hard to determine what information is good and what information is bad.

It Leads to Poor Information Filtering

When you are bombarded with so much information, your brain can’t filter it properly. Your brain does something called twigging, which means that instead of filtering information in terms of importance it just generalizes all information as being the same. This is terrible for decision making.

It Leads to Bad Choices

If you can’t properly filter information to determine what is true, what is right and what is wrong, you’ll have a hard time making the right choices. The information overload causes you to choose wrongly on any number of issues, because with so much noise going on you can't determine what is right.

It Harms Your Relationships

Information overload can harm your relationships. If you’re always reading your smartphone, looking at social media and aren’t present in your life, it can hurt intimacy. If your partner and friends are complaining, take heed.

It Leads to Black and White Thinking

The world is not black and white. The world is colorful, black, white, gray and everything in between and more. The same can be said for a lot of issues. There are very few issues that are either right or wrong, black or white.

If you have too much information at your fingertips and are rating everything the same, it’s easy to see things as black and white, which can make it hard to negotiate a happy life and successful business.

It Can Lead to Mental Issues Like Depression

When you get to the point of information overload, a lot of people experience mental problems such as short-term memory issues and even depression. If you find that you’re just feeling mixed up a lot, forget appointments and aren’t doing your best at home or work, consider information overload as a potential culprit.

Information overload can be a big problem for a lot of people. People are wrecking their cars due to not being able to turn away from looking at their text messages. Who knows how much money is lost in overall productivity due to information overload.

You can do your part by trying to limit information overload for yourself and your family. You can also encourage co-workers and employees to avoid multitasking and focus training on smaller topics rather than broad ones.

II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“The result of information overload is usually distraction, and it dilutes your focus and takes you off your game.”

― Zig Ziglar was born in year 1926 in Alabama, the infamous Zig Ziglar is one of the world's most popular and motivational speakers. His real name was Hilary Hinton Ziglar but the man came to be known as Zig Ziglar as his alias which originated from his pet name in elementary school during the 1930s in Mississippi.

“When information overload occurs, pattern recognition is how to determine truth.”

― Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian philosopher, whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, McLuhan studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge.

Source: azquotes.com/quotefancy.com/wikipedia

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

How do you identify information overload and how do you handle it?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers
​
Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

If you’ve created a time management plan and still failed to reach your goals, it’s likely because you’re too flexible and easy on yourself and others when it comes to the schedule. The sorry fact is that time is not limitless. You can’t get more. You can’t work harder to get more of it; it’s a finite resource that cannot be increased or replaced. When you realize that time is finite and that there really might not be some future distant tomorrow, you might start being more ruthless with the time you’ve got. Follow these tips to make time management so much easier.


I. IDEAS FROM ME

Just Say No – The biggest factor in being ruthless with your time is learning to say no. If you really do not want to do something, you must say no. There is no sin in saying no. The only reason you feel guilty about the word is that your mother taught you saying no was wrong. It’s time to realize that as a grown-up you can now say no.

Get Up on Time – This is a hard one for many but it doesn’t have to be hard as you think. If you are a small business owner who works from home, it’s actually pretty easy. You do not need more than seven or eight hours of sleep a night. If you can limit your sleep to no more than eight hours, you will gain time. If you typically sleep less than six you may need to get in a bit more sleep to be most productive with your time.

Try to Be Early – If you need to drive places or you have deadlines for work, schedule your time so that you are going to be early. The reason is that this is one of the ways to eliminate urgency from your life, which in turn causes stress and can cause problems with time management. This way if something does happen out of the ordinary, you will still have time to meet a deadline and be on time.

Turn Off Technology – The very thing that is supposed to make our time more productive can have the opposite effect too. The notifications of new emails, your Facebook stream, and unscheduled time on Pinterest can get out of hand. Turn it off. You’ll gain so much more time. That includes your TV, too.

Understand Your Internal Clock – Everyone has an internal time clock. It’s important not to fight against that and be aware of what it is. Some people are early risers and some people are night owls and others are in between. It’s important for you to determine for yourself what your own internal clock is and then work with it.

