The Accountability Coach: Business Acceleration | Productivity

Proven Business Success Principles and Systems for Working Less and Making More Money, so you can enjoy having your Ideal Business and Ideal Life.

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Not only can you get value from listening to a variety of proven business success topics, you also get access to complimentary high-value business success resources that I share during some episodes. The episodes are some of my absolute BEST ideas for helping you to create the kind of business and life you have always wanted.

Anne Bachrach is author of many books, including Excuses Don't Count; Results Rule!, Live Life with No Regrets; How the Choices we Make Impact our Lives, No Excuses, The Work Life Balance Emergency Kit, The Guide to Stopping Procrastination, The Power of Visualization, My Gratitude Journal, and The Roadmap To Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard, and more.

Good intentions don’t magically lead to good results. They are a start; however, they are unfortunately not enough. This is just the truth! We all can use a little accountability in our life to help us stay focused, so we can achieve all our goals in the time frames we desire. The #1 Reason People Don’t Get What They Want in Business and in Life is Lack of Accountability.

Go to https://www.AccountabilityCoach.com/landing today and take advantage of 3 Free Gifts that you can immediately use to help you achieve your professional and personal goals.

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The Accountability Coach: Business Acceleration | Productivity

Train Your Brain for Success with 7 Mind Training Tactics

May 15, 2025 • Anne Bachrach

In today's complex world, mental sharpness offers you a clear competitive advantage. With so much information and stimuli flooding our brains daily, the ability to focus, think critically, and make sound decisions is more valuable than ever. Just as elite athletes train their bodies, we must train our minds to perform at our peak.

Let’s explore 7 of the top science-backed strategies for training your brain for sharper thinking and performance when it matters most.

Like great athletes, those who perform best mentally in work and life don't leave brain training to chance. They deliberately build mental muscle. Apply focused practice to sharpen key skills like attention, memory, and critical thinking. Understand how your mind works using mental models while overcoming built-in biases. Stimulate neuroplastic change through continual growth and novelty.

Follow these 7 keys to transform your mind into a high-performance engine that drives achievement and fulfillment regardless of your natural aptitudes. What new mental training tactics will you implement this week? Your brain can't wait to find out!

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Get the proven strategies and resources you need for massive success. Subscribe to my blog now by going to https://accountabilitycoach.com/blog and start transforming your business today!

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I’m the author of many books, including, Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, The Guide to Stopping Procrastination, The Power of Visualization, My Gratitude Journal, the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit, and The Roadmap To Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard, and more.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

Unlock a blueprint to creating and having your ideal business and ideal life by scheduling your free consultation with me today!

Want more proven business success tips and resources? Subscribe to my blog by going to www.acountabilitycoach.com/blog.

Go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com to check out for yourself how I, as your Accountability Coach™, can help you get and stay focused on you highest payoff activities that put you in the highest probability position to achieve your professional and personal goals, so you can enjoy the kind of business and life you truly want and deserve.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

Get your daily Accountability Minute shot of a single, simple, doable idea, so you can start your day off on the "right foot". You can find The Accountability Minute on your favorite platform

Train Your Brain for Success with 7 Mind Training Tactics

The good news is that science reveals how incredibly malleable and "plastic" our brains are. Targeted mind training can rewire neural connections and improve cognitive skills regardless of age or mental fitness level. Understanding how the brain works and applying the right tactics will boost concentration, memory, learning ability, and overall success in work and life.

Let’s explore 7 of the top science-backed strategies for training your brain for sharper thinking and performance when it matters most.

1. Exercise Focused Attention

In his bestselling book Deep Work, author Cal Newport argues that "the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. Consequently, the few who cultivate this skill and make it the core of their working life will thrive."

Deep work requires intense, focused attention for long periods without distractions. This ability to hyperfocus is a mental "muscle" you can train. Start small by picking a task that requires concentration and set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Silence notifications, close extra browser tabs, and dive in without interruption. Gradually increase your focus duration week-by-week.

Having regular time blocks helps strengthen neural connections in areas like the prefrontal cortex associated with attention, willpower, and high-level thinking.

For information on time blocking your calendar for maximum effectiveness, check out an article I wrote by going to https://bit.ly/Time_Blocking.

2. Build Mental Models

Billionaire investor Charlie Munger cites mental models—frameworks for how the world works—as the "key to his success." Mental models are cognitive tools that help us make sense of the world, analyze situations, and make informed decisions. They can be derived from all sorts of disciplines, including physics, engineering, psychology, philosophy, and economics. Mental models provide "scaffolding upon which you can build understanding," says psychologist Adam Alter. Physics relies on models like F=ma. Biology uses the cell model.

Expose yourself to big ideas from multiple disciplines and note what the model’s experts use to explain complex concepts and then apply them in your domain. For example, supply and demand models help entrepreneurs anticipate market forces. Mental models don't just organize thinking, they improve it. One mental model we all know is The Pareto Principle (or 80/20 Rule) that states 20% of your efforts lead to 80% of the results. You already know this Pareto Principle; however, are you applying it in your business to the best of your ability? In other words, could you be even better at implementing this model to accelerate your results?

