"What's eight times eight?" I asked Isabelle, my 9-year-old daughter who was practicing her times tables. Her eyes glazed over. We were on a plane and had about two hours to kill. I figured running through the twos to the twelves would take about … [Read more...]
Three Questions that Help Me Live a Fulfilling Life
August 16, 2011 By 4 Comments
I am on a plane with my wife Eleanor as we fly back from our once-a-year-without-children vacation. It was, for us, the perfect week. After years of planning vacations, we've finally figured out how to reliably create a meaningful, fun, fulfilling … [Read more...]
How to Stay Focused on the Important Things
July 29, 2011 By 4 Comments
"I want to pass something by you," I said to my friend Jori* who has lost 80 pounds over the past six months. "Our ability to lose weight is based on our willingness to suffer through discomfort. To be a little hungry and yet to resist the temptation … [Read more...]
Too Much to Do? Take on More
May 10, 2011 By
I know how to handle stress. I know that each day I need to get seven or eight hours of sleep and an hour or so of exercise. I know I need to meditate for a few minutes and eat normal sized, well-balanced meals. I know I need to take deep, calming … [Read more...]
What To Do With Your To-Do List
March 2, 2011 By
Last week, in A Better Way to Manage Your To-Do List, I wrote about the importance of using your calendar — not your to-do list — as your main tool to guide what you do in a day. Transferring items from your to-do list to your calendar … [Read more...]
A Better Way to Manage Your To-Do List
February 24, 2011 By
When my wife Eleanor was a little girl, maybe nine or ten years old, she needed new shoes. So she told her mother and they agreed to go shoe shopping the following Saturday morning. But when Saturday rolled around, Eleanor's mother was too busy and … [Read more...]
Optimize Transition Time (And Stop Being Late)
January 26, 2010 By
At 6 pm, my wife Eleanor was looking tense. "We are so late!" she said. After a great day of skiing in the Catskills, we were driving back to New York City, for a dinner party that was called for 7 pm. "What do you mean?" I responded, "The party … [Read more...]
