The Science of Productivity

00:41:35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVmPkhNoamg

摘要

TLDRThis episode discusses productivity principles derived from previous guests on the Deep Dive podcast. It emphasizes the distinction between distractions and traction, noting that 90% of distractions come from internal triggers such as anxiety or boredom rather than external factors. Techniques like delaying distractions with the 10-minute rule and managing emotional urges through 'surfing the urge' are proposed as effective strategies. The importance of joy in the workplace is highlighted, as positive emotions can significantly enhance creativity and reduce stress. Time boxing is suggested as a method to plan work more effectively, and gratitude is recognized as crucial for maintaining a fulfilling work life. Overall, the conversation promotes a balanced approach to productivity that prioritizes intention, enjoyment, and mental well-being.

心得

  • 🧠 90% of distractions are internal triggers, not external ones.
  • ⏰ Use the 10-minute rule to delay distractions and gain control.
  • 🌊 Surf the urge to manage uncomfortable emotions instead of avoiding them.
  • 💪 Joy in work boosts creativity and lowers stress levels.
  • 📅 Time boxing helps structure time effectively and measure productivity.
  • 🙏 Practicing gratitude can enhance your work experience.
  • ⚖️ Balance is key; the journey matters more than the destination.
  • 💡 Approach work with a spirit of play to increase motivation.
  • 🌱 Positive emotions broaden our thinking and build resources.
  • 🎮 Engaging in effortful tasks leads to greater satisfaction.

时间轴

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The podcast 'Deep Dive' explores the journeys and insights of various inspiring individuals. In this episode, the host recaps previous guests' productivity strategies, emphasizing that distractions often stem from internal triggers rather than external ones. While we tend to blame notifications and external factors for our distractions, studies suggest that about 90% of distractions originate from our internal discomforts, like boredom or anxiety. Understanding this is vital to addressing our productivity issues.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Distraction is not merely an external issue but reflects deeper motivations related to avoiding discomfort. The discussion highlights how ancient philosophers have long pondered the discrepancy between knowing what to do and actually doing it. The speakers emphasize that motivation is often about escaping discomfort rather than seeking reward, and managing time effectively boils down to managing pain levels. This internal conflict is crucial when exploring personal productivity.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Approaching distraction management involves mastering internal triggers, shifting focus from external solutions to strategies that enhance awareness of our discomfort. The podcast recommends techniques such as the 10-Minute Rule, allowing individuals to acknowledge distractions temporarily before addressing them. This strategy assures individuals of their agency and helps outline a plan for handling urges and fostering a healthier relationship with distractions.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Abstinence from distractions can sometimes backfire due to the human tendency to rebel against perceived control. Instead, claiming responsibility for one's responses to distractions is essential. The podcast distinguishes between 'blamers,' who externalize their issues, and 'claimers,' who take responsibility for their responses, emphasizing that urges cannot be controlled but managed through awareness and actionable strategies.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Utilizing 'surfing the urge' as a technique, individuals can acknowledge that emotions related to distractions are temporary. By recognizing that discomfort will pass, people can maintain focus on tasks rather than succumbing to distractions. Establishing personal mantras or affirmations can reinforce this mindset, transforming the 10-Minute Rule into broader strategies that help reclaim control over time and attention, leading to increased productivity.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    The podcast outlines the distinction between traction (actions pulling you towards your goals) and distraction (actions pulling you away), highlighting the significance of intent behind actions. To combat distractions effectively, individuals are encouraged to plan their activities in advance, thereby recognizing what truly constitutes distraction in their lives and fostering better time management habits.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    In personal anecdotes, the speaker discusses how strategies for managing distraction have even improved personal relationships and how incorporating rituals, such as scheduled internet shutdowns at home, contributes greatly to quality time with family. This thoughtful engagement reinforces how productivity techniques can also enhance work-life balance and emotional intimacy.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:41:35

    Finally, the discussion emphasizes that joy and positive emotions are integral to effective productivity. The scientific underpinning of this notion, explained through the 'broaden and build' theory, articulates how positivity boosts creativity and energy levels. A recognition that enjoyment can coexist with productivity is fundamental to sustainable success and maintaining a healthy, balanced life.

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思维导图

视频问答

  • What is the difference between distraction and traction?

    Distraction pulls you away from what you said you would do, while traction pulls you towards your goals. Both terms come from the same Latin root meaning to pull.

  • What are internal triggers?

    Internal triggers are uncomfortable emotional states such as boredom, loneliness, or anxiety that lead to distraction.

  • How can I master my internal triggers?

    One technique is the 10-minute rule, which allows you to delay responding to distractions for 10 minutes to help build agency and control.

  • What is 'surfing the urge'?

    Surfing the urge involves acknowledging that emotions are like waves; they crest and then subside. Practicing this can help you manage urges without giving into distraction.

  • Why is joy important for productivity?

    Experiencing positive emotions boosts creativity and lowers stress, enhancing overall productivity.

  • How can time boxing improve productivity?

    Time boxing helps you plan your day with clear intentions, allowing you to measure productivity based on your input (time and attention) rather than output.

  • What role does gratitude play in productivity?

    Gratitude can enhance your overall work experience, making it easier to find joy and motivation in your tasks.

  • What is the broaden-and-build theory?

    This theory explains that experiencing positive emotions broadens our thinking and builds resources, enhancing creativity and problem-solving.

  • What is meant by effortful activities leading to satisfaction?

    Engaging in challenging activities often leads to a greater sense of reward and accomplishment compared to easy tasks.

  • How can I cultivate a playful approach to work?

    By treating work with lightness and incorporating fun elements into serious tasks, you can improve your overall experience and performance.