To learn more, check out 7 mental models to help you make better business decisions.

3. Boost Memory with Mnemonics

Our working memory capacity is limited. Mnemonics are clever memory techniques that allow you to encode and retrieve larger amounts of information by linking it spatially, visually, or semantically.

Mnemonics are memory aids—like acronyms, rhymes, or associations—that help you remember information more easily. As a business owner, mnemonics help you:

• Recall key strategies or steps

• Train and retain team processes

• Simplify complex info for faster decisions

• Improve presentations and communication

Smarter Memory = Faster Execution

The key is creating vivid mental associations, like imagining items on a memory palace path or using the first letters of words to make sentences. "After using mnemonic strategies, people can frequently more than double their memory capacity," says psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer. Train your memory by applying mnemonics to remembering names, speeches, or even your grocery lists.

4. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce activity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, leading to lower levels of stress, anxiety, and emotional reactivity. This structural change enhances one's ability to remain calm and composed in high-pressure situations, improving overall emotional resilience.

Studies indicate that mindfulness meditation increases gray matter density in the hippocampus, the region linked to learning and memory. This enhancement supports better information retention, improved problem-solving abilities, and a sharper capacity for complex reasoning over time.

Specifically, mindfulness meditation helps entrepreneurs elevate their performance by optimizing cognitive function, emotional resilience, and decision-making skills. Here’s how it helps you:

Sharper Focus and Clarity – Strengthens attention, reduces distractions, and enhances strategic thinking.
Stronger Emotional Intelligence – Improves self-awareness, stress management, and leadership skills.
Greater Stress Resilience – Lowers cortisol, boosts adaptability, and prevents burnout.
Enhanced Creativity and Innovation – Clears mental clutter, sparks new ideas, and fosters problem-solving.
Smarter Decision-Making – Reduces impulsivity, improves risk assessment, and encourages data-driven choices.

Mindfulness helps entrepreneurs optimize performance, sustain growth, and lead with clarity and confidence.

Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal provides this mindfulness practice: Focus on your breath and body sensations for 5-10 minutes. When distracted, gently return attention to your breath. Start small with 5 minutes daily, then build toward 20-30 minutes daily for maximal cognitive benefit. This could be 2 sessions for 10-15 minutes each. Apps like Headspace help guide your mindfulness training.

5. Recognize Cognitive Biases

Flawed mental shortcuts, known as cognitive biases, constantly influence our thinking. Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky identified biases like confirmation bias, the halo effect, anchoring, and many more. The pair found that increased awareness of biases improves decision-making and judgment.

Basically, cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that leads to irrational decisions and faulty perceptions. It can affect how we think about the world, make decisions, and relate to others. To overcome our cognitive biases, it is first necessary to acknowledge that they exist and that we are susceptible to them. Understanding common biases allows us to more easily recognize them when they occur.

In you are interested, you can learn about prominent biases (Wikipedia’s list of 188 cognitive biases) and reflect on past decisions that may have been influenced by biased thinking. A few examples of cognitive bias are:

Assuming someone is good if we find them attractive
Trusting authority figures more than others

A few more examples of cognitive bias are:

Negativity Bias

• Definition: The tendency to give more weight to negative experiences or information than positive ones.

• Example: Focusing on one piece of critical feedback despite receiving lots of praise.

Status Quo Bias

• Definition: Preferring things to stay the same rather than change.

• Example: Sticking with an inefficient software system at work because "we’ve always done it this way."

Confirmation Bias

• Definition: The tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs.

• Example: Only reading news sources that align with your political views and dismissing opposing opinions as "fake news."

Carefully watch for biases creeping into your logic before finalizing important choices.

6. Take Advantage of Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity means your brain is always changing in response to stimuli and environment. This adaptive capacity doesn't disappear in adulthood. A brain imaging study on London cab drivers found their hippocampus regions enlarged to accommodate spatial knowledge of the city.

Think of your brain as a muscle that needs training to grow and change. Push your cognitive abilities by learning a new language, instrument, or hobby skills. Keep exposing yourself to novel and enriching experiences. The principle of "use it or lose it" absolutely applies to neurological development across our lifespan. Feed your brain well and keep it fit!

7. Commit to Life-long Learning

Continuous learning is key to sharpening mental skills, especially as you age. Ongoing education boosts memory, reasoning, reading speed, verbal fluency, problem-solving, and more.

University of Texas research found that lifelong learners display greater cognitive flexibility well into their 70s and 80s than peers who do not continually acquire new skills.

Treat learning as a lifestyle, not just formal education that ends with a degree. Read broadly, take courses in domains outside your expertise, listen to educational podcasts, join book clubs, attend lectures, and more. Stay curious. The brain thrives when you regularly confront unfamiliar knowledge and perspectives.

Conclusion

Unlock a blueprint to creating and having your ideal business and ideal life by scheduling your free consultation with me today!

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Check out my proven business accelerator resources by going to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

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