Work Smarter, Not Harder by Breaking Your Counterproductive Bad Habits

There's a lot to be said for focusing on your strengths. After all, those things you do well set you apart and help you stand out in a competitive environment. But, the idea that you should "play to your strengths and ignore your weaknesses" can be the biggest obstacle to reaching your greatest potential.



While ignoring your bad habits may help you feel good initially, that avoidance will eventually catch up to you. When you don't address the unproductive and unhealthy things you're doing alongside your good habits, you'll stagnate. Despite your best efforts and hard work, those few little bad habits will hold you back in a big way.



Bad habits aren't just about smoking or late night cookie binges. Bad habits can include a variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral pitfalls. While some people avoid change and struggle with self-pity, others resent other people's success and don't learn from their mistakes. We're all prone to pitfalls that can hold us back unless we're open to acknowledging and changing our habits.



Avoid Inadvertent Self-Sabotage



Engaging in good habits 90 percent of the time, while indulging in bad habits 10 percent of time, places you at risk of being like a hamster running in a wheel. Despite all the energy you're exerting, you won't move forward. You'll never be able to outrun your bad habits. Instead, you'll simply exhaust yourself and begin to question yourself when you aren't growing and reaching new heights of success.



Imagine a person who goes to the gym every day and works out for two hours. He prides himself on the fact that he sticks to his schedule, even on the days when he doesn't feel like exercising. He works hard, and feels pleased that for the first time in his life, he's finally committed to getting healthy.



But, after a few months, he's not seeing the results he'd hoped for. He begins to wonder if there's something wrong with his metabolism and at times, he assumes his body just wasn't meant to change. After all, he's putting in a lot of work to get in shape.



Despite his hard work, however, he doesn't change his eating habits. In fact, he rewards himself for working out by stopping at the drive-thru on his way home from the gym. He figures he deserves a treat and he enjoys a burger, fries, and a shake as a late night snack. He's so focused on what he's doing well -- going to the gym -- that he overlooks the fact that his eating habits are completely undermining his efforts.



Although that example seems somewhat ridiculous, that's exactly what many of us do in our everyday lives. We focus so much on all the things we're doing right, that we overlook all the ways in which we inadvertently sabotage our best efforts.



Until you acknowledge what you're doing to hold yourself back from becoming your best, following advice like, "focus on your strengths" and "look at the positive," won't take you to the next level. Becoming better requires you to address your counterproductive bad habits.



Work Smarter, Not Harder



Time and energy are finite. You only have so many hours in a day and so many days of your life. The solution to using your time wisely isn't about exerting more energy -- eventually you'll run out of steam. The key to reaching your greatest potential is about working smarter, not harder.



Working smarter, however, requires you to address those bad habits that are holding you back. Acknowledging the unproductive thoughts and ineffective behavior that you've tried to ignore can be uncomfortable. But, stepping out of your comfort zone and choosing to proactively address bad habits will skyrocket your ability to create long-lasting change.



Just like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, we're only as good as our worst habits. Strengthening our weakest areas is the most powerful way to begin reaching our greatest potential. Letting go of the things that hold you back will propel you forward.



Amy Morin is an internationally recognized expert on mental strength and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.



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Child Poverty Would Be Almost Twice As High If Safety Net Programs Didn't Exist: Report

Child poverty in the U.S. would be significantly worse if government assistance programs weren't in place, a new report suggests.



A study released on Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an advocacy group for low-income kids, found that without government support programs -- like food assistance, housing subsidies and tax credits -- the child poverty rate would swell from 18 percent to 33 percent.



According to the foundation, the study, which used the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to track data, does a better job at gauging how government programs are benefiting low-income Americans than the federal government's official index -- a measure that was developed in the 1960s.



As the report explains, the government's index "falls short of accurately estimating the current need" by not considering certain factors, such as varying cost of living levels across individual states.



It also doesn't consider the impact of some of the government's biggest anti-poverty initiatives, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Last November, SNAP enrollment stood at more than 46 million -- down slightly from the same month a year prior mainly due to an improving U.S. economy.



Because the government doesn't consider such factors, it can't monitor their success or failure, the foundation argues. If the government can't determine what investments are working, it can't accurately distinguish the needs of the most vulnerable Americans.



"Relying on [the federal government's official measure] alone prevents policymakers from gauging the effectiveness of government programs aimed at reducing child poverty," Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in a statement on the organization's website. "Given that child poverty costs our society an estimated $500 billion a year in lost productivity and earnings as well as health- and crime-related costs, the SPM is an important tool that should be used to assess state-level progress in fighting poverty."



