1 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Hello everybody. I'm Jemma Spake and welcome back to the 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,320 Speaker 1: Psychology of Your Twenties, the podcast where we talk through 3 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: the biggest changes, moments, and transitions of our twenties and 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: what they mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, Welcome back 5 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: to the show. Welcome back to the podcast. It is 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 1: so great to have you here back for another episode 7 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: as we, of course break down the psychology of our twenties. 8 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: If you're watching on Netflix, I promise you I'm not 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: worrying my pajamas. I just need to say that I've 10 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: just looked at my outfit and realized that looks very 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: pajama like, but it's not. And considering we're talking about 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: productivity today, it's kind of ironic, but yes, that's what 13 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: we're talking about. We're talking about productivity specifically. I wanted 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: to share seven of the best, most underratedly spoken about 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: tips to just get more stuff done by doing less. 16 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: I love these episodes. I love doing them sometimes, and 17 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: I feel like so many of us in our twenties, 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: we have these huge ambitions and these projects and these 19 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: tasks that we want to undertake, and we also feel 20 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: like we don't have any time and we're working really hard, 21 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: and like anything that can help us a little bit, 22 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: anything that can like psychologically nudge us in the right direction, 23 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: especially when those tips are back by science, are great. 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: And I thought, you know what, let's do an easy 25 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: episode today, one that's just let's just do a little 26 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: list episode. Let's just go through the science, find what 27 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: works best. I'm going to deliver it to you guys 28 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:40,559 Speaker 1: in a simple package form, and I just sincerely hope 29 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: it helps you be more productive, be more efficient, but 30 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: also enjoy your life as well. Let's get into it. So, 31 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: I think one of the biggest lies about productivity that 32 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: we've been sold is that discipline is like the singular 33 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: most important ingredient or factor that is driving productivity. The 34 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: people who you admire who get stuff done, they just 35 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: have this inherent trait that you don't. And although they 36 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: may have it inherently, although they didn't really have to 37 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,679 Speaker 1: do anything to get it, your inability to access it yourself, 38 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: that though, is a personal character flaw or a fault. 39 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: And until you can unlock or access your discipline, it's 40 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: not happening for you. Good luck, Like it's just not happening. 41 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: You need to be disciplined or nothing else. I think 42 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:37,679 Speaker 1: this is a rather kind of narrow, unfair, like psychologically 43 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: inaccurate way to think about productivity that really just tries 44 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: to shame us for what we haven't been able to 45 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: do without thinking about why we haven't been able to 46 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,399 Speaker 1: do it. Here's the thing. Our productivity is not reliant 47 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: on discipline alone. In fact, discipline is only about twenty 48 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: five to thirty percent of the equation. And it's actually 49 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: what we would call a spark it is. It's a 50 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: cognitive spark, not a cognitive fuel source. Discipline is incredibly finite, 51 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: It's incredibly influenced by so many other factors we often ignore, 52 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: like our sleep, our hormones, our stress, the difficulty of 53 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: the task, the environment you're in, your established habits, your 54 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: past experiences, your confidence in yourself. That this is stuff 55 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: that we don't always seem to like consciously think of 56 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: as a factor. It's so easy for us to put 57 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: it all down to this one thing alone, this neat 58 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: discipline explanation, and just kind of ignore the rest. And 59 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: it's you can't ignore the rest that is an equal part. 60 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: In fact, there's a really notable meta analysis that was 61 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: conducted by the psychologist Peers Steel, in which he describes 62 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: procrastination not as a discipline problem but a form of 63 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: self regulatory failure. Importantly, what the paper does not say 64 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: is that procrastination is about laziness. He actually found that 65 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: procrastination was primarily shaped by emotional regulation and how unpleasant 66 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: the task was, the a mental state that you were in, 67 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: how impulsive you were, whether we believe we could do it, 68 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: how capable we were feeling our mental health, like our 69 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: inability to do certain things, is not about mental fortitude. 70 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: It's about, yeah, your emotional state and your emotional gooiness 71 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: and how you're feeling. We also know that willpower and 72 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: discipline are firstly don't always factor in those things. They're 73 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: also mentally very exhausting, and that actually lessens our performance 74 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: on other tasks afterwards. There is this finding that came 75 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: from a nineteen eighty eight study by bo Mister and 76 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: colleagues where they put people in a room. They put 77 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: them in front of a plate of cookies and a 78 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: bowl of rad both on the table, and they asked 79 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: half the participants to not have a cookie. You can 80 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: have a ratish, you can't have a cookie, And they 81 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: told the other half. You can have one cookie. You 82 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: can have a cookie. And then they left the room 83 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: and they just kind of were like, just don't do it. 84 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 1: You guys be in charge of correcting or following through 85 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: this action. They then made people do a geometric puzzle. 