When it comes to winning at work, you have to focus on the big things. Don’t sweat the small stuff, right? Not so fast. The small stuff does matter. In fact, according to Andy Andrews, bestselling author of The Little Things, it might matter more than you could possibly imagine.

No sleep.” “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” “Sleep is for the weak.” I often see motivational statements like these hashtagged on social media. The idea is to spur high-achievers on to work harder for better results. But what if that’s exactly backwards? What if our willingness to shortchange our sleep is actually sabotaging our success?

The economist Tyler Cowen says the last few decades have seen the rise of what he calls the complacent class. It may not seem like it, but the numbers show people are sticking with jobs longer, relocating rarely, and innovating less. In the midst of this complacency, there’s tremendous opportunity available for the non-complacent. I […]

Productivity doesn’t just increase your efficiency. If you do it right, it can also increase your income. The problem is that traditional systems get productivity all wrong. They define productivity as the ability to do more and do it faster. But that approach just accelerates the hamster wheel we’re already on. Instead of getting ahead, […]

More than a decade ago, I decided I needed to get back into regular exercise. I was overweight and tired of feeling exhausted. I needed to do something. But like everyone else, I was busy. I had a habit goal I wanted to install: Exercise for thirty minutes, Monday through Friday, at 6:00 a.m. There […]

Years ago, I heard a motivational speaker encourage his audience to “eat that frog.” The line has a long history. And it makes sense: Stop procrastinating and just do the thing you fear. Once you do that, everything else is easy. While that may be helpful in overcoming procrastination, it’s exactly backwards for big goals […]

We all have things we do really well. In our businesses, these are usually the tasks that drive revenue. But if you’re like most entrepreneurs and executives, you probably only spend 20 percent of your time on these tasks. The rest goes to solving other people’s problems, wading through oceans of email, attending inefficient meetings, […]

I’ve been a serious student of productivity for a couple decades now. As the primary income earner in a family of seven, I had to be. When I first started in business, I lived in a constant state of feeling overwhelmed. Work took my best, and I struggled to find time for my family and […]

The way we’re doing productivity isn’t working. I hear stories and regrets that confirm it whenever I talk with entrepreneurs, executives, and other busy leaders. The old methods are no match for all the interruptions and distractions of today’s environment. Thankfully, there’s a new, emerging science of productivity—and you’re invited to listen to eight of […]

As leaders, we spend an enormous amount of time, energy, and money trying to recruit top talent. I know I do. That’s why it’s critical that each hire is the right one. But what’s the secret to guarantee success? We’re in the midst of a season of intense hiring here at Michael Hyatt & Co. […]

People often look at my success and assume I haven’t had any failures. Excuse me while I laugh. Have you seen my recent blooper reel? The truth is I have experienced plenty of failure. And many are a lot worse than a flubbed line. I just don’t usually publicize them.

We all know our words are powerful. We can slice someone to pieces with just a few syllables. That’s bad enough, but what happens when we turn that power on ourselves? As a young man, the writer Peter Leonard showed a short story to his famous father, novelist Elmore Leonard. Instead of encouraging his son, […]

Success has many determining factors, including dumb luck. But I’ve been thinking of one lately that’s largely indispensable and totally learnable—persistence. Have you ever felt like bailing on that one thing you know you’re supposed to do?

The desire to create lasting transformation in the world is what really drives us as leaders, right? Since the news of her death, I’ve been thinking a lot about Maya Angelou. Her legacy offers several valuable insights for living a life of true significance. The odds were against Angelou in her early years. Her parents […]

We live in turbulent times. If we are to overcome the obstacles in our way, we must develop mental toughness. Former FBI agent LaRae Quy shares five ways.

Think of your biggest goal. What is at stake if you achieve it? What is at stake if you don’t. Here’s how I learned about the importance of having skin in the game.

One of the best ways to go further, faster in your life and career is by hiring a personal coach. But what if you are in ministry? In this post, I interview Dick Savidge, the president of Ministry Coaching International.

Your failures, whether they’re relational, vocational or ministry-related, are fodder for future growth. Guest poster Mary DeMuth explains four ways this is true.

In this guest post, Adam Donyes talks about what he learned from interviewing fifteen, older, wiser men about life’s most important lessons.

One of the great temptations for us as leaders and dreamers is to compare the start of our new adventures to the middle of someone else’s. Don’t do it. Here’s why.

Having just completed my tenure as Thomas Nelson’s CEO, several people have asked, “Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to a new CEO?” I would offer seven truths.