Hey there! This week, I found some intriguing articles to share. Learn how asking smarter questions can transform your business strategy, discover the productivity boost of rituals over habits, and see how Alzheimer’s impacts finances long before diagnosis. Plus, did you know the Defense Department runs top-tier schools? Lastly, find out how changing your mindset about aging could help you live longer. Enjoy!

• The Art of Asking Smarter Questions: With organizations of all sorts facing increased urgency and unpredictability, being able to ask smart questions has become key. But unlike lawyers, doctors, and psychologists, business professionals are not formally trained on what kinds of questions to ask when approaching a problem. They must learn as they go. In their research and consulting, the authors have seen that certain kinds of questions have gained resonance across the business world. In a three-year project they asked executives to brainstorm about the decisions they’ve faced and the kinds of inquiry they’ve pursued. In this article they share what they’ve learned and offer a practical framework for the five types of questions to ask during strategic decision-making: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. By attending to each, leaders and teams can become more likely to cover all the areas that need to be explored, and they’ll surface information and options they might otherwise have missed.
• Why rituals, not habits, make you more productive: Rituals can have a powerful effect on your outlook and can help productivity. Here’s how to develop a sustainable practice.
• Alzheimer’s Takes a Financial Toll Long Before Diagnosis, Study Finds: New research shows that people who develop dementia often begin falling behind on bills years earlier.
• Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department.: Schools for children of military members achieve results rarely seen in public education.
• Want to Live Longer? Change Your Mind About Aging: This overlooked secret to how to live longer is free, effortless, and doesn’t need a doctor or fitness guru’s guidance.