Although slightly lowered SNAP participation is a welcomed economic sign, overall many more American families still rely on food stamps now than before the Great Recession, The Guardian reported last month. About 15.9 million kids lived in food insecure homes in 2013, according to Feeding America, and for the first time, more than half of American public school children live in low-income households.



But the SPM model, which was first introduced by U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, provides a more optimistic look at child poverty in the U.S. The SPM model discovered child poverty has actually declined since 1990, while official measurements by the federal government has reflected no substantial change.



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Here's How NYC Says It's Saving 800 Lives A Year By Cleaning Up The Air

It’s been a cold winter in New York City, which means a lot of building owners are turning up the heat -- and pumping more pollutants into the city’s air.



But the amount of black smoke billowing above the five boroughs is dramatically less than it was just four years ago.



Since 2011, according to city figures, soot pollution in the city's air has plummeted by 50 percent, which amounts to 375 tons of airborne soot that isn’t lodging itself inside the lungs of New Yorkers, or helping to hasten the effects of climate change.



It’s an improvement, according to the city's health department, that is preventing 800 deaths a year, as well as 2,000 emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to lung and cardiovascular diseases.



And it’s thanks, in large part, to a program called New York City Clean Heat. Launched in 2011 under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the program set its sights on two culprits behind much of the city’s air pollution: No. 6 oil and No. 4 oil.






From left to right, vials of Ultra-Low Sulfur No. 2, No. 4, and No 6 heating oils. According to NYC Clean Heat, "each vial was one third full and was shaken before photographing."




New York City is one of the few places in the country that still burns the two heavy heating oils. And although in 2011 only about 10,000 buildings used the oils, they contributed more soot pollution than all the cars and trucks on the crowded city’s streets.



New York City Clean Heat was created in conjunction with a series of city regulations requiring building owners to phase out No. 6 oil by July and No. 4 oil by 2030. The program is run jointly by the city and the Environmental Defense Fund, a national environmental group.



According to EDF Project Coordinator Abbey Brown, more than 4,000 buildings using No. 6 or No. 4 oils have converted to cleaner fuel in the past three years.



No. 6 oil gives off more pollution than No. 4. It’s heavier, more viscous and looks like tar or asphalt. It’s harvested, literally, from the bottom of the barrel of the petroleum refining process and contains high levels of sulfur. When No. 6 is used for heat, it releases what’s called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5.



Fine particulate matter is small. For perspective, each particle of PM2.5 is less than 2.5 microns in diameter, while human hairs are typically 40 to 120 microns in diameter. But when it's transmitted into the air from chimney exhaust, fine particulate matter can aggravate respiratory diseases like asthma.



Use of No. 6 also emits heavy metal nickel into the air, which can increase the risk of heart disease. (In New York City, the concentration of nickel in the air is nine times higher than any other large, American city.)






The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene measured ground-level PM2.5 concentrations at 150 monitoring sites across the city during the winter, then overlaid those concentrations with the locations of buildings that burn No. 6 oil.




Making the conversion to cleaner fuels isn’t cheap for buildings owners. It can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.



That’s why hundreds of building owners using No. 6 opted to make the cheaper conversion to No. 4, which is only slightly less toxic. But many other building owners made the more expensive conversion to cleaner forms of heating like biodiesel, Ultra-Low Sulfur 2 oil, natural gas, or steam.



There are still thousands of building owners using No. 6 oil ahead of the July deadline to phase it out. Owners burning the oil after the deadline can face a $560 fine, which Brown says is “pretty small,” or the city can take them to court to force a conversion.



“That’s often not enough incentive on its own,” Brown said, “which is part of the reason our team is performing a lot of outreach to building owners right now, saying ‘Look, you are on a tight deadline.’”



Although New York City Clean Heat doesn’t provide building owners with funds, it does its best to convince building owners that converting to cleaner forms of heating is more cost-effective in the long run. It also provides heating experts and other resources to building owners when they decide to make the switch.



Brown says they’re using the cold weather to re-focus attention on the program.



“When building owners are all concerned about heat, especially when it’s cold, it definitely becomes a present issue on everyone’s mind,” she said. “They’re also feeding their bill for how much oil they’re buying and consuming. It’s an interesting opportunity to drive the issue home.”



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How Much Coffee Do Americans Drink Every Day?

