Tom Rath's Blog, page 2

How many (productive) hours do you have in a week?

 

I read a couple of fascinating articles this weekend exploring the history and rationale behind a 40-hour workweek. My main takeaway (from these articles in Salon and Inc.) is:

Your workweek has a drop-off point where an additional hour of work no longer equals an extra hour of productivity.

While I was working on the book Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements with my friend Jim Harter, we explored the effect of hours worked, based on whether an employee had a chance to use his or her strengths every day. While there is more detail in the book’s opening chapter, the important learning for me was that the number of hours we can work productively varies greatly based on whether we have a chance to use our strengths or not.

If you don’t get to use your strengths in your work, productivity is likely to drop-off after 20 hours of work per week.

If you do get to use your strengths, chances are you can work at least 40 hours a week before there is a major drop-off in productivity.

Think about this for a moment. Many of us are going to be at work for at least 40 hours a week. If you are not in a job that allows you to use your strengths, you start to burnout after just 20 hours. But if you can find a way to use your strengths every day, it could double the number of high-quality work hours you have per week.

 

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Eating healthy does not need to be this complicated

 

If you find yourself confused by the latest diet trends and information, you are not alone. According to one report, three out of every four people claim that today’s ever-changing dietary guidelines make it hard to eat healthy. More than half of people surveyed find it easier to figure out their income taxes than to know how to eat right.

This could explain why a majority of Americans are trying to lose weight, yet two-thirds are overweight or obese. One problem is that being “on a diet” is a temporary effort that assumes an endpoint. Many popular diets are destined to fail. When you see a book or advertisement claiming you can be healthy by doing just one thing for weeks on end, stop and think about the ramifications.

If your primary goal is weight loss, there are countless fad diets to temporarily shed pounds, yet they do not serve your long-term interests. Some of the most egregious examples are diets that instruct you to eat only cookies (yes, several of these exist) or drink smoothies for several days. Even if you do shed a few pounds in the short term, this works against your overall health.

Even mainstream diets fail if they target a single element at the expense of the whole equation. In the early 1990s, “low fat” was the most popular type of diet. This led food companies to create products with lower overall fat. Bagel shops began to appear on every corner. Low-fat chips and crackers lined grocery store aisles. I was one of many who consumed about anything with low fat content, in hopes of being healthier.

However, this dietary shift ignored the fact that it is relatively easy to reduce total fat content by adding carbohydrates, sugars, and synthetic substitutes. This allowed food companies to replace the flavor from fatty foods with something even sweeter. To a large degree, food producers simply exchanged fats for sugar-based ingredients.

Attention then shifted to low-carb diets. This led people to consume greater amounts of animal products for protein, ignoring the detrimental impact animal fats have on our health. And, while vegetarian diets have been popular for decades, they are less healthy if animal products are replaced by refined carbs and sweet foods.

Even basic calorie counting is insufficient. As one expert put it, “Contrary to nutritional dogma, calories are not created equal.” It turns out, the belief that you can eat anything in moderation is dead wrong.

The quality of what you eat matters far more than the overall quantity. This is the primary finding from a landmark Harvard study that tracked more than 100,000 people for two decades. The researchers discovered that the types of foods you consume influence your health more than your total caloric intake. Quality of food matters even more than levels of physical activity. As one of the Harvard researchers put it, “The notion that it’s O.K. to eat everything in moderation is just an excuse to eat whatever you want.”

Many popular diets have some helpful elements, but only if they are part of a more holistic approach to eating. Think of all the diets you have tried. Keep the best elements of these diets in mind as you make choices. For your overall approach to eating, find foods with less fat, fewer carbohydrates, and as little added sugar as possible.

Eating well does not need to be difficult or complicated. It is possible for healthy eating to be sustainable and even enjoyable. Set your sights on foods that are good for your near-term energy and long-term health. Making a commitment to eating the right foods every day is a lot easier than jumping from one diet to the next.

Once you start eating better, give it time — a lot of time. People often bounce from diet to diet because they grow impatient. The body takes a long time to react to these dietary changes, usually a year or more, according to experts. Instead of worrying about losing 10 pounds in the next month, focus on better decisions the next time you eat. When you make better choices in the moment, it benefits your overall health and well-being.

 

For direct links to any studies referenced in this article, see the Eat Move Sleep Reference Explorer application.

