Uncomfortable conversations
Say out loud that the conversation will be hard before you start it
Naming the discomfort in the first sentence, with something like I need to have an uncomfortable conversation with you, so the other person can take a breath rather than walk into an ambush. Asking permission first does the same job. So does admitting you might phrase it badly. Sinek's argument against avoidance is that the tension does not go anywhere. It sits there, or it thins the relationship out.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Simon SinekRecommends
Author · Start with WHY
Open by announcing that the conversation is going to be uncomfortable, which he says lets the other person take a breath and be less defensive. Running from the tension only prolongs it or breaks the relationship. The way to practice these, he says, is to have them.
Source: CNBC Make It: The skill of having an uncomfortable conversation is essential
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate discomfort
Choosing the thing you do not want to do, daily, as its own training
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
A high savings rate
Bank a large share of income by spending well below what the income allows
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Accountability mirror
Telling yourself the blunt truth in the mirror every day, then fixing it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Act on the thing causing stress
Make the first call or send the first email on whatever is nagging at you
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Asking for help
Four words, can you help me, used on purpose rather than as a last resort
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.