Coffee is one of life's greatest gifts. Not only does it help most people wake up in the morning, it has lot of health benefits. But how much do we know about coffee? How much should we be drinking, and how much are Americans actually drinking?



Luckily, the folks at Zagat have some of the answers. They just released the results from their third annual coffee study, which highlights consumers' coffee habits.



Check out more of the Zagat findings below and see how your coffee consumption compares:



How much coffee does the average American drink?

2.1 coffee drinks per day, and it increases with age.





How much do Americans pay, on average, for a coffee drink? $3.28, higher than 2013 and 2014.



What kind of drink does the average American woman order? Lattes (22 percent), followed by regular coffee (19 percent) and cappuccinos (12 percent).



What kind of drink does the average American man order?

Men go for regular coffee (30 percent) followed by espresso (14 percent).





What kind of sweeteners do Americans add to their coffee?

52 percent of people said they don't add sweeteners, 14 percent of people use Splenda, 7 percent of people use white sugar, 4 percent of people use Stevia and 3 percent of people use simple/flavored syrup.



Read the rest of the findings here to learn more about American coffee consumption patterns.



And if you're worried about how much coffee is okay to consume -- you might be surprised by how much is "allowed" in one day. The new 2015 dietary guidelines the government just released say 3 to 5 cups of coffee are okay, as long as you don't add cream, milk or sugar.



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What Happened When I Broke Up With Anxiety

I was that girl.



I'm not anymore. I gave up my superstitions, rituals of the mind, paralyzing, inhibiting. I lost opportunities to love and be loved. I broke up with Anxiety around the time I surrendered my invisible credentials in "Master of External Locus of Control." It was hard because I had the thing framed in gilded gold. Okay, it was like faux gold, not even gold leaf. Probably. It was heavy, too.



I was born with an Atlas-back, a shape I tipped around my core. It was before we knew about Pilates. I had it all, the entire world, on my shoulders. I bragged about it (rookie mistake). In my circles, it was competitive practice. Anxiety never wanted me, but I was bored and lonely. I needed affirmation, or something.



I was comfortable in martyrdom, taking responsibility for everything awful that happened. I was a good lackey, shaping my cred, poised as Robin to Batman, great fodder for kids under 7 to wear as a costume for Halloween. I wrote myself out of Batman's will, his cape, his mask. I would never have a butler. Forget the Batmobile.



I had a dead-end job, ghost writer of bubblegum comics. The main plot lines were guilt and shame. It never panned out. I couldn't take off with no real place to land. Anxiety invited me on a date. We shopped around for problems after Jurassic Park. They didn't cost money, so I took them all.



It wasn't Anxiety. It was me. I hoarded issues in case we ran out of material to keep things authentic. Best to stock up if someone needed rescuing. Nobody could do it but me!



I grew up in a superstitious family. Every time a black cat ran across the road while my mother was driving, she crossed herself. I'd be in the back wondering why I couldn't bring the kitty home, sleep with it, cuddle it, and give it a name, which was the line no one could cross, right?







Every time I was at my grandma's house, I jumped when the phone rang. It was a vintage yellow number. She wound its cord round her finger, pulling at her starched hair. She talked to her lady friends about obituaries in the paper, honing in on the "young ones," particularly tragic, since their lives seemed to end unfairly and too soon. I hooked my fingertips into its dials, touched the smooth-coated wire, pastel yellow, like dinner mints we scooped out of cut-glass dishes in silver spoons after supper.



Grandma's face went all slack when a bird missed its trajectory and fell onto a window or glass door. She maintained someone was going to die. She recounted the last three times this happened, and she named the last three people who died within 24 hours of the last three times it happened. I was under the World Book Encyclopedia collection, seated, feigning mutism. Those books were hardly cracked. They were preppy-shiny, all green and white, niched in rows on polished walnut shelves.



I impersonated "calm," which I got all wrong. I wasn't known for robust, layered emotions. I was a natural student of extremes, taught by the amateur dramatists comprising my family. I did the math in my head, even though I failed math. Anyway, I predicted who was next. I sat on the edge of Grandma's couch, stiff and stylish in '80s ikat.



The old TV bulged from its tube, fake wood slicked in mahogany effects. I twisted its knobs between the four channels. I waited for news. Maybe it was my great grandmother, who was going senile and still driving. Maybe it was my parents, who'd flown to Jackson Hole. I'd read the landing strip there was tricky.



