The Coffee Break Inspiration Collection consists of quick-reads articles. Several highlight the key elements of in-depth long-form resources. Use the concepts and strategies for inspiration. When you find something interesting or helpful, access to supplemental articles and self-study long-form resources are just a click away.
Featured articles are organized by category of interest below.
Amp up Happiness
Boost Brain Power
Effective Communication
Entrepreneurship
Performance Tuning and Pursuit of Learning
Student Success
Work Smart
Learn a breathing technique that calms your mind and relaxes your body to help you feel more grounded.
Do not take these things for granted: five elements of happiness and using your key character strengths everyday..
About 90% of our behavior runs on autopilot. The mindful
brain knows what is best for you. The autopilot brain does not. Awaken your mindful brain.
How lopsided is your list of self-care activities compared to what you expend your energy doing on a daily basis?
Living a life of
courage is not about putting your life on the line. It is not the absence of fear. Tapping into your courage is about saying,
“I can”.
Six ways to feel deeply connected to other people, fully seen,
understood, and feel secure in
those relationships.
Curiosity is one of your mighty muscles and a strategic tool. It needs exercising. Without curiosity your in-demandsoft
skills can be elusive.
We think more than
50,000 thoughts per day. Use just a tiny fraction them to answer one question about you.
Words that distinguish positive emotions have the power to energize,
illuminate, excite, brighten, heal and soothe us.
There is no event or situation we cannot handle as long as we learn not to react by continuous suffering through toxic inner commentary.
When you get bogged down
in daily activities you lose your ability to be self aware enough to determine what makes you happy and what gives you purpose.
Fundamental
questions about your skills, talents, qualities, values, perceptions, and
accomplishments to understand your fundamental nature and essence.
15 practical activities, many of which you already do, but maybe not nearly often enough to exercise your brain.
When you operate on autopilot, it no longer challenges your brain. Take your brain into new territory.
There is a relationship between health concerns and cognitive decline. A vigorous brain needs these 5 key things.
Every time you plan, cook and eat a meal, there is collaboration, cross-talk, and overlapping of your sensory modalities which challenge and excite your brain.
Your day is scheduled. Why not put one minute of rest and five minutes of relaxation on your daily agenda, too? You need it. Ensure you get it.
Your conscious brain is aware of a very small fraction of what you could potentially capture through your senses to feel more alive. Zero in to draw out more bits!
Have you ever considered keeping your brain alert and ready for high levels of motivation, self-awareness, and amazing feats of learning or discovery through playing or storytelling?
Dancing is an example of a complex brain activity. Your brain is surges in performance when its many parts can work at the same time in activities that involves several senses. Many activities have dance-like movements.
A person with strong observation skills will notice, analyze, and remember their surroundings. You can do this exrcise anytime and anywhere. It only takes 2 minutes per day.
What may be conveyed through your body language. With every breath you take, your non-verbal cues are busy telling the world something about you.
We tend to seek out a good listener when we want to bounce ideas around because they are partners in communication with these key attributes.
Unfortunately many people are simply not aware that negative body language can offend and alienate people.
The entire human body cannot lie. No matter what words we choose to use our inner thoughts ooze and flash to the surface in our body language.
Do you know why?
When you find yourself in such a situation you want to refrain from becoming so irritated that you may not listen or communicate well, which exacerbates the situation.
We have pinpointed twelve different weaknesses or underlying factors to effective listening, and provide some suggestions on what you can do to overcome them.
Engage your potential customers and they will tell you what they want and how they want it. You just have to listen.
Fair Dealing, a component of Canadian Copyright law makes it clear that users of copyright have rights, too.
How do you maintain timely and effective communication when people are working remotely and scheduling is at variance?
Want a do-it-yourself approach to decision-making and problem solving? Conscious brainstorming opens up new areas of innovation and achievement.
Everything your audience sees, including the email address, sends a message that adds credibility and professionalism to your brand.
Making decisions during a crisis can be tough. Having a well-thought-out emergency plan that clearly outlines the steps and actions to be taken is crucial.
How you approach kindness and mindfulness in the workplace will bring people together or divide them. Bring good karma to work.
If you try to avoid any kind of conflict, it never really disappears. More often than not, it simmers just below the surface. What should you do?
When you are looking to innovate as a start by asking "why" questions, and remember innovation does not happen in isolation.
Are you sourcing enough good ideas from outside your immediate think group? 6 ways to be more discovery-driven.
