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Know Better.
Do Better.
Be Better.
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Hi Reader,
This past week, my wife and I stayed at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, NY, for a keynote I was giving to the Otesaga Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services. It is a stunning hotel that is... wait for it... HAUNTED! Me and ghosts... nay. They said we would be fine as long as we weren't on the 4th floor. Guest what?! YUP!!! Room 411. Apparently, you will hear large pieces of furniture being dragged around the 5th floor, where guests rarely stay. At 1am on the first night...it sounded like a piano was being moved above us. NOPE. Your boy was up all night.
Night two... a knock at the door at 4:45am was met with me leaping out of bed and glaring through the peephole in the door. NO ONE WAS THERE!!!!!
I have now added an addendum to my rider, NO HAUNTED HOTELS! I haven't slept in days! LOL.
Do you have a ghost story that needs to be told? Let me hear it.
If you follow me on Linkedin, this was my most popular post last week:
This YouTube Shorts clip was a harsh realization for me. Did it give you the Aha moment that made me change my ways?
Ready to get better this week?
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Better @ Work
Protect your peace like it's on the endangered species list.
The “Introvert Recovery Block”
Back-to-back meetings aren’t just exhausting - they’re a full-on emotional mugging for introverts.
It’s not the topics that drain you - it’s the people. If your social battery dies after one Zoom call, you’re not antisocial... you’re just running on introvert firmware.
Enter the Introvert Recovery Block - your new default setting between meetings that protects your focus, energy, and ability to show up like a functioning adult.
✅ How-To
- Block 20–30 minutes between meetings on your calendar. Yes, even if it feels “extra.”
- Name it something no one questions:
• 🧠 Deep Work Time
• 🫠 Focus Window
• 📦 Buffer Block
- Use the time to decompress: stretch, write, go outside, breathe, not talk to humans.
🎯 Takeaway:
Extroverts recharge by talking. Introverts recharge by not talking. If your calendar is stealing your recharge time, it’s also stealing your best ideas.
🔥 Try This:
Block one 30-minute “recovery zone” after your next high-interaction meeting. Protect it like your sanity depends on it - because it probably does.
🧠 Reflection:
What would your day feel like if your energy wasn’t constantly in recovery mode?
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A Cup of Tea with Kendrick Lamar
What happens when you walk into a London hotel room with nothing but a backpack, a camera, and 40 minutes to capture Kendrick Lamar? Photographer-turned-coach, Will Bremridge, relives the moment one cup of tea and a single click changed everything he believed about himself.
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Better @ Home
Feel calmer by choosing what stays, not what goes.
The “Reverse Declutter” Shift
Everyone knows the usual decluttering drill: toss, purge, repeat. But it’s usually overwhelming - and not exactly fun.
The reverse decluttering method flips that script: instead of asking What can I get rid of?, we ask:
What do I actually want to keep?
In just a couple of hours, you can transform your space - and your mood - by curating what matters, not eliminating what doesn’t.
✅ How-To
- Pick One Zone
Choose a small, visible area: a kitchen counter, your nightstand, a desk corner - somewhere where clutter hits you first.
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Pull Out Your Favorites
Hold every item and decide, “Do I actually use this? Do I love it?” Keep three categories:
- Always keep
- Maybe later
- Not today
- Rearrange with Intention
Place your “always keep” items back thoughtfully - let them spark joy or serve a purpose. Move the “maybe later” pile to other parts of the house (not hidden away), and let “not today” be hidden only temporarily -it’s not rejection, just rest.
- Step Back and Feel the Shift
That small zone should feel less chaotic, more curated, and ready to support - not distract - you.
🎯 Takeaway:
Reverse decluttering isn’t about emptying your home. It’s about reclaiming your intention. Choosing what stays gives you instant mental space and clarity.
🔥 Try This:
Pick one surface tonight. Spend 30 minutes choosing what belongs. Curate with care. Walk away. The shift isn’t about tidiness - it’s about feeling like you live there again.
🧠 Reflection:
What’s one item you realized you shouldn’t limit yourself to - but one you’d miss instantly if it disappeared?
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Better @ Life
Your nervous system called - it’s begging for background noise that doesn’t sound like email notifications.
The “Go Ahead and Chase Waterfalls” Method
Most of us work or clean with music, podcasts, or silence. But here’s a cheat code you probably haven’t tried: ambient nature sounds.
Think forest rain, babbling brooks, distant thunder. No lyrics, no sudden bass drops - just pure audio zen.
In this case, ignore the famous words of 90's rap/hip-hop group, TLC... "don't go chasing waterfalls."
✅ Why It Works:
• Nature sounds reduce stress and cortisol
• Improve focus without distracting your brain
• Turn mundane tasks into mini spa moments
It’s like tricking your body into thinking you’re in a cabin in the woods... instead of a conference call in your kitchen.
🎧 Try This:
▶️ 4K Forest Stream + Nature Sounds – No Music, 8 Hours
🎯 Takeaway:
You don’t need a retreat - just a tab with birdsong and a better vibe.
🔥 Try This:
Cue up nature sounds during your next block of deep work or chore time. Notice how quickly your brain stops screaming.
🧠 Reflection:
What background noise do you default to... and is it actually helping?
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