I was the girl doing spells, driving panic attacks out of elevators. I amped up my voodoo when they shot up faster. I grabbed Anxiety's hand for steadiness. I had worried eyes, too big and expressive to hide. My heart beat faster than Edgar Allan Poe's beneath the floorboards.



Anxiety and I were together. I thought it was forever.



We tumbled fast through foxholes of youth. Over the hills, through the woods, in trees and valleys, we rolled along, to grandma's house, devoid of merriment but surviving. Negative Thoughts met My Associations. We hosted dinner parties in my neurons. We collected wait lists in the way children with reputations collect discipline referrals, or the way my sister collected parking tickets in college because she just didn't want to walk that far.



Anxiety consumed me, with my permission, digging little pathways, moles hedging under grasses. We were an annoying and ill-fitting pair. Looking back at our photos, I see it now, how wrong we were together.



Control is a superpower we cast with villains. It want to give it a makeover and a new cape. Not a cape, a sword, maybe a shield. I will cover my heart and protect my head, sensibly and strategically, plain but strong.



We have control, you and I. Over thoughts and feelings, situations and choices. We hold the reigns. Shuffling leather lines, passing them between hands, ours is the choice to gallop, trot, stand still, or surrender to the wind. Bound by spitballs, held in cat-cradle strings of fear, spindling, we are dark straw in Rumpelstilkskin's imp-hands, primed for a sweet, golden lifetime exchange of despair for joy.



I'm no expert, but of all the things I've given up, anxiety is my best so far. I sleep at night. I remember to eat. I listen for my laughter in movement and my strength in stillness. I am dating Mindfulness. I think Mindfulness is The One. I'm okay with all of this, all of me.









I am studying for new diplomas, like, "Content," "Good Enough," "Forgiving." I might even frame them. Probably. When it feels right. I'm going with gold. The real deal. I won't hang it up or anything. I don't need anyone's approval. I'll just know.



I was that girl.



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For Firas Kittaneh, The Future of Sleep Starts With a Better Mattress

Firas Kittaneh wants to disrupt the mattress industry. And the success of his online mattress company Amerisleep is about more than people's increased willingness to buy a mattress online without every trying it out in a showroom. It's about something much bigger: our changing attitude toward sleep.



As Kittaneh points out, we spend a significant part of our home lives in bed. And more and more people around the world are seeing that a good night's sleep requires more than a subpar mattress in a distraction-filled bedroom. We are living through an incredible time, when the importance of sleep -- to our health, our creativity, our productivity, and indeed every aspect of our lives -- is finally getting its due.



In answer to my questions, Kittaneh shared his insights on how we shop for mattresses, the future of the "smart" bedroom, and how to create the conditions for a truly good night's sleep.



What trends do you see in how people are creating their sleep spaces?



One trend I've noticed over the past few years is that many people are actively looking for healthier bedding options. In addition to comfort, today's consumer wants to know what's in the beds that they buy, where the components come from and what type of impact they might have on their family.



Before, this information was rarely requested by customers and mattress manufacturers were hesitant to release it. These trends are what led us to develop plant-based memory foam mattresses and organic latex mattresses as alternative options for the shopper that values being eco-friendly.



The web is also definitely changing the way people shop for beds and bedding. Many people at least research, compare or check reviews online before shopping in stores, and the wider selection, pricing and convenience factor have really propelled the popularity of online mattress shopping.



I've also seen a huge increase in the use of social communities like Pinterest and Houzz by consumers to better inform how they decorate and remodel their bedrooms, which has had an impact on the overall mattress shopping experience.



What do you think is the future of "smart sleep," or technology-enhanced beds/bedding?



I think more and more people are starting to look at the bedroom as a functional part of the house due to greater awareness of the importance of healthy sleep. Since we spend most of our time at home in bed, it's really one of the most important rooms in the house.



Adjustable beds are seeing strong growth. It's not just seen as something for seniors anymore -- even younger people like the idea of being able to customize sleep positions. A couple of manufacturers are coming out with adjustable bases with app connectivity and other smart features to attract these tech-savvy sleepers.



Going forward, I think we will see a lot more emphasis on "smart" mattresses, bases and bedding designed to offer a more custom or personalized experience, whether in the form of adjusting temperature, pressure or other factors. One thing we have in the works are beds with "smart fabrics" designed to respond to the sleeper's body and boost oxygen levels for better, healthier sleep.



Connectivity to other smart devices within the home is also on the horizon. For example, beds will soon adjust the thermostat if you get too hot, turn off your TV and lights after you fall asleep, open your curtains in the morning or even sync with your kitchen appliances. Biometric data could also be an area of interest with bedding.



