In the past, work was often simple and predictable. There were fixed processes and predictable outcomes, as Armand Hatchuel describes. This made it easy to measure and manage performance. If there were problems, such as a broken machine or a sick employee, managers could quickly intervene to achieve the same results.

Today, work is different. Hatchuel calls this “unconfined” work. It involves jobs like knowledge work, care work, and creative work, where you don’t know in advance what the outcome will be. Innovation and surprising outcomes are often the goal. This means you only know what the result is once it’s finished. There is a lot of uncertainty about how much effort it takes to achieve these unpredictable results. For example, a home care worker doesn’t know what they will encounter with a client, a designer doesn’t know how a client will react to an idea, and a software developer can’t always predict what problems will arise with the code.

Modern work is thus unconfined because it is not tied to fixed rules or predictable results. It requires a lot of flexibility and adaptability from workers, whether the work is physical or mental. The real challenge is dealing with the absence of boundaries and navigating the uncertainties and complexities that come with this type of work.

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• Spend a little attention on planning and organizing your tasks, but not more than necessary; then, get to work
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Research shows that people often underestimate how much they enjoy just sitting and thinking. In a series of experiments with students, participants thought they would be bored if they had to wait in a quiet room. But in reality, they found it much more enjoyable than they expected. This shows that we often do not appreciate how important it is to take a moment to pause and reflect.

The idea of “niksen,” a Dutch word that means consciously doing nothing, fits well with these findings. Doing nothing can be seen as a way to give our minds a break, so we can relax and let our thoughts wander without distractions from the outside world. This is different from the modern habit of always being busy and seeking distractions, such as constantly checking internet news. By doing nothing, we can improve our mental health, as it gives us the opportunity to organize our thoughts and become more creative.

We often underestimate how valuable doing nothing can be, because we do not realize how interesting and enjoyable our own thoughts can be. People usually choose activities to keep busy, often because they are afraid of getting bored. But doing nothing can be surprisingly enriching, as shown by the positive responses of people in studies. If we learn to appreciate moments of rest more, we can learn to enjoy simply thinking and reflecting. This can ultimately contribute to a more balanced and satisfying life.

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• Scatterfocus

Speeding up informative videos can be an efficient strategy to save time without significant loss of understanding, as long as the speed stays within certain limits. Research shows that increasing the playback speed of videos up to 1.5x or 2x the normal speed has minimal adverse effects on both immediate and delayed (after a week) levels of understanding. This means that viewers are able to comprehend and remember the core content of the videos, even when they are played at a faster pace. However, it is important to note that performance can significantly decrease at speeds above 2x.

An interesting finding from the research is that repeatedly watching videos at an increased speed just before a test can improve levels of understanding compared to watching the video at normal speed only a week earlier. This suggests that the time saved by playing videos faster can be effectively used for extra study or review, which can optimize learning outcomes. However, it is crucial that this extra study time takes place shortly before the test to maximize the benefits.

Spending at least two hours per week in nature can have significant benefits for health and well-being. A study in the United Kingdom, which surveyed nearly 20,000 participants, found that people who spent at least 120 minutes per week in nature reported better self-reported health and well-being. The likelihood of reporting good health or high well-being significantly increased with 120 minutes or more of nature contact per week. These positive associations peaked between 200 and 300 minutes per week, with no further gain from additional time in nature.

It doesn’t matter how these 120 minutes per week are achieved; both one long walk and multiple shorter visits per week can provide the same benefits. This suggests that the flexibility in planning nature visits makes it easier for people to integrate this habit into their busy lives.

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• Do things that makes you happy everyday, since happy workers are 12% more productive

Starting meetings on time significantly contributes to both the satisfaction and effectiveness of the participants. Research shows that when meetings start late, this leads to lower satisfaction with the outcomes of the meeting. Participants not only have a negative attitude towards the meeting itself, but also towards the results that come out of it. This is because a late start is often accompanied by negative socio-emotional behaviors, such as frustration and impatience, which can undermine productivity and collaboration within the group.