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  • 00:00:00
    hey friends welcome back to Deep dive
  • 00:00:01
    the podcast where it's my immense
  • 00:00:02
    pleasure to sit down with entrepreneurs
  • 00:00:04
    creators authors and other inspiring
  • 00:00:05
    people and we find out how they got to
  • 00:00:07
    where they are and the strategies and
  • 00:00:08
    tools we can learn from them to help
  • 00:00:09
    build a life that we love in this video
  • 00:00:11
    we're looking back at previous episodes
  • 00:00:13
    to take the best productivity advice
  • 00:00:14
    from some of our previous guests so
  • 00:00:16
    without further Ado here we
  • 00:00:17
    are so many people when it comes to
  • 00:00:20
    distraction they blame the things
  • 00:00:21
    outside of us we blame the pains the
  • 00:00:24
    dings the Rings all of the things in our
  • 00:00:26
    outside environment that can lead us
  • 00:00:27
    towards distraction now they those
  • 00:00:30
    things can be a trigger for distraction
  • 00:00:32
    those are called external triggers but
  • 00:00:34
    we know from time studies that those
  • 00:00:37
    external triggers only account for about
  • 00:00:39
    10% of our distractions so 10% of the
  • 00:00:42
    time that you check your phone is it
  • 00:00:44
    because of a pingding or ring but that's
  • 00:00:45
    what we tend to blame what we don't
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    remember what we don't think about is
  • 00:00:49
    that 90% of our distractions 90% begin
  • 00:00:53
    From Within These are called internal
  • 00:00:56
    triggers what are internal triggers
  • 00:00:57
    internal triggers are uncomfortable
  • 00:00:59
    emotional stat
  • 00:01:00
    that we seek to escape boredom
  • 00:01:03
    loneliness fatigue uncertainty anxiety
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    these are these uncomfortable Sensations
  • 00:01:09
    that we look to escape many times with
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    distraction so whether it's too much
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    news too much booze too much football
  • 00:01:15
    too much Facebook you are always going
  • 00:01:16
    to get distracted from one thing or
  • 00:01:18
    another unless you understand the root
  • 00:01:19
    cause of the problem so if we just keep
  • 00:01:21
    blaming the external triggers when they
  • 00:01:23
    account for such a small share of the
  • 00:01:25
    reason for our distractions we don't get
  • 00:01:26
    to the real cause of the problem solid
  • 00:01:29
    that's surpris ures me I would have
  • 00:01:31
    thought that like the reason I get
  • 00:01:32
    distracted by my phone is the fact that
  • 00:01:33
    I get all these notifications but we're
  • 00:01:35
    saying it's not actually because yeah
  • 00:01:37
    because then I think when I'm on the
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    couch or when I'm on the toilet it's not
  • 00:01:39
    a notification I'm responding to it's
  • 00:01:42
    something yeah that's right it's a
  • 00:01:44
    feeling and so that's to me you know
  • 00:01:47
    this whole question of distraction and
  • 00:01:49
    and why don't we do what we say we're
  • 00:01:50
    going to do right this ancient question
  • 00:01:51
    that Plato asked as well I think is a
  • 00:01:54
    fascinating question if we know what to
  • 00:01:55
    do why don't we just do it right we all
  • 00:01:57
    know what to do and today you know you
  • 00:01:58
    could say okay well maybe in general
  • 00:02:00
    ation passed our grandparents uh had a
  • 00:02:02
    shortage of information if you wanted to
  • 00:02:03
    know how to do something you had to go
  • 00:02:04
    to the library or ask some expert today
  • 00:02:06
    it's all here right Google it it'll tell
  • 00:02:08
    you what to do and who doesn't basically
  • 00:02:09
    know what to do we know if you want to
  • 00:02:11
    get in shape you have to eat right and
  • 00:02:12
    exercise if you want to have better
  • 00:02:13
    relationships with your family you have
  • 00:02:15
    to be fully present with them if you
  • 00:02:16
    want to uh do well at your job you have
  • 00:02:18
    to do the things that other people
  • 00:02:19
    aren't willing to do right we we know
  • 00:02:21
    this stuff you have to do the hard work
  • 00:02:22
    we know but we don't do it and so to me
  • 00:02:25
    that's a really interesting question so
  • 00:02:26
    in order to understand why do we get
  • 00:02:28
    distracted I think we have to
  • 00:02:30
    go a layer deeper and ask why do we do
  • 00:02:32
    anything and everything what's the
  • 00:02:34
    nature of human motivation most people
  • 00:02:37
    tell you that motivation is about
  • 00:02:38
    carrots and sticks we've all heard this
  • 00:02:40
    right turns out neurologically that's
  • 00:02:43
    not true that neurologically the way the
  • 00:02:45
    brain gets us to act is not through
  • 00:02:47
    carrots and sticks per se but rather
  • 00:02:50
    everything is about the desire to escape
  • 00:02:52
    discomfort the way the reward system in
  • 00:02:55
    the brain works is that the carrot is
  • 00:02:58
    the stick right think about that that
  • 00:03:00
    carrot is the stick meaning that even
  • 00:03:02
    when we want to feel good pleasure
  • 00:03:05
    desire craving hunger lusting for
  • 00:03:08
    something the desire for pleasure is
  • 00:03:11
    itself psychologically
  • 00:03:12
    destabilizing so everything we do
  • 00:03:15
    everything you do is about the desire to
  • 00:03:17
    escape discomfort so that means if
  • 00:03:19
    everything you do is about the desire to
  • 00:03:21
    escape discomfort that must therefore
  • 00:03:22
    mean that time management is pain
  • 00:03:25
    management money management is pain
  • 00:03:27
    management weight management is pain
  • 00:03:30
    management and so that's why these
  • 00:03:32
    internal triggers are so important if
  • 00:03:34
    you don't Master these internal triggers
  • 00:03:36
    they will become your master nice um how
  • 00:03:39
    do we muster these intal yeah so this is
  • 00:03:42
    the most important part I think a lot of
  • 00:03:43
    people gloss over uh they look for the
  • 00:03:46
    tips the tricks the life hacks right
  • 00:03:48
    show me the app show me the secret
  • 00:03:49
    solution give me the new Tropic that's
  • 00:03:51
    going to fix this problem but at the end
  • 00:03:53
    of the day if 90% of our distractions
  • 00:03:55
    begin from within we have to figure out
  • 00:03:57
    these strategies to master internal
  • 00:03:58
    trigger so there's a dozen different
  • 00:04:00
    tactics in my book IND distractible on
  • 00:04:01
    how to do this and you have to
  • 00:04:03
    experiment you have to see what works
  • 00:04:04
    for you I'll tell you what works for me
  • 00:04:06
    so a couple techniques that work really
  • 00:04:07
    well that I I use literally every single
  • 00:04:10
    day uh come from acceptance of
  • 00:04:12
    commitment therapy I didn't make them up
  • 00:04:13
    they've been around for decades one of
  • 00:04:15
    them is called the 10minute rule the
  • 00:04:17
    10-minute rule says that you can give in
  • 00:04:19
    to any distraction whatever that
  • 00:04:21
    distraction might be whether you're on a
  • 00:04:22
    diet and you're trying to resist that
  • 00:04:23
    chocolate cake whether you're trying to
  • 00:04:25
    quit smoking whether you're trying to
  • 00:04:26
    not check your phone every 5 minutes
  • 00:04:28
    when you're trying to be with your
  • 00:04:28
    family or do a work project you can give
  • 00:04:31
    into that
  • 00:04:32
    distraction but not right now in 10
  • 00:04:35
    minutes and if 10 minutes is too long
  • 00:04:37
    make it the five minute rule it doesn't
  • 00:04:38
    really matter what you want to do is a
  • 00:04:40
    couple things number one this shows you
  • 00:04:42
    that you have agency that you can
  • 00:04:44
    actually do what you say you're going to
  • 00:04:46
    do you can resist anything for just five
  • 00:04:48
    minutes so by showing to yourself hey
  • 00:04:49
    you know what I I'm not controlled by
  • 00:04:52
    these distractions I can wait a few
  • 00:04:53
    minutes I will do that thing but a
  • 00:04:56
    little bit later in 10 minutes the other
  • 00:04:58
    thing that I think is super important
  • 00:04:59
    that lot of people forget is that they
  • 00:05:01
    think that the right path to stop a
  • 00:05:02
    behavior is abstinence and for some
  • 00:05:05
    behaviors that can be the case right if
  • 00:05:07
    you can remove external triggers from
  • 00:05:09
    your environment so for example if
  • 00:05:11
    people are trying to uh stop a substance
  • 00:05:13
    abuse if you can remove those triggers
  • 00:05:15
    from your environment sure abstinence
  • 00:05:17
    might be able to work for you but how do
  • 00:05:19
    you remove the triggers for technology
  • 00:05:23
    right it's it's all it's all over the
  • 00:05:24
