Category: For the English speaker

☆ Three ways to avoid the negative impact of multitasking

There was a time in my life when I thought, my mind can process and manage all different challenges at the same time perfectly well, I learned in the meantime that multitasking is not always the best thing to do.

Pause right now for a moment and think about all the things you are currently doing right now. Obviously, you are reading this article, but chances are you’re also doing several things at once. Perhaps you’re also having an ongoing virtual meeting, are in the middle of texting a friend, checking your email in another browser tab, or planning your next tasks with one part of your brain. Doing all those activities at once is called “multitasking”.

According to a study conducted at Stanford University, very often, instead of increasing our productivity, multitasking affects our creativity, effectivity, motivation and mood negatively. Based on this research, especially those people who are regularly loaded with a lot of electronic information do even pay less attention, can less control their memory, and are more likely to switch from one task to another.

Here are my 3 ways on how to effectively avoid the possible harmful impact of multitasking:

Limit the number of things you juggle at any given time. Clever combination should be observed in order to avoid the negative effect of multitasking. Be aware that only a combination of these tasks performed simultaneously provide you with the positive aspects of multitasking: a) A few, habitual tasks like running while listening to music b) One task that requires most of your attention plus one habitual task like listening to a podcast while doing maintenance tasks c) One complex task, your most productive task that will require you more time and attention, can only be managed on its own.

Use the “20-minute rule.” Instead of constantly switching between tasks, try to fully devote your attention to one task for 20 minutes before switching to the other. Make use of your smartphone alarm if required.

Become aware of the times when you’re multi-tasking. There’s a good chance you might do it so much that you don’t even notice when you’re doing it. „Mindful beyond business“ is also the key here. The more awareness you have of your own behavior, the better you will be able to decide what kind of stress level you would like your body and mind to expose.

Doing one task at a time may help you to be more productive and it may make each task for you less stressful and simply more enjoyable.

Source: https://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-study-082409.html

☆ People believe what they want to believe

We all interpret facts different as it is about our whole outlook on the world. This is a wild mix of our DNA, the way we were raised and the experiences we made in the past. Not only this but also how we view and judge ourselves as well as what our friends believe play a crucial role in our outlook on the world.

Tell me, have you ever had a dynamic as well as heated discussion in which your counterpart said you were right in your argumentation and that he has therefore changed his point of view? Imagine yourself discussion religious belief or politics and showing up with a strong argumentation line.

Did you ever succeed to convince the other one of your opinion because of the facts you have had prepared for the talk? Or because of the long speak rich of deep words or the statistics you have worked out?

Me personally not. A change of mind like this barely occurs in discussions that are emotionally touching.

The reason for this behavior is simple. We keep certain opinions, yes. But we do not maintain our views because they rely on the underlying facts. Therefore, it is not likely that the counterparts change their minds when you bring up arguments.

What really happens is we form our beliefs with the help of our gut feeling. After that, we rationalize our opinions and are in constant search for facts that are supporting our belief. Again, the facts are not leading us to a certain view. It is more the way around: our gut feeling is the base of our belief and we back it up with arguments.

When debating, neither your words, nor your facts or any statistics will make the other one change her or his view. She or he will always believe in what they want to believe.

It is completely nonsense to insist on changing her/ his view.

Actually, it is even a waste of time.

And same applies for me. If someone wants to change my belief system, it will not work. I am not saying that it is impossible to change what I believe in. What I say is that it cannot be changed externally.

For a change, you need an internal experience. You and I have to live it for ourselves. You cannot do it for me. And I cannot do it for you.

Just look back in life: how often have you changed your beliefs. Whether a cold pizza is better than a warm one. Whether real love really exists. Whether you believe in god or not. When did you stop voting for the socialist party and when did you decide for divorce?

In how many cases the reason for this change was the outcome of an intense discussion with your wife or colleague? And how often did your believe change to what happened in your life as e.g the death of a close family member or the knowledge that your husband cheated on you? Maybe you were also newly surrounded by different people who live a new life ethic codex? Or you moved out of your old home town?