86 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: People who had the cookie, they did the puzzle for 87 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: nineteen minutes, those who had the ratish eight minutes. And 88 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: it wasn't just the sugar rush. It was the fact 89 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: that they had to draw on all this will power 90 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: to resist the cookie, and it's assumed that that kind 91 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: of drained their self control for all subsequent situations. So, 92 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: when you were constantly only relying on willpower and discipline 93 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: to get stuff done, you know, to help you study harder, 94 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: to help you avoid temptation, to help you, I don't know, 95 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: lose weight, the effort that you have for other areas 96 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: of your life and the discipline or the motivation you 97 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 1: have for other things declines. And this is why relying 98 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: on discipline is an incomplete way to look at our productivity. 99 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: What we actually need to be addressing is that emotional 100 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: thing that we're reducing, the emotional resistance of the task 101 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: or the goal in question, and also setting up our 102 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: structures and our behaviors and our surroundings so that the 103 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: easier thing is the easier thing, like the thing we 104 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: want to do as the least resistance. So that really 105 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: informs I think this it's important to say this because 106 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: this informs what we're going to talk about next, which 107 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: is the seven best things that you can do based 108 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: on that knowledge of discipline. And now, of course this 109 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: isn't going to turn you into like a twelve hour 110 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: day working machine. To be honest, I don't think you 111 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: guys know me by now. That's I really don't care 112 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: about that. Like I really think that hustle culture and 113 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: like the girl Boss five thousand, work all day, sleep 114 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: on your dead archetype is dead and should be left there. 115 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: But I also believe in in devotion and being able 116 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: to prove to yourself what you're capable of, and I 117 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: think this stuff takes us to that space and gets 118 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: us into that mindset in a much more healthy and 119 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: sustainable way rather than this like alternative that seems to 120 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: be the only alternative, which is if you are not 121 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: actively suffering for what you want, and if you are 122 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: not actively in a constant state of exhaustion, you must 123 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: not want it that much. This is this is the 124 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: middle ground. This is the middle ground where you get 125 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: stuff done, but you also can enjoy your life. So 126 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: productivity hack number one is the three to one equation. 127 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: This is a method of structuring your to do list 128 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: so that your day is both focused and varied and 129 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: therefore productive every day. If you want to feel accomplished, 130 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: your to do list should contain three chores, two small tasks, 131 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: and one big task. That might look like Your three 132 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: chores are wash your bedding, like, vacuum your room, take 133 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: the bins out, pay your parking fine, like those kind 134 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: of things. Things that are like add many that are 135 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: a little bit annoying, but like you know, you need 136 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: to get done. The two smaller tasks are things like, okay, 137 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 1: clear out my email inbox from like the night, from 138 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: the day before, every little email that I've been avoiding. 139 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: I'm going to get that done today. I'm going to 140 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: write my project update. I'm going to send out that 141 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: important document. There's a meeting I've been putting off. I'm 142 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: going to do that important meeting. I'm going to do 143 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: the first two hours of planning for that trip, that event, 144 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: that important work thing, and then you have the one 145 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: big task. This is like the meat of the sandwich. 146 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: So this is the thing that you can expect to 147 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: spend three to four hours on or longer. Mine is 148 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,719 Speaker 1: always the same writing scripts, but for you it may 149 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: be writing large sections of a report or an essay, 150 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: concentrated study for an exam, doing complex equations, making a 151 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: major headway, or on a project. Again, it is the 152 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: meat in the sandwich, or if you're a vegetarian, it's 153 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: I don't know, the toepo in the sandwich. The reason 154 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: this works is that it gives your brain a balanced 155 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: sense of progress. Notice how the big task is still 156 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: really sizable, but it doesn't take over your entire day. 157 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: A lot of us either overload our day with a 158 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 1: lot of those tiny tasks that make us feel busy 159 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: but not meaningfully fulfilled. All what we do is we 160 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: do is we put one absolutely huge, intimidating task on 161 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 1: the list, and then we feel like a failure if 162 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:31,079 Speaker 1: we don't complete the entire thing. Again, we are looking 163 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: for balance. The three two one method gives you both 164 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: momentum and cognitive diversity, and that cognitive diversity is so 165 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: important for your brain. So that it can be challenged 166 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: by different things so that it experiences the refreshing and 167 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: the important power of novelty. You know, the three chores, 168 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: the two small to us visible progress, but they also 169 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:57,559 Speaker 1: you know, they reduce like a lot of the menial 170 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: stuff as well they give you progress. They also clear 171 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 1: out the clutter of maybe things that you've been putting off. 172 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 1: And then the one big task sits in the middle, 173 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: and it means that you actually feel a meaningful sense 174 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: of accomplishment at the day, at the end of the day, 175 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: whilst actually still having done stuff. The other reason this 176 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: benefits long term productivity, besides helping you not get bored 177 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,439 Speaker 1: with your kind of larger goals, is that it builds 178 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: self efficacy. Probably our favorite term on the podcast, the 179 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: seff efficacy is the sense that we can meaningfully change 180 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: outcomes through our actions, our own actions and behaviors. Small 181 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: accomplishments are just as important as big accomplishments for self 182 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: efficacy because it gives us a daily reminder that mental, emotional, 183 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 1: cognitive input, our input is creating physical output and progress 184 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: even on day is when the big goal feels very 185 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: very far away, Even on days when you know we 186 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: don't have twelve hours to do. Stuff just makes you 187 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: feel good. It makes you feel like, Okay, at the 188 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: end of the day, I have done my oh my god, 189 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: now I can't remember how many it is, six things 190 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: I've done, my six things. I feel accomplished. I've done 191 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 1: a little bit of everything. I'm good. I can rest now, okay. 192 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,719 Speaker 1: Tip number two. I think we've all heard the term 193 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: like eat the frog, right. This was always something my 194 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: dad said to me when I was growing up, like 195 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: eat the frog. Basically, always do the hard thing first. 