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When psychologist Carol Dweck began her research career, she was fascinated with why some children, when faced with failure and setbacks, were able to bounce back and keep going while others were crushed. Through her research, she came to realize that the resilient children (and adults) shared one thing in common: they believed that they could grow in intelligence, skills and abilities throughout life. This worldview, which Dweck calls a “growth mindset”, helps build resilience because it suggests that growth is always possible, and therefore, a setback is never permanent.

Dweck has spent over 30 years studying the growth mindset and its opposite, the fixed mindset. She discusses her research findings in her book, Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. Since her research on mindsets has become popular, many more psychologists have supported her thesis, and many schools, universities, and corporations have adopted her ideas as part of their curriculum and training programs. Let’s look at Dweck’s theory of mindsets in more detail.

Fixed versus Growth Mindset

Imagine two students, Susan and Beth, waiting for their teacher to hand back their midterm test. It’s an important part of their mark, but there’s still half a semester to go. They both need to get a good mark in this course to get into the program they want to take next year. They get their tests and look at their marks. They both got a C.

Susan looks at the test, her heart sinking, and thinks, “I’m so dumb. I’m terrible at this course. I’ll never amount to much. I guess there’s no point studying for the rest of term.”

Beth is also upset and disappointed. She looks at her test and thinks, “Wow. I really need to pull up my socks. I’ll have to study more for the next test. Also, I really didn’t get that one concept. I’ll have to talk to the professor and get some extra help.”

Which of these students is most likely to improve in the class, and go on to the program they are working toward?

The answer, based just on this moment, is of course Beth. But what is it about her response to a bad mark that suggests that she’s more likely to succeed?

This example illustrates the mindset of the two students. Susan is demonstrating a fixed mindset, while Beth is demonstrating a growth mindset. Let’s take a look at what these terms mean.

Fixed Mindset

People with a fixed mindset believe that people are born with a certain mix of skills, abilities, intelligence and character, and no amount of work or effort can change these basic facts about a person.

When someone has a fixed mindset, they tend to see the world in binary fashion. There are winners and losers, smart people and dumb people. For example, in the story above, Susan assumes that the midterm test has assess her abilities and found her wanting. There’s nothing she can do, so she might as well give up.

People with a fixed mindset often:

Believe effort is a sign of stupidity (because smart/talented people shouldn’t have to try)
Believe that success or failure defines them
Are reluctant to try challenging activities (in case they don’t do well, and thus prove themselves to be not smart/talented/gifted)
Ignore feedback (because they can’t change anyway)
Feel that feedback is a personal criticism
Feel threatened by others’ success

When someone has a fixed mindset, they are eager to demonstrate their good qualities. A child with a fixed mindset wants to show how smart, talented and good they are. After all, if these qualities are fixed, they want to be on the winning side.

Ironically, this need to demonstrate their skills can lead to rejecting opportunities to improve. For example, Dweck’s research has shown that when children with a fixed mindset are given a choice between repeating an easy puzzle they’ve already mastered and tackling a new puzzle that they could learn from, these children generally choose to repeat the easy puzzle. Why would anyone redo something that’s easy? Because if they try the new puzzle and fail, it might reveal that they aren’t smart after all.

Growth Mindset

In contrast to those with a fixed mindset, people who have a growth mindset believe that one’s talents, intelligence, skills, abilities, and even character traits and interpersonal skills can be developed over time. In this world view, challenges are embraced, and setbacks are viewed as opportunities for learning and growth.

People with a growth mindset don’t see the world as divided into success and failure, winners and losers; they see setbacks as a sign that more effort and perhaps a different strategy is needed to achieve their goals. Of course, setbacks can still sting for a person with a growth mindset, but they don’t see setbacks as failures – just as a sign that they need to work harder.

