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What You’ll Find Here
What You’ll Find Here
Welcome to the High-Performance Hub
This site helps you revisit key insights from my weekly newsletter: Momentum Letters. Make sure to join to stay updated.
The content is organized into four categories for your ease:
How to Use It: Whether you're looking to strengthen your mindset, lead with confidence, optimize performance, or think strategically, this is your HUB!
Where to Start: Use the drop-down menu to navigate topics that interest you.
Regular Updates: New insights, book recommendations, and resources are added weekly to keep you learning and growing.
Not a subscriber to my newsletter? Use this link to join Momentum Letters, and receive regular updates.
The four Categories
The four Categories
High-Performance & Productivity: Optimize your energy, routines, and efficiency to achieve peak performance.
Leadership & Emotional Mastery: Strengthen your self-awareness and communication.
Mindset & Mental Performance: Develop a resilient, high-performance mindset.
Strategic Thinking: Make better decisions, think long-term, and approach challenges with a high-performance mindset.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
You'll also find the following resources here:
Book Library: A collection of all book recommendations from the newsletter.
Video Library: A curated list of all videos on mindset, leadership, and personal growth.
Charts, Science & Research: Charts and illustrations about productivity, leadership and growth.
Exclusive Tools: Access my tools right here, from templates to checklists, and high-performance strategies! FREE!
Latest updates
Latest updates
science, charts & research
science, charts & research
The Psychology of Finish Lines: Why 3:59 Feels So Much Better Than 4:00
The Psychology of Finish Lines: Why 3:59 Feels So Much Better Than 4:00
Ever rushed to finish something just before a deadline—only to lose steam the moment the clock ticks past? That’s reference-dependent motivation at work.
A Story That Hits Home
In a fascinating study by Gneezy, Imas, and Pope, researchers analyzed marathon finishing times and noticed a powerful pattern. Runners clustered their finishes around psychologically meaningful time goals: 3:00, 3:30, 4:00.
But what stood out most? The sharp drop in finishers right after 4:00. Scores of runners finished at 3:59—but as soon as the clock hit 4:01, the number plummeted. That two-minute gap holds a deeper truth: we don’t just aim to finish—we aim to beat a story we’ve told ourselves about what counts as “good.”
Why?
Because goals aren't just external—they’re anchored in perception. We aren’t purely rational; we’re driven by hitting clean numbers, round targets, and symbolic wins.
Reference:
Gneezy, U., Imas, A., & Pope, D. (2016). Reference-Dependent Preferences: Evidence from Marathon Runners. Read the study on ResearchGate
How to Use reference Points to Fuel Performance
Set Clean Targets: Round goals like “50 push-ups,” “sub-60-minute meetings,” or “under 100 emails” energize the brain. Use them intentionally to add clarity and urgency.
Track Visible Progress: Progress bars, countdown timers, or dashboards make invisible effort feel real. They help push us over the metaphorical finish line.
Celebrate Micro-Milestones: Don’t wait for 100%. Celebrate 90%, 75%, or even 40% if it's a meaningful checkpoint. Progress reinforces momentum.
Avoid the “Missed It, Might As Well Quit” Trap: Missed a goal by a few minutes or points? Reframe the story. It’s not failure—it’s feedback. Reset the clock and keep going.
Coach Yourself (or Others) with Milestones in Mind: Use reference points when motivating your team, kids, or even yourself. Help them set goals that feel clear—and celebrate the effort that goes into reaching just before or just beyon
Book I'm Reading
Book I'm Reading
Measure what matters
Measure what matters
By John Doerr
This high-impact playbook reveals how a deceptively simple goal-setting system—OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)—helped fuel the rise of Google, Intel, and other iconic companies. John Doerr, one of the world’s leading venture capitalists, introduces the method with behind-the-scenes stories and practical insights from top executives, entrepreneurs, and change makers.
Why You Should Read It: If you’re serious about clarity, alignment, and hitting ambitious goals, this book gives you the structure to get there. It’s not just for CEOs—OKRs can sharpen focus for teams, startups, and even solo professionals. Bonus: it’s packed with real-world examples and zero fluff.
3 Key Takeaways:
Objectives Inspire, Key Results Measure: Objectives should be bold and motivating. Key Results should be clear, time-bound, and measurable. Both are needed to drive real performance.
Transparency Boosts Accountability: When everyone’s OKRs are visible, it creates alignment, trust, and a shared sense of ownership.
Stretch Goals Drive Growth: Ambitious goals push teams to aim higher—failures along the way often lead to bigger breakthroughs than playing it safe ever could.
productivity hack
productivity hack
Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero
Every unread email is an unresolved loop pulling at your attention. Your inbox isn’t just digital clutter—it’s cognitive weight. Every new message competes with your priorities, hijacking focus and fueling a false sense of urgency. The fix? Stop chasing zero every day. Instead, schedule one or two focused sessions each week to triage and respond in batches. Let go of the need to constantly “clear”—you’re not a janitor, you’re a strategist.
Why This Works:
Reduces Context Switching: Constant inbox checking breaks your deep work rhythm. Fewer check-ins mean more flow and better output.
Reclaims Focus Bandwidth: Emails often masquerade as tasks. Containing them to a set time protects your attention for what truly matters.
Turns Reaction into Intention: You decide when to engage, not your inbox. That shift puts you back in the driver’s seat.
How to Apply:
Set “Inbox Hours”: Pick 1–2 blocks per week to handle all non-urgent email. Put it in your calendar like any meeting.
Use Priority Filters: Star, label, or snooze emails that actually need a reply—let the rest wait.
Silence Notifications: Turn off badges and alerts. They’re productivity kryptonite.
Unsubscribe Aggressively: Clean the pipeline. Less noise = more clarity.
What I'm watching
What I'm watching
Apple’s Secret iPhone Launch Team: The Event That Began It All
Apple’s Secret iPhone Launch Team: The Event That Began It All
In this video by The Wall Street Journal, veteran reporters peel back the curtain on Apple’s ultra-secret “Project Purple” team—the small group hand-picked by Steve Jobs to build the very first iPhone.
Tech innovation has always fascinated me, but what really grabbed me here is seeing how design, engineering, and extreme secrecy collided to create one of the most iconic products ever. You’ll hear firsthand from Tony Fadell, Scott Forstall, and Greg Christie about working in windowless labs, debating every pixel and antenna curve, and living under Jobs’s relentless pursuit of simplicity.
I love this video because it shows that breakthrough ideas often spring from tiny, intense teams driven by a shared “why.” Enjoy.
contact me!
contact me!
I love engaging with my audience, and if there's anything that you'd like to discuss, feel free to reach out to me on: hassan@hellohms.com
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