PPP #110: Just give me a reason

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Persuasion Just give me a reason Humans want to have reasons to do just about anything. It helps us feel rational. You can use that when asking someone for a favour. Research shows you’re...

PPP #109: Anything but FOBG

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Personal Branding Anything but FOBG As the author of F*ck Being Humble points out, we all have a severe FOSS - Fear of Sounding Stupid. Which is why we choose the same words for...

PPP #108: Enjoy the silence

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Innovation The power of less Many companies succeed not by adding delight to our lives, but by removing some kind of pain. With its live tracking function, Uber removed the uncertainty of waiting for...

PPP #107: The Challenge Reframing

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Leadership The Challenge Reframing Is nothing going according to plan? Jim McCormick, the author of The First-Time Manager, recommends reacting to the problem, not the stress. When you make the emotion your focus, you...

PPP #106: A game of poker

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Motivation A game of poker Did you know that poker players with a great ‘hand’ of cards win only about 12% of the time? Humans are really bad at probability, so don’t let your...

PPP #105: The Positive Tetris Effect

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Productivity Beat precrastination Pre-crastination is the tendency to rush into tasks with minimal preparation. This can result in more mistakes, which can demotivate you further. To find the sweet spot between pro- and precrastination,...

PPP #104: The Duck Syndrome

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Leadership The Duck Syndrome Chronically overwhelmed employees become adept at concealing how much they’re struggling. Just like a duck that seems to be floating above the water effortlessly, but its legs are paddling really...

PPP #103: A delightful surprise

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Branding A delightful surprise Our brains register the unexpected much more than the expected. A hotel with great bedding and a tasty breakfast is great, but also pretty standard. But what about if you...

PPP #102: Embrace the slump

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Presentation What do you believe in? Are you stuck preparing a presentation or writing an inspiring story? Get an A5 sheet of paper and a pen. To get to the bottom of what you...

PPP #101: The intention to-do list

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Productivity The intention to-do list When we set out to improve ourselves, we can become exhausted by endless to-do lists. To make change easier (and more effective), think of what you want to be,...

PPP #100: Greatest of All Time

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Teamwork 10. A recovery buddy After a failure, it’s often 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...

PPP #99: The South Park Method

Pip’s Practical Prompts Newsletter Sent by Charles Burdett Presentation The South Park Method Use this trick from the creators of South Park to make your story stronger: Using the words ‘therefore’ and ‘but’. Break your presentation into a few sentences and see...