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How Routines Help You Become More Productive and Less Stressed

Mark Zuckerberg wears a grey t-shirt and jeans every day. Barak Obama always wears a grey or navy suit. Fashion executive Jenna Lyons always eats the same lunch, while writer Danielle Steele always has the same breakfast. Why are these famous and successful people so "boring"? The answer is, they’ve learned that creating a simple daily routine to cover the basic stuff of life leaves them free to work on the important, interesting and creative challenges that make up their life work. 

Each day, we are forced to make thousands of decisions - from what to eat, to what to wear, to what to buy. By streamlining some of those decisions into simple, repeatable routines, we can free up time and energy to do things that really matter to us. Read on to learn more about the power of routines, and how they can help you be more productive and less stressed. 

=> What Is a Routine? 

A routine is any set of actions that are repeated, habitually and without much thought. Routines come in different sizes. They can be as small and simple as the few keystrokes it takes to turn on and unlock your computer, or as large and complex as the daily schedule that keeps you and your family fed, cleaned, clothed, and attending your work, school, and leisure activities.

For most of us, our days are made up of various routines, stitched together. We have a routine upon waking, a routine for getting to work, a routine we do when we get to the office, a routine at the gym, and so on.

By their very nature, routines happen on autopilot, freeing our minds for other things. After all, can you remember in detail exactly how you got to work this morning? Or did you just get there somehow, without really remembering all the steps? If you are like most people, your commute to work happens automatically. You walk to the bus or pull onto the highway while thinking about other things. It’s precisely this automatic nature of routines that makes them powerful. Once we make something a regular habit, we no longer have to concentrate on it.

So, the key to harnessing the power of routines is in recognizing those portions of each day that have become routine. The next step is to analyze those routines. Are they helping you, or hurting you? Recognize what works and what doesn’t, then change your routine to improve your life in whichever way you choose - whether you want to finish your novel, get in shape, organize your life, or just have more time for your kids. 

=> Examples of Routines That Work

Many successful and creative people have harnessed the power of routine to get their work done. 

Early to Bed, Early to Rise, Early to Create a Bestseller

While many writers disdain the tyranny of "office jobs", some of the most successful writers in the world maintain stricter schedules than most bosses would ever hold them to. For example, Japanese writer Haruki Murakami gets up at 4 am every day and writes for five or six hours. In the afternoon, he runs, swims, or both, then reads and listens to music. He then goes to sleep every day at 9 pm. Murakami maintains this schedule for six months to a year at a time, while he is working on each book. 

Even more disciplined than Murakami is American novelist Danielle Steele, who has written 179 books and counting. Steele is at her typewriter every single day by 8:30 am, nibbling on the same breakfast each day: toast and a decaf iced coffee. She keeps typing for hours, claiming to work as much as 24 hours straight when the words are flowing. Note that while this particular schedule may work well for Steele, sleep experts recommend that adults get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night in order to be as healthy and productive as possible. 

Boring Outfits, Creative Minds

While many creative professionals and entrepreneurs take wild risks in their work, in their personal lives they trust in a regular routine to relieve stress and free up mental space for more important decisions. Choosing a daily uniform is one common way that creative people limit the decisions they have to make each day. 

We mentioned Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is famous for his limited wardrobe of grey t-shirt, jeans, and a hoodie. While he has been seen in a suit on rare occasions, he mostly sticks to his uniform. He claims that by always wearing the same thing, he reduces the number of decisions he has to make in a day so he can focus on more important matters. 

While Mark Zuckerberg’s wardrobe is particularly limited, he isn’t alone in limiting his clothing choices. Designer Vera Wang, despite creating some of the most beautiful and extravagant wedding dresses in the world, limits her own wardrobe to a handful of basics, all in black. Designer Michael Kors also keeps to a sleek black wardrobe of blazer, t-shirt, pants and loafers. 