My point is that it is very probable that you changed your beliefs yourself. You had no one who changed the beliefs for you. You changed your belief system because you adopted to a fresh situation or a new environment.

So, next time you are in a heated situation in which you or your counterpart is holding on her or his view, keep in mind that most probably you will not changing the person’s view. Even if you consider her or his view as dumb and stupid. At the same time I am not saying you should not speak up to tell your truth. Just be aware that chances to shift your partner from one perspective to another one are realistically pretty low.

☆Three ways to keep your attention level high

I’m pretty sure you know those moments, when we are keen on finishing a professional task or another project milestone but instead of completing it, we get distracted. And as soon as we get distracted, our attention is – of course – divided. You might not only get distracted by scheduled meetings but also by your own inner world, your mind. 

Here are my personal top three tools to keep my focus level high and to play out my mind: 

1. Use multitasking only for very selected, simple activities 

Our attention space is more limited than we think it is. Multitasking is not to recommend – unless it is a matter of habits, i.e. things that our mind can handle without much effort. Therefore, stop multitasking except you are making your laundry or cooking spaghetti. Decide for yourself, which of your daily tasks require full awareness and which part can live with just a „part of your brain” being present. You are adult enough.

2. Watch your mind and call it back when it starts to wander around

Our brain is build to crave for new, constant stimulation, and immediate gratification. It creates something called a “compulsion loop”. With various distractions pulling us in many different directions during a working day, keeping us focused on the important, and most urgent tasks that requires maximum attention often become difficult for us. Our brain simply want to move away from the task and rather think about the next vacation, how to get a coffee or how to solve the issue with the neighbor. 

One of the best practices for managing your attention is called meta-awareness where you become aware of what you’re thinking. Simply start noticing what occupies your mind. You’ll most probably notice that your focused mind expands and shrinks depending on your mood. Your mind is constantly changing as do the clouds in the sky. The more you notice what’s occupying your thoughts and the less you judge them, the faster you can get back on track when your mind begins to wander. 

Awareness is key here. 

3. Have a plan for the next day before you go to bed 

Always make sure to leave enough time to accomplish complex, creative tasks. To improve effectiveness, decide even the night before on the most important thing you want to accomplish the next morning. Start every day with a plan and commit to it.

Own your attention. 

#mindfullness #empowerment #mentoring #management #creativity #technology #future #careers #motivation #productivity

☆ CARD GAME TO BE RECEIVED AT BIRTH

I was once reading about one – another – way HOW to see the world. I don’t know whether I will find the right words but I think the story was the following ….

What if we all received a card play with birth. 

Some of us get better cards than others. 

It is pretty easy to get hung up on your cards and feel to got screwed over. 

But that is not what the game is about. 

The real game lies 
1) in the choices we make with those cards, 
2) when you play which card, 
3) which risk you are willing to take and 
4) the consequences you chose to live with.

I just remember this concept as I found this picture taken during a great summer girls night. 
Three women enjoying the time spent together. 
All of them have different cards to play in their hands.

A whole individual card deck to play life with.

And each of us succeeded to play their game of life with what life have to offer.

I believe there is so much more in each of us, we “just” have to get connected to our inner energy, our power bank. My goal is to wake people up by showing what is possible in life. I want them to take immediate control of their lives.

☆ WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?

What is it that makes us human? 

One answer is “FLOW”. Like the state I was in when I was spontaneously invited by the Sadhus in India in and accepted the unexpected singing circle. 

Flow is an unobstructed feeling and unobstructed allowance, not only if what is around you, but what is arising from within you. 
Abiding in a state of flow involved being a conduit, like a channel, that merely allows the life energy to flow free through, free of obstruction. 

Maybe you feel like taking your attention inward today and ask yourself: “Do I feel any resistance, fear, or hesitancy? Is there something that needs to be said or done? Is there something I need to act upon?