In addition, experimental studies show that starting meetings on time has a positive influence on the expected and actual effectiveness of the meeting. When meetings start on time, participants feel more respected and motivated, leading to a more constructive and efficient collaboration. Adhering to the scheduled start time can therefore be a simple but powerful way to improve the overall quality of meetings, which ultimately contributes to better decision-making and higher satisfaction among participants.

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• Professionals lose an average of three hours per week on unnecessary meetings

The use of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) is a popular way to set goals. However, there are reasons not to use this method. Firstly, the SMART principle is not based on strong scientific theories and does not align with research findings. This means that the effectiveness of SMART goals has not been well-proven by scientific research, which can lead to poorer results and confusion when using them.

The SMART framework does not take into account the type of goal being set and is often not applied consistently. This lack of consistency and clarity can result in goals that do not fit well with the personal needs and situations of the people trying to achieve them. Moreover, the SMART acronym does not provide enough detailed guidance, which can lead to a superficial approach to goal setting and a higher risk of negative effects, such as demotivation or stress if the goals are not met.

Finally, SMART goals are often not used as intended and sometimes contain redundant criteria. This can lead to inefficient and confusing objectives. Instead of sticking to a rigid and possibly flawed system, it is more useful to use more flexible and tailored methods for setting goals. These methods better fit the specific situation and needs of the people.

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• Link the desired behavior to a clear signal
• Spend a little attention on planning and organizing your tasks, but not more than necessary; then, get to work

Various studies on sleep habits and work performance show that good sleep has a significant impact on how well people perform their jobs. A study by Rosekind et al. (2009) examined the sleep habits of more than 4,000 knowledge workers. They found that people who sleep well not only earn more but also perform much better than their colleagues who sleep poorly or too little, or suffer from insomnia. These good sleepers are better at time management, physical and mental performance, interpersonal skills, and their work output. These improvements are much more convincing than, for example, the benefits of shorter meetings.

Data shows that people with insomnia and insufficient sleep perform much worse at work and work less safely. They also use sleep medication more often, while others more frequently opt for non-medication treatments. Due to fatigue, employees lose an average of $1967 per year in productivity. This shows how costly sleep deprivation can be for both employees and employers.

The importance of good sleep cannot be emphasized enough. Sleeping in is seen as a major gain because it not only improves your performance and well-being but also has economic benefits. Employees who get enough and good sleep can do their work better and faster. This leads to higher productivity and ultimately more income.

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• Well-rested people are more positive

You derive most of your happiness from anticipating and planning the holiday trip.

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• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• Do things that makes you happy everyday, since happy workers are 12% more productive

People who sleep well are often more positive, and this is due to how sleep affects their brains. Research shows that sleep deprivation mainly affects the part of the brain that processes positive and neutral memories, the hippocampus. The part that remembers negative things, the amygdala, is less affected. As a result, people who do not get enough sleep have more difficulty retrieving positive memories, but negative memories remain well ingrained. This means that lack of sleep has a negative impact on their mood and how they see the world around them.

Walker conducted an experiment that clearly demonstrates this effect. In this study, sleep-deprived students had to remember a list of words. The results showed that these students could remember 81% of words with a negative meaning, such as “cancer,” but only 31% of words with a positive or neutral meaning, such as “sunshine” or “basket.” This difference in memory performance shows how sleep deprivation causes people to focus more on negative information, which can lead to a more pessimistic worldview and a less positive mood.

Many people notice that they feel happier and more positive after a good night’s sleep. This is because enough sleep helps the brain process positive and neutral memories well. This allows you to look at the world more optimistically and balanced. In short, getting enough sleep is very important for maintaining a good mood and seeing the world in a balanced way.

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• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• Good sleepers are more productive and earn more
• Morning productivity

Allow small tasks to accumulate until you can efficiently complete them in batches.

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• Do the right thing, in the right way, and at the right moment
• Schedule two hours every day for important work that doesn’t need to be completed immediately; this helps you become happier and more productive
• Spend a little attention on planning and organizing your tasks, but not more than necessary; then, get to work
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When you have less energy, it can change your way of thinking and promote creativity. You are less likely to stick to usual thought patterns and more open to unexpected ideas. Research shows that people are often better at solving problems when they are less alert, such as at times of the day when they don’t feel at their best.