Make Lists – If you understand each step that goes behind a calendar listing, it will be more beneficial because it’s easier to allocate enough time for each thing when you know what it takes to complete any given task. You won’t be able to accurately determine the time it takes without all the information.

Calendar It – Put everything in your calendar including everyday tasks, small steps for a project due in the future, and time with family, friends and yourself. Don’t skip this step so that when someone asks for your time you can easily schedule them in (or not) based on your availability.

Avoid Meetings – Some meetings are important, such as a first client meeting to establish goals and determine tactics, but after that almost everything else can be accomplished through updates in a project management system. There is no real need for weekly meetings for updates, or to discuss anything that can easily be put into a memo.

Touch “It” Only Once – Another way to be ruthless with your time is to not allow yourself to wait to do things later. If you get an email that requires a response, do it now. If you check your snail mail and a bill needs to be paid, schedule it now. If you get junk mail, delete it now. Only check your mail when you have time to deal with these issues.

Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself in terms of the hours you schedule yourself to work. Yes, be ruthless about the schedule, but also schedule in fun time. Humans aren’t designed to work 20 hours a day. Go ahead, schedule 8 to 10 hours a day of work. But, in between, schedule in breaks. Time with friends, family and spouses during any given work day is important too. Also, remember to schedule in breaks like weekends and vacations. If you do that, it’ll be so much easier to be ruthless with time and stick to your schedule normally.


II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“You must be ruthless with your time. Learn to say no. Having the courage to say no to the little things in life will give you the power to say yes to the big things. Ironically, people will respect you more when they see that you are a person who values time.”

― Robin Sharma is a Canadian writer, best known for his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book series. Sharma worked as a litigation lawyer until age 25, when he self-published Mega Living, a book on stress management and spirituality.

“Time is a created thing. To say “I don’t have time” is to say “I don’t want to.”

― Lao Tzu also rendered as Laozi and Lao-Tze, was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.


III. 1 QUESTION FOR YOU

How do you value your time?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing

As the saying goes, “Money can’t buy you happiness.” Or can it? Having a sufficient amount of money can certainly lower stress, but having an excess of it will not make you happier than anyone else. So can money buy you happiness or not? Here are a few thoughts to ponder on the subject.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Money Can Buy You a Limited Amount of Happiness

Studies have shown that yes, having enough money to meet your needs and those of your family does bring happiness. People living in poverty are generally less happy than those whose needs are met. Being able to pay for your bills and having enough to get by financially will help you succeed in feeling happy.

Excess Money Doesn’t Equal Excess Happiness

Having more money than you need, however, will not bring you extra happiness. Money and happiness are not proportional. Someone with enough money to buy a large house and several cars will not necessarily have more happiness than another individual with exactly what they need.

Money Brings Stresses of Its Own

There is stress that goes along with having money. Whether you have a little or a lot, you likely know about this stress. There is the stress of knowing you need to spend what you have wisely, as well as the fact that people with ulterior motives are drawn to those who are financially wealthy.

Not About What Comes in But What Goes Out

It is not so much the amount of money that you make that ensures your happiness, but about what you are spending it on and where it is going on the way out. There are some principles for using money that can help you to feel more satisfied. Where you put your money and who receives it can make a difference as to whether you gained something by having had it.

Spend on Experiences, Not Things

Buying more things is not proven to make a person happy. Although investing in items that will last seems like a wise move, studies show that we tend to adjust to what we obtain. Having these things doesn’t continue bringing unlimited happiness.

We are more likely to have long-term happiness when money is spent on experiences which will give us lasting memories. Whether this means going on vacation by yourself or with your family, or making time to do something fun every now and then… be sure to create experiences rather than purchasing something that will simply fade away over time.

Give It Away

Giving is one of the most satisfying things you can do with your money. Whether it is to charity or a friend in need, find a way to give back and share what you have. This is a way to spend that will bring long-term personal rewards.

The short answer is no; you do not need money to be happy. Money can be useful, however, to prevent stress that can diminish the happiness that you do have. No matter what amount of money you have, use these tips to help achieve the level of happiness you desire, and live a life filled with joy.


II. QUOTE FROM OTHERS

“Money won’t make you happy... but everyone wants to find out for themselves.”

― Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker.