Simple Meals Save Time

Many people tend to eat the same breakfast and lunch day after day, but Norwegians take "boring" meals one step further. In Norway, almost everyone brings exactly the same type of lunch to work each day, and this habit may be one reason why Norway has one of the highest scores for quality of life in the world. Everyday around noon, almost all Norwegians reach into their packs for their matpakke, a stack of several slices of brown bread with a thin layer of butter and a slice of cheese, meat pate or smoked salmon. This stack of open-faced sandwiches is always simply wrapped in brown paper.

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Self-discipline is the key to success. It is the force that helps us stay focused on our studies when we’d rather be partying. It’s the force that keeps us going to the gym when the couch beckons. It’s behind the determination to build the 147th prototype when the 146th version didn’t work.

In other words, self-discipline is the quality that pushes us to complete the tasks we know we should do in order to achieve our goals, rather than give in to momentary distractions that take us off course.

Fortunately, self-discipline is a skill that can be learned, and improved, by anyone willing to try. By developing your sense of self-discipline, you can become healthier, achieve more in school and work, and reach your goals – whether you want to learn a language, master the guitar, climb a mountain, or just get out of the door on time in the morning.

The Benefits of Self-Discipline

Self-discipline, also known as self-control, is a quality that can help us make better choices in everything that we do. Studies show that self-discipline can help make us healthier, happier, and more successful throughout our lives. Here are just a few examples:

Higher self-control in childhood results in better physical health as an adult.
Teens with more self-discipline are less likely to use drugs or alcohol or indulge in risky sexual behaviors.
Children with higher self-control do better in school.
In a study spanning twenty years, children who had more self-control in school became adults with more career success.
Employees with more self-control earn more and have higher status jobs than those will less self-control.
Self-discipline increases happiness and wellbeing.
People with more self-discipline report better relationships with their friends and family.

In short, the research is clear that self-discipline positively affects just about every aspect of life. Self-discipline is so beneficial because it helps us make better choices at every turn, in all areas of our lives.

Fortunately, self-discipline is a skill, not just an inborn quality, and anyone at any stage of life can improve their self-discipline and begin to reap the benefits.

How to Develop Your Self-Discipline

Just as there are many exercises in the gym that can strengthen your body, there are many exercises that can help you build self-discipline.

Luckily, the practice of self-discipline is self-reinforcing. As you build your focus and work steadily toward your goals, your sense of achievement will make it easier and easier to stay disciplined. The following list offers just a few of the ways that you can work to improve your self-discipline.

Set Clear Goals

Self-discipline is willingness to do the thing you should be doing. So, to improve it, first you need to decide what it is you should be doing. What are your goals? Whatever you want to achieve, start by writing it down as a SMART goal. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

For example, let’s say you want to get fit. That’s a wonderful goal, but it’s not SMART. How will you know when you are “fit”? How long will it take? How will you judge your progress?

In order to have a truly motivating goal, narrow it down. For instance, if your general aim is to get fit, a SMART goal might be: “I will run a 5 km race in three months.” This goal is:

Specific (a 5km race)
Measurable (did you run the race or not?)
Achievable (whereas running a marathon in three months would be too much)
Timely (you’ll do it in three months)

Now that you have a SMART goal, how your self-discipline will help you is clear. You’ll need to complete your weekly training plan in order to meet your goal. Your self-discipline will be needed every time your schedule says you need to run, yet you are tired, or sore, or the weather’s bad, or the TV is interesting.

Visualize Your Goals

One reason why humans struggle with self-discipline is because we tend to put a greater value on present enjoyment than on future accomplishments. So, we might wish to be fitter and healthier in three months, but then skip a run because it’s raining and the couch is comfy.

One way to overcome this tendency is to clearly visualize the joy of reaching your goals. For example, when you sit down to study Spanish, summon a vision of sitting in a bar in Spain, talking and laughing with the locals. When it’s cold and you don’t want to go to the gym, imagine the thrill of crossing the finish line of your race. When you struggle to concentrate on your presentation, imagine how good it will feel to watch your client sign the contract.

Whatever your goal is, the more clearly you can imagine how good it will feel to achieve it, the more you can bring your future joy into the present. This will make the hard work feel much easier.

