Powered by
How to Rewire Your Brain To Be Happier & More Productive
Scientifically proven strategies from Scott Crabtree
This presentation consists of insights inspired by 33voices® interviews with Jenna Abdou.
Table of Contents
Page 4
Page 12
Page 33
Page 36
Page 41
Page 49
Chapter 1 - Learn to Practice Mindfulness
Chapter 2 - Make Gratitude a Habit
Chapter 3 - Focus on the Positives
Chapter 4 - Simple Tricks to Get Into a State of Flow
Chapter 5 - Make Happiness a Part of Your Culture
Chapter 6 - The Crucial Case For Making Time
Learn to Practice MindfulnessChapter 1
Studies have shown that our life circumstances are only 10% of our overall happiness; Making the way you respond to your experiences the
most telling indicator of your well-being.
The most important shift you can make to change your
behavior is practicing mindfulness:
The most important shift you can make to change your
behavior is practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness is the act of being completely
aware of the present moment without judgment.
Practicing mindfulness during times of stress is the difference between
responding and reacting.
Try a 4-6-8 breath to ground yourself in the present moment.
Close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold the breath for six
seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds. Slow breathing signals your
body that you’re safe, calming you down.
Close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold the breath for six
seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds. Slow breathing signals your
body that you’re safe, calming you down.Pro tip: You can practice the 4-6-8 breath
in public without closing your eyes.
Make Gratitude a HabitChapter 2
Relationships are the number one indicator of our happiness. The best way to cultivate
them is to appreciate the people around you.
Relationships are the number one indicator of our happiness. The best way to cultivate
them is to appreciate the people around you.When was the last time you genuinely
said thank you?
Gratitude is meaningless unless it’s authentic. The best way to relay your
appreciation is to be specific.
Next time you thank someone touch on:
Next time you thank someone touch on: Their behavior
Next time you thank someone touch on: The emotional impact it made on you
Next time you thank someone touch on: The tangible way it positively affected
your life and/or business
Here’s an example: Kevin, Thanks so much for helping me with the latest company blog. The topic was challenging for me and it meant a lot that you took the time to review it. We’ve seen a great response from
our readers and generated new leads.
Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:
Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:
Make the first and last email you send each day a thank you
Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:
Handwrite one or two thank you notes each week
Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:
Keep appreciation cards in the office for team members to recognize individuals who support them
Make gratitude a habit by keeping a journal. Keeping a gratitude
journal for 30 days will impact your brain chemistry for months in the future.
“In that month, you will rewire your brain to be a more grateful brain. That’s the trick. To do something repeatedly and intensely
enough that you’re rewiring your brain to think in a more grateful way.”
The key to meaningful gratitude is not to practice it in the same way. Follow different rituals to avoid hedonic adaptation — when
your brain adjusts to a particular habit.
“Develop a habit that rewires your brain and then find variations in the way you
express that gratitude - Sometimes writing it, saying it, or tweeting it.”
Gratitude not only boosts your happiness it impacts your confidence too.
“Confident people give credit to those around them. They build relationships and
happiness in the process.”
If you don’t feel confident, grateful or happy, fake it. Studies have shown that when we fake
something enough our body adjusts to it.
“Saying this is just the way you are is a cop-out. This is just the way you are today,
in this moment. If you don’t like it you can rewire your brain to change it.”
Watch Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk to learn how Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.
Focus on the Positives Chapter 3
“There is tremendous value in focusing and feeding what is going right.
In particular, what’s going right with people…The counterintuitive part about strengths
is that most weaknesses can be made irrelevant and don’t need to be fixed.”
“There is tremendous value in focusing and feeding what is going right.
In particular, what’s going right with people…The counterintuitive part about strengths
is that most weaknesses can be made irrelevant and don’t need to be fixed.”
What are you unnecessarily worrying about?
Simple Tricks to Get Into a State of Flow
Chapter 4
When appropriate, turn off invitations to your addictions such as Twitter, Slack,
Facebook, and email.
For the email obsessed: “Those who check email more frequently during the day have
higher stress and lower productivity.”
Set routine habits for yourself and your team. Establish quiet times where team members
can efficiently achieve their daily tasks.
Plan and prioritize your tasks for the following day. Learn more in this First Round Review piece:
The Most Dangerous Leadership Traps — and the 15-Minute Daily Practice That Will Save You.
Make Happiness a Part of Your Culture:
Chapter 5
Remember these tips as you introduce new cultural practices
Always lead with evidence - Nobody wants to be told what to do!
Practice what you preach - If you aren’t actively working on these habits, your team won’t either.
Our brain contains mirror neurons, meaning that when you’re
happy and productive the individuals around you will be too.
Positive relationships and emotions boost productivity - The
happier your team members are, the more successful your business will be.
Start meetings on a positive note by having team members recognize individuals
who helped them during the last week.
Get to know team members outside of their roles by holding Pecha Kucha presentations:
Visual presentations where individuals bring 10-20 slides with photos representing
personal parts of their lives.
Don’t expect an overnight shift - Peyton Manning wasn’t born throwing Hail Mary’s.
The Crucial Case For Making Time Chapter 6
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
Why don’t I have time?
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
Why am I so busy?
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
Why am I working so much?
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
Why do I want to be successful?
On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?
Why do I want to have the benefits of success?
“When people say I don’t have time for happiness I ask them why. Most of what
they’re doing is trying to become happy.”
“For the first time in human history we have hard scientific data as to what works to make us happy. We are chasing things that we think
make us happy, but we are doing it wrong.
You can rewire your brain with virtually every-thing you think and do…You can see physical changes in brain structure in under a month if you do something repeatedly and intensely.”
The first step to rewiring your brain is accepting that you have the power to do so.
What will you try?
FEATURED:
Scott Crabtree
Founder of Happy Brain Science
@ScottCrab
If you have a question we missed, submit it to 33voices Q&A for a direct answer from one of our founders or thought leaders.
CONNECT WITH US!
Tell us what you [email protected]
Presentation by Chase Jennings
Insights by Jenna Abdou
LEARN MORE