196 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: When you look at that list, the three two one list, 197 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: the biggest thing, the most unpleasant, difficult, annoying thing, the 198 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: thing you are most reluctant to do, the one that 199 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: you were most likely to procrastinate on. That's the one 200 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 1: you go for at the beginning. I think we have 201 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: this tendency to think that we should ease ourselves into things, 202 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: or warm up for the day, or warm up for 203 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,320 Speaker 1: the hard stuff obviously, like if you're big task, like 204 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: if you're exercising, like a warm up. But don't leave 205 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: the work out to the end of the day. Don't 206 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: leave the most important email to or five PM. Don't 207 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,680 Speaker 1: leave the tiring conversation or the writing push till the 208 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,959 Speaker 1: point where you are exhausted. Even if your motivation improves 209 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: throughout the day, your focus probably doesn't. There is probably 210 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: a specific time, likely when you first start, where you 211 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 1: are going to have the most cognitive resources available. Not 212 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: using those resources is avoidance. You're avoiding it. When you 213 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: avoid the hard task, you get the momentary feeling of relief, 214 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: the momentary feeling of like hope, but surprise, surprise, the 215 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: task is still there. It stays on your mind, It 216 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: follows you throughout the day. It makes any break or 217 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: sense of achievement from other tasks. It always feels like 218 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 1: it's slightly contaminated because you're like, yeah, yeah, I did that, 219 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: but ah, that thing is still there, like that thing 220 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: I've been avoiding. I still haven't done it until it's done. 221 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,719 Speaker 1: The rest of the day feel half. It feels like 222 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: a distraction. So before you give your brain the day 223 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: to negotiate, to rationalize, to delay, catastrophize, overthink, just decide 224 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: to begin and begin is the keyword here. Doing the 225 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: hard thing first doesn't mean that it needs to be 226 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: done perfectly, doesn't mean you need to finish the whole 227 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: hard thing at eight am. It just means give your freshest, 228 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: fullest attention to the task that would otherwise drain your 229 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: emotional energy all day. And as we said, a lot 230 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: of productivity is just emotional regulation, is just seeing the 231 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: hard thing that's going to linger and pushing through it. 232 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: From like our one. To add to this, researches from 233 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: New York University in a two thousand and six paper 234 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:50,559 Speaker 1: highlighted the concept of implementation intentions and this play is 235 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: a really important role for this tip. Basically, it's specific 236 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,719 Speaker 1: plans about when, where, and how you will act. They 237 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: suggested using these implementation intentions for goals that you want 238 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: to avoid because they significantly improve your chances of achieving them. 239 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: In other words, if you build out how exactly you're 240 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: going to go about doing something, you're more likely to 241 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,439 Speaker 1: do it. So instead of just I'm going to work 242 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: on this in the morning, if you say, okay, after breakfast, 243 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to sit at my desk and I'm going 244 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: to write three hundred words before checking my phone, that's 245 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: going to be more effective. Like, that's going to be 246 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: much better. So yes, do the hard thing first. But 247 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: also to cement this into action. Define the hard thing 248 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: clearly enough, Define it with a timestamp, Define it with 249 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: an endpoint, a progress point, a location. Even because it's 250 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: harder to argue with a plan than a wish, I'll 251 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: give you some other examples just to help you out 252 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: with this. Instead of saying I'm going to sort my finances, try, 253 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: you know, before I anything else, I will open my 254 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: banking app and make a list of every subscription service 255 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: I'm paying for. Instead of I'm gonna work on my dissertation, 256 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: try Okay, at eleven am, I'm going to have done 257 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: these things, and I will go to the library and 258 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: I will write the first three hundred rough words of 259 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: my literature review. Instead of saying I'm gonna get my 260 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: life together, try right after lunch, I'm going to spend 261 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: twenty five minutes replying to emails that have been sitting 262 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 1: in my inbox and going through all of my text 263 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:33,520 Speaker 1: messages from my parents and my family and just answer them. 264 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 1: The hard thing becomes less threatening. The thing we procrastinate 265 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: about the most becomes less threatening when it becomes concrete. 266 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: A lot of productivity advice focuses on time management. We 267 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:50,479 Speaker 1: are focused on emotion management. Can you tolerate the discomfort 268 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: of starting. Can you tolerate the task being imperfect? Can 269 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: you act before you feel fully ready? What is going 270 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: to make you feel more emotionally capable of starting right now? 271 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: Think of doing the hard thing first, not as like, 272 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: it's not about punishing yourself. It's about freeing yourself from 273 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: the emotional burden attacks of avoidance that is going to 274 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: follow you for the rest of the day if you 275 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: don't just buy the bullet. Okay, let's take a short 276 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: break here, then we will return with a bunch more advice. 277 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: Stay with us. So the third tip may be my favorite, 278 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: so much so that I wrote about it in my book, 279 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: not once, but twice. I literally wrote about it twice, 280 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: and I didn't even realize until after the book came 281 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 1: out and somebody DMed me and was like, Okay, we 282 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: get it, give it a rest, like you like this, 283 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 1: you like this tip? Okay? And I was like, Oop, 284 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: just didn't even realize I've done it. But my third 285 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: productivity hack is to stop copying somebody else's schedule and 286 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: start studying your own rhythm. We are told the only 287 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:07,200 Speaker 1: way to be productive is to get up at five 288 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: am and journal and drink lemon water and work out 289 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: and do all these things before you do eight hours 290 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: of work, and you should be totally switched on for 291 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: those eight hours of work as well. And yeah, for 292 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: some people the morning into the nine to five routine 293 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:26,360 Speaker 1: is where they feel most productive. But just because it's 294 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: what's fed to us generally doesn't mean it works for everybody. 295 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:32,880 Speaker 1: It's this myth that just because something is normal must 296 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: mean it's the best for you. It might not be. 297 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 1: This is where I want to introduce the idea of 298 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: your chronotype. Your chronotype is basically your natural, genetically determined 299 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,959 Speaker 1: preference for your sleep wake timing, and that is it 300 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 1: reflects our circadian rhythm. It's just like the layer below. 301 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: There was a twenty twenty three review in Chronobiology that 302 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:00,919 Speaker 1: discussed how cognitive performance can be really affected the interaction 303 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:05,479 Speaker 1: between the time of day that you are working and 304 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: your individual chronotype, so whether you are a morning person, 305 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: a night person, a midday person, and these findings have 306 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: even been reflected more recently in twenty twenty five they 307 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 1: did another review. What this means is that people you 308 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: may perform differently depending on whether you're working in sync 309 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: with your natural rhythm or not. It's not just dependent 310 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 1: on discipline. You know, someone working at six pm can 311 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: be more productive than someone working at nine am. But 312 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: if your work only allows you to do work at 313 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: nine am, it must make you start at nine am. 314 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: Of course, you're going to feel lazy. You're not working 315 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: in accordance with your chronotype. Same with like you know, 316 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: maybe your most productive hour is hours like one am 317 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: to five am. But if that is your natural rhythm. 318 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: But if your system and your environment doesn't allow you 319 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: to operate them, you're not going to be as productive. 320 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: Knowing this, you need to work to figure out what 321 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: this may be for you, because you might be constantly 322 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: sabotaging yourself by scheduling hard work for a time of 323 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: day when your brain has already checked out. I know 324 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:10,880 Speaker 1: I said swallow the frog, but if the best time 325 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: to swallow the frog is at seven pm and instead 326 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: of nine am, you should be working at seven pm. 327 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:20,879 Speaker 1: Some ways of identifying your chronotype, what sleep pattern sleep 328 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,160 Speaker 1: weight pattern? I should say? Do you typically follow on 329 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: holidays or when you don't have to work? When does 330 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: your body naturally feel sleepy? When does it naturally feel alert? 331 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: When do you feel your sharpest, when do you get 332 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: most easily distracted, When do you feel most creative or 333 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 1: in a state of flow, When do you feel most 334 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,880 Speaker 1: excited by admin tasks? As you go along, you can 335 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: kind of match your rhythm to your natural energy levels. 336 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: And I know this isn't possible for everybody. I know 337 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: it's so difficult when you are you do work a 338 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 1: nine to five or you do work shift work, But 339 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: try and schedule, try as much as you can to 340 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: even match your kind of daily life to this as well. 341 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,919 Speaker 1: I know my chronotype is like I actually don't know 342 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,439 Speaker 1: what the name for it is, but it's like threety 343 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: seven and then nine till midnight when I am like, no, 344 00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:16,879 Speaker 1: I'm going to be most alert, which is at like 345 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: six PM or later. That's when I do all my 346 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: planning or my editing, all my high energy things. My 347 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: low energy window, which is normally like in the morning, 348 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: kind of is like when I focus on more shallow 349 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: tasks like formatting, tidying, basic admin, still things that need 350 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: to be done, but not things that require like deep, 351 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: deep thinking. This is the thing about productivity. The most 352 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 1: productive people are actually probably some of the most self 353 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: aware mentally because they know that abiding by what everybody 354 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:56,640 Speaker 1: else is telling them to do and how their days 355 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: should operate isn't gonna work for them. They stagger their 356 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: workload and work when works best for them. Obviously, it's 357 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: also a lifestyle thing, so we're not going to say like, oh, 358 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: these people who don't work a nine to five must 359 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: be the most emotionally aware because they can work whenever 360 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: they want. No, it's just that I think people who 361 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 1: understand that and understand the role that their chronotype plays, 362 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,159 Speaker 1: which is not one hundred percent but it is a 363 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: large factor, are able to be more productive both within 364 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: an outside of a typical work structure, because even if 365 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: you have a nine to five, your coronotype is still 366 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: going to be active, Like your chronotype window is still 367 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: going to be active for some part of that. I'm 368 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: just saying, it might not be nine am when everybody 369 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: expects you to do all the hard work. It might 370 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: be like five or six pm. And so how can 371 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: you think about your day that maximizes that like peak 372 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:56,159 Speaker 1: productivity window best for you? Okay. Tip number four is 373 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: habit stacking, and it is one I added to this 374 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:05,440 Speaker 1: list specifically for the boring things. Habit stacking had its 375 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: moment online a few years ago after James Clear, the 376 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: author of Atomic Habits, made it very very popular, made 377 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: it grow I guess viral. I don't know if it 378 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: was viral, but everybody seems to know it. It is 379 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 1: when you attach a new behavior to an existing queue 380 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: you already have. So after I brush my teeth, I 381 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,399 Speaker 1: take my vitamins. They're in the same place, same time. 382 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: After I finish, I don't know brushing my teeth, I 383 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: automatically wash my face. Whilst I make my coffee, I 384 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: am going to write my to do list. The same 385 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: habits are paired up every day whilst I drive to work, 386 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: I call somebody in my life who I need to 387 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: catch up with, Like every single day, those two things, 388 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: something that I know I'm always going to do, is 389 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: paired with something that I really want to do that 390 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: I know is important that I know I'm fine hard 391 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: and finding it hard to do. There was a twenty 392 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 1: ten study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology 393 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,880 Speaker 1: that looked into the science behind habit stacking. They had 394 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,200 Speaker 1: ninety six participants to choose an activity behavior to carry 395 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: out daily, so it's basically a chore to carry out 396 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: daily in the same context for twelve weeks. They found 397 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: that when participants paired that behavior with something that was 398 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 1: already happening, the time it took for that behavior to 399 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: reach a level of automaticity. So basically, this is the 400 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: highest level of habit formation where you don't actually even 401 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: have to think consciously about doing something, you just do it. 402 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: The more people who paired, like if you were somebody 403 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,919 Speaker 1: who paired the new behavior with an old behavior, you 404 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: got to that level of automatic processing, an automatic habit stacking, 405 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: automatic habit processing much faster. A further twenty nineteen paper 406 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:00,640 Speaker 1: from researchers at the University of Bath actually suggested that habits, 407 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: rather than intentions or goals, are the vehicles for self 408 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: control because they reduce the need to constantly deliberate and decide. 409 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:11,959 Speaker 1: A goal is kind of something you have to decide 410 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,479 Speaker 1: on every day, a habit is not. This is exactly 411 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: why meal prepping, gym plans, automatically saving sums of money, 412 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: those kind of goals are so effective because a habit 413 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 1: is something that reduces choice, and when we have to 414 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: make less choices, that is when we are our most productive. 415 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: Because the cognitive friction of having to decide every single day, 416 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: am I going to do this or this or this 417 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: or this in pursuit of my goal is removed. The 418 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 1: goals should not inform your habits every single day. Your 419 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: habits should be the thing that is the basis for 420 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: your goal. Next, I think it's number five, But up 421 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: to number five, I always get off track when I 422 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: do these list episodes, but get rid of all or 423 00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 1: nothing thinking. I've been very guilty of thinking, well, you know, 424 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,120 Speaker 1: I don't have an hour to go to the gym today, 425 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:05,280 Speaker 1: so I'm just not going to bother or you know, 426 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 1: I know I'm going to be drinking at my friend's birthday, 427 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 1: so why not drink on Thursday and Friday as well? 428 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: But this kind of thinking eliminates the minor progress that 429 00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: builds into major progress. I think one of the biggest 430 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: traps we fall into with productivity is waiting for the 431 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:30,919 Speaker 1: perfect time, waiting for the perfect environment, waiting for the 432 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: perfect moment and equation, and for everything to go right 433 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: in order to act. Because we want to give ourselves 434 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: the greatest chance of success. You know, we tell ourselves, well, 435 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 1: if I'm going to work out, I may as well 436 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: I need to have the full hour, so I do 437 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: it perfectly. If I'm going to clean the house, I 438 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,440 Speaker 1: have to have the whole afternoon because I don't want 439 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,120 Speaker 1: to do it half fast. I'm going to sort out 440 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: my emails the next time I can sit down and 441 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,679 Speaker 1: really give them my full attention. I'll start writing that 442 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 1: book when I really have the perfect quiet morning. I'm 443 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:00,960 Speaker 1: in the right mood, the desk is clear, the sunshine 444 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:05,199 Speaker 1: was great, you know. But then life is always going 445 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: to be too busy for that. Life is never going 446 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: to give you perfect conditions, and so we do nothing, 447 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: and we blame the conditions not being perfect, and not 448 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: ourselves for operating regardless. The other thing is, if we 449 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: know we have that extra time unfilled, that twenty minutes, 450 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: ten minutes, fifteen minutes, the other work we need to 451 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: do or procrastination is always going to end up filling 452 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: that time. Anyways. This link's really nicely to something called 453 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 1: Parkinson's law. Parkinson's law, it's not about the disease. It 454 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: comes from the British historian Cyril Northcolt Parkinson, and he 455 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,919 Speaker 1: introduced