Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive

A growth mind-set says, “No matter what my goals may be, I can find the resources I need to achieve them.” A fixed mind-set, on the other hand, says, “I am limited by my IQ, income, physical appearance, ethnicity, gender, and every other quality I possess.”

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

Life is not a zero-sum game. Usually, when you achieve a goal, others benefit as well. Even if you win a direct competition, say, beat someone at tennis, your opponent, the loser of the match, also wins in that he gains valuable experience, may feel motivated to do better next time, may have picked up some pointers from you, and may have deepened a

Semrad summarized the three-step process Ashley and I went through: the therapist and client acknowledge, bear, and put into perspective powerful, painful feelings and memories. In so doing, the client grows and is able to lead a healthier life.

“Why am I bringing home fewer fish than I want? And where can I look for help?”

However, some people despair not because their possibilities are limited, but rather because they are infinite. While taking care of life’s necessities binds most of us to one task after another, some people do not allow necessity to put the brakes on their imaginations. They continue to imagine one possibility after another, even though none of th

The late Leston Havens, longtime professor of psychiatry at Harvard and one of the best teachers I ever had, once said to me, “You can do a whole psychotherapy centered around one question. ‘What do you want?’ Choosing which of those four words to put emphasis on—‘what,’ ‘do,’ ‘you,’ or ‘want’—takes the discussion in four completely different direc

As usual, Ashley lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the crickets outside. She could feel tears in the corners of her eyes. She knew Brian was right. She was a rich man’s spoiled wife. And she was a dilettante. She’d never had the stick-to-itiveness, or whatever it took, to follow through on a project. It wasn’t that h

Biologically speaking, the same dopamine circuitry that is activated in traditional addictions now is activated simply by spending too much time online.