Adapted from the book Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath (Missionday, 2013).

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You can’t be anything you want to be…

 

You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are.

 

As I described in a post yesterday, this was one of many lessons I learned from my late grandfather Don Clifton (1924-2003) who would be celebrating his 90th birthday today.

This is why it can be so frustrating when society keeps telling you that you can be anything you want to be . . . if you just try hard enough.

While people can overcome adversity and are remarkably resilient, the most potential for growth and development lies in the areas where you have natural talent to start with. The more time you spend building on who you already are, the faster you will grow.

 

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Spend life studying what is right with people

 

A good friend recently asked me to share some of the most important things I learned from my late grandfather, Don Clifton, who died in 2003. Trying to distill what I learned from Don was a bit overwhelming, as no one has had more influence on my life both personally and professionally. Even though Don passed away more than a decade ago, his ideas and investment in my development continue to influence what I do every day — from my work to each interaction with my wife, daughter, and son.

First, a little background on Dr. Donald O. Clifton. Don spent more than 40 years showing up at work every morning to study “what’s right with people.” This work started when he was teaching at the University of Nebraska in the 50′s-60′s and continued for three decades as he built a business dedicated to helping individuals and organizations to build on strengths. Over the years Don published several books on this topic including the New York Times bestsellers Now, Discover Your Strengths and How Full Is Your Bucket? (which we co-wrote in his final year of life).

Don also created StrengthsFinder, an assessment and global language of 34 themes that has helped nearly 10,000,000 people to uncover their natural talents. In 2003, Don received a Presidential Commendation from the American Psychological Association citing him as the father of strengths-based psychology and grandfather of positive psychology, in recognition of his decades of work in this field. Along with a team of Gallup scientists, Don also developed the ubiquitous ‘Q12′ questions that have helped ten of millions of workers to be more engaged in what they do each day. He was a researcher, teacher, and leader who had a remarkable influence on those he worked with and taught over the years.

In addition to all that Don did in developing a science around human strengths, he was the ultimate mentor to me personally and professionally. As I stepped back to reflect on his influence over the past few weeks, it is clear that I learned even more from him than I realized —  about parenting, teaching, leading, and building organizations, and making a difference in the world. Over the next few weeks, I will share some of the most important things I learned from Don . . . and hope they are helpful in your work and life as well.

 

 

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Fixing the world’s biggest problem, one social network at a time

In America we face a health crisis of epic proportions. A majority of people now die from largely preventable conditions.  Businesses are going broke on account of rising healthcare costs. People we love are sick, tired, and dying far too early.

To greatly oversimplify the problem, “we the people” of the United States have created a lifestyle that is unsustainable.

We engineered activity out of our lives in the name of convenience. We created foods that put fried, fatty, sweet, and salty ahead of fresh, natural, and healthy. We quickly sacrifice sleep to work longer hours in pursuit of the American Dream.  Even when we do these things with good intentions, they have life threatening consequences.

Obesity rates by country (via WHO)

Our sedentary, sleepless, fast food lifestyle is now infecting the rest of the developed world. The percent of people who are overweight or obese is now even higher in Mexico and wealthy Middle Eastern countries than it is here in the U.S. If we fail to do something about this soon, the lifestyle we export will kill far more people abroad than wars and drones over the next quarter century.

As a citizen of the United States, my take is: we have a responsibility to help fix the global health crisis we started.

After studying the sources of this crisis for several years, I am convinced the best way to curb this epidemic is one social network at a time. If you look back at how we reversed the trend of smoking, we essentially pushed cigarettes to the edges of our largest social networks. We kicked smoking out of our schools, offices, restaurants, stores, airplanes, homes, and buildings.

When we debate what led to this change in smoking, or any other large-scale societal shift, it is easy to underestimate the role of the workplace. Yet I have found that organizations are the largest and most influential networks for creating dramatic change. If we want to tackle the crisis of poor health, we need mobilize these social networks. The best way to improve health is one family, workplace, school, and congregation at a time.

When your boss and colleagues care enough to invest in your health, it is good for you and the business. If a school makes an effort to provide kids the right foods and help them to be more active, this benefits the student and the family’s health. If you embark on a program to improve your health with a church or community group, you are more likely to stick with it over time.

