GRANTED: Cultivating creativity, productivity, and curiosity in 2018 (and beyond)

January 2018

Instead of learning from the people who achieve the most, learn from the people who achieve the most with the least natural talent and opportunity. They have to study their craft more carefully and work harder to master it.

Let's welcome 2018 with some of my recent sources of insight:

1. Why Time Management Is Ruining Our Lives
Focusing on time management just makes us more aware of how many hours we waste. A better option is attention management: prioritize the people and projects that matter to you, and it won’t matter how long they take.

Disclaimer: it’s a longish read, but I found it to be well worth the time.

2. Why Trying New Things Is So Hard to Do
To become more creative and productive, try at least one personal experiment each week. Experimentation is an act of humility—a willingness to prove yourself wrong.

3. Can Kindness Be Taught?
When kids are taught kindness in preschools, it doesn't just boost their helpfulness—it also increases their focus, self-control, and report card grades. It's never too early to encourage kids to be givers, not takers.

4. Want to Get Great at Something? Get a Coach
Becoming an expert doesn't mean you don't need to be coached. You are never done: even the world's greatest needs a coach. Introducing coaches helped healthcare teams more than double in best practices delivered.

From My Desk:

5. How to Negotiate Your Way to a Better Marriage
Compromise is the art of leaving two people somewhat unhappy or one totally miserable. Instead, try negotiating. Here's what my wife and I have learned in 13 years together.

6. The 20 New Idea Books to Kick Off 2018
My list of the 20 most exciting books that debut early this year—spanning timing to culture, grit to health, and hate to truth.

Here are some of the questions you asked last month—click any question for my response, plus my favorite resources on 8 other topics you raised:

• How do I get people to give me more honest, more detailed feedback?

• How do I convince my coworkers that psychology is worth teaching and learning?

• How do I tell colleagues that others are judging them for body odor or poor grammar?

Submit your own questions to wondering@adamgrant.net. Include your first name and city, or ask to be anonymous, and I'll pick a few next month to answer here.
 

Cheers,
Adam

Adam Grant, Ph.D.
Author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKE,
coauthor of OPTION B, and Wharton professor.