Category: Written exercises

This is an exercise inspired by the challenges of our current confinement. It was influenced by my writings of people who had suffered much worse imprisonment, like Victor Frankl and James Stockdale. One of their observations is that hoping for or predicting an end-date to the situation can be devastating to those involved. Instead, they … Continue reading Your custom-made happy-place →

(takes about 30 minutes) This exercise is a guided exploration of feelings and motivations. The extent to which this brings up genuinely new insights will depend on how exploratory you are feeling, and how much you are willing to challenge yourself. Write for 3-5 minutes about each of these topics. Try to “push through” if … Continue reading Sentence stubs →

(Takes about 30 minutes) Our childhood experiences can have profound effects on our personality and behavior. While we can’t erase or change these experiences, we can change our interpretation of them. This exercise tries to enter into a dialog with our inner child in order to become more conscious of its positive and negative influence … Continue reading Meet your childhood self →

(Takes about 10 minutes) This is an exercise to find problems small and large - from the minor annoyance to the life-stopping dilemma. Why would you want to make a list of these? Because problems can be a source of energy, inspiration and direction. Let me try to show you how. The exercise It’s worth … Continue reading Exercise – Bug list →

(takes about 20 minutes) This problem attempts to help you give advice or criticism better and in a way that it is more likely to be received positively. Try to think of advice you have tried to give someone very recently, or are planning to give someone in the very near future. This might be … Continue reading Exercise – Rotating perspectives →

(takes about 15 minutes) This is an exercise of self-exploration through a simple brainstorming exercise. The idea is to gain a better understanding of where our strengths and passions lie - and where not. Some things energize us. That is, once we start doing them we feel more awake, more energetic and happier. Other activities … Continue reading Exercise – Energizers →

(Suggested time : 10-20 minutes) Preparation This exercise required a complex/messy/wicked problem that you’ve been dealing with recently. Preferable it should be one that you’ve become “stuck” after already thinking about it for some time. The exercise (3 minutes) Describe the issue. What is it about? What are the unknowns=Who are the main people involved? … Continue reading Exercise – What would Hercules do? →

(Takes about 20 minutes) Think of a situation in your life that faces recurring difficulties. This might be your job, your romantic relationship, a family relationship, or something else. Try to pick something which has been on your mind a lot in the past weeks. The exercise (5 minutes) Use the following sentences as writing … Continue reading Exercise – Your habitual metaphors →

(Takes about 20 minutes) Stories can have a strong impact on us. Most of the time we are recipients of stories: through movies, books, and even daily conversations. Stories allow us to communicate complex issues quickly and create a shared understanding. In this exercise we’re going to try to use this “tool” to structure our … Continue reading Exercise – Your personal hell and heaven →

Suggested time allocation: 15 minutes Preparation We sometimes react in ways that we are not proud of: we explode in anger, we’re mean to people we care about, we hide our feelings, or we’re just unreasonably anxious. While painful, such moments can be opportunities to learn about ourselves, our personality, our inner conflicts and our … Continue reading Exercise – Bad behavior →