Peformance Hacks
This person filters outlook so that all internal emails go to their inbox with all others going to a folder named "External".
Who is Sandy?
When this person gets into something, the music has to be right. It has to match the task and their mood. In fact, they might not even know they're feeling a type of way until the music's on and it playlist shuffles right and their default mode network can make sense of what's their lizard brain was masking.
Who is James?
The most memorable meal this person ever had at La Tagliata on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, is the last meal they would want to have. The scene is stunning, overlooking the Mediterranean with views of Positano. The restaurant is family-run, they grow most of their own organic produce, and dinner is served family-style. They would want to be surrounded by family, listening to Frank Sinatra or Amble, eating at sunset in late September, drinking red wine (whatever is most local), reminiscing all of the good times, feeling a great sense of gratitude for those they love and the life they lived.
Who is Christian?
This person's recent, random obsession is making coffee and espresso at home. Their first job in high school was a barista, but they were never a huge coffee drinker. In the last few years, when stuck at home during COVID, they got back into making coffee and espresso and are now deep down the caffeine rabbit hole. They're always looking at new gadgets and accessories and currently improving their latte art game.
Who is Daniel?
In an alternative universe, this person would be an Animal-Assisted Therapy Specialist, working with therapy dogs, horses, or even rabbits to help children, veterans, or seniors!
Who is Sandy?
Besides delegating to AI, this person uses good old-fashioned pen and paper to create a short list of high priority items that must get accomplished each day. The list is dynamic and always visible. The visual of the most impactful items that they could accomplish is motivating and enables them to recenter if they ever get dragged into ankle-biter tasks.
Who is Christian?
This person's ritual is their AM and PM skincare routine. It might sound silly and frivolous to some but for them, it's about intentionally taking care of themself the same way they'd be happy to take care of others. It "starts" and "ends" their day with an act of love, transitioning to/from sleep and relaxing.
Who is Krista?
100p would run back my wedding.
Mid-afternoon, mid-march,
oysters topped with caviar,
tuna crudo topped with caviar,
pierogi topped with caviar,
soaked in champagne and cytrynówka shots,
copious ‘Na zdrowie!’ toasts,
in a sun-drenched 18th century carriage house,
table overflowing with flowers and candles,
overlooking an English garden through floor to ceiling French doors,
with a 1970s cream-colored drop top Rolls Royce loaded down with even more champagne waiting to take us to the airport,
or this is case, my death.
Who is George?
This person was arrested by the military police outside of a nuclear submarine base for breaking and entering. This also wasn't the only nuclear base this person was arrested by...
Who is Sean?
Who is Dakota?
When this person gets on a plane, they opted for no internet access. Their brain finally down shifts out of distracted, tactical firefighting mode and into strategic reflection mode. That’s when they have the BIG realizations, the thoughts that truly moves the needle instead of just doing more of what’s urgent.
“How’s that working for you?” is their go-to question when searching for seismic shifts. Whenever they're frustrated about what “should” be happening, that question forces a step back and an admission that it’s time to change the approach.
Who is Sean?
This person's bedtime routine includes putting their phone far from bed and reading at least 2 pages of a book before falling asleep. The goal is no screen time between reading and lights out.
Who is Dakota?
This person used to play the Banjo and even took lessons.
Who is Jalesa
This person would love to have a career on Wall Street. They didn't have a clue about the stock market when they were in college, but they wish they had! The speed, the information flow. It's intoxicating and exhausting and dangerous and triumphant. It's like winning a gold medal and sitting in a crashing airplane at the same time. You just have to learn to focus on that first part.
Who is James?
This person organizes their work by level of focus needed and protects their mornings when they feel most alert and have the least amount of distractions to tackle the deepest of deep work.
Who is Daniel?
Every Friday night, this person takes part in Shabbat, enjoying dinner with friends and family.
Who is Jesse?
This person is a first place goat showman! They did it all on their own as a hobby. Their friend's family had a small farm down the street and they raised a Nigeran dwarf goat from a kid and signed up for 4H, her name was Texanna, and they WON at the 2008 Cattaraugus County Fair. Texanna was a milk goat that later sold to local family and she had two kids of her own that started a local line of milk goats.
Who is Krista?
In an alternative universe, this person would live a life of complete self sufficiency and solitude.
Who is Jesse?
This person uses a dynamic workboard system to hack their productivity. It's a flexible, automated tracking hub that visualizes my entire workflow, connects tasks to outcomes, and runs in the background so they always know what’s in motion, what’s blocked, and what’s next.
Who is Jalesa?
For the past 8 years, this person uses the 13th of each month (aligned ti their birth date) to schedule any appointments and take care of personal tasks they've been putting off. For example, if they need to update the cadence of the supplements they receive, it gets done on the 13th. They need to make a dentist's appointment, it gets scheduled on the 13th. By taking a bunch of disparate tasks that they normally will put off and placing them all on one memorable day of the month, they can keep a log of what needs doing and then plow through the list in an hour or so. It takes the thinking about when to get the task done out of the equation for things that are not urgent but still important.
Who is Renee?
This person has training and experience in managing protests and negotiating between police and demonstrators! A previous employer placed a high value on rigorous inquiry which meant facilitating spaces for discourse, debate, and disagreement. They staffed large political events (from Norman Finkelstein to Hilary Clinton to David Axelrod), received training on cross-cultural demonstrations of civil discourse, learned deescalation techniques, and addressed protestors over all kinds of things from throwing shoes to taking off clothing. They would even go to County Jail on behalf of the employer to help associates understand their rights, connect them with legal services, and send pizzas to the police waiting room where concerned family and friends were awaiting the release of those who were being booked for their protest behaviors. WILD times.
Who is Renee?
In an alternate universe, this person would have studied to become a Master Landscape Architect, balancing art, ecology, and human experience to shape how people interact with spaces, how those spaces support ecosystems, and how they fit into their surrounding context.
This person would also have a hobby cut flower farm. Set among the acres of seasonal blooms, at best this cut flower farm would be a living community where nature, nourishment, and wellbeing intertwine. Designed as a sanctuary for connection, it would bring people together through curated farm-to-table experiences, local producer collaborations, and wellness rituals inspired by the seasons. Members would gather for long-table dinners between the rows of peonies in spring, for sunrise run clubs through the hills in the summer, or moments of restoration in wood-fired saunas overlooking the constellation of colorful blooms in winter. Every detail would reflect a rhythm found in nature. At worst, who doesn't love fresh cut, seasonal flowers to brighten day?
Who is George?
This person swings (like on a swing set) for 10-15 minutes a week (at least). Sometimes, once a day for 5-10 minutes. As a child, they loved swings, and it reminds them not to take life too seriously. No matter what they're going through, it always cheers them up!
Who is Marja?
In an alternate universe, this person would be a CIA Analyst. Or maybe a Litigation Attorney...
Who is Marja?