Because traditional organizational-driven health programs bypass these social networks, most employees do not realize that having healthier colleagues is in everyone’s best interests. If my colleagues stop eating donuts and are more active, it saves me money on next year’s insurance premium and I get to work with people who have more energy and creativity each day. Yet most organizations fail to make health a cultural priority. Instead, they treat healthcare like any other expense.

Employers and employees alike need to start thinking about health as an investment, not an expense. Companies can give employees time, resources, and leaders who genuinely care about each person’s health and well-being. As employees, we need to start thinking about how we can build healthier work teams. This starts by taking ownership for our own health, and then continues by helping a close friend or colleague.

At some point, we need to realize that we are all in this battle together. I need to be healthier to enjoy my days, live longer, serve my community, and be a more active spouse and parent. I need my loved ones to be healthier so they are happy, energetic, and around for years to come. I also need my colleagues to make better lifestyle choices so they can contribute more to our shared work, minimize the soaring cost of healthcare for all of us, and help to create a culture where good health is a priority.

This global epidemic of poor health will not be fixed by policies, governments, or insurance companies alone. We will fix this problem by looking at our own choices, helping the people we love, and investing in the health of our immediate social networks. Within these networks – families, businesses, faith groups, and communities – lies the solution to the greatest challenge of our generation.

 

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Top performers work in bursts

 

Top performers work in bursts and take frequent breaks.

One of the most influential studies of human performance, conducted by professor K. Anders Ericsson, found that elite performers need 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to reach levels of greatness. While this finding sparked a debate about the role of natural talent versus countless hours of practice, another element was all but missed.

Professor Ericsson’s studies of elite performers — including musicians, athletes, actors, and chess players — also reveal how resting more can maximize achievement. He found that the top performers in each of these fields typically practice in focused sessions lasting no longer than 90 minutes. The best performers work in bursts. They take frequent breaks to avoid exhaustion and ensure they can recover completely. This allows them to keep going the next day.

Working on a task too long can actually decrease your performance. To avoid this, work in bursts, take regular breaks, and make sure you get enough sleep to be productive.

 

For direct links to any studies referenced in this article, see the Eat Move Sleep Reference Explorer application. Adapted from the book Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath (Missionday, 2013).

The post Top performers work in bursts appeared first on .

Top performers work in bursts

 

Top performers work in bursts and take frequent breaks.

One of the most influential studies of human performance, conducted by professor K. Anders Ericsson, found that elite performers need 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to reach levels of greatness. While this finding sparked a debate about the role of natural talent versus countless hours of practice, another element was all but missed.

Professor Ericsson’s studies of elite performers — including musicians, athletes, actors, and chess players — also reveal how resting more can maximize achievement. He found that the top performers in each of these fields typically practice in focused sessions lasting no longer than 90 minutes. The best performers work in bursts. They take frequent breaks to avoid exhaustion and ensure they can recover completely. This allows them to keep going the next day.

Working on a task too long can actually decrease your performance. To avoid this, work in bursts, take regular breaks, and make sure you get enough sleep to be productive.

 

For direct links to any studies referenced in this article, see the Eat Move Sleep Reference Explorer application. Adapted from the book Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath (Missionday, 2013).

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Why a longer commute is rarely worth it

 

Over the past 50 years, society has had a laser-like focus on determining how we can get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Perhaps no invention did more to decrease our levels of activity than the automobile. Owning a car enables us to build large, less expensive houses in the suburbs. But in turn, we are forced to commute several hours per week. And sitting in a car for all that time is about as sedentary as you can get.

According to one report, the way we have designed our way of life around automobiles could be a leading cause of obesity. After analyzing data collected over a 30-year period, scientists discovered that the correlation between vehicle use and obesity rates was an unusually high 98 percent. While driving is admittedly convenient and the only practical option in many cases, it has a hidden cost.

In one study, when a group of otherwise healthy men were assigned to use crutches and place no weight on one of their legs, it produced swift physiological changes. After just 48 hours, a biopsy of muscle from the inactive leg revealed disruptions in DNA repair, rising oxidative stress, slowing insulin response, and slowing metabolic activity. What’s worse, these changes persisted after their activity resumed.