What mistakes do you see people making in how they set up their bedrooms and houses for sleep?



One of the biggest mistakes is having too much distraction in the bedroom. Ideally, the bedroom should really only be for sleep, not watching TV, working or doing other things.



If you make it a habit of watching your favorite shows, working or studying in bed, it makes it harder for your body and mind to associate the space with sleep. There is also quite a bit of evidence that electronics like smartphones, tablets and TVs used before bed cause us to stay up later due to light they emit, and may contribute to less restful sleep.



Light and temperature are also important things that can get overlooked. Research shows the ideal temperature for sleep is in between 60 and 70 degrees, which is cooler than a lot of people may be used to. Essentially, cooler temperatures support deep sleep.



Bedrooms should also be as dark as possible at night to support melatonin release. In addition to turning off electronics, many appliances have LED lights that glow pretty brightly, and windows that let too much light in can also affect rest especially for late sleepers.



Why is finding the right mattress so important, and what tips do you give to people to help them on their search?



The mattress is the foundation for sleep, and sleep is essential for so many aspects of physical health and mental well-being. If your bed is old, out of shape or uncomfortable, it's not going to help you get the best sleep possible.



In a nutshell, my most important tips for prospective mattress shoppers are to cast a wide net, spend time researching and comparing, and check reviews. Take a look at the diverse types of mattresses out there. Much has changed in the mattress world over the past ten years, so taking a little while to learn about beds before buying can help you make a more informed decision especially if you've only slept on springs.



Compare the pros and cons of different types against your personal preferences, and thoroughly research different beds and brands to see how they compare on value. This is where many people feel intimidated, but basically it's about asking for a breakdown of what's inside the mattress, quality of materials and manufacturer guarantees. While personal ideas of comfort vary quite a bit, checking for reviews online can also give you insight helpful for identifying your best match.



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Head Transplants Are Coming Soon, At Least If This Doctor Gets His Way

Things didn't go so great for Victor Frankenstein or his monster, but don't tell that to Sergio Canavero.



The Italian doctor believes that it's now possible to slice the head of off one person, stitch it to the decapitated body of another, and then reanimate the two-human mash-up. What's more, he says the first head transplant operation could come in two years, New Scientist reported.



The goal of such an audacious operation would be to extend the lives of people whose bodies were too diseased or injured to keep the head alive. As Canavero told The Huffington Post in an email, "Go to any neurology ward, ask to see someone with muscle-wasting disorders, and the answer [as to why the surgery makes sense] will be crystal clear."



That sounds simple enough, if perhaps a bit ghoulish. But not everyone is convinced that head transplantation is medically feasible or ethically sound. And then there's the high cost of the head-swapping surgery--Canavero's best guess is $13 million a pop.



Canavero, of Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, first proposed the idea for head transplantation in 2013. Now, in a new paper published Feb. 3, 2015 in the journal Surgical Neurological International, he outlines the surgical techniques that he believes will move head transplants from the realm of science fiction to medical fact.



These range from cooling the head and donor body to prevent cell death to using a super-sharp blade to cut the spinal cords very cleanly so that the nerve fibers are better able to fuse. Following the surgery, the patient would be kept in a coma for weeks in order to prevent movement that might interfere with healing.



"The greatest technical hurdle to such endeavor is of course the reconnection of the donor's and recipient's spinal cords," Dr. Canavero wrote in 2013. "It is my contention that the technology only now exists for such linkage."



If Canavero sounds confident about head transplants, other medical experts think the good doctor is headed in the wrong direction.



"This is such an overwhelming project, the possibility of it happening is very unlikely," Dr. Harry Goldsmith, a clinical professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, Davis, told New Scientist. "I don't believe it will ever work, there are too many problems with the procedure."



Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University, offered a similarly blunt assessment.



"To move a head on to someone else's body requires the rewiring of the spinal cord," Caplan wrote in an article for Forbes. "We don't know how to do that. If we did there would be far fewer spinal cord injuries. Nor, despite Canavero's assertions to the contrary, is medicine anywhere close to knowing how to use stem cells or growth factors to make this happen."



But Canavero is counting on bringing others into the fold, telling New Scientist that "before going to the moon, you want to make sure people will follow you."



Followers may be one thing Canavero can count on. He told the magazine that several people had already expressed interest in a new body.



No word yet as to how many people have expressed interest in a new head.



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