Being creative means being able to make connections between things that seem unrelated at first glance. This is easier when you are less focused, as your mind can wander more freely and form new ideas. Sometimes it helps to let a problem rest for a while, so the solution emerges on its own. When you have less energy, you are less inclined to focus on direct, logical solutions and can instead make room for innovative ideas.

It may seem strange to do creative tasks when you don’t feel energetic, but that’s when surprising and original ideas can arise. Creativity doesn’t always come from hard work and focus; it can flourish when you are relaxed and less alert. By consciously choosing low-energy moments for creative tasks, you can take advantage of your mind’s natural tendency to make new and unusual connections.

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• Add some art to your workplace for reduced stress and increased creativity and productivity
• Schedule two hours every day for important work that doesn’t need to be completed immediately; this helps you become happier and more productive
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This phenomenon, also known as “elimination neglect” or “subtraction neglect,” is deeply rooted in our basic cognition. Research by Gabrielle S. Adams of the University of Virginia and her colleagues shows that people tend to add complexity rather than reduce it when faced with problems. This pattern has been consistently demonstrated in a series of 8 studies, where participants systematically overlooked that removing elements could be an effective solution.

This “addition bias” manifests in various contexts, such as building Lego models, planning trips, and even improving universities. People tend to add more layers of complexity, often leading to overcrowded schedules and inefficient processes. This behavior is not only limited to individual decisions but also occurs in group dynamics, such as meetings, where more and more items are added to the agenda without considering removing existing ones.

By becoming aware of this cognitive bias, individuals and organizations can learn to be more effective by considering what can be removed instead of added. This can result in simpler, more streamlined solutions that save both time and resources.

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Spiritual and social values have a bigger impact on our happiness than self-centered values.

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While the concept of a growth mindset, as popularized by Carol Dweck, suggests that people can develop their basic abilities through dedication and hard work, a critical analysis of the literature shows that interventions designed to promote this mindset often do not lead to significant improvements in academic performance. This may be due to inadequate research, poor reporting, and bias in the studies evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions.

It is important to emphasize that the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of growth mindset interventions does not mean that the growth mindset itself has no value. The core ideas of the growth mindset, such as the belief that skills can be developed and that effort leads to improvement, can still be valuable for personal development and motivation. However, the specific programs and interventions designed to promote this mindset do not consistently result in improved academic performance, suggesting that there may be other factors at play that limit the effectiveness of these interventions.

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A habit is an unconscious behaviour that is automatically triggered by an impulse.

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We pick up our phones over 350 times per day, almost four times more than in 2019

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A 5-minute unstructured break can be sufficient to restore your concentration. Research from the University of Sydney has shown that a short interruption of just five minutes, without specific activities or structure, is enough to bring your attention back to optimal levels. This means you don’t necessarily have to take a walk or watch a relaxing video; simply doing nothing for a short period can be effective. This finding supports the theory that a short, unstructured break is a powerful way to combat mental fatigue and increase productivity.

The attention restoration theory suggests that our brains need periodic rest to function optimally. Unstructured breaks, where you step away from your work without specific tasks or goals, can help restore your cognitive resources. These types of breaks offer a moment of mental rest and can therefore contribute to better focus and concentration when you return to work. It is a simple but effective strategy to improve the quality of your work without needing extensive or planned activities.

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Research shows that mindfulness meditation, even in short sessions, helps you distribute your attention better. This means that your brain handles the attention needed for difficult tasks more efficiently. In a study, people who meditated briefly performed better on attention tests, such as the Flanker Task and the Attention Network Test, without their reaction time worsening. This shows that meditation helps you concentrate better, even if you don’t have much experience with it yet. Although we don’t know exactly how long this improved concentration lasts, the results suggest that even a short meditation can enhance your concentration ability.

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• Mindfulness meditation reduces the size of your amygdala, making you less prone to distractions and procrastination
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Active noise cancelling headphones have no effect on your concentration capacity in open office spaces.

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• An increase of 10 dB noise in the workplace reduces productivity by 5%
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Research shows that there is a correlation between income and happiness, but this relationship is complex and not straightforward. According to a study by Kahneman and Deaton (2010), happiness increases with income up to a certain point, after which the effect diminishes. This means that there is a threshold above which additional income does not significantly contribute to more happiness. On the other hand, research by Killingsworth (2021) indicates that happiness continues to increase with income, even at higher income levels. However, this effect is stronger among people who are already happier.