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Do you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and unsure about the future? You are not alone. Studies show that Americans are feeling remarkable levels of stress. While everyone experiences stress from time to time, when stress levels stay high for a long period, serious health consequences can result.

If you are experiencing stress and chaos in your life, it’s important to identify the causes and take steps to lower your stress level, take care of yourself, and build strength and resilience going forward.

Read on to learn more about the physical impact of stress, and simple practices you can adopt to help you cope better.

The Emotional and Physical Toll of Stress

In a 2019 Gallup survey of moods around the globe, 55% of Americans said they had felt stressed the previous day – much higher than the global average of 33%. People under 50 and those with a low income had the highest levels of stress. 

In addition to stress, many people are also experiencing other negative moods. For example, loneliness is a significant issue that has roughly the same health impact as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness increases the risk of heart disease by 29%, and the risk of stroke by 32%. Sadly, in the US, 40% of adults sometimes or always feel that their social relationships are not meaningful, and almost half say they feel lonely or socially isolated at least some of the time. 

Both stress and loneliness can contribute to more serious mood disorders, including depression and anxiety. Rates of anxiety are growing, and it’s worse for children than adults. Estimates suggest that as many as 32% of adolescents experience anxiety. Among American adults, around 40 million (or 18% of the population) have an anxiety disorder. Depression is also very common, with around 17 million, or 7% of Americans, experiencing a major depressive episode each year. 

In addition to the increased risk of mood disorders, stress also affects our physical health. In the short term, stress can cause headaches, muscle pain, digestive problems, trouble sleeping, and a lowered immune system. Stress can also worsen asthma, arthritis, and skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. In the long term, stress increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia. 

If thinking about the negative effects of stress is increasing your stress levels, that’s normal. Fortunately, stress, while serious, can be managed. Stress reduction starts with simple self-care such as getting enough sleep, exercise, healthy food, and connecting meaningfully with others. Once you have the basics down, soothing practices such as meditation, connecting with nature, and practicing gratitude will help you build the internal resources to keep your calm, no matter what life throws at you.  

Identifying What Makes You Worried and Stressed

In small doses, stress can be healthy and inspiring. When you stare down a difficult run on the ski hill, wait behind the curtain before you step out to give a speech, or walk into a new job for a first time, the butterflies you feel in your stomach are caused by stress. A little stress fires us up and gets us ready meet new challenges head-on.

Unfortunately, too much stress has the opposite effect, and can result in serious health consequences, as discussed above.

Humans tend to feel stress any time we experience change or loss. Common sources of stress including negative events, such the loss of a friend or family member, a serious health problem, a traumatic event such as a crime or natural disaster, or financial difficulties. Positive events such as starting a new job, getting married, or moving homes can also be very stressful because these events involve both the uncertainty of new situations, and the loss of the familiar.

Work and school are major sources of stress for Americans, with 40% of Americans experiencing stress at work, and 80% of college students saying that they feel stress sometimes or often. Stress at work and at school can have many causes, and many are similar: worries about performance, interpersonal struggles with colleagues and bosses (or fellow students and teachers), financial worries, and overwhelm from too much to do and too little time to do it.

Worry about the news and world events, as well as the personal effects that larger forces may have, are also major sources of stress. For people in marginalized and minority communities, worries about the news may be more urgent: these groups are more likely to be affected in difficult economic times, and are likely to experience more negative effects from climate change and pollution.

Whatever the cause of your stress, it can be managed. Simple self-care strategies can help you manage stress and perform at your best. In addition to following the self-care suggestions laid out in the next section, consider talking to a therapist or a life coach about your specific stressors. These experts can help you navigate your specific situation and teach you coping skills that are tailored to your own strengths and weaknesses.

If you are in serious distress, speak to your doctor. There are many treatments that can help manage the negative effects of stress on your body, and help you feel better soon.