Friday Favorites: A Course in Productivity and Mastery

Freakonomics consistently produces an interesting and informative podcast that I don't ever want to miss. The past few weeks have focused on various aspects of mastery and productivity. I learned quite a lot from the episodes and think that everyone should listen for a mini-course on personal improvement.

The first episode, How to Be More Productive, focuses on both personal and work productivity. There were lots of insights to be gleaned, especially as a busy mother to six children.

The second episode, How to Be Great at Just About Anything, discusses the elements that are needed to achieve mastery and excel. Both talent and significant effort are important.

The third episode, a bonus episode, is an extended interview with author, Malcom Gladwell.

The fourth episode, How to Get More Grit in Your Life, gave me a lot of insights and points to ponder about grit.

The fifth episode, How to Win Games and Beat People, while funny and oddly charming, wasn't as helpful. Then again, I do not enjoy competitive games. If you are a game player, this would be worth your time.

The sixth, and final episode, How to Be Tim Ferriss, nicely rounds out the series.

Have you listened to this series? Was it helpful to you? What insights did you glean?

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Friday Favorites: Productivity, Parenting Memes, Third-Culture Kids, On Writing

As a mother to six kids with a lot of side interests, I am very interested in the subject of productivity and how I can be most productive in my life. Freakonomics aired a recent podcast on this subject.

These 50 parenting memes nail the humorous side of parenting.

I first learned about Third-Culture Kids (TCKs) when I moved to Saudi Arabia. The concept explained a lot of what my children were experiencing and gave me a lot of comfort about how to deal with our globe-trotting, ex-pat lifestyle--that we are not currently living. Finding Home Between Worlds explores this concept and offers excellent advice for global families navigating the complexities of a nomad lifestyle.

And finally, another brilliant piece about writing from the Atlantic, where author Kathryn Harrison discusses writing in "To Write, Stop Thinking".  Harrison deftly analyzes and discusses Joseph Brodsky's poem, "On Love" and also reflects on the power of writing. She says,

"I have to write. It’s not an option. When I write, I am literally building myself a place in which to live. Once I’m firmly established within the narrative I pop awake in the morning and it’s the first thing I think about. Not in an analytical way, as in “Oh, I haven’t really reached the crisis point and it’s already page 200—I’d better work on that.” It’s very much just running towards and into the place I most want to be."

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED