How to Be Awesome at Your Job

917: Training Your Mind For Better Focus, Energy, and Willpower with Oren Jay Sofer

Nov 20, 2023

Oren Jay Sofer teaches contemplative practices to improve focus, energy, and quality of life. He discusses the five-item list for better focus, being unstoppable against procrastination, and a three-second trick for boosting energy. Other topics include mindfulness in parenting, developing attention skills, shifting avoidance behaviors, personal development practices, and embracing contributions.

47:06

Episode guests

Oren Jay Sofer

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Quick takeaways

Cultivating curiosity, relaxation, and clarity can enhance focus and connection to work.

Strategic discomfort can aid growth by finding the right balance between challenge and support.

Deep dives

Developing Mindfulness for Better Focus, Energy, and Willpower

In this podcast episode, Orin J Soffer shares practical and non-woo-woo contemplative practices to train our minds for better focus, energy, and willpower. By understanding concentration as stability and flow, we can cultivate curiosity, relaxation, and clarity to enhance our ability to stay present and connected to our work. Strategic discomfort is emphasized as a principle for growth, finding the right balance between challenge and support. Additionally, tuning into cycles of activity and rest and being aware of how we use energy in our bodies and minds can lead to sustainable energy and better work experiences.

How to Deal with Not Wanting and Avoiding Discomfort

00:58

The Power of Practice

00:32

Introduction

4min

A Journey into Parenthood and Overcoming Fears

3min

The Power of Mindfulness and Meditation in Parenting

11min

Developing Attention Skills for Increased Effectiveness

9min

Shifting Avoidance Behaviors

16min

Reflections on Books, Quotes, and Daily Practice for Personal Development

2min

Exploring Learning Opportunities and Embracing Contributions

3min

Oren Jay Sofer shares how to engage contemplative practices to improve your focus, energy, and quality of life.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) The five-item list that will help you focus better.

2) How to be unstoppable in the face of procrastination.

3) The three-second trick for boosting energy.

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep917 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT OREN —

Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation and communication internationally. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. Oren is also the author of several books, including the best-seller Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication and his latest book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices toMeet a World In Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love. His teaching has reached people around the world through his online communication courses and guided meditations. A husband and a father, Oren lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he enjoys cooking, spending time in nature, and home woodworking projects.

• Book: Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love

• Website: OrenJaySofer.com

• Previous episode: 292: Enhancing Work and Life through Mindfulness with Oren Jay Sofer

• Previous episode: 375: How and Why to Communicate Mindfully with Oren Jay Sofer

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• AwesomeAtYourJob.com/advice : Our survey

• Book: How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent by Carla Naumburg

• Book: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

• Book: Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart by James R. Doty

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Storyworth. Give a personal gift from the heart this holiday season at StoryWorth.com/awesome

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