How To Feel More Empathy at Work

The first thing I do in the morning?
Wish total strangers a happy life.

The challenge? Doing it before coffee. ☕😊

This is part of a Loving Kindness meditation (also called Metta). And it has some incredible benefits:
✔ Increases empathy & emotional intelligence
✔ Boosts happiness & reduces stress
✔ Strengthens your ability to deal with difficult people

It’s simple. Here’s how:
1️⃣ Close your eyes. Picture someone you love. Wish them happiness & health. (2 min)
2️⃣ Do the same for someone you like.
3️⃣ Now, visualize someone neutral—like a cashier who helped you.
4️⃣ Picture yourself. Yes, you deserve kindness too.
5️⃣ Think of someone you find difficult. Wish them well.
6️⃣ Finally, choose someone you really dislike. Wish them happiness, too.

Wait—why would you do that?
Not because you condone bad behavior, but because it rewires your brain for more emotional balance.

It might feel weird at first. But over time, it softens frustration and strengthens your ability to lead with compassion.

Would you ever try this? Or does it sound too out there for you? 👀

Reduce Time Spent On Your Phone And Reclaim Your Focus And Productivity

Our greatest fear? Not nuclear apocalypse or robot overlords, but something 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 horrifying: surviving two hours phone-free.

So, challenge accepted – last Sunday I ventured into the unknown at a Digital Detox event organized by The Offline Club in Amsterdam – kudos to Ilya Kneppelhout for hosting it.

The rules were simple: surrender your phone at the door and engage in some old school, wholesome activities like reading, face-to-face conversations, board games or even (😱) writing.

No scrolling, no notifications, and no social media. The effects? I came out feeling recharged and connected.

The truth is, we’re all phone addicts. Look around any bus or train—every face is lit up by the glow of a screen, lost in a digital world, starving for genuine connection but endlessly scrolling social media.

We need our phones and it’s hard to live without social media – I’m writing this on a social platform – but most of us feel we’ve become 𝘵𝘰𝘰 dependent on them.

It’s a tough battle: apps are designed to be addictive, success being measured in time spent on the app. A 2023 University of Michigan study even shows teens get an average 240 (!) phone notifications every day.

The impact on your brain? Increased stress, anxiety, and less ability to focus – both at work and in our private lives.

What can you do?
– Turn off notifications
– Set time-limits on apps
– When in conversation, keep phones from the table
– Create phone-free rooms (bedroom) or moments (lunch, dinner)
– Use the grayscale mode on your phone (for iPhone – Settings – Accessibility – Display Text & Size – Color Filters)

After I came home I discovered I forgot something: my phone, which was still in the box. To me, that’s a successful event. 😀

This week, I’m committing to one hour daily of digital silence. 📵

Which brave souls are joining me? 💪

Make Your Meetings Great – And Save Time And Energy

Ever wondered why your meetings rarely end before their scheduled end time?

*𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲*

*𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗺-𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹*

Most of us love to talk!

Ok, that probably didn’t come as a surprise.

While talking builds connection, having days full of long calls depletes our energy.

And we’re all busy, sometimes overworked.

We spend so much time in calls,
calls that don’t end when they served their purpose.

They end when the time is up. Or after.

Then we rush to the next one, skipping lunch, feeling stressed.

How can we do this better?

As a team, take ownership of your time and productivity, together.

I created a team agreement for you that can help you.

Give it a try. Let me know how many free hours you gained this month!

See -Free Downloads – for the document.