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PRACTICE 17: HOW TO WRITE AN EMAIL

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 LISTEN TRANSCRIPT : I’m going to teach you how to write an email. No, seriously. You probably think that you’re an expert emailer. You‘ve been writing emails for years, decades. You spend most of your workday composing, sending, receiving and replying to emails. You live in your inbox. But I’m here to tell you you’re probably doing it wrong. Don’t worry because in the next 15 or so minutes, I’m going to guide you through a whistle-stop tour of the latest in email etiquette. First, let’s rewind a little bit. WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR INBOX? For many of us, email has become the default way that we communicate with each other at work. And for good reason: It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s convenient. But here’s the thing. Although email is ostensibly the easiest way to communicate in a work context, it’s also intensely stressful. It may well be the fastest way to get things done, and yet it just feels as if it takes up so much time. You rarely hear of anyone complain...
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PRACTICE 16: Think Fast. Talk Smart | Matt Abrahams

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  People hate me. People fear me. You see, I'm a communication professor. And these people who fear me and hate me are some of the brightest, most creative, most entrepreneurial people I know. I wield a tool. And that tool I wield is what makes them fear and despise me.  As a professor, I have the ability to do what's called "cold calling." That's where I look at a student and say, "What do you think? What do you feel about what we just discussed? How does this impact you?". And this causes panic, not just for my students but for everybody: that moment where we are called upon to speak articulately. Can we do it? Now, rest assured, I never cold call on my students. I think it's rude, and I know it's hard. But people fear it. Eighty-five percent of people say they fear speaking in public. And quite frankly, I think the other 15% are lying. I think we could find a situation that makes them nervous too. So today, my goal is to share with you some ti...
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PRACTICE 15: 7 Japanese Techniques To Overcome Laziness

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LISTEN READ Are you tired of starting your to-do list and you're paralyzed by the twin villains of procrastination and laziness? Trust me, you are not alone. Today, we're going to be peeling back the layers of these universal struggles and will introduce you to philosophies and techniques to overcome regret and self-blame, poor performance, stagnation, your personal growth, and a decreased productivity. Welcome back to the Quick Brain Podcast. I am your host and your brain coach Jim Quick. Today we're diving into Japanese Zen Secrets, as we explore seven gentle yet powerful techniques that have the potential to transform the way you approach productivity and life. Each technique carries with it a unique philosophy, a cultural way of life. The wisdom that has stood the test of time.  First up is the concept of Kaizen, which stands for small improvements and how they have a big impact. Remember, little by little, a little becomes a whole lot. Imagine a life where progress isn...
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PRACTICE 14: What would happen if everyone stopped eating meat tomorrow?

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 LISTEN: READ AND SPEAK Let's explore a hypothetical together. There are over four times as many livestock as people. Farmed cattle alone weigh nearly ten times as much as all wild mammals combined. So imagine if a wizard of meatless dining suddenly appeared and with one wave of a wand wiped away all meat from our shelves—along with any desire to eat it. Farm animals destined for food vanish— whisked away to another planet. What happens in the following days, years, and even millennia? Overnight, food-related greenhouse gas emissions drop by about 63%. We no longer get protein and key nutrients from the approximately 70 billion chickens, 1.5 billion pigs, 300 million cattle, and 200 million tons of fish and shellfish processed for consumption each year. To help fill this nutritional gap, our demand for fruits, vegetables, and legumes  /ˈleɡ.juːm/   go up—a diet that most dietitians agree contains all of the nutrients we need for a healthy life. But initially there...
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PRACTICE 13: Sleep is your superpower

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 WATCH READ Thank you very much. Well, I would like to start with testicles . (Laughter) Men who sleep five hours a night have significantly smaller testicles than those who sleep seven hours or more. (Laughter) In addition, men who routinely sleep just four to five hours a night will have a level of testosterone /ˌtesˈtɒs.tər.əʊn/ which is that of someone 10 years their senior. So a lack of sleep will age a man by a decade in terms of that critical aspect of wellness.  And we see equivalent impairments in female reproductive health caused by a lack of sleep. This is the best news that I have for you today. (Laughter) From this point, it may only get worse. Not only will I tell you about the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep, but the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't get enough, both for your brain and for your body.  Let me start with the brain and the functions of learning and memory, because what we've discovered over the past 10...
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PRACTICE 12: Is it normal to talk to yourself?

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TASK 1: LISTEN TASK 2: READ As your morning alarm blares  /bleər/ , you mutter  /ˈmʌt.ər/ to yourself, “Why did I set it so early?”. While brushing your teeth, you think, “I need a haircut... unless?” Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys and realize they’re not there. Frustrated you shout, “I can’t do anything right!” just in time to notice your neighbor. Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize /ˈstɪɡ.mə.taɪz/ this behavior as a sign of mental instability.  But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal. In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk every single day. So why do we talk to ourselves? And does what we say matter? Self-talk refers to the narration  /nəˈreɪ.ʃən/ inside your head, sometimes called inner speech . It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures . Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbal...
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