02 Oct 2024
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Updated and Improved Financial Advice from Personal Kaizen

Updated and Improved Financial Advice from Personal Kaizen

Last month we shared new research on money and happiness and updated Rule 7 of our 10 Rules for Life to, “To be wealthy, spend money on what you love.” After updating the rule, I read through all of our previous Personal Kaizen financial advice blog posts to see what other information might be outdated or need an update. This post is a nice summary of all things financial. Personal Kaizen Finance Blog Posts Here is a list of our previous long-form posts related to finances and money: Personal Kaizen Rule 7: To be Wealthy, Spend Money on What You…
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04 Sep 2024
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New Data Shows More Money Leads to Greater Happiness

New Data Shows More Money Leads to Greater Happiness

Rule 7 of our 10 Rules for Life is, “To be rich, spend money on what you love.” As we introduce that rule, we note that as long as you have enough money (currently an income of around $100,000 per year), more money won’t make you much happier. This is based on a famous economic study, but a new study has the opposite finding. So, what is true? Does more money lead to greater happiness? Studies on the Relationship Between Money and Happiness It is very hard to study the relationship between money and happiness without controlling for other factors,…
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07 Aug 2024
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Boredom Sparks Brilliance: How Zoning Out Leads To Great Ideas

Boredom Sparks Brilliance: How Zoning Out Leads To Great Ideas

In the past, we've shared a few brain hacks for maximum effectiveness. Now, we're excited to share how to make the most of your brain, especially when you're bored! Have you ever found that your most brilliant ideas came about while you're doing mundane tasks such as folding laundry or loading the dishwasher? That's because when feeling bored, your brain goes into what neuroscientist Marcus Raichle calls "default mode" where a network in your brain starts busily thinking and daydreaming. Check out the TedTalk below, where journalist Manoush Zomorodi shares her experience with zoning out and how boredom sparks brilliance! https://www.ted.com/talks/manoush_zomorodi_how_boredom_can_lead_to_your_most_brilliant_ideas…
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10 Jul 2024
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Blue Zones: Longevity Miracle or Just Bad Data?

Blue Zones: Longevity Miracle or Just Bad Data?

A few months ago we shared lessons from bestselling author Dan Buettner’s series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. There are several lessons I have applied to my plans for a long, happy life. Just this past week I heard an interview that questioned whether the Blue Zones are real, or instead a case of bad data. Here is what I found out through a bit of research. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones Dan Buettner’s Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones describes areas of the world with higher life expectancies and…
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12 Jun 2024
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Surprising Unconventional Tips for Better Sleep

Surprising Unconventional Tips for Better Sleep

Our previous post shared ways to improve sleep by optimizing the quantity, quality, regularity, and timing – the QQRT factors – of sleep. Sleep is critical to health and wellness, and research shows optimizing all four of these factors will keep you well-rested. We learned about these factors from research on the work of Dr. Matthew Walker, Professor and Founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science. This post will focus on additional factors that impact your sleep and includes several surprising unconventional tips for better sleep recommended by Dr. Walker. Before we mention the unconventional tips, here are some basics…
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15 May 2024
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Improve Sleep by Optimizing Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing

Improve Sleep by Optimizing Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing

Until very recently, science has been unable to explain why we spend over one-third of our lives sleeping. Dr. Matthew Walker tackles that topic in his 2017 bestseller, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science and has recently shared his updated research as a podcast guest. Sleep is a key factor in our health, wellness, and longevity – this post will focus on how to improve sleep by optimizing quantity, quality, regularity, and…
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21 Feb 2024
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Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Photo Credit: Blue Zones A few months ago we shared bestselling author Dan Buettner’s video introducing some of the biggest secrets to why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. It was a promotion for his new four-part Netflix series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones that we just finished watching. This post shares a few of the secrets from Buettner’s Netflix series. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and bestselling author who has found five “blue zones” in the world where people live…
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27 Dec 2023
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Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

The second rule of our 10 Rules for Life is to take care of your body and mind. Personal Kaizen has several upcoming posts focused on longevity – the secret to living a longer, healthier life. We will summarize the new book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity and share our research on behaviors and habits to adopt for a long, happy life. Today’s post shares highlights from bestselling author Dan Buettner’s research into why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. He has a new Netflix series we will be watching this winter.…
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29 Nov 2023
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5 Ways to Master Life’s Biggest Transitions

5 Ways to Master Life’s Biggest Transitions

We have all experienced a life-changing transition at some point in our lives, whether it be the loss of a loved one, an unexpected career switch, or something else. While change is often seen as scary and intimidating, writer, Bruce Feiler, believes that it is possible to master transition. This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by Feiler, where he shares five ways to master life's biggest and toughest transitions. https://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_feiler_the_secret_to_mastering_life_s_biggest_transitions?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare The Life Story Project Bruce traveled all over the United States and interviewed hundreds of people in all 50 states who were willing to share their life…
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01 Nov 2023
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Procrastinating in a Positive Way

Procrastinating in a Positive Way

Whether we're putting off a hard assignment, delaying the workout that we often dread, or leaving the chores for "just another day", we've all had some sort of personal experience with procrastination. According to Psychology Today, about 20 percent of the population are habitual procrastinators! When we think of procrastinating, the first thought is likely using our cell phones to scroll social media, text or call our friends, or surf the web instead of doing the task at hand. However, that's not always the case, as any time we aren't setting priorities, we tend to procrastinate. Here is a simple…
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