A joint reanalysis of these studies showed that the level of happiness mainly stabilizes among the least happy 20% of people. For the rest of the population, happiness continues to increase with higher income, and among the happiest people, this effect even accelerates. This means that the relationship between income and happiness is not the same for everyone and depends on how happy someone already is. The misinterpretation of earlier studies may partly be due to limitations in research methods and the way happiness was measured.

Money is not the only factor that contributes to happiness, but a higher income can help. It provides financial security, better healthcare, and more opportunities for relaxation and personal growth. However, the pursuit of more money can also lead to constant comparison with wealthier people, which can make you unhappy. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between financial goals and other sources of happiness, such as friendships and personal fulfillment.

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• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• Do things that makes you happy everyday, since happy workers are 12% more productive

Research shows that employees who work fewer hours experience less stress and are less likely to burn out. During a trial period, 39% of employees reported feeling less stressed, and 71% reported fewer burnout symptoms. Issues such as anxiety, fatigue, and sleep problems also decreased, while their mental and physical health improved. This indicates that shorter workweeks can be beneficial for employee well-being.

In terms of productivity, the results of shorter workweeks show that productivity does not always decline. In some cases, company revenues remained stable or even increased slightly, with an average increase of 1.4% during the trial period. Compared to previous years, companies saw an average revenue increase of 35%, indicating healthy growth despite the shorter workweek. Although employees work fewer hours in a four-day workweek, the better work-life balance and improved well-being can lead to a productivity increase of about 10%.

While the results are promising, there is still some criticism regarding the long-term impact on productivity. The trial periods were relatively short, and it is possible that the positive effects are partly due to work done before the trial. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that a four-day workweek could be a viable option for companies looking to improve employee well-being without significant negative impacts on productivity.

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• Our go-to approach for problem-solving is to incorporate something new, rather than eliminate something existing
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• Large organizations extinguish employees' passion
• The expectation that you check email outside of working hours can lead to health problems, relationship issues, and anxiety
• Hard work

Workers lose 9% of their time at work by toggling roughly 1200 times per day between applications and websites.

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Research shows that happy employees are up to 12% more productive. This is because happiness boosts your motivation and energy, allowing you to work better and faster. When you feel good, you are more likely to tackle challenges and come up with creative solutions. Therefore, it is important to make time every day for things that make you happy, whether it’s a hobby, spending time with friends and family, or just relaxing.

A job that makes you happy can also improve your well-being and productivity. If your work makes you happy, you are more engaged and motivated, leading to better performance. This improved performance gives you a sense of satisfaction and happiness. This creates a positive cycle where your productivity and well-being continue to grow. Therefore, it is important not only to do things outside of work that make you happy but also to choose a career that matches your interests.

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• Spend at least 2 hours per week in nature
• Take the time to think about, dream of, and look forward to future activities
• More money will make you happier
• Motivation
• Time to flow
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• Prevacation

82% of knowledge workers check their email within the first 30 minutes of their day.

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• Avoid excessive task switching to increase efficiency
• Schedule two hours every day for important work that doesn’t need to be completed immediately; this helps you become happier and more productive
• Frog eating
• Multitasking

This phenomenon has been studied in various studies, involving both students and full-time employees. The results showed that the awareness of working outside of standard working hours has a negative impact on intrinsic motivation. This effect occurred regardless of whether participants were explicitly reminded that they were working outside of normal working hours.

An important factor contributing to this undermining of intrinsic motivation is the social norm. People are social beings and tend to synchronize their schedules with those of others. When someone works outside of standard working hours, this can lead to a feeling of isolation and the idea that they are not in line with the rest of society. This can result in an increased awareness of alternative, possibly more satisfying ways to spend time, such as social activities or relaxation.

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• The optimal amount of free time seems to be between 2 and 4 hours per day
• The expectation that you check email outside of working hours can lead to health problems, relationship issues, and anxiety
• Large organizations extinguish employees' passion