Kourosh Dini's Blog, page 6

Putting Out the Fires

“I’m always putting out fires!”

Many of us find ourselves in reactive modes, constantly managing the loudest and most immediate. Even in our downtime, we might still look for fires to put out, having grown accustomed to this mode of functioning.

For some of us, this is the nature of our jobs. But for others, it doesn’t need to be. And, it’s not always obvious what’s going on.

Numerous inputs–email, Slack, messenger, proprietary work systems, a task manager–can trap us in modes of hyper-vigilance...

3 Core Pauses

“A person with ADHD has the power of a Ferrari engine but with bicycle-strength brakes. It’s the mismatch of engine power to braking capability that causes the problems. Strengthening one’s brakes is the name of the game.”

― Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, ADHD 2.0 : New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood

One of the most difficult things for a wandering mind is pausing. Dr. Hallowell delightfully relates difficulties of slowing down using the...

I Was a Podcast Mystery Guest!

I had a great time with Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman on their Food Safety Talk podcast, in which we totally did not talk about food safety. We get into productivity, my respect for the band Rush, and other such shenanigans.

I’m not sure about food safety.  I believe it exists.  I eat food. So far I’ve survived.  Ergo, hencewith, and stuff… we talk!

In all seriousness, it was a fun time. Check it out! 🙂

 

 

Can I Make This One Work?

“Maybe this one will work?”

Struggling with one list after another, decaying tasks and post-its strewn about, we might desperately search for some new method, ideology, or application to help us get out from under the mess.

However, as soon as we encounter some possible new path forward, the promise itself can derail us:

Getting our hopes up once again can be terrifying. Hope, after all, is about risk. So we might brace ourselves and not invest in setting up a new program well.Even if we do mo...

Lay Off the Goals a Bit, Would You?

Dear Reader,

I’m cranky.

– Kourosh

_________________________

How big? How small?

When it comes to goals, we often hear something along the lines of:

“Dream big! Now dream bigger! You are only limited by your imagination!”

Does anyone else find this to be similar to “Think of a number. Now think of a bigger number”? I guess we’re supposed to keep doing this until we’re all wearing Infinity Gauntlets or something.

Then we are supposed to write them down, perhaps using the obnoxiously titled “SMART...

Once again, you were right…

“But I don’t wanna…”

The many-headed-hydra of procrastination and the wide range feelings underneath can collapse into such a simple phrase. I often write about these feelings, their complexities, and how a visit can make a tremendous difference in managing them. (Sign up for the newsletter to get a free PDF Breaking Free from Force-Based Work to learn more about the Visit.)

But, just because those feelings are there, doesn’t mean we need to fight them. They may even be acting in our best intere...

One is King

“One is king.”

In my teenage years, my piano teacher used to say the same things over and over. I think I probably rolled my eyes at the time. But now, more than 30 years since our last lesson together, those seeds she’d planted bloom from time to time.

“One is king.”

In written western music, notes are blocked off by measures. Each measure has several counts, each starting with one.

Her saying, “One is king,” refers to the importance of the first beat of each measure. No matter how much...

The Practice of Envisioning

“How do I create something new, unique? How do I not sound like everyone else?”

Whether writing a piece of music, searching for a unique perspective at work, or even trying to write an interesting newsletter, it can be quite easy to fall into the sense that it’s all be done before.

The common adage is to use your unique perspective, i.e. “find your voice.”

Great. But how?

You might think it’s a matter of art, some secret alchemy bestowed upon the blessed few, that lets one create from some h...

Fundamentals for a Wandering Mind

A wandering mind can dive deep in one place while losing sight of the surrounding world. Other times, things can feel quite adrift.

Finding ways to focus while remaining on top of important matters could promise such relief.

Discussions of productivity, ADHD, neurodiversity, and the like all suggest some path forward. But regardless of name, two major approaches tend to appear:

Open and experiential: Often based on the writer’s experience, “This is what works for me. I hope you can find somethi...

How to Focus In A Distracting World With Dr Kourosh Dini MD – An Interview on Carl Pullein’s Your Time, Your Way

Last week, Carl Pullein and I had a wonderful discussion about ADHD, productivity, focus, hobbies, and a whole lot more.  We get into the use of pen and paper, what I call the Anchor Technique to help when scatter, and beyond.

Check it out!