PPP #96: Defuse the bomb

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter

Sent by Charles Burdett

Defuse the bomb

Intrusive and negative thoughts can really get in a way of our productivity. But there’s a way to hack them.

Researchers advise to defuse the thought by rephrasing it.

Next time you think ‘I am going to fail’, rephrase it to ‘I am having a thought that I am going to fail’.

After a failure or a difficult event, it’s difficult to reach out to others for help.

But if you nominate your ‘recovery buddy’ before something negative happens, you’ll be more likely to seek help.

Who do you want to reach out to next time you’re struggling - and who could you offer the same favour to?

If it’s good enough for pilots flying hundreds of passengers, it’s good enough for you.

Design your own personalised checklists for tasks with a lot of moving parts - like newsletters or app launches.

This will significantly lower the number of mistakes you’ll make.