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The One-Hour Investment With A 100-Hour Payoff

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Here’s a quick thought experiment that will teach you something about yourself. Say you’re working at your computer, with your smartphone on the desk beside you.

Your phone buzzes with a new text message. Do you keep working on the computer, or stop what you’re doing to check the text?

The vast majority of us, in my observation, choose option B. A text is usually so much more exciting than whatever we’re working on, so we stop our flow of work and check the text.

Distraction is the enemy of success

When you’re deeply engrossed in meaningful work, you’re in a state of consciousness that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls flow. You know this state, where you lose track of time and become one with the work. You’re “in the zone.”

Now think of all the digital distractions that constantly tempt us: text messages, instant messages, emails, and so on. When we allow ourselves to be pulled into these distractions, it pulls us out of flow. This means a massive loss in productivity, because it takes time to get back into flow.

I started out my career as a software developer, where flow was necessary. I would be eight levels deep in the code, and if someone interrupted me to ask about my weekend, that entire mental superstructure would come raining down in a shower of pixels. It would take me fifteen minutes to build it back up again.

The bad news is that every digital distraction you allow into your life has a “cascading effect” in terms of lost productivity. The good news is that you can take control of these distractions. And it will only take you one hour.

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” – Christopher Columbus

We are all Pavlov’s dogs 

The great Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov conducted an experiment with dogs where he rang a bell each time he served them food. After a while, the dogs began salivating when he rang the bell, whether he served food or not: their bodies became conditioned to expect food whenever they heard the bell.

We don’t often think of ourselves like Pavlov’s dogs, but we are. The text message alert on your phone is a “bell” that has conditioned you to expect a tiny burst of information. Because humans feed on information, the text alert delivers a little dopamine hit to your brain, and you stop what you’re doing to answer it. This is why digital distractions are so difficult to resist: they’re addictive!

Software and hardware makers understand this. These digital distractions are built into every device and app, because that’s how they get you to use them. The more an app interrupts your life, the more likely you’ll get addicted to it.

There’s only one way out: turn off the bell. You have to take control of your own working environment. Turn off, remove, and uninstall as many digital distractions as possible. Strive for a Zen-like simplicity on your computer and smartphone, where you will be able to devote large chunks of uninterrupted time to work that matters.

I recommend investing one hour in cleaning up all these digital distractions. Do it today, before you forget about it. It’s the best time investment you will make this year, because each digital distraction you remove will save you hours of time in the future. Here’s a list to get you started:

  • Text messages: Set your phone to vibrate rather than an audible alert when you receive a text. Mute texts during working hours.
  • Instant messages: If you have instant message platforms like Google Chat or Skype installed, turn them off by default, rather than having them load at startup.
  • System messages: Get rid of as many icons in your system tray as possible, and remove their meaningless interruptions. (Most icons allow you to right-click, then choose “options.”)
  • Audible notifications: Turn off all the audible beeps, boops, and ding-dong arooga’s from your phone and computer. These are productivity killers.
  • Live updates: Turn off all the useless, distracting scrolling headlines (on the Windows 10 start menu, for example) by right-clicking and turning off “live updates.”
  • Internet distractions: Remove time-wasting bookmarks from your browser, so you have to type them in manually. Install an app that blocks the internet during working hours.
  • Email: This is the big one. Ruthlessly unsubscribe! Get yourself off all unnecessary email lists. If in doubt, yank it out.

“Don’t become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin.” – Ivan Pavlov

If you had the opportunity to invest $1 today for a $100 payoff over the next year, it would be a wildly profitable investment. This is the one-hour time investment that will pay off at least 100 hours in productivity over the next year. Only you can make the investment; no one can do it for you.

How much money will you invest this year? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Business

The Entrepreneur’s Reading List That Transforms Ideas Into Empires

These must-read titles and writing insights reveal how entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into empire-level success.

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top entrepreneurship books for business growth
Image Credit: Midjourney

Entrepreneurship is powered by stories—of accomplishment, failure, and decision moments that define businesses. Books are maps, providing insight from individuals who’ve traversed the road ahead. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
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When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

Building a Business Empire: Lessons from the World’s Boldest Entrepreneurs

Learn essential lessons, success strategies, and mindset shifts every aspiring entrepreneur needs to overcome challenges and build a thriving business.

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how to build a business empire
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Back in July 2017, I attended a business seminar on entrepreneurship in India. With my appetite for learning and meeting new people, I wanted to explore the latest developments in the entrepreneurial world. (more…)

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