When I ask busy professionals when they get time for themselves, the most common answer is late in the evening, once work is done and most (if not all) of the household has gone to bed. Often, this ‘me time’ takes the form of what has been dubbed ‘revenge bedtime procrastination’ – TV, social media, doomscrolling or other fairly mindless activity (I’m certainly not judging) used as a way of winding down before bed. A small subset of people really do make the late evening coun

Some of the most capable and conscientious people I work with have something in common: they are exceptionally good at looking after others. At work, they go the extra mile for clients, colleagues and the organisation. At home, they are there for their partner and children. Often, they are also the person friends turn to and the one who sorts things out for ageing parents. They are, in the best sense, service-oriented. I like to see this quality in someone. I was recently rem

The official line on exercise in many places around the world is that we should aim for about 2½ hours of moderate-intensity activity each week, or about half that if it’s ‘vigorous’. I’m not a particularly prescriptive person, and generally believe that that the best exercise is the type we do consistently. And the reality is that some people lack the time, energy or inclination to carve out portions of their day to exercise on a stationary exercise bike, run the streets or

In The Performance Prescription, I talk about Execution as one of the Four Fundamentals of sustainable high performance. Focusing on ‘getting the job done’ is important, at least in part because so much of the stress we carry through a working day comes from things left undone, creating a hum of background noise in our minds and distracting thoughts that can knock us off our game. I’ve found that ‘time blocking’, the practice of assigning specific tasks to specific slots in o

At the weekend I spent a couple of hours with one of my very good friends. She started out life as a dancer and choreographer, but over the years has moved into a range of naturally oriented areas and therapies, most recently ‘fascial therapy’. My friend and I have had regular conversations over the last year or so about a shared conviction: that fascia, the connective tissue that wraps and threads through every muscle, organ and joint in the body, matters far more to how wel

This week's blog is a bit of a departure from the usual content - it's about the psychedelic drug LSD. It's something that can conjure up images of tie-dye and people dancing in a field. But, mounting research suggests that there's more to it, and psychedelics in general, than that. Back in 2019, I gave a keynote at a conference at the NEC in Birmingham and then had a fireside chat with Cathy Newman, then a presenter with Channel 4 News. At one point, I was asked about mental

I was presenting a live session this morning that provided attendees with relevant science and actionable advice on how to achieve sustainable high performance. The content was drawn from my book The Performance Prescription. Part of the session focused on sleep, and I made the case for catching up on sleep when signs of sleep debt appear. During questions, I was asked about whether the ideal is to stick to a quite-rigid sleep schedule during the week and weekend. The answer

Last week's blog featured the importance of what I call ‘solocution’ – solitary time for task execution and productive work. Prioritisation and scheduling are essential elements here. Another is, though is focus. You may be making your way back into the office around this time, where bear traps for our attention exist. QUIET, PLEASE In an open-plan office, a major potential impediment to proper focus is noise. Overheard conversations or the sound of a door repeatedly opening

Understanding Overwhelm in the Workplace I have conducted literally thousands of coaching consultations with business professionals and executives over 30 years. You might imagine that I have encountered a wide range of challenges. In medicine, it’s often said, “common things occur commonly.” In coaching, one of those common challenges is overwhelm. A typical scenario involves someone who feels they have too much to do in too little time. Many people complain that their to-do

Why Sun Exposure Matters While we're generally encouraged to be cautious about sun exposure, the evidence shows that, on balance, it's good for us. One well-known mechanism is related to sunlight's capacity to generate vitamin D in the skin. This vitamin appears to be beneficial for a range of things, including bone health, immunity, and cancer protection. The Link Between Vitamin D and Cognitive Function Evidence published in 2023 found that in a group of older adults, highe

My experience from working with organisations for 30 years is that high performers are not lacking in ability. What's often missing are the strategies that allow success with sustainability. And this is essentially what my latest book - The Performance Prescription: The Science of Healthy High Performance – is about. Through my work, including personally advising more than 8,000 business professionals and executives, I have seen up close how easy it is for people to be ground

I was at a wedding at the weekend. The mother of the bride was a good friend of mine from medical school. A few years ago, she commented that I was literally the last person in our year who she would have anticipated ending up doing the job I do. It was a fair comment indeed, as for many years, I lived a famously unhealthy and hedonistic lifestyle. One example of this was the fact I was a 30-a-day smoker. I actually started smoking when I was 13, and by the time I was 15 I wa

We're encouraged to drink plenty of water, but why? OK, we're mainly water, but beyond that, what does ensuring proper hydration do? Hydration is important to maintain our circulation. It's important for detoxification of the body through, for example, sweating. There is even some evidence that it helps the uptake of fuel into our cells, which may help energy production and metabolism. And it's critical for mental functioning - even mild dehydration has been found in studies

My experience is that there are basically three sorts of ‘exercisers’. 1. Those who prioritise exercise and have a consistent exercise habit that pretty much survives whatever else is going on in their lives. 2. Those who are chronically inactive (I’m honestly not judging). 3. Those who vacillate between periods of activity and inactivity, with the spells lasting from a few weeks to a few months. My experience also tells me that the last group is the biggest one. What’s going

Short sleep and sleep deprivation have been linked with a variety of mental deficits (including problems with decision-making and memory) and physiological changes too, including an increase in levels of inflammation in the body [1]. Inflammation in the body may contribute to impaired function of hormones such as insulin (insulin resistance) and leptin (leptin resistance) – both of which are implicated in obesity. In one study, just one night of about 4 hours sleep was enough

Most people will not feel great or perform optimally in a room that feels ‘stuffy’ or ‘airless’. In this situation, someone may well feel compelled to open a window or door ‘to let some air in’. Actually, the relief that comes from increased ventilation is less about what it brings in than about what it lets out. This is because it’s not so much a lack of oxygen as a buildup of carbon dioxide that causes the feeling of stuffiness. Outdoor air generally has a CO2 level of ar

I am a big believer in walking as a form of activity and exercise. The evidence links it to improved physical and mental wellbeing, but I also like that it’s relatively kind to the body and can often be sustained well into later life. Another thing I like about walking concerns its impact on thinking. I have noticed that when faced with an issue that requires creativity, I am usually better off taking a walk than mulling it over at my desk. I have noticed that not just me but

I gave a keynote last week for a client, and during the Q&A at the end, I was asked about sleep tracking. The person wanted to know whether she should track her sleep or not. As is often the case, the answer I gave was, “it depends.” The Benefits of Sleep Tracking First of all, what do I like about sleep tracking? While it may not be as accurate as attending a sleep lab, it does establish a decent baseline. From there, we can gauge our sleep and see how our lifestyle impacts

One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is that their mind is busy with all the things that remain to be done and cannot be forgotten. Intrusive thoughts can affect every aspect of their lives, causing them to flit mentally (and sometimes physically) from task to task, or take their attention away from a conversation around the dinner table. A lot of people find that even long after closing the laptop for the day, their mind remains a whir with ‘stuff’. There is

I’m not a fan of bread. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat it, but from a nutritional and health perspective, I’m less than enthusiastic. One issue relates to the fact that bread tends to release sugar (from starch) relatively rapidly into the bloodstream. This can cause the body to over-compensate via a surge of the hormone insulin that may drive blood sugar levels to sub-normal levels about 1-3 hours later. Bread-based lunches can easily cause a mid-afternoon lull in energy