It’s easy: The more you go where you feel moved to go, laugh as you feel moved to laugh, the more you speak when you feel moved to speak, and cry as you feel moved to cry, the less resistance you have to the flow of life. 

The flow is simple allow the energy of life to circle through you, and to trust in the impulse of the life to move you.

☆ Time to shape the business rules

I still remember very clearly how, during my time in investment banking at Deutsche Bank, I understood that negotiations are conducted differently by men and women, even on an unconscious level.

That was my first job after graduation and I was the only woman among many men in our meeting room in the Bank Towers in Frankfurt. – During that meeting, there were questions about derivatives trading and some of the “biggest” floor traders were in the room. Definitely a lot of testosterone.

I noticed how the men in the negotiation room clarified their ranking shortly after entering it. This was done through gestures and facial expressions, appearance and literally taking up “space” in the sense of “taking up a lot of physical and mental space”.

I was flabbergasted and had to think how I once witnessed a cockfight in Java, Indonesia, which was organized by the men of a village. The strong stings the weak.

During our meeting in Frankfurt, most of the negotiation was also based on the hierarchical levels established in the first few minutes. In this way, competence, power and status were conveyed.

Two points, however, I took with me at the time:

1) The effect through “space” engaging behavior

2) The meaning of body language.

On the last point, I have learned a lot in the course of my professional years: If I sit at the negotiating table with my legs elegantly crossed and my hands crossed on my lap, I am perceived differently than if I speak with my legs apart and my elbows on the table. A direct eye contact that goes round means strength and power and is a different sign than tilting the head down when speaking. But to go into the room when entering it instead of standing at the doorframe, even to walk or walk towards the person opposite when speaking, if necessary, brings with it a special perception.

I currently have a lot to do with the “younger” generation and appreciate that they can attribute competence, power and status to other factors than the aforementioned, perhaps more “traditional” oriented behavioral patterns.

My experience is that the younger generation is able to attribute competence to women even if they do not heed the above mentioned “tactics” but stand fully in their feminine energy.

And this is exactly what I hope for the future, also for the generation “in the best age”: That we can bring more feminine energy into the German career floors and that we can shape the economic rules of the game even more in that light.

For more inspiration subscribe to my podcast newsletter and listen to it, more info here https://linktr.ee/THEHUMANPROJECT

☆ Where can one find happiness?

I will not reveal the secret people have been seeking for since thousands of years: where can I find true happiness?! But I will give you a little hint!

Imagine you buy a new pair of shoes and feel happy about it. Where is the happiness feeling coming from? It was definitely not built into the pair of shoes by the shoemaker.

Is it possible that you have instead brought the feeling with you?

Imagine now you are terrible in love and when you see your new love, you feel overwhelmed by the butterflies that spread in your stomach area making you feel like being high and as if you could hug the whole world? Maybe you think you have the feeling because your new love is sitting next to you, holding hands with you. But can it be that you are wrongly seeing your partner as being the reason for your emotions? Maybe you are wrong because your feeling will also be there even if your partner is geographically nowhere next to you as e.g. she/ he needed to travel to the other side of the planet. Your love feeling remains the same.

What if you brought also that feeling with you?

Sometimes, we people get addicted to buying new stuff or falling in love because we enjoy the feeling so much. In my case, it was to travel to remote countries with my backpack, to learn to know new culture and have an exchange with new people. I feel excited, adventurous and my sense for curiosity was nourished. I also believed that I needed to have the external trigger, that is to travel as often and as far as I can, to create that feeling. For me it was long time the only mean to sate my adventure impulse.

In the meantime, I know that the secret is not about finding the external triggering points but rather about finding the trigger of the feeling without anyone else or anything else being involved.

No, don’t ask me how!

This one you have to find for yourself.

And yes, it is the one place you would have barely thought about looking – it is inside yourself!