    place right we we need our devices in
  • 00:05:26
    order to stay connected to work to
  • 00:05:27
    family to loved one that is part of the
  • 00:05:29
    modern experience food same way you
  • 00:05:31
    can't just stop eating food you need
  • 00:05:33
    food to survive so in those cases strict
  • 00:05:36
    abstinence telling yourself no can
  • 00:05:39
    backfire it's called psychological
  • 00:05:41
    reactant psychological reactant says
  • 00:05:43
    that when you are told what to do when
  • 00:05:46
    your agency is threatened the natural
  • 00:05:48
    human response is to Rebel so when your
  • 00:05:51
    mom told you oh it's raining outside put
  • 00:05:53
    on a cat and you said don't tell me what
  • 00:05:54
    to do or your boss tries to micromanage
  • 00:05:57
    you that feeling of being controlled
  • 00:05:59
    that's reactants now the crazy thing is
  • 00:06:02
    that the human brain will elicit
  • 00:06:05
    reactants even when we are telling
  • 00:06:07
    ourselves what to do so when you tell
  • 00:06:10
    yourself don't check Tik Tok don't watch
  • 00:06:12
    YouTube you are literally making
  • 00:06:14
    yourself want it more so instead to
  • 00:06:17
    disarm Psychological reactants a much
  • 00:06:20
    better approach is to say hey I can do
  • 00:06:21
    whatever I want I'm a grown human being
  • 00:06:23
    I can I can make my own choices I choose
  • 00:06:26
    to delay this by 10 minutes I will do
  • 00:06:29
    that thing in 10 minutes now what's the
  • 00:06:31
    next step when you do that you want to
  • 00:06:34
    explore that internal trigger with
  • 00:06:37
    curiosity rather than contempt a lot of
  • 00:06:39
    people they beat themselves up so when
  • 00:06:40
    people uh think about distraction we
  • 00:06:43
    find that they fall into two buckets two
  • 00:06:44
    categories we have what we call the
  • 00:06:46
    blamers and then we have What's called
  • 00:06:47
    the shamers the blamers they blame
  • 00:06:50
    things outside themselves they blame
  • 00:06:52
    technology they blame the news they
  • 00:06:55
    blame the modern world they blame all
  • 00:06:56
    this stuff outside of them those are the
  • 00:06:58
    blamers and that's feudal because you're
  • 00:07:00
    not going to change that stuff right
  • 00:07:01
    people have always been distracted by
  • 00:07:02
    things happening outside them so that's
  • 00:07:04
    not that's not an effective strategy the
  • 00:07:06
    other category is what we call the
  • 00:07:07
    shamers they take it on the inside
  • 00:07:09
    that's what I used to do oh there must
  • 00:07:11
    be something wrong with me uh if I was a
  • 00:07:12
    real writer I wouldn't have this urge to
  • 00:07:14
    constantly get distracted maybe I'm my
  • 00:07:16
    brain is broken somehow I would shame
  • 00:07:18
    myself into thinking there was something
  • 00:07:19
    broken about me and of course shame is a
  • 00:07:22
    very uncomfortable internal trigger so
  • 00:07:24
    what do we do in response to shame we're
  • 00:07:26
    more likely to look for distraction to
  • 00:07:29
    escape the shame that we're feeling so
  • 00:07:32
    we don't want to be a blamer we don't
  • 00:07:33
    want to be a shamer we want to be what's
  • 00:07:35
    called a claimer a claimer claims
  • 00:07:37
    responsibility not for how they feel so
  • 00:07:40
    this is this was a big one for me turns
  • 00:07:42
    out we don't control our urges we don't
  • 00:07:45
    control our urges people try and control
  • 00:07:46
    their urges you cannot control your
  • 00:07:48
    urges think about the urge to sneeze
  • 00:07:50
    when you feel the urge to sneeze it's
  • 00:07:52
    too late you already felt the urge all
  • 00:07:55
    you can do is to decide what you will do
  • 00:07:57
    in response to that urge right hence we
  • 00:08:00
    can claim responsibility responsibility
  • 00:08:02
    comes from how you will respond to that
  • 00:08:04
    urge so what do you do when you feel the
  • 00:08:06
    urge to sneeze do you sneeze all over
  • 00:08:08
    everyone and get them sick no you you
  • 00:08:09
    take out a handkerchief and you cover
  • 00:08:11
    your face right that's the responsible
  • 00:08:12
    thing to do and the same goes for our
  • 00:08:14
    urges around getting distracted right
  • 00:08:16
    it's not about claiming and blame it's
  • 00:08:18
    not about shaming and blaming it's about
  • 00:08:20
    claiming responsibility for having a
  • 00:08:21
    plan for what we will do when we feel
  • 00:08:24
    that discomfort so the 10-minute rule
  • 00:08:26
    allows us to say okay I will give into
  • 00:08:28
    that distraction in 10 minutes now what
  • 00:08:30
    do you do for those 10 minutes what I do
  • 00:08:33
    is I do I use this technique called
  • 00:08:34
    surfing the urge surfing the urge
  • 00:08:37
    acknowledges that these emotions are
  • 00:08:39
    like waves they Crest and then they
  • 00:08:42
    subside but that's not how it feels in
  • 00:08:43
    the moment in the moment when you feel
  • 00:08:46
    bored or anxious or uncertain or lonely
  • 00:08:48
    you feel like you're always going to
  • 00:08:49
    experience that emotion but that's not
  • 00:08:51
    true right that if you acknowledge that
  • 00:08:53
    in a short very short period of time
  • 00:08:57
    that emotion will crest and subside you
  • 00:08:58
    can ride it like like a surfer on a
  • 00:09:00
    surfboard until it's gone and so what I
  • 00:09:02
    do uh you know I write every single day
  • 00:09:06
    uh and writing never gets easier like
  • 00:09:09
    there's no such thing as a writing habit
  • 00:09:10
    by the way you know people try and make
  • 00:09:12
    everything into a habit these days and
  • 00:09:13
    by definition that that you can't right
  • 00:09:16
    a habit is defined as a behavior done
  • 00:09:17
    with little or no conscious thought how
  • 00:09:19
    exactly do you write with little or no
  • 00:09:20
    conscious thought right I I don't know
  • 00:09:22
    how to do that right how how do you an
  • 00:09:24
    exercise habit that's a misnomer because
  • 00:09:26
    habit requires little or no conscious
  • 00:09:28
    thought if you're trying to break your
  • 00:09:29
    PR that requires effort that requires
  • 00:09:31
    thought uh so so you can't just you know
  • 00:09:35
    habit it away you have to put effort
  • 00:09:37
    towards these things these are the
  • 00:09:38
    things that people tend to get
  • 00:09:38
    distracted from so while I'm writing
  • 00:09:41
    oftentimes when I'm about to say oh let
  • 00:09:42
    me just check email real quick or let me
  • 00:09:44
    just Google something right what I'm
  • 00:09:46
    doing is I'm trying to create an excuse
  • 00:09:47
    for me to to get away from that internal
  • 00:09:49
    trigger of of is this writing going to
  • 00:09:51
    be any good and uh uh is it's kind of
  • 00:09:54
    boring and I'm not sure where it's going
  • 00:09:55
    to go and is anybody going to read this
  • 00:09:56
    all this down uncertainty what I do what
  • 00:09:58
    I do is I I take a pause I set a timer
  • 00:10:01
    for 10 minutes I put my phone down and I
  • 00:10:04
    say okay I close my eyes and I just surf
  • 00:10:05
    that urge and so for me a useful
  • 00:10:07
    technique another one that I talk about
  • 00:10:08
    in the book is to have a personal Mantra
  • 00:10:10
    and so you can create your own Mantra
  • 00:10:12
    I'll share with you my Mantra so in
  • 00:10:14
    those 10 minutes I have a choice to make
  • 00:10:17
    I can either get back to the task at
  • 00:10:19
    hand and whenever I'm ready to get back
  • 00:10:20
    to the task at hand get right back to
  • 00:10:22
    the writing or I can surf that urge by
  • 00:10:26
    just taking a few seconds to repeat my
  • 00:10:27
    Mantra my Mantra sounds like this I
  • 00:10:29
    close my eyes and I say this is what it
  • 00:10:32
    feels like to get better this is what it
  • 00:10:34
    feels like to get better that's just my
  • 00:10:37
    my personal Mantra you can create your
  • 00:10:39
    own to me that reminds my reminds me
  • 00:10:41
    that it's supposed to be difficult right
  • 00:10:43
    if it was easy everyone would do it
  • 00:10:45
    that's part of the struggle that's part
  • 00:10:47
    of a craft is is is pushing through that
  • 00:10:50
    discomfort and what I find nine times
  • 00:10:53
    out of 10 is that before those 10
  • 00:10:55
    minutes are up I'm right back at that
  • 00:10:57
    task in hand and what what happen over
  • 00:10:59
    time is that the 10-minute rule becomes
  • 00:11:01
    the 12-minute rule becomes the 15minute
  • 00:11:03
    rule becomes the 20-minute Rule and now
  • 00:11:05
    you're proving to yourself that you
  • 00:11:06
    actually do have control you do have
  • 00:11:08
    agency over these distractions traction
  • 00:11:11
    time boxing what is that sure okay so
  • 00:11:13
    let's talk about uh let's start a little
  • 00:11:15
    bit beginning with what is distraction
  • 00:11:17
    right so this is important to understand
