Is Learning Worth It?

Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• How To Be Resilient: 5 Steps To Success When Life Gets Hard

• Your PC Is Ruining Your Vision. Here's How to Beat Eye Strain

• When is Learning Worth the Effort?

How To Be Resilient: 5 Steps To Success When Life Gets Hard
Eric Barker

Lights, Camera, ...
In a world filled with frazzled, stressed-out souls (ourselves included), there are moments when life seems determined to wishbone us. Quitting may seem tempting, but let's shift our focus to the alternative: resilience. Forget the empty motivational clichés; true resilience requires effort and action. Thankfully, studies have shown that even the least resilient people can experience a whopping 125% increase in resilience within three months by following five specific steps. Wondering what those are? Well, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, MD, and Martin Seligman have got you covered in their new book "Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection—Now and in an Uncertain Future." Remember, we all face struggles, but it's how we perceive and respond to them that counts.

Action!

1. Master Emotional Regulation: When emotions run high, take a step back and create space between your emotions and your actions. Identify and name your emotions, realizing that they are separate from who you are. Focus on your body to ground yourself in reality. Then, use logical reasoning to question the validity of your emotions and reevaluate the situation. Slowing down and reappraising will help you make smart decisions and regain control.

2. Embrace Optimism: See setbacks as temporary, local, and controllable. Cultivate an optimistic perspective by engaging in the "Best Possible Self" exercise. Imagine a future where everything has gone right and write about it for 10 minutes. Believe that things will work out and keep trying. Optimism can fuel your resilience and keep you going, even in challenging times.

3. Develop Cognitive Agility: Avoid catastrophizing and jumping to the worst-case scenario. Train your mind to consider multiple perspectives and possibilities before focusing on one. Use the "Putting It In Perspective" exercise to generate alternative scenarios and place them on a continuum from worst to best. Assess the most realistic options, realizing that your initial reaction may exaggerate the situation's severity. Sharpen your Occam's Razor and choose the most likely explanation.

4. Practice Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the same compassion you show others when they make mistakes. Instead of being harsh and self-critical, forgive yourself and offer support. Imagine how you would respond to a loved one in a similar situation and extend that kindness to yourself. Embrace self-compassion as a cleansing practice that nurtures your emotional well-being.

5. Boost Self-Efficacy: Develop belief in your ability to control your actions and influence your life. Cultivate self-efficacy through mastery experiences by setting achievable goals and accomplishing them. Start small and gradually tackle more significant challenges. As you achieve your goals, your confidence and sense of agency will grow. Prove to yourself that you are capable and become the kind of person who overcomes obstacles and achieves success. Change your behaviors to change your story and become a resilient individual.

Your PC Is Ruining Your Vision. Here's How to Beat Eye Strain
Roberto Baldwin & Josie Colt

Lights, Camera, ...
Are your eyes paying the price for staring at your computer screen all day? The agony of aching eyes, sore muscles, and pounding headaches caused by eye strain can be avoided with a few simple adjustments. Those brightly colored pixels clashing with the lighting around you are a recipe for disaster, but fear not! By following the tips below, you can make your workday healthier and reduce eye fatigue.

Action!

1. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus on a fixed point 20 feet away. You can use the "Protect Your Vision" web app to receive alerts after 20 minutes.

2. Adjust your monitor position: Keep your screen 50-80 cm (20-30 inches) away from your face, with your eyes level with the top of the monitor.

3. Pay attention to text size and color: Text should be about three times the smallest size you can read from a normal viewing position. Opt for black text on a white or slightly yellow background, or other dark-on-light combinations with good contrast.

4. Take care of your eyes: If you wear contacts, switch to glasses occasionally to reduce strain. Consider adding an anti-glare coating to your glasses. Moistening eye drops can provide refreshment during the workday.

5. Adjust display brightness and reduce glare: Match your monitor's brightness to the surrounding workspace. In shiny reflective offices, use a glare reduction filter on your screen.

6. Optimize color temperature: Use a warmer (yellowish) color temperature in dark rooms and a colder (bluer) color temperature in bright rooms. The F.lux app can automatically adjust your display's color temperature based on your computer's location and the time of day.

When is Learning Worth the Effort?
Scott H. Young

Lights, Camera, ...
In a world filled with choices, the decision to learn something new or outsource it to others can be both daunting and exciting. From programming to language learning, the options are endless. But here's the catch: the immediate costs of learning often don't make sense when we only think about short-term benefits. It's tempting to hire someone who already possesses the expertise or simply avoid the task altogether. However, if we already have the know-how, doing it ourselves can be the most effective choice. The key lies in finding the optimal balance between our current expertise and the frequency of skill usage over our lifetime. Unfortunately, our intrinsic motivational system tends to prioritize short-term gains, leading us to potentially underinvest in learning. But here's the good news: with practice, skills become easier, and the costs of learning decrease. It's a delicate dance between self-sufficiency and delegation, but by considering the long-term benefits and costs, we can make informed decisions that pave the way to growth and success.

Action!

When confronted with the challenge of learning something new, consider the following questions to decide whether you should learn the skill or delegate it:

1. How much can I expect this skill to get easier with more practice? Look at individuals with varying levels of experience to gauge the effort required to overcome your own struggles. Some skills have a steep learning curve, allowing for quick progress, while others remain relatively flat, demanding years of practice before feeling worthwhile.

2. How frequently would I utilize the skill if I were proficient in it? Assess the potential usage of the skill. Learning a language spoken in your country or a major global language relevant to work or education is likely to pass the cost-benefit analysis. However, niche languages with limited practical application may only be worth pursuing if you have a strong intrinsic motivation.

3. How much personal enjoyment would I derive from the skill once I improve? Economic rewards are not the sole driving force. Satisfaction and enjoyment often come from being skilled in something, but this varies depending on the nature of the skill. Painting a realistic landscape may bring great pride, whereas efficiently filing taxes may not provide the same sense of accomplishment.

TOOL TIP

f.lux: A free online tool that that helps you reduce eye strain by automatically adapting the color of your computer's display to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

FUN FACT

The F-word is 29% easier to pronounce thanks to the agricultural revolution. Humans developed overbites in response to diets made up of softer foods, which affected speech as well: among other things, it’s 29% easier to pronounce labiodentals (“f” and “v” sounds) with an overbite, which prompted the change in many Indo-European languages from words like patēr to the Old English faeder.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.