☆ Covid-19: The World stands still…

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Wenn die Welt still steht, dann heißt es zusammenzurücken. Aktuell nicht physisch, sondern mental, emotional und spirituell. Die Antwort auf den Corona Virus lautet für mich deshalb Kooperation. Gemeinsam, ohne ein Denken in Kategorien wie Staatsgrenzen, sind wir Menschen doch noch viel stärker. 

Eigentlich wäre ich jetzt auf Hawaii. Bin ich aber auch deshalb nicht, weil mich ein Autofahrer, der über Rot raste, von Rad fegte. Sprunggelenk Operation vor drei Wochen. Laufen geht erst wieder in vier. Ich hatte große Angst vor dem Eingriff. Und erst dann, als ich mir bewusst machte, dass die Angst vor dem Unausweichlichen die Situation jedenfalls nicht besser macht, vielleicht sogar verschlimmern wird, konnte ich umdenken. Mir wurde klar, dass ich selbst entscheiden kann, wie ich die Lage betrachte. Master my mind. Ab dieser Erkenntnis konnte ich akzeptieren was ist und mich selbst in einen energetisch besseren Zustand versetzen, der letztlich sicher auch meine Heilung beschleunigte. Zudem hatte ich tolle Erlebnisse, bin wunderbaren Menschen begegnet und erlebte eine Woge der Solidarität von Couchgesprächen und Apothekengängen bis hin zur Supermarkthilfe.

Mein Punkt ist, dass jedes einzelne Lebensereignis nie „nur“ schwarz oder weiß ist, sondern stets noch einen ganzen Blumenstrauß an Optionen mit sich bringt. Und wir selbst bestimmen, in welche Stimmung wir uns dadurch versetzen lassen. Mit unserem Energielevel dirigieren wir auch das unseres Umfelds mit. Sind wir gut gelaunt, ist es unsere Umgebung oft auch, wir ziehen sie mit nach oben. Gilt blöderweise auch vice versa. 

Covid ist für einen Teil der Menschen alters- und berufsbedingt lebensgefährlich und für einen weiteren Teil der Bevölkerung ein echtes Risiko, ihre wirtschaftliche Lebensgrundlage zu verlieren. Ja, eine definite f*** Situation!

Gleichzeitig bleibt unsere Welt im Leerlauf. Das Wuseln, das in den letzten Jahren immer noch hektischer wurde, hat vorerst ein Ende. Wir sind „local“ geworden. Weniger Emissionen, mehr „von zuhause“ aus. Chancen für Digitalisierung, Home Office und mangels Berufsverkehr leereren Straßen und Städten. Unser Planet atmet. 

Und wir können uns auf uns und das, was wirklich zählt im Leben besinnen. Wir können zurück in unser Herz gehen und dadurch in Kontakt mit dem Rest der Welt treten. Meditation, Musik, Malen, Yoga, Lesen blablabla – was immer es ist, die Möglichkeiten sind vielseitig. Lasst uns positive Gefühle teilen, denn auch diese können ansteckend wie ein Virus sein. Zeigt die schönen Momente, die wir mit unseren Liebsten gemeinsam verbracht haben und die sich immer noch auf unseren Smartphones befinden. Lasst uns gegenseitig unterstützen und niemandem das Gefühl geben, dass er*sie alleine ist. Nehmt Abstand von gierigen Negativschlagzeilen und setzt stattdessen Lichtpunkte. Geht in die Liebe. 

Wir brauchen Menschen mit innerer Stärke, die mit ihrer Freude am Leben trotz des Virusdramas vor allem die aufbauen, die voller Angst und ohne Hoffnung sind. Gemeinsam nach oben.

Zieht Euch zurück zu Euch, bleibt zuhause und vor allem: stay safe!

Love, Corinna

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When the world stands still, it is time to pull together. Currently not physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. So the answer to the Corona virus for me is cooperation. Together, without thinking in categories such as national boundaries, we humans are much stronger still. 

