Feedback 101: Master the Art of Taking Action!

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:

• This Is How to Best Act on the Feedback You Receive

• Think You Can’t Get 150 Minutes of Exercise in a Week? Try These Doctor-Recommended Tricks

• The Ten-Book Rule for Smarter Thinking

This is How to Best Act on the Feedback You Receive
Matthew Royse

Lights, Camera, ...
Discovering the power of feedback is the key to unlocking personal and professional growth. It's not just about listening and implementing; it's about reflection, practice, and finding ways to make feedback work for you. Embrace it, process it, and let it guide you towards a better version of yourself. So, next time you receive feedback, remember that it's an opportunity to thrive and soar to new heights.

Action!

1. Set realistic expectations: Approach feedback sessions with an open mind and avoid placing too many expectations on yourself or the person providing feedback.

2. Actively listen: Pay attention to the body language, read between the lines, and truly understand the essence of the message being conveyed.

3. Identify and label your emotions: Take time to recognize and understand your feelings about the feedback before responding.

4. Assess motivations: Consider the intentions and credibility of the feedback provider to determine how you will move forward.

5. Process your thoughts: Take the necessary time and space to think through the feedback and gain confidence in your plan of action.

6. Stay open and consistent: Embrace feedback consistently over time, avoiding defensiveness and perceiving it as an opportunity for growth.

7. Reframe your perspective: Continuously examine your own perspective and how it may be perceived by others, ensuring alignment between your performance and how it is perceived.

Think You Can’t Get 150 Minutes of Exercise in a Week? Try These Doctor-Recommended Tricks
Andrea Petersen

Lights, Camera, ...
It's surprising (or maybe not) that only half of U.S. adults meet the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. But don't worry! You don't need to completely change your routine. By making small changes and using smart strategies, you can make a big difference to your health. Regular physical activity not only improves your fitness, well-being, and mental performance, but it also lowers the risk of conditions like strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and mental health issues. So, start moving and enjoy the amazing benefits of staying active!

Action!

1. Get a personalized exercise prescription: Request your doctor to provide specific instructions for daily exercise and activity. This can include parking your car a few minutes away from work, walking to lunch, and taking a family walk after dinner. These small actions can quickly add up to meet the 150-minute exercise guidelines.

2. Combine exercise with enjoyable activities: Make exercise more motivating by linking it with something you enjoy. For example, watch your favorite show only while on the treadmill or save a new podcast episode for your weightlifting session.

3. Embrace midday exercise as a brain booster: Instead of viewing exercise as time away from work, recognize it as a way to enhance creativity and focus. Short bursts of movement, like a quick walk or a set of jumping squats, can actually boost creativity and improve focus by increasing blood flow and delivering oxygen and glucose to the brain.

4. Exercise with a friend: Transform social gatherings into active outings by suggesting activities like walks, hikes, skiing, or bowling instead of the typical dinner or drinks. Exercising with a buddy provides accountability and increases the likelihood of sticking to your exercise plan.

The Ten-Book Rule for Smarter Thinking
Scott H. Young

Lights, Camera, ...
In a world full of complex questions, unlocking the expert consensus can elevate your understanding of important topics. With just ten carefully selected books, you can grasp the prevailing expert viewpoint on nearly any reasonable question. While it won't make you an expert yourself, it provides a solid foundation of knowledge based on expert thinking. Why care about expert consensus? Its value lies in its ability to offer a reliable estimate of what your own opinions might be if you possessed that level of expertise. It enables you to comprehend alternative perspectives and sidestep the challenges of pursuing absolute truth. So, immerse yourself in self-conducted research, armed with a genuine thirst for knowledge and ten reputable books, and you'll find yourself hitting the mark more often than not.

Action!

1. Select the right 10 books: Prioritize high-quality books over random ones. Avoid books with "new," "useful," or "revolutionary" ideas that may not align with the expert consensus. While these books may still be worth reading, they should not be included in the "ten" books required to comprehend expert consensus. Opt for books that provide a broader understanding of the topic as experts perceive it, rather than focusing solely on self-help, trendy sciences, or controversial best-sellers.

2. Read in a specific order: Start with up-to-date textbooks that represent expert consensus. Then move to academic monographs or review articles for a more focused understanding. Finally, explore canonical texts cited as authoritative.

TOOL TIP

Trello: A free and flexible work management tool where teams can ideate plans, collaborate on projects, organize workflows, and track progress in a visual, productive, and rewarding way. It’s great for setting up anything from quick to comprehensive to-do lists and kanban boards.

FUN FACT

The holes, or “eyes”, in swiss cheese (generally Emmentaler) have been getting smaller due to a lack of impurities with advances in food safety practices and automation. Cheese makers now artifically add impurities (like hay powder) to control the size of the eyes in the cheese.

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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.