Be sure to start your day off right because the tone of your morning will determine the tone of your day and help you win the war against procrastination.
SWOT helps you strategize what personal and professional abilities you need to acquire or fine-tune on your path forward as an entrepreneur.
Find adventure in moving more deliberately through the chaos and noise to engage and make every moment count. 6 ways to become a super hero week-end warrior.
Do words such as unbearable, never, always, unworkable, or impossible creep into your conversations and thoughts? If so, you may have good reasons to practice flexible thinking?
As a child you were naturally curious, asking, in one day, ten times the questions an adult asks in a week, making it possible for you to experience some important moments in your life.
When you are active on social media you leave digital footprints that create a blurry line between your professional and personal life. What is social media saying about you?
Research helps us answer our most burning questions and find solutions to problems. Do you know how to acquire credible information and organize it?
A growth mindset teaches you to be fascinated by emerging challenges. You believe you can get smarter and more skilled through sustained effort.
It may not be that you are simply overworked and under pressure. Identify a cause and fend it off with an easy-to-implement strategiy that will also set the tone for a-procrastination-free day.
6 key attributes denote professionalism - what you do visibly that inspires others, and what you do back stage and unwitnessed that gives you a sense of satisfaction and self-worth.
One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. Be selective in saying "yes" because there is only so much energy you can muster.
Working long hours becomes a bad habit. Burnout is real. It is crucial for your mental health that you draw firm boundaries between your professional and personal time,
The swing is a powerful metaphor that can connect us to some fundamental truths in building a career or business, staying motivated, assuming responsibilities, or life's highs and lows.
Learning takes time, which provokes many people to rush the learning process, which makes learning more difficult. Enhance these 4 key strengths to persevere.
Today, the modern classroom is wherever you may be. To get the most from your experience, including satisfaction and quality education, your self-learning is hinged on 12 key factors:
When demanding, nerve-racking situations arise, one of the fastest ways to relieve the stress and stay in control is to use your senses as a rescue tool. Here's 31 sensory actions for inspiration.
We tend to confuse skills and knowledge with ability or competence. We use the terms interchangeably which implies that they refer to the same thing. Does mismatching lead you to resistance?
Do you balance the working-from-home tips for success with how to feel great in both mind and body? Delve into specific measures to care for your mental, emotional and physical well-being.
Your home office should be more than a spot on the couch where your Wi-Fi is strong. It should suit your lifestyle, cater to your hierarchy of needs and help you to do your best.
Don't have a typical office day? Digital nomads suggest these 12 tips to help you establish a routine and a vibe that allows you to be productive while maintaining work-life balance.
Explore the expertise to reflect on your existing practices to figure out what's working and where gaps exist so you can make empowering choices to advance toward your goals.
You have untapped smarts and strengths as well as those smarts that you may take for granted and neglect to nurture or use in ways that your brain works best.
SWOT's simplistic format makes it easy and quick to use - build on your strengths, improve your weaknesses, capitalize on your opportunities, minimize threats.
As a student about to embark on a career you should assess whether you are sourcing enough good ideas through your immediate sphere of influence to shape your career and future.
Neither sleep nor self-care are luxuries. Both are as necessary as breathing or eating. They equip you with energy and the mental well-being to handle life's inevitable challenges and to thrive.
When college doesn't make sense, don’t let a lack of knowledge about trades and occupations hold you back from pursuing a field of interest that might the better fit for your personality.
Time passes, no matter what you do. To take back control of your time and energies you have to be cognizant of your state of mind.
You may not be aware of the ways in which you display intelligence. You have untapped strengths. Ask in what ways can I be smarter today?
To work smart you should not deny your mind and body the rest, relaxation, and sleep it needs. You need all three, not one or the other
Sorry to burst your bubble! The human brain is not wired for multitasking. It takes a mental toll on cognitive energies, eats up time, and is counter-productive.
Distractions and interruptions can claim your attention and squander time. The key is to be selective to give full attention to what is important to you.
Your body craves sleep like it does eating, drinking, and breathing. Sleep is not a luxury; it is a necessity for your health and wellness, and working smart.
Protect attention, focus, and time by directing attention to the ways and times your brain works best. 10 strategies for designing your perfect work day.
Motivation inspires every action you take. In your lifetime, perhaps some are minor and forgotten; many are life-changing. What can you do when you are short on motivational energy.
Your body craves sleep like it does eating, drinking, and breathing. Sleep is not a luxury; it is a necessity for your health and wellness, and working smart.