This study suggests that extended periods of inactivity, such as long car rides or flights, could create permanent changes if you get virtually no activity for 24-48 hours. Take small steps, literally, to counteract sedentary days. Get up regularly on long flights. Make stops every couple of hours on road trips. When you arrive at your destination, get some exercise right away. If you have ever spent a few days in a hospital bed, you may have noticed how it takes up to a week or two for your muscles to fully recover from the inactivity.

If you or your spouse is considering a new job opportunity that requires a long commute, give it serious thought. A Swedish study found that couples in which one partner has a commute longer than 45 minutes are a whopping 40 percent more likely to get divorced. When making a decision about where to live or work, it is easy to underestimate the time you lose with loved ones sitting in a car for an hour or more each day.

A classic study titled Stress That Doesn’t Pay: The Commuting Paradox found that not even a big pay raise or larger house is worth it if you have to add an hour to your commute. These researchers found that for every extra hour of total commuting time per day, you would need a corresponding 40 percent increase in your salary to make the added car time worthwhile. Whenever you are considering a major move — for school, work, or a new home — start by asking if it will help you spend less time commuting and more time with the people who matter.

If you have no choice but to make an extended daily commute, think about how you could cut back on your total drive time. Could you adjust your work schedule so your commute is during off hours when there is less traffic? Ask your employer if telecommuting is an option one or two days a week. On days when you don’t need to physically be in the office — for meetings or other in-person obligations — spending a couple hours in a car is a waste of your time, your well-being, and otherwise productive hours.

 

Connect with Tom Rath:

- Facebook.com/AuthorTomRath

- Twitter.com/TomCRath

- Google.com/+TomRath

- Linkedin.com/in/trath/

For direct links to any studies referenced in this article, see the Eat Move Sleep Reference Explorer application.

Adapted from the book Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath (Missionday, 2013).

The post Why a longer commute is rarely worth it appeared first on .

Fixing the world’s biggest problem, one workplace at a time

In America we face a health crisis of epic proportions. A majority of people now die from largely preventable conditions.  Businesses are going broke on account of rising healthcare costs. People we love are sick, tired, and dying far too early.

To greatly oversimplify the problem, “we the people” of the United States have created a lifestyle that is unsustainable.

We engineered activity out of our lives in the name of convenience. We created foods that put fried, fatty, sweet, and salty ahead of fresh, natural, and healthy. We quickly sacrifice sleep to work longer hours in pursuit of the American Dream.  Even when we do these things with good intentions, they have life threatening consequences.

Obesity rates by country (via WHO)

Our sedentary, sleepless, fast food lifestyle is now infecting the rest of the developed world. The percent of people who are overweight or obese is now even higher in Mexico and wealthy Middle Eastern countries than it is here in the U.S. If we fail to do something about this soon, the lifestyle we export will kill far more people abroad than wars and drones over the next quarter century.

As a citizen of the United States, my take is: we have a responsibility to help fix the global health crisis we started.

After studying the sources of this crisis for several years, I am convinced the best way to curb this epidemic is one social network at a time. If you look back at how we reversed the trend of smoking, we essentially pushed cigarettes to the edges of our largest social networks. We kicked smoking out of our schools, offices, restaurants, stores, airplanes, homes, and buildings.

When we debate what led to this change in smoking, or any other large-scale societal shift, it is easy to underestimate the role of the workplace. Yet I have found that organizations are the largest and most influential networks for creating dramatic change. If we want to tackle the crisis of poor health, we need mobilize these social networks. The best way to combat poor health is one workplace, school, and congregation at a time.

When your boss and colleagues care enough to invest in your health, it is good for you and the business. If a school makes an effort to provide kids the right foods and help them to be more active, this benefits the student and the family’s health. If you embark on a program to improve your health with a church or community group, you are more likely to stick with it over time.

Because traditional organizational-driven health programs bypass these social networks, most employees do not realize that having healthier colleagues is in everyone’s best interests. If my colleagues stop eating donuts and are more active, it saves me money on next year’s insurance premium and I get to work with people who have more energy and creativity each day. Yet most organizations fail to make health a cultural priority. Instead, they treat healthcare like any other expense.

Employers and employees alike need to start thinking about health as an investment, not an expense. Companies can give employees time, resources, and leaders who genuinely care about each person’s health and well-being. As employees, we need to start thinking about how we can build healthier work teams. This starts by taking ownership for our own health, and then continues by helping a close friend or colleague.