“It is good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy.”

― George Horace Lorimer was an American journalist, author and publisher. He is best known as the editor of The Saturday Evening Post, which he led from 1899 to 1936. During his editorial reign, the Post rose from a circulation of several thousand to more than one million.


III. 1 QUESTION FOR YOU

How much money do you need to be happy?

Until next week,

Ruth and 
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

Most people feel as if there is too much to do every day and not enough time to do it. But, how does that explain those people who are super-productive and seem to get so much more done than the average person? The way to explain it is that they’ve found what they want to do, and they do what they want to do, and nothing else.


I. IDEAS FROM ME

* Determine What’s Important – There are some things that really aren’t that important but you do them anyway. Maybe you talk on the phone to a relative every day for an hour but you really don’t want to and don’t have time to, but you don’t know how to stop it. Sit down and brainstorm what is important in your life and who is important in your life so that you can focus on those things.

* Schedule Everything – Once you know what’s important, use a good calendar to schedule everything, including leisure time. It might not sound romantic, but scheduling in date night with your spouse and sticking to it will ensure that it happens, while spontaneity is usually impossible for most people. Ultimately, if something is important to do, it’s important to get it into your calendar. When you schedule things, be realistic about the time factor so you don’t overbook yourself.

* Learn to Say No – You probably have a lot of people, family, friends, co-workers and bosses asking you to do all sorts of things that you really don’t want to do, don’t care about doing, and don’t really make a big difference in your life other than to suck time from your day. Realize that it’s OK to say no to things that just aren’t important to you. It’s okay if people think you’re a horrible person too. They’ll get used to it and find someone else to sucker into doing everything.

* Start Your Own Business – There is a saying that only entrepreneurs quit a 40-hour-a-week job to work 80 and call it freedom. But, it doesn’t really have to be all that bad. Entrepreneurs often have a great work-life balance that you can’t have working for someone else. The trick is to pick a business that can eventually be handed off so that you only manage it, and other people do the work.

* Turn Off the TV – It’s amazing what kind of time TV sucks from your life these days. Now that we have Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming technology, anything we want to watch is available on demand. This makes binge watching a real thing. Save binge watching TV for when you’re sick, the weather is bad, or it’s that time of the month. Try to limit your TV (show watching) time to less than one hour a day. Then only watch it if you can combine it with physical activity to help you stay healthy.

* Get Off the Internet – A lot of people get online and call it “work” or “research”, but all they’re really doing is messing around. Reading Facebook for hours on end is
not work or research; it’s a time sucker. While it’s fun, try to let go of doing it. Time yourself to find out how much time you’re wasting, then set a limit. Everyone deserves fun, and if this is fun for you, you should not give it up. Just limit it.

* Automate What You Can – There are so many things these days that can be automated, with the right time and money. For example, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get many things auto shipped to you, which will save you a trip to the grocery store. Look up “the internet of things” and you’ll be amazed at the type of automation that exists today.

* Outsource What You Can – There was a story that made the rounds in 2013 about a man who outsourced his Verizon security job to China. Read more about it here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/16/169528579/outsourced-employee-sends-own-job-to-china-surfs-web.

Unless you own your own business you probably don’t want to go that far with it, but you can outsource a lot of things such as yard work, housework, and even cooking if you have the funds to do it. If you don’t like doing it, you can outsource it to someone else, giving yourself that added time to do what you do like doing.

* Follow Your Body’s Rhythm – Many people are running around trying to beat the clock while running on fumes. They are doing that because their internal body clock is not set to run from morning to night like our society tries to run. It’s easier to do this if you have your own business, but try as much as you can to work and sleep when your body wants to do that instead of forcing it out of its natural rhythm. You’ll be more productive; thus, you’ll save more time.

Getting more free time in your life might seem difficult. You might think you’ll always be on that treadmill of working and sleeping without any breaks. But, if you schedule things better, find a better job that works with your needs, and focus on what’s important in your life, you can manage to find more free time in your life.


II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”

• Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”

• Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.

Source: wikipedia.com/orderyourlife.com


III. A QUESTION FOR YOU

How do you motivate yourself to organize your life?

Until next week,
Ruth and 
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!