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How to Rewire Your Brain To Be Happier & More Productive

Scientifically proven strategies from Scott Crabtree

This presentation consists of insights inspired by 33voices® interviews with Jenna Abdou.

Table of Contents

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Page 49

Chapter 1 - Learn to Practice Mindfulness

Chapter 2 - Make Gratitude a Habit

Chapter 3 - Focus on the Positives

Chapter 4 - Simple Tricks to Get Into a State of Flow

Chapter 5 - Make Happiness a Part of Your Culture

Chapter 6 - The Crucial Case For Making Time

Learn to Practice MindfulnessChapter 1

Studies have shown that our life circumstances are only 10% of our overall happiness; Making the way you respond to your experiences the

most telling indicator of your well-being.

The most important shift you can make to change your

behavior is practicing mindfulness:

The most important shift you can make to change your

behavior is practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness is the act of being completely

aware of the present moment without judgment.

Practicing mindfulness during times of stress is the difference between

responding and reacting.

Try a 4-6-8 breath to ground yourself in the present moment.

Close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold the breath for six

seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds. Slow breathing signals your

body that you’re safe, calming you down.

Close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold the breath for six

seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds. Slow breathing signals your

body that you’re safe, calming you down.Pro tip: You can practice the 4-6-8 breath

in public without closing your eyes.

Make Gratitude a HabitChapter 2

Relationships are the number one indicator of our happiness. The best way to cultivate

them is to appreciate the people around you.

Relationships are the number one indicator of our happiness. The best way to cultivate

them is to appreciate the people around you.When was the last time you genuinely

said thank you?

Gratitude is meaningless unless it’s authentic. The best way to relay your

appreciation is to be specific.

Next time you thank someone touch on:

Next time you thank someone touch on: Their behavior

Next time you thank someone touch on: The emotional impact it made on you

Next time you thank someone touch on: The tangible way it positively affected

your life and/or business

Here’s an example: Kevin, Thanks so much for helping me with the latest company blog. The topic was challenging for me and it meant a lot that you took the time to review it. We’ve seen a great response from

our readers and generated new leads.

Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:

Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:

Make the first and last email you send each day a thank you

Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:

Handwrite one or two thank you notes each week

Try these strategies to extend gratitude to your team:

Keep appreciation cards in the office for team members to recognize individuals who support them

Make gratitude a habit by keeping a journal. Keeping a gratitude

journal for 30 days will impact your brain chemistry for months in the future.

“In that month, you will rewire your brain to be a more grateful brain. That’s the trick. To do something repeatedly and intensely

enough that you’re rewiring your brain to think in a more grateful way.”

The key to meaningful gratitude is not to practice it in the same way. Follow different rituals to avoid hedonic adaptation — when

your brain adjusts to a particular habit.

“Develop a habit that rewires your brain and then find variations in the way you

express that gratitude - Sometimes writing it, saying it, or tweeting it.”

Gratitude not only boosts your happiness it impacts your confidence too.

“Confident people give credit to those around them. They build relationships and

happiness in the process.”

If you don’t feel confident, grateful or happy, fake it. Studies have shown that when we fake

something enough our body adjusts to it.

“Saying this is just the way you are is a cop-out. This is just the way you are today,

in this moment. If you don’t like it you can rewire your brain to change it.”

Watch Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk to learn how Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.

Focus on the Positives Chapter 3

“There is tremendous value in focusing and feeding what is going right.

In particular, what’s going right with people…The counterintuitive part about strengths

is that most weaknesses can be made irrelevant and don’t need to be fixed.”

“There is tremendous value in focusing and feeding what is going right.

In particular, what’s going right with people…The counterintuitive part about strengths

is that most weaknesses can be made irrelevant and don’t need to be fixed.”

What are you unnecessarily worrying about?

Simple Tricks to Get Into a State of Flow

Chapter 4

When appropriate, turn off invitations to your addictions such as Twitter, Slack,

Facebook, and email.

For the email obsessed: “Those who check email more frequently during the day have

higher stress and lower productivity.”

Set routine habits for yourself and your team. Establish quiet times where team members

can efficiently achieve their daily tasks.

Plan and prioritize your tasks for the following day. Learn more in this First Round Review piece:

The Most Dangerous Leadership Traps — and the 15-Minute Daily Practice That Will Save You.

Make Happiness a Part of Your Culture:

Chapter 5

Remember these tips as you introduce new cultural practices

Always lead with evidence - Nobody wants to be told what to do!

Practice what you preach - If you aren’t actively working on these habits, your team won’t either.

Our brain contains mirror neurons, meaning that when you’re

happy and productive the individuals around you will be too.

Positive relationships and emotions boost productivity - The

happier your team members are, the more successful your business will be.

Start meetings on a positive note by having team members recognize individuals

who helped them during the last week.

Get to know team members outside of their roles by holding Pecha Kucha presentations:

Visual presentations where individuals bring 10-20 slides with photos representing

personal parts of their lives.

Don’t expect an overnight shift - Peyton Manning wasn’t born throwing Hail Mary’s.

The Crucial Case For Making Time Chapter 6

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

Why don’t I have time?

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

Why am I so busy?

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

Why am I working so much?

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

Why do I want to be successful?

On the days you feel too busy to implement these practices ask yourself: Why?

Why do I want to have the benefits of success?

“When people say I don’t have time for happiness I ask them why. Most of what

they’re doing is trying to become happy.”

“For the first time in human history we have hard scientific data as to what works to make us happy. We are chasing things that we think

make us happy, but we are doing it wrong.

You can rewire your brain with virtually every-thing you think and do…You can see physical changes in brain structure in under a month if you do something repeatedly and intensely.”

The first step to rewiring your brain is accepting that you have the power to do so.

What will you try?

FEATURED:

Scott Crabtree

Founder of Happy Brain Science

@ScottCrab

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Presentation by Chase Jennings

Insights by Jenna Abdou

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