At some point, we need to realize that we are all in this battle together. I need to be healthier to enjoy my days, live longer, serve my community, and be a more active spouse and parent. I need my loved ones to be healthier so they are happy, energetic, and around for years to come. I also need my colleagues to make better lifestyle choices so they can contribute more to our shared work, minimize the soaring cost of healthcare for all of us, and help to create a culture where good health is a priority.

This global epidemic of poor health will not be fixed by policies, governments, or insurance companies alone. We will fix this problem by looking at our own choices, helping the people we love, and investing in the health of our immediate social networks. Within these networks – families, businesses, faith groups, and communities – lies the solution to the greatest challenge of our generation.

 

Connect with Tom Rath:

- Facebook.com/AuthorTomRath

- Twitter.com/TomCRath

- Google.com/+TomRath

- Linkedin.com/in/trath/

 

 

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How “we the people” fix the world’s biggest problem

In America we face a health crisis of epic proportions. A majority of people now die from largely preventable conditions.  Businesses are going broke on account of rising healthcare costs. People we love are sick, tired, and dying far too early.

To greatly oversimplify the problem, “we the people” of the United States have created a lifestyle that is unsustainable.

We engineered activity out of our lives in the name of convenience. We created foods that put fried, fatty, sweet, and salty ahead of fresh, natural, and healthy. We quickly sacrifice sleep to work longer hours in pursuit of the American Dream.  Even when we do these things with good intentions, they have life threatening consequences.

Obesity rates by country (via WHO)

Our sedentary, sleepless, fast food lifestyle is now infecting the rest of the developed world. The percent of people who are overweight or obese is now even higher in Mexico and wealthy Middle Eastern countries than it is here in the U.S. If we fail to do something about this soon, the lifestyle we export will kill far more people abroad than wars and drones over the next quarter century.

As a citizen of the United States, my take is: we have a responsibility to help fix the global health crisis we started.

After studying the sources of this crisis for several years, I am convinced the best way to curb this epidemic is one social network at a time. If you look back at how we reversed the trend of smoking, we essentially pushed cigarettes to the edges of our largest social networks. We kicked smoking out of our schools, offices, restaurants, stores, airplanes, homes, and buildings.

When we debate what led to this change in smoking, or any other large-scale societal shift, it is easy to underestimate the role of the workplace. Yet I have found that organizations are the largest and most influential networks for creating dramatic change. If we want to tackle the crisis of poor health, we need mobilize these social networks. The best way to combat poor health is one workplace, school, and congregation at a time.

When your boss and colleagues care enough to invest in your health, it is good for you and the business. If a school makes an effort to provide kids the right foods and help them to be more active, this benefits the student and the family’s health. If you embark on a program to improve your health with a church or community group, you are more likely to stick with it over time.

Because traditional organizational-driven health programs bypass these social networks, most employees do not realize that having healthier colleagues is in everyone’s best interests. If my colleagues stop eating donuts and are more active, it saves me money on next year’s insurance premium and I get to work with people who have more energy and creativity each day. Yet most organizations fail to make health a cultural priority. Instead, they treat healthcare like any other expense.

Employers and employees alike need to start thinking about health as an investment, not an expense. Companies can give employees time, resources, and leaders who genuinely care about each person’s health and well-being. As employees, we need to start thinking about how we can build healthier work teams. This starts by taking ownership for our own health, and then continues by helping a close friend or colleague.

At some point, we need to realize that we are all in this battle together. I need to be healthier to enjoy my days, live longer, serve my community, and be a more active spouse and parent. I need my loved ones to be healthier so they are happy, energetic, and around for years to come. I also need my colleagues to make better lifestyle choices so they can contribute more to our shared work, minimize the soaring cost of healthcare for all of us, and help to create a culture where good health is a priority.

This global epidemic of poor health will not be fixed by policies, governments, or insurance companies alone. We will fix this problem by looking at our own choices, helping the people we love, and investing in the health of our immediate social networks. Within these networks – families, businesses, faith groups, and communities – lies the solution to the greatest challenge of our generation.

 

Connect with Tom Rath:

- Facebook.com/AuthorTomRath

- Twitter.com/TomCRath

- Google.com/+TomRath

- Linkedin.com/in/trath/

 

 

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