MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Five takeaways:

1. In the early days of Covid, a baking craze arose. The hashtag #quarantinebaking became so popular that Amazon sold out of popular brands of flour and chocolate chips.
2. It turns out there is neurological proof that homekeeping and self-care activities such as baking can help stop cycles of anxiety and depression by changing how the human brain self-regulates.
3. When humans perceive a threat, their amygdala– a region of the brain associated with stress– begins firing. The prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion, begins working less effectively.
4. Activities such as baking or bicycling can reset the brain and allow the prefrontal cortex to more effectively regulate emotion. They offer a sense of applied skill and control.
5. Studies suggest that behavioral activation– as with activities like baking– can be just as effective as meditation in helping to reregulate brain activity. In the anxious early days of lockdown, this was hugely helpful as an escape.

From Sara Harrison at Wired:
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Five takeaways:

1. Management is a noble position when done right, because it offers the opportunity to build others up. To grow in responsibility and to learn.
2. A greater consciousness about “Life Strategy” allows you to keep the purpose of your life front and center as you decided how to spend time, talent, and energy.
3. Allocate your personal resources: allocating your personal time, energy, and talent ultimately shape your life’s strategy.
4. At all costs, avoid the “just this once” mentality to breaking your personal code
5. Remember the importance of humility– productive behavior stems from the humility that comes with self-deprecating behavior and good treatment of others.

From Clayton M. Christensen at Harvard Business Review:
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Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.

Five takeaways:

1. Forget about the 8-hour work day. Since the house doesn’t have the distractions of an office, you can likely get more done more quickly. So don’t get hung up on whether the clock on the wall says 5 p.m.– set clear goals about the required tasks for the day, and log off once they are completed.
2. Build human interaction– through zoom or phone calls– into the day to avoid feelings of isolation– which can bog down productivity and negatively affect mental health.
3. Do the more “brainless” tasks, like clearing out the inbox, later in the day. In the early part of the day, when the brain is fresh, tackle the more applied or creative tasks at hand.
4. “Choose three things a day” – structure your day around three main tasks. Addressing these will structure your schedule, and help you avoid feeling lost in a “sea of work and deadlines”
5. Respect and work with your natural energy cycles– understand that full productivity, 5 days a week, is not possible. Productivity downturns are natural. Take them as a sign to take a break and return to the computer refreshed.

From Alexandra Samuel at The Wall Street Journal:

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