this idea in an essay he wrote in like 456 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,920 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties. In the economist, where he basically said 457 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: work expands so as to fill the time available for 458 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: its completion. He was kind of writing satirically actually when 459 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,360 Speaker 1: he wrote this essay, was talking about how like you're 460 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: actually talking about the political system and like the public 461 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 1: service system, and how these administrative systems can grow and 462 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: create more work for themselves even when the actual workload 463 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: does not increase. But it applies to my life, it 464 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: applies to your life as well. If you give yourself 465 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: all day to clean your house, the task is going 466 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: to take all day, But if you give yourself thirty minutes, 467 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: you're probably going to get a lot more done. If 468 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: you give yourself three hours at the gym, chances are 469 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: you're probably going to do about as much exercising as 470 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: you would only do if you had forty five minutes. 471 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: Do you see what I mean? Like the task expands 472 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: to kind of fill the time we give it. Like 473 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,360 Speaker 1: there is a sprawl. Parkinson's law gives language to that sprawl. 474 00:27:54,720 --> 00:28:00,199 Speaker 1: You need to stop giving yourself such big containers to 475 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,360 Speaker 1: act in, or such so much space to act with. 476 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 1: Now I have to say this is a psychology podcast. 477 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: Parkinson's law did not begin as a psychological theory about 478 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: personal productivity. But I think we can take a lot 479 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,920 Speaker 1: from this idea because it captures something many of us 480 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,480 Speaker 1: recognize in our everyday life, which is that we often 481 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: overestimate how much time things are going to take, and 482 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: we underestimate how well we will rise to the occasion. 483 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: But also we forget that, I think side on top 484 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: of that, we forget that when we have less time, 485 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: we will push and we will be more productive in 486 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: that case as well. The problem is that we have 487 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: no time, it's that we dismiss the time we do 488 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 1: have because it doesn't feel ideal, and we kind of 489 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: also self sabotage and think we're less capable. If you 490 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: only have twenty minutes, twenty minutes compared to zero is 491 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: already better, even if it's not an hour. What happens 492 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: if you do two twenty minute workouts let's say every 493 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: two weeks, that's one hundred and forty minutes, you know, 494 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: seven days a week. If you just did twenty minutes 495 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: compared to still zero, you're all or nothing. Thinking is 496 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: keeping you from the power of cumulative or compound growth. 497 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: Right respect the time you have, even if you believe 498 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: it's not enough respect your capacity to actually work your 499 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: butt off and to be motivated and to be inspired 500 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: by urgency. Okay, I realized I told a fit because 501 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: I said tip number four was my favorite. That's a lie. 502 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: This one here is my favorite tip most certainly, and 503 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: it's probably my most personally relevant tip I'm going to 504 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: give you guys on this list. If you watched our 505 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: last episode I Think on Netflix with Grace Beverly, you'll 506 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 1: know I spoke about how I've been doing something that 507 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: doesn't sound particularly productive but is, and that has been 508 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: that I've been sending off the most outlandish emails to 509 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: the most insanely out of reach people, asking them to 510 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: be guests on the Psychology of your twenties. The example 511 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: I gave was Simone Biles, and I talked about how 512 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 1: she was like one of the only people to say 513 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: no instead of just say nothing. This may not sound relevant, 514 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: but the reason I've been doing this is part of 515 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: something that I've been calling shoot your Shot Wednesdays. Shoot 516 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: your Shot Wednesdays is where every Wednesday I dedicate two 517 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 1: hours of my day to just testing my luck. Every 518 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:38,360 Speaker 1: week I will send out some of the most insane 519 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: hail Mary emails. I reach out to like the most 520 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,239 Speaker 1: amazing people who are probably never going to see it. 521 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 1: I like blindly ask for things. I reach out to brands, 522 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: I pitch articles because why not? Why not? Like you 523 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: don't ask and the answer is no, I'm really just 524 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 1: trying to increase my surface area for luck. And although 525 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: that may sound spontaneous, it is still productive. This is 526 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 1: why I believe this tip deserves its place on this list, 527 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: even if it is a bit atypical. As well as 528 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:18,720 Speaker 1: clearing tasks getting work done, productivity also deserves a reframe 529 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: in that it creates possibility. I don't think we should 530 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 1: just be using it for things that are boring or 531 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: or things that are a slog I think it should 532 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 1: be utilized for expanding as well. You might have a 533 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: perfectly organized inbox. You might complete every small task that 534 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: is required of you every day, but still be no 535 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: closer to the life that you really crave because your 536 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: productivity doesn't also include audacity. The psychology here is really 537 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: around agency, and if we revisit that self efficacy theory again, 538 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: self efficacy is our belief that we can change an 539 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:03,239 Speaker 1: outcome and is built partly through our confidence and our 540 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: master of experiences. So moments like this where we say, hey, 541 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: I really want something, I'm responsible for that. I'm not 542 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: gonna wait for somebody else to give it to me. 543 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go out and get it. Like I'm going 544 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: to open myself up to the opportunity, because who's to 545 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:23,760 Speaker 1: say the answer is going to be no. I'm just 546 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 1: I'm open to the next great opportunity that comes along. 