Actually, I’d be in Hawaii right now. But I’m not, because a driver who ran a red light swept me off my bike. Ankle surgery three weeks ago. Running doesn’t happen again within the next four weeks. I was very scared before the operation. And only then, when I realized that the fear of the inevitable would not make the situation any better, maybe even worse, I could change my mind. I realized that I can decide for myself how I view the situation. From this realization I could accept what „is“ and put myself in an energetically better state, which in the end certainly accelerated my healing. In addition, I had great experiences, met wonderful people and experienced a wave of solidarity from couch talks and pharmacy visits to supermarket help.

My point is that every single life event is never “just” black or white, but always brings a whole bouquet of options. And it’s up to us to decide what mood we want to be put in. With our energy level we also direct the energy level of our environment. If we are in a good mood, our environment is often in a good mood as well, we pull it up with us. Unfortunately, this also applies vice versa. 

Covid is life-threatening for a part of the population due to age and occupation and for another part of the population a real risk of losing their economic livelihood. Yeah, a definite f*** situation!

At the same time our world remains in idle. For the time being, the bustle, which has become even more hectic in recent years, has come to an end. We have become “local”. Less emissions, more “from home”. Opportunities for digitalization, home office and, due to the lack of rush-hour traffic, emptier streets and cities. Our planet breathes. 

And we can reflect on ourselves and what really counts in life. We can go back into our hearts and thus get in touch with the rest of the world. Meditation, music, painting, yoga, reading blah blah blah – whatever it is, the possibilities are endless. Let us share positive feelings, because even these can be contagious like a virus. Show the beautiful moments we spent together with our loved ones and which are still on our smartphones. Let’s support each other and let’s not make anyone feel like they’re alone. Get away from greedy negative headlines and put light spots instead. Go into love. 

We need people with inner strength, who, with their joy of life despite the virus drama, build up above all those who are full of fear and without hope. Together upwards.

Withdraw to yourself, stay at home and above all: stay safe!

Love, Corinna

☆ Always think for yourself

You might be tempted to think it is too obvious when I say that you should think for yourself. And yes, I assume that you are already thinking for yourself and I appreciate it!

What I mean by saying “think for yourself” is to even have a clearer look into how you create your opinion. You should be incredible clear what parts of your opinion is build on your own core and your own personal identity and what is build on external patterns.

We humans all have the need to feel loved and accepted by our environment. We all want to belong to a community, let it be our company, friends & family or the Sunday afternoon chess club. We all want to fit in and get along with our environment.

Therefore it is so easy for all of us to just adapt to our surrounding, to not speak up your personal truth and not show our edges.

To really think for yourself, you have to have a pretty clear understanding of who you are, how your mind is working (as your mind can be tricky and even fool yourself). If your mindset is like an unclean kitchen, it might be difficult to think clearly for yourself.

And if you cook in the kitchen by only relying on what is stated in your cooking book, you might be able to serve a nice dish for diner. But the diner will not be a meal created by you and your creativity but rather a result provided by the algorithm of your cooking book. It is exactly the same with opinions.

A good friend of mine comes from a very conservative family. She adapted their way of thinking, took their value system into hers and is mainly repeating what her parents told her when she was a little girl. Another friend of mine is daily reading the same kind of journal so her opinion on the world is crucially influenced by the news source she daily digests. In both cases, their opinions on a certain topic can certainly be theirs but there is a risk that they reflect more what is said within the family or what is written in the news.

Opinions are taken over if there is no other source of information available.

Therefore, it is crucial to keep a fresh and open mind by gathering as many divers sources of information as possible. Sometimes, it also helps to completely change the source of information. Sometimes, it helps to put yourself in a different social environment as taking part at the Burning Man Festival, staying in magic Ubud or joining the local tennis club.

Whatever it is, diversity will keep your mindset free and open.

It comes without saying that if you want to think for yourself you not only have to have something to think about but you also have to do the thinking.

This is work.

You are right: following an already pathed street is the easier option. But then you will always be a follower and you miss the chance to express yourself.

Do you really want that?

☆ It is all about energy…

You only have a limited amount of energy, think about where to put it in as it is there where it will also come back to you