Neuroscience of Success: 3 Chemical Responses to Understand

Three smiling professionals--two men and one woman--in an open workspace illustrates the neuroscience of success

What chemicals in your brain are connected to your success? How can understanding these chemicals help you make better decisions on your path to achievement? The neuroscience of success reveals how specific brain chemicals and hormones influence your ability to achieve goals and maintain momentum. Neuropsychologist Ian Robertson examines how three of them work together to either propel you forward or hold you back when facing challenges. Keep reading to discover how these powerful chemicals affect your decision-making, social relationships, and long-term performance.

Freedom Compass: Its Purpose + How to Create & Use One

A man wearing a backpack looking at a freedom compass on a wall

What’s Michael Hyatt’s Freedom Compass? How can you determine which to-do tasks are more valuable than others? In Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt offers a tool called the Freedom Compass. Similar to the famous Eisenhower Priority Matrix, the Freedom Compass helps you evaluate the value of the things you do. Keep reading to learn how the Freedom Compass can change your life.

How to Navigate Creative Success and Cope With Failure

A stressed out artist leaning on his art table with his head in his hands because creative success is stressful

What are the downsides of creative success? How can you find a middle ground between staying confident and being humble? Questlove, musician, producer, and author of Creative Quest, explores the successes and failures that come with creativity. He writes that there’s a lot to learn from each and that creative success can come with some downsides. Keep reading to learn how to handle creative successes and failures.

Productivity Matrix Template: An Easy Guide to Prioritizing Tasks

A woman looking at a wall of sticky notes to create a productivity matrix template

Do you want to create a Productivity Matrix, but don’t know where to start? What types of tasks require you to work harder? In Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt offers a Productivity Matrix that helps you evaluate tasks based on two criteria: interest and skill. Organizing your tasks this way will help you determine how much work is needed to accomplish each task. If you want to create your own Productivity Matrix, keep reading for an easy guide.

5 Factors of Success: How the Winner Effect Sets You Apart

A sketch of silhouettes, with one woman standing apart from the crowd, illustrates the factors of success

What influences success? Why do some people find it easy to go after what they want while others struggle to act? When success finally comes, why do some people thrive while others falter? The journey to achievement involves complex elements that shape our potential. In his book The Winner Effect, Ian Robertson identifies five key factors of success: motivation type, parental influence, opportunity access, biological responses, and social standing. Read on to discover how these interconnected factors might be influencing your own path to success.

How to Stop Being Unproductive: Get Rid of Empty Activities

A man watching TV who needs to learn to stop being unproductive

Do you spend too much time doing activities that don’t benefit you? How can you choose your commitments more wisely? In Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt introduces a few strategies to increase your productivity. The first is to eliminate as many unproductive tasks as possible from your life.  Let’s discuss how to stop being unproductive, from removing meaningless activities to turning down requests. 

How to Set Priorities in Life: Decide What Meets Your Needs

A whiteboard with the word "PRIORITIES" on it to show how to set priorities in life

Are you having trouble determining what’s a priority? How do you decide if your commitments meet your needs? In Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt reminds you that you can only do one thing at a time and can’t accomplish everything. So, whenever you commit to doing something, you’re also opting not to do other things. Continue reading to learn how to set priorities in life that will benefit you.

Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen (Book Overview)

A man reading a book with a bookshelf in the background

What’s holding you back from achieving your biggest goals? Why might your positive thinking actually be working against you instead of helping you? Gabriele Oettingen’s Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation challenges the common belief that visualizing success is enough to reach your goals. Her research shows that positive fantasies often backfire, and she offers a practical alternative. Continue reading for an overview of this book that will give you a fresh perspective.

What Does Success Mean for You? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself

A woman painting the word "SUCCESS" on a wall illustrates the question, "What does success mean for you?"

What does success mean for you? Have you designed a future that excites you and aligns with your personal values? In his book The Code of the Extraordinary Mind, Vishen Lakhiani suggests rebuilding your vision of success by exploring three key questions. This approach helps cultivate genuine excitement about your future by focusing on what truly matters to you. Read on to discover Lakhiani’s method of redefining success on your own terms and creating a future you’ll be eager to achieve.

Gabriele Oettingen’s WOOP: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan

A man, seen from behind, looking at a whiteboard that says "WOOP" illustrates Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan

Ever wonder why your ambitious goals remain unfulfilled despite positive thinking? What if there’s a more effective way to transform wishful thinking into meaningful accomplishments? According to Gabriele Oettingen, WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) offers a practical approach to achieving your goals by balancing optimism with reality. In Rethinking Positive Thinking, Oettingen explains that merely visualizing success isn’t enough. Keep reading to discover how you can apply this four-step method to finally achieve what matters most to you.