547 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: I'm producing those opportunities for myself right I'm being productive 548 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: in a way that may not seem structured and organized, 549 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 1: but is definitely worthy of output. I would highly highly 550 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: recommend carving out space in your week for this doesn't 551 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: have to be a full day for me. Sometimes it's 552 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: just an hour or two where it is something that 553 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: I have on my agenda constantly. I'm going to push 554 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: my luck. I'm gonna see how far opportunities can take me. 555 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: I'm going to see how far just asking for something 556 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: can take me, and to me, that is a productive endeavor. Okay, 557 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 1: we're gonna take one more short break, I know, but 558 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: we will be right back very very soon. As we 559 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: near the end of this episode, I have one final 560 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: surprising piece of psychological advice for you if you are 561 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: looking to build that productivity muscle, that emotional productivity muscle. 562 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna introduce this with an analogy. Have you ever 563 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 1: seen those Jim Bow videos from like the toughest, strongest 564 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: like men and women in the world giving their exact routine. 565 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: These people can like crush cars. I don't even know 566 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: what that capable of. They are like so strong. I 567 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,120 Speaker 1: don't know, maybe it's just my algorithm. I will occasionally 568 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: get these videos and I'll watch them because I want 569 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 1: to be able to crush the car. But something they 570 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: always incorporate in their routines that I've begun to notice 571 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 1: is rest. Huge part of how they grow is how 572 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: they rest. Now, before you stop listening here, because I 573 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: feel like you know where I'm going to take this. 574 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:11,400 Speaker 1: I need to make my argument for why you should 575 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,880 Speaker 1: be pausing and stepping away from work more than you 576 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 1: probably are for at least an hour or two every 577 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: single day, and I need you to be as serious 578 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:27,239 Speaker 1: about your unproductive downtime as your productive uptime. Similar to 579 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: that all or nothing fallacy we end up in, we 580 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 1: also end up in a rest is either optional or 581 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: a distraction mindset, and we kind of half ask our rest. 582 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:43,600 Speaker 1: We don't fully dedicate ourselves to having time off or 583 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:47,239 Speaker 1: to switching off, and by not doing that, we don't 584 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: realize the insanely positive consequences of this for regular productivity. 585 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 1: An article published by Berkeley in twenty seventeen I was 586 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: reading about just recently was speaking about how even in 587 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: our brain's resting state, when we are not directly focused 588 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: on a task, our brain is still active. It is 589 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:11,759 Speaker 1: engaging its default network to plug away at problems, examine 590 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:15,800 Speaker 1: and toss out possible answers, discard others, look for new information. 591 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 1: We may not be able to control these processes completely, 592 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: but by learning to rest better, we support them. We 593 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,359 Speaker 1: support the secondary kind of work our brain can only 594 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: do when we are calm. We let our brain do 595 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 1: the automatic stuff. If you're constantly working, that doesn't happen. Additionally, 596 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,120 Speaker 1: when we rest, and we are intentional about rest, it 597 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: replenishes what was previously depleted by hard work, things like 598 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 1: our attention, our focus reserves, even our eyes ability to 599 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:53,279 Speaker 1: direct themselves, our bodies' ability to calm itself, our capacity 600 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:57,680 Speaker 1: for divergent thinking. This is what this means for you 601 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:02,480 Speaker 1: when you're not working. When you're taking a break, you 602 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:05,520 Speaker 1: need to be as present in the break as you 603 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,879 Speaker 1: are present in the work. Often, you know we're not 604 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:12,279 Speaker 1: fully working, but we're not fully resting either. We kind 605 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:14,960 Speaker 1: of sit down to relax, but we like keep scanning 606 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,360 Speaker 1: for like what else we should be doing. You know, 607 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,319 Speaker 1: we're meant to be replying to messages from friends, and 608 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,839 Speaker 1: then suddenly we're also refreshing our email. Like we've told 609 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 1: ourselves that you can sit and read a book, and 610 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 1: then suddenly now you're half answering the messages. Like we 611 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: take a break, but we feel guilty the whole time, 612 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: So we're like doing twenty five percent of a task 613 00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:39,600 Speaker 1: at any given moment. That is not a productive way 614 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:42,360 Speaker 1: of being. You need to be able to mode switch. 615 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 1: When you're in work mode, you're in it. When you're 616 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: in relaxation mode, you're in that as well. Staying in 617 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 1: the middle ground where you're like, I really deserve a break, 618 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: but I don't deserve a break. I have to work. 619 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:55,239 Speaker 1: I really should be working, but I haven't given myself 620 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 1: a break, so I should have a break. It just 621 00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:01,280 Speaker 1: wastes more of your time. Now, is there a right 622 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:05,279 Speaker 1: way to rest? Yes, I'm very glad you asked the 623 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: author what's her name? Sandra Dalton Smith. She did a 624 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:14,240 Speaker 1: really famous head talk in which she identified seven types 625 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:16,839 Speaker 1: of rest that we need to be hitting across the 626 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:20,720 Speaker 1: week to be productive. These are physical rest, emotional rest, 627 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 1: spiritual rest, mental, social, and sensory. Sounds like a lot 628 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,919 Speaker 1: of things, you often tick them off at the same time. 629 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:31,800 Speaker 1: The most important one, though, that she says, is also 630 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:36,680 Speaker 1: the most neglected, is psychological rest. Authors of two thousand 631 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,000 Speaker 1: and seven paper I think it was published in the 632 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:44,720 Speaker 1: Journal of Occupational Health Psychology identified that to truly recover 633 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,440 Speaker 1: from work stress and to be able to be productive 634 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,880 Speaker 1: day in and day out, yes we need to engage 635 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:53,600 Speaker 1: in relaxation. Yes we need to see our friends, of course, 636 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: but most important for recovery cognitively and mentally is psychological detachment. 