Welcome to Sunday Reads on Refocuser, a collection of weekly links from around the web to help you do incredible things.  These links span topics like creativity, performance, focus, exercise, nutrition, and positivity.  I’m posting this on Saturday this time to make sure email subscribers get this on Sunday.

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On Creative Work

How many times have you found yourself thinking “that really didn’t need to take an hour”?  Brad Feld has some experience with that.

“People sitting at messy desks are less efficient, less persistent, and more frustrated and weary than those at neat desks.”  I find it easier to keep my desk clean than to actually clean it, so at the end of every day I take 20 seconds to reset it before I leave the office.

18 Habits of Highly Creative People pulls together some great recommendations for how to do incredible things.

On Stress and How to Cope

Technology has made life different, but not necessary more stressful says Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times.  “Frequent Internet and social media users do not have higher stress levels than those who use technology less often. And for women, using certain digital tools decreases stress.”

Stress isn’t all bad.  In one longitudinal study, stress levels alone didn’t predict mortality risk—stress was only associated with mortality for respondents who also believed that stress affected their health. So what you believe about stress is more important than you may think.

Mindfulness training changes the brain and can help you both resist distractions and make better decisions in uncertain conditions.  It also helps with resilience – which is quite important in the inherently stressful business world.

Long-form Reads

I finally picked up Ready to Run by Kelly Starrett (of mobilityWOD fame) and T.J. Murphy.  This beautiful book focuses on the practice of running, preventing injuries, and how to incorporate mobility work into your day.  Even though I don’t run as frequently as I used to, this book is a master class in how to move.  I particularly love his “no days off” rule and am doing that now as I train for StrongFirst certification.

Want to read more?  This Forbes article recommends listening to Audible books on your commute, or using the Kindle app on your phone to read in quicker bits.

(You can always follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading.)

Other Bits

January is a great time for “soul searching over the Western obsession with stuff”.  Consider that we are living in “the most materially rich society in global history, with light-years more possessions per average family than any preceding society”.  Conclusion?  Focus on experiences, not things, to get the most enjoyment.

Research shows that “by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves”.  Writing things down is always my first suggestion for people looking for change.

People who are able to read other people’s emotions tend to make more money than those who can’t. So it literally pays to be emotionally intelligent.