  • 00:11:18
    what does that word even mean um and and
  • 00:11:21
    and I I'm I mean I I think this it
  • 00:11:23
    relates to productivity but I I don't
  • 00:11:25
    know if it's exactly productivity
  • 00:11:26
    because I'm trying to help people get
  • 00:11:28
    the things out of their way right so
  • 00:11:29
    much of of behavior changes about what
  • 00:11:31
    you should do and I think maybe we
  • 00:11:32
    should focus more on the things that get
  • 00:11:34
    in our way from doing the things we know
  • 00:11:35
    we should do so let's start with what is
  • 00:11:37
    distraction so the best way to
  • 00:11:39
    understand what distraction is is to
  • 00:11:41
    understand what distraction is not
  • 00:11:42
    what's the opposite of distraction so
  • 00:11:44
    most people if you say what's the
  • 00:11:45
    opposite of distraction they'll tell you
  • 00:11:47
    it's Focus but that's not true the
  • 00:11:49
    opposite of distraction is not focus if
  • 00:11:51
    you look at the origin of the word the
  • 00:11:52
    opposite of distraction is traction
  • 00:11:55
    right it makes sense when you look at
  • 00:11:56
    them next to each other traction and
  • 00:11:57
    distraction they're opposites they both
  • 00:11:59
    come the from the same Latin root trahar
  • 00:12:01
    which means to pull and they both end in
  • 00:12:03
    the same six-letter word act n that
  • 00:12:05
    spells action reminding us that
  • 00:12:07
    distraction is not something that
  • 00:12:09
    happens to us it is an action that we
  • 00:12:11
    ourselves take so traction by definition
  • 00:12:14
    is any action that pulls you towards
  • 00:12:18
    what you said you were going to do
  • 00:12:19
    things that move you Clos to your values
  • 00:12:21
    help you become the kind of person you
  • 00:12:22
    want to become those are acts of
  • 00:12:23
    traction distraction is any action that
  • 00:12:25
    pulls you away from what you said you
  • 00:12:27
    were going to do away from your values
  • 00:12:28
    away from become becoming the kind of
  • 00:12:30
    person you want to become so this is
  • 00:12:32
    this is super important uh it's not just
  • 00:12:33
    semantics because the difference between
  • 00:12:36
    traction and distraction is one word and
  • 00:12:38
    that one word is intent so as Dorothy
  • 00:12:40
    Parker said the time you plan to waste
  • 00:12:42
    is not wasted time so there's nothing
  • 00:12:44
    wrong with scheduling time for video
  • 00:12:46
    games that is traction if that's what
  • 00:12:48
    you said you were going to do in advance
  • 00:12:51
    conversely and more dangerously is when
  • 00:12:53
    people don't even realize they're
  • 00:12:54
    distracted so my workday routine used to
  • 00:12:57
    look like this I would say okay
  • 00:12:59
    I'm not going to procrastinate I've got
  • 00:13:01
    that big project I have to finish
  • 00:13:03
    nothing's going to get in my way here I
  • 00:13:05
    go I'm going to get
  • 00:13:06
    started but first let me check some
  • 00:13:08
    email right let me just scroll that
  • 00:13:10
    slack Channel real quick let me just do
  • 00:13:11
    this uh easy task on my to-do list right
  • 00:13:14
    that those are productive things I'm I'm
  • 00:13:15
    doing work rated tasks I'm being
  • 00:13:17
    productive right but if it's not what
  • 00:13:19
    you said you were going to do in advance
  • 00:13:21
    it's just as much of a distraction as
  • 00:13:23
    you know plain Candy Crush or something
  • 00:13:25
    so it is all about what you said you
  • 00:13:27
    were going to do in advance that's
  • 00:13:29
    attraction and distraction so how do you
  • 00:13:32
    put this into practice you cannot call
  • 00:13:34
    something a distraction unless you know
  • 00:13:36
    what it distracted you
  • 00:13:37
    from so if you have big open whites
  • 00:13:40
    space in your calendar what the hell did
  • 00:13:42
    you get distracted from you can't tell
  • 00:13:43
    me everything is a distraction unless
  • 00:13:45
    you plan your time so unlike a to-do
  • 00:13:47
    list which is just a register of things
  • 00:13:49
    you want to have done when you time box
  • 00:13:52
    and I didn't make up this technique it's
  • 00:13:53
    been around for a long time it's called
  • 00:13:54
    setting an implementation intention it's
  • 00:13:57
    the most widely studied technique that
  • 00:13:59
    far too too few people use it's
  • 00:14:02
    basically saying here's what I'm going
  • 00:14:03
    to do and when I'm going to do it now
  • 00:14:04
    the difference is that the metric of
  • 00:14:06
    success what I added in my book uh which
  • 00:14:09
    is is unlike a to-do list which is about
  • 00:14:11
    checking cute little boxes it's about
  • 00:14:13
    finishing things that's a terrible
  • 00:14:14
    metric because you don't control the
  • 00:14:18
    output right you don't control the
  • 00:14:19
    output how how long is something going
  • 00:14:21
    to take you when you're doing a YouTube
  • 00:14:22
    video sometimes it takes you a few hours
  • 00:14:24
    sometimes it can take you dozens of
  • 00:14:25
    hours narrowly you don't always know
  • 00:14:27
    what you do know is the what's your
  • 00:14:29
    input it's time and attention and so
  • 00:14:32
    when you budget those things your time
  • 00:14:34
    and attention the new metric isn't did I
  • 00:14:37
    finish the new metric is did I do what I
  • 00:14:40
    said I was going to do for as long as I
  • 00:14:42
    said I would without distraction whether
  • 00:14:44
    that's being with my family whether
  • 00:14:46
    that's playing video games whether
  • 00:14:47
    that's working on a big project did I do
  • 00:14:49
    what I said I was going to do for as
  • 00:14:50
    long as I said I would without
  • 00:14:51
    distraction because that is the only way
  • 00:14:53
    to have a feedback loop so the reason
  • 00:14:56
    that it takes people on average three
  • 00:14:58
    times longer to finish a task than they
  • 00:15:00
    predict is because they have no way of
  • 00:15:02
    knowing how long things take so when you
  • 00:15:05
    have a time box calendar you say okay
  • 00:15:06
    I'm going to work on this task for 1
  • 00:15:08
    hour 30 minutes 15 minutes doesn't
  • 00:15:09
    matter and I'm going to do nothing but
  • 00:15:12
    now you have a feedback loop now you can
  • 00:15:13
    say okay well I need to make this slide
  • 00:15:15
    presentation and it's going to be 30
  • 00:15:16
    slides long and I did about three slides
  • 00:15:18
    that means I need a total of 10 time
  • 00:15:20
    boxes to finish the entire presentation
  • 00:15:22
    you can start being a better estimator
  • 00:15:24
    of how long things take as opposed to
  • 00:15:26
    someone who use a to-do list you say
  • 00:15:28
    okay I'm gonna I'm going to finish that
  • 00:15:29
    task today here I go I'm going to get
  • 00:15:30
    started for 5 minutes they work on it
  • 00:15:32
    and they say oh you know what uh let me
  • 00:15:34
    get a cup of coffee real quick and oh
  • 00:15:35
    Janice is at the water cooler and oh you
  • 00:15:37
    know what I need to do this other thing
  • 00:15:38
    and wait what was I working on again so
  • 00:15:40
    this is why time boxing eats too list
  • 00:15:43
    for breakfast it's a much much better
  • 00:15:45
    technique because it allows you to
  • 00:15:47
    understand For the First Time what is
  • 00:15:48
    traction anything that's actually in
  • 00:15:49
    your calendar and everything else is a
  • 00:15:51
    distraction what other productivity
  • 00:15:53
    techniques have helped you in your
  • 00:15:54
    marriage in my marriage what else ask
  • 00:15:56
    for a friend
  • 00:15:59
    um so I I talk okay this is kind of
  • 00:16:02
    personal but uh you asked so let's talk
  • 00:16:04
    about our sex life why not um so we
  • 00:16:07
    found a few years ago again been married
  • 00:16:09
    for married for 23 years now and uh a
  • 00:16:11
    few years ago we found that our sex life
  • 00:16:14
    was really suffering and the reason it
  • 00:16:16
    was suffering was not for a lack of of
  • 00:16:18
    not loving each other or lack of
  • 00:16:20
    intimacy it was that every night we were
  • 00:16:23
    going to bed later and later and we were
  • 00:16:24
    just exhausted and part of that was that
  • 00:16:26
    every night I would go to bed and I was
  • 00:16:28
    caressing my iPhone and she was fondling
  • 00:16:31
    her iPad and we weren't being intimate
  • 00:16:33
    yeah and so it wasn't until I started
  • 00:16:35
    writing indistractable I decided to take
  • 00:16:37
    on this Challenge and one of the best
  • 00:16:39
    things we did was that I went to the
  • 00:16:42
    hardware store and I bought us this
  • 00:16:44
    outlet timer and this outlet timer will
  • 00:16:48
    turn on or off anything you plug into it
  • 00:16:50
    at a set time of day or night so in my
  • 00:16:53
    household till this very day every night
  • 00:16:55
    at 1 p.m. our internet router shut
  • 00:16:59
    off so uh we probably don't even need it
  • 00:17:02
    anymore because we've been doing it for
  • 00:17:03
    so long but what that means is that
  • 00:17:04
    everybody knows no internet past 10 p.m.
  • 00:17:06
    my daughter knows that my wife knows
  • 00:17:08
    that I certainly know that so as opposed
  • 00:17:10
    to uh checking email to the we hours or
  • 00:17:13
    scrolling social media or watching
  • 00:17:15
    YouTube videos or whatever hey gotta
  • 00:17:17
    wrap everything up because 10 p.m. the
  • 00:17:18
    internet's going to shut off and so that
  • 00:17:21
    that that's called a an effort packed
  • 00:17:23
    now it's called an effort pack because
  • 00:17:24
    it takes a bit of effort it puts some
  • 00:17:26
    friction in between you and the
  • 00:17:27
    distraction now could I still get on the
  • 00:17:30
    internet of course I could I could use
  • 00:17:31
    my cell phone I could unplug the
  • 00:17:33
    internet and then you know take out this
  • 00:17:35
    timer and replug it in but that takes
  • 00:17:37
    work that takes effort it it proposes
  • 00:17:39
    this minute of mindfulness when I say
  • 00:17:41
    wait a minute do I really need to stay
  • 00:17:43
    online here or is it time to go to bed
  • 00:17:44
    and maybe be intimate with my wife when
  • 00:17:47
    you sit down and start a task sometimes
  • 00:17:49
    it can be very hard to begin and
  • 00:17:51
    something like procrastination for
  • 00:17:52
    example where you can't take action
  • 00:17:54
    that's caused by load opening levels and
  • 00:17:56
    when you start a task so let's say
  • 00:17:58
    cleaning your your home because that's
  • 00:17:59
    an annoying task that we all have to do
  • 00:18:01
    it's not like super pleasurable
  • 00:18:02
    especially at the beginning you start
  • 00:18:04
    the task and you also put it off for
  • 00:18:06
    ages because you can't be bothered then
  • 00:18:07
    eventually you start the task and at the
  • 00:18:09
    beginning it's like so much effort you
  • 00:18:10
    maybe have some music playing on in the
  • 00:18:12
    background you think oh I can't bother
  • 00:18:13
    to do this but I need to do it a good
  • 00:18:15
    example is something like cleaning a
  • 00:18:16
    bathroom because that's a particularly
  • 00:18:17
    annoying task in our home what you'll
  • 00:18:19
    find is the first five minutes pretty
  • 00:18:21
    annoying and gradually you begin to
  • 00:18:23
    what's called gain momentum effectively
  • 00:18:25
    after 10 minutes you might start getting
  • 00:18:27
    more and more into it and then what can
  • 00:18:28
    happen is the opposite can occur rather
  • 00:18:30
    than thing you can't bother to do this
  • 00:18:31
    you actually get more into it than you
  • 00:18:33
    even expected to and that's because
  • 00:18:34
    you're effectively entering cleaning
  • 00:18:36
    Flow State flow state is when our brain
  • 00:18:38
    gets hyperfocused on something it takes
  • 00:18:40
    an average a human brain about 15
  • 00:18:42
    minutes to enter Flow State brilliant
  • 00:18:44
    psychologist called gold discover this
  • 00:18:46
    whole Flow State and dopamine connection
  • 00:18:49
    and effectively the beginning of the
  • 00:18:50
    task very very challenging as you engage
  • 00:18:52
    the effort the brain starts to realize
  • 00:18:54
    oh this human is in the pursuit of some
  • 00:18:55
    kind of goal they need the dopam vesal
  • 00:18:57
    to help they need the dop vesical to
  • 00:18:59
    help and it's why whenever you sit down
  • 00:19:01
    for T cleaning your home completing a
  • 00:19:03
    specific annoying work project going
  • 00:19:05
    into the gym it's so important to
  • 00:19:07
    understand the first 15 minutes are
  • 00:19:09
    always going to be the hardest because
  • 00:19:10
    at that point you're sitting at Baseline
  • 00:19:12
    dopamine you might even be sitting below
  • 00:19:14
    it because if you've just scroll Tik Tok
  • 00:19:15
    for 10 minutes before you're actually
  • 00:19:17
    now in a dopamine deficit State and
  • 00:19:19
    you've got to climb to this High
  • 00:19:20
    dopamine in order to get into a highly
  • 00:19:22
    motivated driven experience so beginning
  • 00:19:25
    hard battle through 15 minutes that's
  • 00:19:27
    where flow state begins sick um what are
  • 00:19:31
    the enemies of this dopamine system in
  • 00:19:33
    our modern world you can imagine that
  • 00:19:35
    with a graph anything that requires
  • 00:19:38
    effort like hunting or building shelter
  • 00:19:39
    would take a long time for the dopamine
  • 00:19:41
    to be experienced within the brain so
  • 00:19:42
    you can quickly access it you suddenly
  • 00:19:44
    have to engage like two hours of effort
  • 00:19:46
    dopamine would slowly increase with the
  • 00:19:47
    brain you get this really pleasurable
  • 00:19:49
    rewarding experience and that would
  • 00:19:50
    motivate us to do that action again in
  • 00:19:52
    the future anything in the modern world
  • 00:19:54
    that has developed the ability to get
  • 00:19:56
    that level of dopamine increase but
  • 00:19:57
    immediately is effectively what's
  • 00:19:59
    hijacking it because the brain is always
  • 00:20:01
    seeking for homeostasis that balance
  • 00:20:03
    experience if you suddenly get super
  • 00:20:05
    high Tik Tok Spike of dopamine you then
  • 00:20:08
    put the Tik Tok down and you're suddenly
  • 00:20:10
    like I feel like you're apathetic
  • 00:20:11
    you can't take action towards anything
  • 00:20:13
    and it's because your brain is just so
  • 00:20:15
    confused by the unnatural Spike that it
  • 00:20:16
    crashes out effectively and the way to
  • 00:20:19
    identify if something is unnatural
  • 00:20:21
    dopamine it's just how quickly does it
  • 00:20:23
    give you pleasure a simple comparison
  • 00:20:25
    would be reading a book versus scrolling
  • 00:20:27
    on Instagram when you open a book and
  • 00:20:30
    start reading a book it's not like wow
  • 00:20:31
    this is so enjoyable I love reading this
  • 00:20:33
    it might be for some but I think for the
  • 00:20:34
    majority it's like okay I got to get
  • 00:20:37
    into this and your brain begins to put
  • 00:20:38
    in more and more effort as you read the
  • 00:20:40
    lines and the pages and you try and get
  • 00:20:42
    into it gradually after 10 or 15 minutes
  • 00:20:44
    when you kind of ENT that flow State
  • 00:20:46
    type experience with reading it does
  • 00:20:48
    become a very pleasurable experience
  • 00:20:49
    because the dopamine has been slowly add
  • 00:20:51
    and increased in a natural way when you
  • 00:20:53
    open Instagram immediately you feel good
  • 00:20:55
    you get some notifications you get likes
  • 00:20:57
    comments a message from a girl you're
  • 00:20:58
    getting loads of stimulation off all the
  • 00:21:00
    videos whatever it might be and then the
  • 00:21:03
    dopamine spikes extremely high and then
  • 00:21:05
    as a result we going so naturally hide
  • 00:21:07
    the brain seeks for that balance and
  • 00:21:08
    crashes it out and so many of us are
  • 00:21:10
    struggling to take action towards our
  • 00:21:12
    dreams because we're just constantly
  • 00:21:13
    crashing the system that's responsible
  • 00:21:15
    for getting us towards them so what I'm
  • 00:21:17
    hearing is that really the pursuit of
  • 00:21:20
    pleasurable things that involve a level
  • 00:21:23
    of feeling as if you've earned it mhm is
  • 00:21:26
    important here like you're not just
  • 00:21:29
    getting the free pleasure from just
  • 00:21:30
    doing the thing I wonder if sort of I
  • 00:21:33
    enjoy playing video games on like very
  • 00:21:35
    hard difficulty playing Horizon
  • 00:21:36
    forbidden West at the moment and there's
  • 00:21:38
    like you know people would look at me
  • 00:21:38
    and be like we you spent the last three
  • 00:21:40
    hours on the same boss fight like why
  • 00:21:42
    not just tune down the difficulty level
  • 00:21:43
    but there's something about doing the
  • 00:21:45
    hard thing that feels way more rewarding
  • 00:21:48
    than just like I don't know killing the
  • 00:21:50
    boss on story mode or on easy mode or
  • 00:21:51
    whatever I think similarly I used to go
  • 00:21:54
    these Wilderness medicine trips at
  • 00:21:55
    University where it was like um we we'd
  • 00:21:58
    we'd spend the whole day hiking and then
  • 00:22:00
    we'd do like medical scenarios of like
  • 00:22:02
    this person's like broken their leg and
  • 00:22:03
    you got to splint it and stuff and then
  • 00:22:05
    at the end of the day we would all have
  • 00:22:07
    a lovely big dinner in the cottage and
  • 00:22:09
    play some board games and there was
  • 00:22:10
    something about the fact that we had to
  • 00:22:12
    do a whole day of hiking to feel as if
  • 00:22:13
    we've earned that that really made it
  • 00:22:15
    way more rewarding compared to if we had
  • 00:22:17
    just sort of randomly started playing
  • 00:22:18
    board games is that this sort of idea of
  • 00:22:21
    like feeling as if you've earned the
  • 00:22:22
    thing 100% that is exactly it and if you
  • 00:22:25
    had just immediately woken up in the
  • 00:22:26
    boing and done the board game it
  • 00:22:28
    wouldn't be as nearly as pleasurable and
  • 00:22:30
    you just have to imagine surviving was
  • 00:22:32
    so hard for 300,000 years like if you
  • 00:22:34
    actually think about suddenly being put
  • 00:22:36
    out in a forest and you've got to
  • 00:22:37
    suddenly survive out there it would be
  • 00:22:39
    insanely difficult so the brain has to
  • 00:22:41
    be so deeply programmed to seek for
  • 00:22:43
    effort that's exactly how it's designed
  • 00:22:45
    to operate if you look at that gaming
  • 00:22:47
    example when you're playing Horizon did
  • 00:22:49
    you call it when you're playing Horizon
  • 00:22:51
    the fact that you have the desire to put
  • 00:22:52
    it on to the hardest level is probably
  • 00:22:54
    why you're actually in the position
  • 00:22:55
    you're in in your life right now in
  • 00:22:57
    terms of your career and your business
  • 00:22:59
    because you've actually chosen the
  • 00:23:00
    harder path in life and it means your
  • 00:23:02
    brain because you've consistently chosen
  • 00:23:03
    the harder path when you're at
  • 00:23:05
    University making your YouTube videos
  • 00:23:06
    whilst also studying all of these things
  • 00:23:08
    the fact you chose the harder path mean
  • 00:23:10
    means your brain has had to work harder
  • 00:23:12
    throughout your life and therefore your
  • 00:23:14
    brain will have a greater capacity to
  • 00:23:15
    generate dopamine than the average brain
  • 00:23:18
    so then you're going to be a more
  • 00:23:19
    motivated individual you can imagine if
  • 00:23:21
    you're two hunter gatherers and one had
  • 00:23:23
    an easy time at surviving because it was
  • 00:23:25
    like warm and there was an abundance of
  • 00:23:26
    food around and then you had one that
  • 00:23:28
    was trying to survive in the cold with
  • 00:23:29
    no food this one is going to have to
  • 00:23:31
    work way harder so they're going to need
  • 00:23:32
    more motivation so suddenly they're
  • 00:23:34
    going to have to require so much more
  • 00:23:36
    dopamine in order to survive and if you
  • 00:23:39
    start pursuing the lane of effort in
  • 00:23:40
    your life more regularly generate more
  • 00:23:42
    dopamine Your Capacity to pursue effort
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    back to it when I spend time in the US
  • 00:26:13
    I'm always just like surprised by how
  • 00:26:15
    much conviction people have for saying
  • 00:26:18
    stuff even if I know they actually don't
  • 00:26:20
    know what they're talking about in that
  • 00:26:21
    specific context like if someone's if
  • 00:26:23
    I'm if I'm at like a conference or
  • 00:26:24
    something and someone's out and talk to
  • 00:26:26
    talking to me about YouTube and I've
  • 00:26:28
    I've seen their Channel and I I know
  • 00:26:29
    they've got like 300 subscribers and
  • 00:26:30
    they've been doing it for like a month
  • 00:26:32
    and the way they speak about about like
  • 00:26:34
    content creation and like growing on
  • 00:26:36
    social media with such conviction I'm
  • 00:26:37
    like wow I didn't more that confidence
  • 00:26:39
    in my life most of us 99% of us are way
  • 00:26:43
    too far on the wrong scale yeah in terms
  • 00:26:45
    of conviction like pretty much all of us
  • 00:26:47
    and then there's a select few who could
  • 00:26:48
    do with with dialing it down a little
  • 00:26:50
    bit but I think we're also afraid of
  • 00:26:51
    being that select few that we dance
  • 00:26:53
    around the very very much not enough
  • 00:26:56
    conviction area cuz was so afraid of
  • 00:26:59
    going a little bit too far and uh I
  • 00:27:02
    would love to see everyone just wake up
  • 00:27:03
    go to the office the day and go too far
  • 00:27:05
    just for one day see what it does you
  • 00:27:07
    know yeah it's a good experiment almost
  • 00:27:10
    yeah um in my team as well like
  • 00:27:12
    occasionally I get I'll get a message
  • 00:27:13
    from someone being like Oh hey you know
  • 00:27:15
    sorry about that thing that I said I
  • 00:27:16
    think I might have gone too far I'm like
  • 00:27:19
    what did did not even vaguely register
  • 00:27:21
    me because to them they were like oh my
  • 00:27:23
    God I it was too direct with that that
  • 00:27:24
    thing that I said and I'm just
  • 00:27:27
    thinking it it was it was just totally
  • 00:27:29
    normal like it was so normal to the
  • 00:27:30
    point I didn't even notice the thing but
  • 00:27:31
    they all in their heads thinking like a
  • 00:27:33
    I I said it too directly yeah cuz the
  • 00:27:35
    line is here right and they like they're
  • 00:27:37
    usually here and they went here and they
  • 00:27:39
    oh my gosh that's way further than I
  • 00:27:40
    usually go the line line is here you can
  • 00:27:43
    you can always do what you just said you
  • 00:27:44
    send a message afterwards if you really
  • 00:27:45
    think you've gone too far sorry I went
  • 00:27:48
    too far you'll be forgiven yeah it's
  • 00:27:51
    I've rarely heard stories of someone
  • 00:27:52
    because conviction is not an energy that
  • 00:27:54
    is anger or aggression or it's not a
  • 00:27:59
    negative energy it might have negative
  • 00:28:01
    connotations if you're afraid of it but
  • 00:28:02
    it's not like it's not something that
  • 00:28:05
    you are aiming at someone
  • 00:28:07
    else like you must believe it's just
  • 00:28:11
    it's just more belief in what you're
  • 00:28:13
    saying more
  • 00:28:14
    energy and more certainty in your in
  • 00:28:19
    your in your beliefs yeah I think lots
  • 00:28:22
    of people myself included will be
  • 00:28:23
    interested in almost the beginning of
  • 00:28:25
    the story so why you landed on working
  • 00:28:30
    on productivity and how how that sort of
  • 00:28:32
    came about for you because that's
  • 00:28:34
    been sort of fasination for you through
  • 00:28:37
    the YouTube thing and how did it all
  • 00:28:39
    begin yeah so I've been I've been
  • 00:28:41
    obsessed with productivity for quite a
  • 00:28:42
    while um I found that when I was at when
  • 00:28:44
    I was at University going through
  • 00:28:45
    medical school and trying to build my
  • 00:28:46
    first business on the side I realized
  • 00:28:49
    that I had to find ways to become more
  • 00:28:51
    productive and ways to work harder and
  • 00:28:53
    work smarter and learn how to study
  • 00:28:55
    efficiently and stuff so that I could
  • 00:28:57
    have the time to do the things that I
  • 00:28:58
    wanted to do but then and so that worked
  • 00:29:01
    throughout University but then when I
  • 00:29:02
    started working full-time as a doctor um
  • 00:29:04
    that was like a step up in terms of like
  • 00:29:06
    oh you know I didn't think I had free
  • 00:29:08
    time at University now I really don't
  • 00:29:09
    have free time cuz like at University
  • 00:29:12
    even even in medical school going into
  • 00:29:14
    the hospital is kind of optional you
  • 00:29:16
    wake up in the morning and you're like I
  • 00:29:17
    don't know I feel like going in today um
  • 00:29:19
    or yeah I'll go in for a few hours I'll
  • 00:29:21
    leave at lunch time and then do my own
  • 00:29:23
    like selfstudy when you have a job that
  • 00:29:25
    you know that's just that's unfeasible
  • 00:29:27
    like you have to up and so all of a
  • 00:29:29
    sudden like 10 to 12 hours of every
  • 00:29:31
    single day were just being blocked up by
  • 00:29:33
    work and I was trying to grow the
  • 00:29:34
    YouTube channel on the side and I had a
  • 00:29:37
    lot of periods of where I felt pretty
  • 00:29:40
    overwhelmed and pretty stressed by the
  • 00:29:41
    demands of work plus the demands of the
  • 00:29:43
    YouTube channel and so that was when I
  • 00:29:44
    was like okay I need to change my
  • 00:29:46
    approach to productivity that's where
  • 00:29:47
    this idea of sort of feeling good like
  • 00:29:49
    positive emotions and stuff landed cuz I
  • 00:29:51
    didn't really want to be in a position
  • 00:29:52
    where every day felt like a grind cuz I
  • 00:29:54
    was in that mode for a while I was like
  • 00:29:56
    okay what if being productive and like
  • 00:29:59
    doing the things I wanted to do didn't
  • 00:30:00
    have to come at the expense of my like
  • 00:30:02
    physical and mental health what if I
  • 00:30:04
    actually could feel good while also
  • 00:30:05
    being productive and then I went on this
  • 00:30:07
    whole like research rabbit hole and
  • 00:30:08
    found that actually feeling good is one
  • 00:30:10
    of the keys to productivity and actually
  • 00:30:11
    the more positive emotion we feel in our
  • 00:30:13
    work the more productive we become but
  • 00:30:15
    also the more energy we have to give to
  • 00:30:16
    the other important things in our life
  • 00:30:18
    and so to me feel good productivity
  • 00:30:19
    became this sort of like holistic
  • 00:30:21
    philosophy that I you know I I I use
  • 00:30:24
    every day when like whenever I'm doing
  • 00:30:25
    something and it feels bad or I feel
  • 00:30:28
    blocked or I feel like kind of the the
  • 00:30:30
    negative emotions getting in the way I I
  • 00:30:32
    sort of remind myself that okay no there
  • 00:30:34
    are ways to make any situation feel
  • 00:30:36
    better and the way ways to experience
  • 00:30:38
    the positive emotion and everything and
  • 00:30:40
    it just means that I can float through
  • 00:30:41
    life well float through life I it means
  • 00:30:43
    I can go through life feeling better
  • 00:30:45
    about the work that I'm doing while also
  • 00:30:46
    being pretty pretty effective at the
  • 00:30:48
    work and and and it's interesting I
  • 00:30:50
    guess because you have both types of
  • 00:30:52
    experience so you know when you were
  • 00:30:55
    working as a doctor in hospital where
  • 00:30:58
    when you're dealing with people who are
  • 00:30:59
    really unwell or really highly stressful
  • 00:31:02
    situations it must be really hard to
  • 00:31:04
    find the pleasure in that kind of work
  • 00:31:07
    in comparison to you know a YouTube life
  • 00:31:10
    and and where you can kind of choose
  • 00:31:12
    your hours a bit more or do things that
  • 00:31:13
    you're interested in so were there quite
  • 00:31:16
    different challenges yeah so this is the
  • 00:31:19
    thing so when I first started started
  • 00:31:21
    working I found it very like stressful
  • 00:31:23
    and sort of these high high stress
  • 00:31:24
    situations and most of the doctors
  • 00:31:26
    around me also had that approach where
  • 00:31:28
    it was like there was this sense of like
  • 00:31:30
    uh kind of tension and stress in the air
  • 00:31:33
    but not everyone was like that and I had
  • 00:31:35
    a few seniors who I really looked up to
  • 00:31:36
    who were just like they were really good
  • 00:31:38
    doctors but they were they were also
  • 00:31:40
    happy they were like had a smile on
  • 00:31:41
    their face they would crack jokes and it
  • 00:31:43
    kind of help me realize that actually
  • 00:31:44
    there is another way
  • 00:31:46
    like approaching work as if it was it
  • 00:31:49
    was really stressful was actually a
  • 00:31:50
    choice that I was making and so I did
  • 00:31:52
    also make a concerted effort in my day
  • 00:31:54
    job to enjoy the day-to-day a little bit
  • 00:31:56
    more and kind of modeling the doctors
  • 00:31:58
    that I'd seen who would have Smiles on
  • 00:32:00
    their face and stuff
  • 00:32:01
    started it sounds weird but approaching
  • 00:32:03
    it with more lightness and ease almost
  • 00:32:06
    as if I was playing a game kind of um
  • 00:32:09
    and it's not playing a game in the sense
  • 00:32:10
    of you know people's lives are at stake
  • 00:32:11
    but there was a line from gry's Anatomy
  • 00:32:13
    that I I often thought about which is
  • 00:32:14
    when uh Derek Shepard the neurosurgeon
  • 00:32:17
    when he starts his operation he says he
  • 00:32:19
    puts a music on and he says to it and he
  • 00:32:21
    says to his team it's a beautiful day to
  • 00:32:22
    save lives let's have some fun and
  • 00:32:25
    obviously you know that's a fictional
  • 00:32:26
    fictional drama but there's something
  • 00:32:28
    about that that even when you're doing
  • 00:32:29
    neurosurgery even when it's just like
  • 00:32:31
    like life and death is in the balance it
  • 00:32:33
    can still be a beautiful day to save
  • 00:32:34
    lives you can still have fun along the
  • 00:32:35
    way and so much of that I found is a
  • 00:32:37
    choice that we make ourselves rather
  • 00:32:39
    than a rather than a thing that's foed
  • 00:32:41
    upon us by the environment yeah and I
  • 00:32:43
    guess with any job however difficult or
  • 00:32:47
    kind of emotionally taxing is there's
  • 00:32:50
    always something to be grateful for or
  • 00:32:53
    something to find in it that we feel
  • 00:32:56
    thankful for or find even the slightest
  • 00:32:59
    pleasure in I guess yeah I think I think
  • 00:33:02
    gratitude is a is a really major part of
  • 00:33:04
    this um the other one is you know this
  • 00:33:07
    is the first chapter of the book is the
  • 00:33:08
    idea of approach approaching work in the
  • 00:33:10
    spirit of play where yes even even when
  • 00:33:14
    the thing is really stressful you can
  • 00:33:15
    still choose to approach it in the
  • 00:33:16
    spirit of play and you know there's so
  • 00:33:18
    many stories of Nobel Prize winners who
  • 00:33:21
    found you know the key to their
  • 00:33:23
    productivity and the key to their
  • 00:33:24
    creativity was kind of treating it with
  • 00:33:27
    a little less seriousness yeah and
  • 00:33:29
    heaviness that we tend to approach work
  • 00:33:31
    with even when it's heavy and serious
  • 00:33:34
    like working in medicine or being a
  • 00:33:35
    therapist and things just choosing to
  • 00:33:37
    approach it with a little bit more
  • 00:33:38
    lightness and ease yeah so I tried to
  • 00:33:40
    kind of I I tried to do that when I was
  • 00:33:42
    in the day job and especially now
  • 00:33:45
    running this business and having a team
  • 00:33:46
    and stuff again a lot of people I a lot
  • 00:33:49
    of business I knows a lot of business
  • 00:33:50
    owners I know are pretty stressed
  • 00:33:52
    because of the demands of running a
  • 00:33:53
    business and managing payroll and having
  • 00:33:54
    all these people dependent on you but at
  • 00:33:56
    the same time
  • 00:33:58
    it's it's a bit of a game approaching it
  • 00:34:00
    in the spirit of play yeah yeah that the
  • 00:34:03
    the idea that that Joy is the most kind
  • 00:34:05
    of important factor when it comes to
  • 00:34:07
    being
  • 00:34:08
    productive is
  • 00:34:10
    that at the core of this whole thing so
  • 00:34:13
    it's a sort of that's where you start
  • 00:34:15
    yeah sort of um so the the scientific
  • 00:34:17
    basis for this is a theory called the
  • 00:34:19
    broaden and build Theory um so there's
  • 00:34:22
    this researcher in the early 2000 called
  • 00:34:24
    Barbara Frederickson who kind of coined
  • 00:34:27
    this Theory to basically explain the
  • 00:34:29
    fact that when we experience positive
  • 00:34:33
    emotions it boosts our performance in
  • 00:34:36
    almost everything it boosts our
  • 00:34:37
    creativity and it lowers our stress and
  • 00:34:40
    you know her Theory very Loosely is like
  • 00:34:43
    if you imagine back in caveman days
  • 00:34:44
    because we're still operating with
  • 00:34:45
    caveman brains back in the caveman days
  • 00:34:47
    if if life is good if you're feeling
  • 00:34:49
    positive emotions it means that you're
  • 00:34:51
    not in danger of being eaten by a lion
  • 00:34:53
    the group is surviving life is good and
  • 00:34:55
    so you're more open to exploring and you
  • 00:34:57
    go out to your environment and you
  • 00:34:58
    forage the new stuff and you see you see
  • 00:35:00
    if you can make some new alliances
  • 00:35:02
    whereas when you experience a negative
  • 00:35:03
    emotion like fear or stress or anxiety
  • 00:35:05
    it's like uhoh my life's in danger a
  • 00:35:06
    lion could be around the corner and you
  • 00:35:08
    your entire being contracts and you go
  • 00:35:11
    tunnel vision for survival and when
  • 00:35:13
    you're in that survival mode it's a very
  • 00:35:14
    high stress State because the body is
  • 00:35:16
    literally kind of trying to survive
  • 00:35:18
    whereas when you're in that kind of
  • 00:35:19
    broaden state it's like broad it
  • 00:35:21
    broadens your repertoire of things that
  • 00:35:22
    you can do and it builds like resources
  • 00:35:25
    like alliances and like Crea ity and
  • 00:35:28
    things like that um and so that was like
  • 00:35:30
    a thing that I came across in my
  • 00:35:32
    research um where I felt that that was
  • 00:35:36
    really the key and so if we can
  • 00:35:37
    experience positive emotions joy in our
  • 00:35:40
    work it just has all of these benefits
  • 00:35:42
    it generates more energy for us and
  • 00:35:44
    often for a lot of us time isn't
  • 00:35:46
    necessarily the limiting factor energy
  • 00:35:48
    is the limiting factor but you know when
  • 00:35:51
    you when you experience joy and
  • 00:35:53
    positivity in your work you end up with
  • 00:35:55
    Boundless Energy and you as a side
  • 00:35:57
    effect you become more productive in
  • 00:35:58
    your work but then outside of work you
  • 00:36:00
    also have way more energy to give to the
  • 00:36:01
    other important things in your life yeah
  • 00:36:03
    and it's interesting because you there's
  • 00:36:05
    um uh sort of Lit Literature around that
  • 00:36:09
    idea but in young children so sort of
  • 00:36:11
    that you know if you have a a young
  • 00:36:13
    toddler for example and they they are in
  • 00:36:16
    a kind of threat mode and they'll feel
  • 00:36:17
    anxious and they'll go to their mother
  • 00:36:19
    to feel safe and then once they you know
  • 00:36:21
    they get that reassurance and they feel
  • 00:36:22
    safe or they receive a positive emotion
  • 00:36:25
    or experience a positive emotion from an
  • 00:36:26
    interaction with that mother they'll
  • 00:36:28
    then go out and take more risks and and
  • 00:36:30
    dive into whatever the situation is and
  • 00:36:32
    play with other children all they needed
  • 00:36:34
    was to feel safe and to have a sort of
  • 00:36:36
    positive emotion and then they're ready
  • 00:36:38
    to go out again and and exper so does it
  • 00:36:40
    sort of help with risk-taking and trying
  • 00:36:44
    new things or creativity is all kind of
  • 00:36:46
    Linked UP absolutely no I think that's a
  • 00:36:48
    great that's a great example with the
  • 00:36:50
    with the kids I wish I thought to put
  • 00:36:51
    that in the book cuz that's that's like
  • 00:36:52
    absolutely
  • 00:36:54
    perfect we'll do some edit to the book
  • 00:36:56
    um no it's yeah there's just so much
  • 00:36:58
    evidence so there there was a the first
  • 00:37:00
    study that really tested this I think it
  • 00:37:01
    was from from like the 1980s there's
  • 00:37:04
    this thing called uh I think it's called
  • 00:37:05
    the matchbox puzzle oh so what's to that
  • 00:37:08
    effect where you give you know they get
  • 00:37:10
    people in a in a lab and they give them
  • 00:37:12
    like a matchbox and a candle and like
  • 00:37:16
    some like thumb tacks those things that
  • 00:37:18
    you yeah pins put stuff in the wall and
  • 00:37:21
    you know the challenge is find a way to
  • 00:37:23
    get the candle to light the candle but
  • 00:37:25
    without any any wax dripping onto the
  • 00:37:28
    floor or something to that effect and
  • 00:37:30
    this is like a classic test of
  • 00:37:31
    creativity because people who are more
  • 00:37:33
    creative in that moment will discover
  • 00:37:35
    the solution where people who are less
  • 00:37:36
    creative won't and they found that if
  • 00:37:38
    you prime people with positive emotions
  • 00:37:39
    like giving them a m teaser or something
  • 00:37:41
    just before they do the thing they're
  • 00:37:42
    like way more likely to solve the puzzle
  • 00:37:44
    through creativity amazing and so it was
  • 00:37:47
    that study that was in I think in the
  • 00:37:48
    1980s that sort of helped spawn this
  • 00:37:50
    wave of research into how even for
  • 00:37:52
    adults positive emotions do make us more
  • 00:37:55
    creative and increasingly in the world
  • 00:37:57
    that we live in
  • 00:37:58
    where most people watching or listening
  • 00:37:59
    to this are probably knowledge workers
  • 00:38:01
    or students of some sort productivity is
  • 00:38:04
    actually more about being creative and
  • 00:38:07
    thinking broader than it is about just
  • 00:38:09
    like efficiently cranking out more and
  • 00:38:10
    more widgets so I can eat chocolate all
  • 00:38:12
    the way through when writing absolutely
  • 00:38:14
    yeah going to help me with our
  • 00:38:16
    creativity absolutely yeah more the more
  • 00:38:17
    we feel good the more productive we are
  • 00:38:19
    that's a great piece of research um how
  • 00:38:22
    about the sort of you know the industry
  • 00:38:24
    so far because I feel like you know I've
  • 00:38:26
    followed your work for a long time
  • 00:38:28
    and as someone who sort of steered away
  • 00:38:31
    from the more like sort of hustle
  • 00:38:33
    culture productivity where you're just
  • 00:38:35
    you know you just get up at 5:00 and you
  • 00:38:37
    just you know don't go to sleep or you
  • 00:38:40
    you know you grind and grind and grind
  • 00:38:42
    because that's what we do and it's all
  • 00:38:44
    for you know this thing called
  • 00:38:47
    success your content from the very
  • 00:38:49
    beginning was different that wasn't it
  • 00:38:51
    so it was it was always this way that
  • 00:38:54
    you always had that sort of recognition
  • 00:38:56
    of life is is a bit more than that just
  • 00:38:59
    succeeding for succeeding sake we need
  • 00:39:01
    to look a bit deeper into that so what's
  • 00:39:04
    your take on the kind of the hustle
  • 00:39:06
    culture and the sort of productivity
  • 00:39:08
    industry generally yeah that's a great
  • 00:39:11
    question so I think
  • 00:39:13
    I sometimes when people come across my
  • 00:39:16
    YouTube channel and they don't watch the
  • 00:39:17
    videos they'll kind of badge me as like
  • 00:39:21
    a toxic productivity kind of guy because
  • 00:39:23
    it's like oh they'll see videos and how
  • 00:39:25
    to manage your time and how to be more
  • 00:39:26
    effective and stuff
  • 00:39:28
    and to me that's always been like like
  • 00:39:31
    to me productivity is about using using
  • 00:39:33
    our time intentionally effectively and
  • 00:39:36
    sustainably like working towards the
  • 00:39:37
    things that truly matter to us and part
  • 00:39:39
    of the reason like we we almost never
  • 00:39:41
    use the word success in the book because
  • 00:39:43
    I don't really like the word the word
  • 00:39:44
    success because for a lot of people
  • 00:39:46
    success is tied up in kind of
  • 00:39:48
    traditional Prestige or what other
  • 00:39:49
    people will think yeah and the
  • 00:39:51
    experiences that I had working as a
  • 00:39:52
    doctor like from the first year of
  • 00:39:54
    medical school onwards anytime I'd meet
  • 00:39:56
    a doctor and would get on with them
  • 00:39:57
    I would ask them hey you know how much
  • 00:39:59
    are you enjoying your job like if you
  • 00:40:00
    won the lottery would you still keep
  • 00:40:01
    doing it and stuff and so often there
  • 00:40:05
    were these these like really high
  • 00:40:06
    Achievers who had gone through high
  • 00:40:08
    school and medical school and everything
  • 00:40:10
    and gotten to this success who sort of
  • 00:40:13
    felt like uh I kind of like I wish I'd
  • 00:40:17
    had more of a life I had all these
  • 00:40:19
    Hobbies when I was younger and then I
  • 00:40:20
    let them all go because work got in the
  • 00:40:22
    way and so I think success without
  • 00:40:26
    recognizing the fact that the journey is
  • 00:40:28
    ultimately what matters tends to be
  • 00:40:30
    pretty Hollow for most people um and so
  • 00:40:32
    from fairly early on I was always in the
  • 00:40:34
    mindset of like okay the journey is
  • 00:40:36
    actually more important than the
  • 00:40:37
    destination yes when your book hits the
  • 00:40:39
    best seller list as yours does you feel
  • 00:40:41
    like that flash of like yeah but if the
  • 00:40:43
    process of getting there was like a
  • 00:40:45
    grind and didn't feel good and you
  • 00:40:47
    didn't take care of your physical and
  • 00:40:48
    mental health and maintain your
  • 00:40:49
    relationships along the way a lot of
  • 00:40:51
    people say that like the success is not
  • 00:40:53
    worth the pain if it means your life
  • 00:40:55
    becomes out of balance yeah so I'm I've
  • 00:40:57
    always been about just trying to trying
  • 00:40:58
    to make sure life stays in Balance
  • 00:41:00
    trying to enjoy the journey as well as
  • 00:41:02
    aim towards some sort of destination all
  • 00:41:04
    right so that's it for this week's
  • 00:41:05
    episode of Deep dive thank you so much
  • 00:41:06
    for watching or listening all the links
  • 00:41:07
    and resources that we mentioned in the
  • 00:41:09
    podcast are going to be linked down in
  • 00:41:10
    the video description or in the show
  • 00:41:11
    notes depending on where you're watching
  • 00:41:12
    or listening to this if you're listening
  • 00:41:13
    to this on a podcast platform then do
  • 00:41:15
    please leave us a review on the iTunes
  • 00:41:16
    Store it really helps other people
  • 00:41:18
    discover the podcast or if you're
  • 00:41:19
    watching this in full HD or 4k on
  • 00:41:21
    YouTube then you can leave a comment
  • 00:41:22
    down below and ask any questions or any
  • 00:41:23
    insights or any thoughts about the
  • 00:41:24
    episode that would be awesome and if you
  • 00:41:26
    enjoyed this episode you might like to
  • 00:41:27
    check out this episode here as well
  • 00:41:28
    which links in with some of the stuff
  • 00:41:29
    that we talked about in the episode so
  • 00:41:31
    thanks for watching uh do hit the
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    Subscribe button if you aren't already
  • 00:41:33
    and I'll see you next time bye-bye
标签
  • productivity
  • distraction
  • internal triggers
  • traction
  • 10-minute rule
  • surfing the urge
  • joy
  • time boxing
  • gratitude
  • broaden-and-build theory