637 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: So being able to put emotional distance between you and 638 00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:08,160 Speaker 1: a task, having a sense of closure to the work 639 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: or to the productive day. Just physically relaxing is not enough, 640 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,319 Speaker 1: which sounds like a barm uk because it's like, wow, 641 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: we're already doing so much, but you even if you 642 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:22,960 Speaker 1: stop working physically, sometimes your mind lingers mentally, so you 643 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:26,360 Speaker 1: need to have some kind of ritual, some kind of interrupter, 644 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 1: some kind of pattern shift or mode shift that can 645 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:33,240 Speaker 1: say we're not doing that anymore. I'm out of that zone. 646 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: I am in this zone now, and I know that 647 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,360 Speaker 1: in order to be the most productive when I'm in 648 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:41,279 Speaker 1: the zone from before, I need to be all here, 649 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:46,520 Speaker 1: Like I need to be mentally disengaged from work, and 650 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,799 Speaker 1: it's not helping me switching between one and the other. 651 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:53,719 Speaker 1: I think we also need to learn how to say 652 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:57,160 Speaker 1: when a task is finished or finished enough for now, 653 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,160 Speaker 1: Like this is another thing I find with people who 654 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,400 Speaker 1: are very motivated, very ambitious. I'm sure you're one of 655 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: these people, Like there's always more that can go on 656 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: the to do list. There's always more that can go 657 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: on the to do list, Like there's always going to 658 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:12,799 Speaker 1: be something else that hasn't been done. That's why all 659 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:15,320 Speaker 1: of these I think tasks and all of these tips 660 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 1: kind of combine to create a productive day where you 661 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:21,960 Speaker 1: know you are doing enough that three to one list. 662 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:23,560 Speaker 1: You know by the end of the day that you 663 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,200 Speaker 1: have completed what is required. I'm sure you've heard of 664 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,360 Speaker 1: this idea of hardonic adaptation, where people get more and 665 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:33,319 Speaker 1: more used to pleasure until they need more and more 666 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:36,239 Speaker 1: of it. So like it's the same with greed. Like 667 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:38,319 Speaker 1: you know, one hundred dollars is a lot until you 668 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:40,279 Speaker 1: have one thousand dollars, and then one hundred dollars isn't 669 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:42,600 Speaker 1: that much, and then you get a million dollars and 670 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 1: a thousand dollars isn't that much anymore either. Like that 671 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: happens for greed, that happens for enjoyment, it also happens 672 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,080 Speaker 1: for productivity. I think this is something you need to 673 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:56,400 Speaker 1: be very aware of. The more productive you become, the 674 00:39:56,440 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: more productive you expect yourself to be. And so dedicating 675 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,520 Speaker 1: yourself to your rest and being like all right, I'm 676 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:06,280 Speaker 1: gonna switch off stops you from feeling like, oh my god, 677 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 1: this whole day was a waste because it wasn't as 678 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:11,880 Speaker 1: good as the day before or the day before that. 679 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:16,239 Speaker 1: There are times to be on, there are times to 680 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:21,640 Speaker 1: be off. Even nature understands that even the cells that 681 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:26,360 Speaker 1: make up your most basic state of being understand the 682 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:30,320 Speaker 1: flow of I guess creation and reproduction and then also 683 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:34,040 Speaker 1: slowness and renewal. You need to be following that as well. 684 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,960 Speaker 1: It's really just like a wave chart or like a 685 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,680 Speaker 1: wave structure of like, if you want to hit the 686 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: peaks of your productivity, you have to hit the lows 687 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,000 Speaker 1: of your rest. So that is all I have. That 688 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:53,560 Speaker 1: is my final soapbox moment for this episode. Treat your 689 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:56,880 Speaker 1: rest as important as your work. I hope that the 690 00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: combination of these tips was useful. I hope that you 691 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:05,360 Speaker 1: found the research helpful. To summarize the seven tips so 692 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,560 Speaker 1: you can just go away with the basics. Implement the 693 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 1: three two one method, so three chores, two small tasks, 694 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:16,760 Speaker 1: one big task. Eat the frog, so do the hardest 695 00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:20,279 Speaker 1: task first, or when you are most productive. Speaking of 696 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 1: when you are most productive, learn your chronotype when you 697 00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 1: are going to be the most on habitstack, reject all 698 00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 1: or nothing thinking. Carve out some time to be productive 699 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:36,960 Speaker 1: in an enjoyable, spontaneous way. I eat with a shoot 700 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:42,719 Speaker 1: your shot Wednesday, and take your rest seriously. That is all. 701 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:45,080 Speaker 1: If you have any further tips so you can always 702 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:47,279 Speaker 1: leave them in the comments down below. If you are 703 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: listening on Spotify, a big thank you to our research 704 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:54,520 Speaker 1: on Libi Comet for her help with today's episode. Reminder 705 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:56,520 Speaker 1: we are on Netflix, where you're on substack, where you're 706 00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:59,000 Speaker 1: on Instagram, we'd love to see you over there. And 707 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 1: whatever it is you're working towards, whether it is your dissertation, 708 00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:05,799 Speaker 1: I don't know, a big work project, oh my god, 709 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:07,840 Speaker 1: I can only ever think in like work in school. 710 00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:10,839 Speaker 1: There's like a thousand things in the middle. Maybe it's 711 00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:12,759 Speaker 1: an art fair, maybe it's a math and I don't 712 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:15,960 Speaker 1: know whatever it is that you are dedicating yourself to 713 00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:19,480 Speaker 1: right now, I'm just rooting for you, and I hope 714 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:24,839 Speaker 1: that this more sustainable approach to productivity and devotion and 715 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:28,759 Speaker 1: success is something that will help you get to where 716 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:31,160 Speaker 1: you want to go. So good luck. Until next time. 717 00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:33,600 Speaker 1: Be safe, be kind, be gentle to yourself. We will 718 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:34,919 Speaker 1: talk very very soon.