AlesBalcar.com

Being overwhelmed

Ales — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100

We all feel that way at times and its okay. When it becomes a persistent state of being, we may need to change a thing or two, starting with our outlook. This episode contains the attempt of talking myself into doing just that.

Starting over after a looong break

Ales — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0100

Picking up activities after prolonged break is hard - and the longer the hiatus, the harder it is. I am a champion in dropping things and starting from scratch over and over again... This episode contains the process of talking myself into starting again.

Ales and Raphael livestream 02: What is "radical honesty" in real life?

Ales — Wed, 19 May 2021 20:00:00 +0200

Recording of a live-streamed talk with Raphael Bennett, this time around the topic of honesty: How to express our true selves, while staying polite and socially acceptable?

Ales and Raphael livestream 03: Living with your inner critic

Ales — Wed, 19 May 2021 20:00:00 +0200

Recording of a live-streamed talk with Raphael Bennett, this time about imposter syndrome and the inner critic in our head, who just would not shut up.

Ales and Raphael livestream 01: How to bring change to your life by jumping before you are ready

Ales — Wed, 19 May 2021 20:00:00 +0200

Recording of live-streamed talk between Raphael Bennett and Ales Balcar.
Personal development and growth in the zone of "comfortable discomfort", (un)reasonable expectations and (in)significance of measuring progress.

Interview with Suraj Shah about the unknown unknowns of coping with grief in our lives

Ales — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 18:00:00 +0100

Coach and grief management expert Suraj Shah (https://livewithloss.com/) talks about his work with people who experienced loss in their life and his own experience with grief.

Interview with Cedric Bertelli about the unknown unknowns behind our emotions

Ales — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 13:00:00 +0100

Cedric Bertelli (www.cedricbertelli.com), a specialist on "Emotional Resolution" explains how old traumas hinders our ability to be our best selves - and more importantly - what we can do about them. Warning for everyone: It is simple, but it is not easy.

Progress through experiments

Ales — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Many of us crave a lasting change in our lives - to get healthier, wealthier, sexier, more productive, focused... you name it. But we also crave french fries, binge watching Netflix and all sorts of other things that stand in the way of our prospective bad-assedness.
Committing to limited, time-bound discomfort experiments can bring respectable results over time... And show you, that discomfort really is relative.

How to use calendar efficiently

Ales — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0100

Simple principles you may know (with little tweaks you may not):
1) Plan work and private events together in one calendar, using time blocking.
2) Track how long things actually took, to offset planning fallacy. Try Pomodoro technique.
3) Review and adjust without feeling guilty about the past.

Interview with Sophie Chiche (Becurrenttoday.com) about the unknown unknowns of productivity systems

Ales — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0100

Sophie Chiche, a mind behind Becurrenttoday.com (and much more) talks about the hidden part of the iceberg called "productivity": Meaningful choices, joy, nutella, saying "No" to things and freedom.

Interview with Leo Babauta (Zenhabits.net) about the unknown unknowns of personal growth

Ales — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0100

Leo Babauta, creator and writer-in-chief of Zenhabits.net provides his insights on what is the meaning of "self-improvement" in different stages of your journey and why everything is ultimately okay.

How to make time for what really matters

Ales — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0100

So - you want to find your purpose, meaning, mission, whatever you were put on this Earth to do...
but you do not have time to even carve out time to think about what it might be, because your day is packed to the brim with tasks?
Look closely what are the things you can let go - at least temporarily - to win some of those precious minutes back. You certainly do not have to do ALL of that. Consider it an experiment.

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

"Essentialism is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter." (Greg McKeown)

The Why behind "Project February": Build enabling structures to make space for your meaningful work

Ales — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0100

Every extraordinary creation requires time and energy. However it is way to easy to waste those on trivial stuff, if you are not looking closely. February is the month when I will examine where my time and energy go and reinforce my routines, tools and ways I work so they are better aligned with my mission. Sounds a bit abstract? Well, listen in to get more clarity!

How your brain prevents you from getting rid of stuff

Ales — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 21:00:00 +0100

Parting with possessions can be hard. If you ever wondered why it is sometimes difficult to let go of something that is - objectively speaking - worthless, it may bring you some comfort to learn that it is not your fault. It is your brain at work and its skewed perception of reality. Luckily, we have something called "behavioral science" to help us understand why.

The How of "Project January": Comparing popular decluttering methods

Ales — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 12:00:00 +0100

How shall you start your own journey towards Minimalism? I offer my experience with several decluttering methods I have tried since 2013 to make it a little easier for you to pick the right approach.

The Why behind "Project January": How did I start my minimalism journey

Ales — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 21:00:00 +0100

What drawn me to the idea of "minimalism" back in 2013, what were the early challenges I was facing and - most importantly - what can you learn out of it to start your own journey successfully.

A Positive something is better than a negative nothing

Ales — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 10:00:00 +0100

New year is usually considered a fresh beginning. We want to renew ourselves and start with a clean slate. However usually desire two contradictory things at the same time:
1) We set goals to accomplish in the future (lose weight, get a raise, write a book)
2) We want to feel better "in the now" (be more relaxed, less stressed).
Oftentimes we set ourselves up for failure. Why is that and what can we do with it?

Interview with creators of YearCompass: A Simple, yet powerful tool for your December reflection

Ales — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Laszlo Vad, member of "YearCompass" team explains the idea behind their creation: A neatly structured, downloadable booklet to help you structure your reflection of the ending year and intentions for the year ahead.

https://yearcompass.com

Time for reflection on 2020

Ales — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 12:00:00 +0100

Mid-December is the right time to start reflecting on how 2020 went for you and slowly form your vision of how would you like to show up in 2021. I am sharing why and how I am approaching it.

First

Ales — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0200

The very first, way overdue post, about nothing in particular.
It is mostly for me, rather than for you (sorry about that, I know it is a bit selfish).
Being the first I have ever recorded, it will always have a special place in my heart (at least till I forget it ever happened).
Spoiler alert: It contains no major revelations that will transform your life, so you can stop right here if that is what you are after.
It is nowhere near perfect.
But it does not have to be. I have been waiting too long for things becoming perfect, but they never will.
One of my favorite quotes says:
"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect."