Time and Attention

On this episode, we chat about our favorite productivity-related gifts that will either save time or make things more efficient. The things we mention on this episode—part one of two—include: The RovyVon USB-C Flashlight Non-affiliate link Cygolite Hotrod Lumen Bike Tail Light Non-affiliate link The Eve Energy Smart Plug Non-affiliate link Sandisk USB-C and USB-A Drive Non-affiliate link Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer Switch Starter Kit Non-affiliate link CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Non-affiliate link Electronics Organizer Bag Non-affiliate link Belkin Boost Charge Pro Belkin iPhone Camera Mount Non-affiliate link AirPods Pro 2 Non-affiliate link All affiliate link proceeds will be donated to Camp Quality Eastern Ontario, an organization that helps kids and teens with cancer. Other things mentioned: Study: An integrative review of gift-giving research in consumer behavior and marketing You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: The productivity gift guide appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the professional accountability groups we’re in, and why they’re helpful. Topics covered include: A brief chat about Chris’s recent meditation retreat; What an accountability group is; The purpose of forming an accountability group; The structure of our groups and meetings; How often we meet; The sweet spot for how big the groups should be. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Forming an accountability group appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this quickie episode, Chris chats about why you shouldn’t let your to-do list become a source of stress in and of itself. This episode’s a shortie—Ardyn’s out sick this week—but we still wanted to put something helpful in your feed! You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! Enjoy :-) The post Podcast: Taking a sick day appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about commitment devices—forcing functions you can add to your life to accomplish more of your goals. Topics covered include: What commitment devices are; How they work for both approach and avoidance goals; The intention—action gap; Financial commitment devices; Social devices; Ways of adding and removing friction for goal attainment. Links mentioned in this episode: Journal article: Commitment Devices: Using Initiatives to Change Behavior Journal article: Commitment Devices You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below The post Podcast: Using “commitment devices” to achieve your goals appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to calculate your biological prime time—the time of the day you’re the most productive. We cover: How our productivity moves in tandem with our energy levels; How to calculate your “biological prime time”; When we’re the most productive and creative throughout the day; How to work around these hours! You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: Calculating your peak productivity time appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how “SMART” goals might not be all they’re cracked up to me—and a few ways to set smarter goals. Topics covered include: Characteristics of “SMART” goals; The research on how effective SMART goals really are; Performance vs. process vs. learning goals; The different time frames we set intentions over; The differences between goals, intentions, and priorities; How to set better goals in general. Link mentioned in this episode: Study: The (over)use of SMART goals for physical activity promotion: A narrative review and critique   You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Setting smarter goals appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the pomodoro technique and how (and whether!) we use it in our own work. Topics covered include: What the “pomodoro technique” is; The rigidity of the technique; Whether 25 minutes of focus time is a good amount; The Resistance List; How the pomodoro technique fits with the idea of flow; Why so many people swear by the pomodoro technique. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: The Pomodoro Technique appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about stimulation fasting. Topics covered include: What stimulation fasting is; Why an overstimulated mind can be counterproductive; “Altitudes” of mental stimulation; How to conduct a fast of your own; What Chris and Ardyn are fasting from right now. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below   The post Podcast: How (and why) to do a stimulation fast appeared first on Chris Bailey.

This week’s podcast episode is a replay—a Golden Oldie from the vaults. Hope you enjoy! The original show notes are below. This week I interview Oliver Burkeman for the podcast. Oliver is the author of the fantastic new book, Four Thousand Weeks. In the episode, we have a fun, wide-ranging conversation about a bunch of topics, including: The idea of “finitude,” and why it matters; Our “future-chasing mindset,” which prevents us from enjoying things; How trying to achieve a perfect mastery over our time can make us miserable; Where impatience comes from; The usefulness of productivity advice; The costs of hoarding our time; ..and more. Four Thousand Weeks is an incredible read. It covers not just how we should manage our time, but also the place time management should have in our life in the first place. I highly recommend it. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: My interview with Oliver Burkeman (replay) appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about subscription overload—and which ones we think are worth the money. Topics covered include: The productivity apps we subscribe to; How basically everything is a subscription service; Opt-in versus opt-in commitments; How subscriptions have changed over time; Apps that take the subscription thing too far; How to do a subscription audit. Links mentioned in this episode: Article: Basically everything is a subscription service You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Drowning in subscriptions appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about lessons learned from Chris’s experiment to switch to a flip phone for a month. Topics covered include:   The impetus for the experiment; How smartphones are not meant to see switched away from; The phenomenon of zombiefication; The correlation between screen time and mental health; Reflecting on why the smartphone can make us unhappy; “Time confetti” and our phone; Why a phone doesn’t provide us with depth of experience; Raw material for change; Richness and depth of communication; Handing our attention to someone else (and why it can be a good thing); Heights of stimulation.   Links mentioned in this episode:   Episode 101: Using a flip phone for a month. (The flip phone experiment article will be posted this week!)   You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Are smartphones a net positive? appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we explore the science behind naps. Topics covered include: How naps help us push past productivity walls; The golden rule of productivity advice; How napping influences cognitive performance and alertness; When to take naps throughout the day; Avoiding sleep inertia; Our ratio of cognitive versus rote work; How sleep deprivation changes how we think about our productivity; What the research suggests with napping; How to take a coffee nap. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: When, by Dan Pink Study: Benefits of napping in healthy adults: impact of nap length, time of day, age, and experience with napping Study: Effects of a Short Daytime Nap on the Cognitive Performance (Meta-Analysis) Study: Fatigue on the flight deck: The consequences of sleep loss and the benefits of napping You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post 106: Naps! appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about multitasking—including where it does and doesn’t work. Topics covered include: The different levels of multitasking; Where multitasking does and doesn’t work; Why “conscious intervention” matters with multitasking; Why “attention residue” makes us less efficient as we multitask; The flip book effect; The cognitive costs of switching between tasks; How multitasking influences how memories form; Why we feel more productive when we multitask; Minding your resistance level as you’re tempted to multitask. Links mentioned in this episode: Study: Neurotics Can’t Focus (PDF) You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Digging into multitasking appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our favorite productivity gadgets. Topics covered include: Our brief thoughts on the Apple headset (and other announcements); Having cables everywhere; Apple’s World Adaptor Kit (Apple.com); The Timeular time tracker (Timeular.com); The Aqara FP2 (Aqara.com); Logitech Spotlight Remote (Logitech.com; Amazon.com); MagSafe Battery Pack (Apple.com); Sonos Roam (Sonos.com; Amazon.com); The Elgato Key Light (Elgato.com; Amazon.com) and CamLink 4K (Elgato.com; Amazon.com); The reMarkable (reMarkable.com; Amazon.com). You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: The best productivity gadgets appeared first on Chris Bailey.

In this episode, I chat with Cal Newport, the author of A World Without Email, about his book—and how we can manage email during such a distracting time. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: My chat with Cal Newport about email appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode is my conversation with Jennifer Petriglieri, author of the book Couples That Work. On this episode we chat about: The three transitions couples tend to go through; How couples become interdependent; “Couple contracting”; How we recalibrate to what we want; Having a “secure base” in a relationship; Playing with our identities; Whether we should account for love in our career decisions. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Couples That Work You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: The three transitions we go through as a couple appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about Chris’s experiment to use a flip phone for a month. Topics covered include: The utility we get from smartphones; Big phones versus small phones; The “jobs to be done” theory of using our devices; How gathering has become digital; How communication norms have changed over time; Managing norms within social groups; Re-evaluating our relationship with our smartphone; What to be mindful of with our phone. Links mentioned in this episode: The Alcatel Go Flip 3; The Punkt phone; Book: Amusing Ourselves to Death Journal article: How many hours does it take to make a friend? You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: Using a flip phone for a month appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about a potpourri of fun topics, including: What we’ve learned after 100 episodes; How to drink a glass of champagne; Our go-to productivity apps and accessories; Fantastical’s 40% price increase; Whether we still enjoy doing the show together; Tips for stimulation fasting; How we manage our time every day; How to account for time pressure in planning your days. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind Wikipedia: Parasocial interaction The post Podcast: 100 podcast episodes (and counting)! appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, I chat with Gloria Mark, the author of the new book Attention Span. Topics covered include: The benefits of managing our attention deliberately; Why (and whether) we lose control of our behavior using our devices; What makes email so damn stressful; The “attention traps” we fall into; How rote tasks are actually good for us and replenish our energy; The countless factors that influence our attention; How we all have different preferences when it comes to multitasking. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Attention Span You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: How to build your attention span appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to get into a state of flow, where we’re totally immersed in what we’re doing. Topics covered include: What a “flow state” is; The characteristics of a flow state; Shortcuts to help us get into a state of flow; How flow helps us perform better with creative tasks; When a flow state isn’t helpful; The “flow channel”; Why we shouldn’t always evaluate how we’re doing as we work; The steps for focusing on something, and how these can help us enter a flow state. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Book: How to Calm Your Mind Book: Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity Book: On Writing Article: The flow channel You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: How to get into a flow state appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about Chris’s latest experiment, to switch to a flip phone from a smartphone for a period of a month (to start). Topics covered include: How great the flip phone era was; How Ardyn feels about this experiment; The 6 reasons Chris is giving up his smartphone; The downsides to large screen phones; Whether smartphones are a net good in our lives; How personal the technology in our life has become; The “jobs” we “hire” our devices to do for us. Links mentioned in this episode: Article: Here’s why I’m trading in my smartphone for a flip phone this month Article: Clay Christensen’s Milkshake Marketing You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: Chatting about the flip phone experiment appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we welcome Laura Vanderkam back on the podcast to chat about her new book, Tranquility by Tuesday. Topics covered include: The three categories to use to plan your days and your life; Why we should plan our weeks on Friday afternoon; Laura’s daily planner of choice; How doing something three times a week makes it a habit; How carving out more white space can make us more productive; How to get more out of our leisure time; How to introduce more novelty into our days to slow down the passage of time. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Tranquility by Tuesday The planner that Laura uses You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: 5 tactics for more tranquility in your life appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how we like to go “novelty hunting,” especially in the digital world. Topics covered include: What “novelty hunting” is; The connection between novelty and dopamine; The three dopamine factors; The “novelty bias”; How novelty hunting is more stressful than we give it credit for; Superstimuli; How novelty changes our perception of time; Awareness of our novelty hunting; How novelty hunting used to look a lot different before the internet; What to do about it! Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: What to know about “novelty hunting.” appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the science of “savoring”—the process through which we enjoy our lives. Topics covered include: How “savoring” is the process of converting positive experiences into positive emotions; The productivity benefits of savoring; How savoring helps us become less anxious; The psychological and neurological benefits of savoring; The balance between striving and savoring; How scarcity leads us to enjoy something more; The five ways we can savor everyday life; The “savor list.” Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind   The post Podcast: The science of savoring your life appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about ideas from Chris’s new book, How to Calm Your Mind! Topics covered include: How a calm mind can make us significantly more productive; How anxiety shrinks our cognitive performance; What calm actually is; How anxiety is a spectrum; How presence is the key to productivity, and how to find it; The “accomplishment mindset”; The various drafts of How to Calm Your Mind; How we need dopamine, and also how it can lead us astray; Our brain’s “acquisition mentality”; The three factors that influence the size of the dopamine hit we get from something; What “superstimuli” are and how they highjack our attention on a chemical level; How to balance time between the digital and analog worlds; The various types of chronic stress; The power science of “savoring” our lives. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: The Year of Calm appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our favorite rituals to ring in the new year. Topics covered include: Whether we make New Year’s resolutions; The importance of reflection at New Year’s; How to think back to past accomplishments; Simple rituals to set goals for the year ahead; The productivity benefits of gratitude. Links mentioned in this episode: Article: Give these 3 new year’s rituals a try You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Our New Year’s Rituals appeared first on Chris Bailey.

This episode was originally published on May 7, 2019. In this episode, I chat with David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, about his book—and how we can carve out more space for having ideas. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: My interview with David Allen, author of Getting Things Done appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about what burnout is and how to overcome it., Topics covered include: Our own experiences with burnout; The three characteristics of burnout; The stepping stones to burnout; The two types of stress we face throughout the day; Whether burnout is a primarily workplace phenomenon; The six factors of our work that contribute to burnout. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind The Maslach Burnout Inventory test (paid) You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: Understanding burnout appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our GTD-inspired weekly reviews—and what we include in them. Topics covered include: What a “weekly review” is; The steps to doing a weekly review; How flexible to be with your review; What we each review every week; Including an “accomplishments list” in the review; Working reflections into the weekly review; The weird way Chris manages his daily schedule; The confidence a weekly review can give you; The payoff of a weekly review over time. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Getting Things Done, by David Allen The GTD Weekly Review (PDF) You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: The Weekly Review appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our favorite writing tips—including the ones we use every day. Topics covered include: How writing triggers procrastination; Giving yourself permission to not write well; How to track writing progress throughout long projects; The power of outlining (including when you don’t want to); Where “writer’s block” comes from; How great writing can be contagious (and how to take advantage of this). Links mentioned in this episode: Book: How to Calm Your Mind Book: On Writing, by Stephen King Book: The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White Grammarly You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: My go-to writing tips appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we briefly chat about Chris’s new book and then dig into the main topic: self-talk. Topics covered include: Chris’s next book, How to Calm Your Mind; The proportion of our internal monologue that’s negative; How self-talk can get in the way of productivity; How universal having negative thought patterns is; How meditation helps tame negative self-talk; How to not zero in on negative thought patterns; The idea of “task-unrelated thought”; How learning to focus helps combat negative self-talk; How gratitude and keeping an accomplishments list help combat negative self-talk. Links mentioned in this episode: My next book: How to Calm Your Mind You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Taming Negative Self-Talk appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about why we take certain habits for granted, including the ones that actively provide us with dividends. Topics covered include: A brief recap on “focus modes” and “focus filters” on iOS; Why habits become invisible; Habits that are actively providing us with dividends; The great habits we each have that we regularly check up on; Why some habits can work too well; How to reflect on habits you want to sustain in the long run. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: The Habits You Take for Granted appeared first on Chris Bailey.

This episode was originally published on December 3, 2019. On this episode, I chat with James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, about his book—and how we can build and develop better habits. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!   The post Podcast: My interview with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about tactics for becoming a more productive student. Topics covered include: The importance of practice problems; Sitting with problems; The importance to curiosity driving learning; The value of planning on a semester-level;⁃A few apps for managing your schedule; The power of co-op and internships; Taking good breaks; Watching movies instead of binge-watching TV; Reading course outlines. Links mentioned in this episode: Podcast: Procrastination triggers Podcast: How to take a good break Printable four-month calendar creator App: iHomework App: iStudiez Pro App: Power Planner App: Grammarly You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: How to be a more productive student appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to measure our daily productivity. Topics covered include: Why we’re so bad at measuring how much we get done; The default metrics we fall back on for determining whether we’re productive; How the number of hours we work matters less than we think; What productivity is for; Minding intention and accomplishment; The accomplishments list and other strategies for measuring productivity. Link mentioned in this episode: Article: -2000 Lines Of Code You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: How to measure your productivity appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about task switching—how to get better at it, and the costs of switching tasks too often. Topics covered include: Why multitasking is so fun; How often we switch between tasks as we work; Attentional residue—what it is and how to minimize it; How task switching affects our working memory; How meditation clears our working memory; Our brain’s “novelty bias”; The multiple levels of multitasking; The reminders that come from our digital world. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Joan, by Katherine Chen; Book: My Reading Adventures, by Anne Bogel. The post Podcast: Task Switching appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about a few favorite books we’ve read recently, and how we plan our weeks. Topics covered include: Balancing the “macro” and “micro” parts of your week; Bunching weekly obligations; “Maker” vs “Manager” schedules; The “switching costs” you incur throughout the week Attentional residue; What to consider at the start of your week. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: The Overstory, by Richard Powers Book: Finish, by Jon Acuff Book: Couples That Work, by Jennifer Petriglieri Book: Doing Economics, by Marc Bellemare Book: Indigenomics, by Carol Anne Hilton Book: The Judge’s List, by John Grisham Book: The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman Book: The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates Book: Everyday Vitality, by Samantha Boardman Book: Why We Love, by Helen Fisher Book: Other Minds, by Peter Godfrey-Smith Article: Makers Schedule, Manager’s Schedule, by Paul Graham You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Ways to plan your week appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how the best productivity advice helps us live in a way that’s more true to what we value. Topics covered include: The assumptions embedded within traditional productivity advice; Values-based productivity; The ickyness of hustle culture; The addictive nature of achievement; The difficulty of determining our primary values; The 10 primary values; How to reflect on what your deeper values are. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: Why We Love Article: There are just 10 basic values You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Thoughtful Productivity appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the best sources of caffeine—the ones that provide the longest lasting energy. Topics covered include: How caffeine produces a stress response; How our body adjusts to our caffeine “baseline”; The countless sources of caffeine that are out there; The magic of L-theanine; Avoiding the post-lunch caffeine crash You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: The best caffeine vehicles appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about work breaks—including how long they should be, how often to take them, and what to do during them! Topics covered include: The two “levels” of work breaks How our energy fluctuates in 90-minute rhythms How our productivity and creativity fluctuate all day long How alcohol and sleepiness affect creativity How long we should break for to optimize our energy levels What to do during your breaks How to avoid unintentional work breaks Links mentioned in this episode: Book: I Know How She Does It Article: Here’s exactly how long your work breaks should be Article: DeskTime’s productivity research: an overview of our finds throughout the years Focusmate Wikipedia: Pomodoro Technique Article: 9 stress relief strategies that actually work You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: How to take an intentional work break appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about motivation, and how to find more of it. Topics covered include: The different theories of motivation Approach vs. avoidance-based motivation The need for achievement, and incentives for success Keeping a “resistance list” Discovering the opposite of procrastination Finding motivation through what we value Links mentioned in this episode: Finish, by Jon Acuff Self-determination theory (Wikipedia overview) Article: There are just 10 basic values You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Where motivation comes from appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we review a couple of pieces of productivity tech that we’ve recently been trying out: the Timeular time tracker and the reMarkable 2 paper tablet. I’ll also have a review of the reMarkable up on the website in the coming weeks! Hope you enjoy the conversation—we loved both of the devices in different ways, even if they’re not for everyone. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Reviewing a couple pieces of productivity tech appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we dig deep into the power of time blocking. Topics covered include: What “time blocking” is; The “working spheres” we occupy; The importance of time blocking when you have a lot of work; Why we should time block; How time blocking helps us work with greater intention; How we time block time off; How strict to be with time blocking; The confidence and calm time blocking can give you; How to learn how long things take; Managing your time blocks after you schedule them! You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Exploring time blocking appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to define productivity—and how what productivity means has changed over time, especially with the advent of knowledge work. Topics covered include: The misconceptions we have about productivity; How time management is less important than it used to be; How the productivity landscape has shifted; How most productivity advice falls into three categories: time, attention, and energy; The power of intention; Asymmetries of importance in our work and life; A new definition of productivity; Aligning productivity with your values; Guilt, doubt, worry, and productivity You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: How to define productivity appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to embrace—and even enjoy!—change. Topics covered include: How expectations influence our relationship with change; The relationship between catastrophizing and change; How change affects the “learning loop” in our mind; The relationship between dopamine and change; Developing strategically low expectations; Focusing on what we can control (and giving up control); Other practical, tactical strategies for dealing with change Links mentioned in this episode: Episode 33: Embracing Change Episode 65: Leaning on Others Book: Four Thousand Weeks Book: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain Meta-analysis: Coping Flexibility and Psychological Adjustment to Stressful Life Changes: A Meta-Analytic Review You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Strategies for dealing with change appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to use simple economic principles to become more productive and intentional. Topics covered include: What economics even is; What an “economic tradeoff” is; The “opportunity cost” of our time; The costs associated with our decisions; Recognizing our “sunk costs”; How to “think along the margins.” Links mentioned in this episode: “Bakeonomics” blog Thinking on the Margin & Birthday Cake You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Thinking using economics to become more productive appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the “Rule of 3”—my all-time favorite prioritization strategy. Topics covered include: What the “rule of 3” is; How our brain is wired to think in threes; How to prioritize what you have going on in an agile way; The benefits and drawbacks to daily prioritization; The importance of awareness when prioritizing; The power of “implementation intentions.” Links mentioned in this episode: Peter Gollwitzer’s study, Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans. The post Podcast: My favorite prioritization strategy appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, I chat with John List about his new book, The Voltage Effect. Topics we talk about include: What “scale” and “voltage” are; How he discovered the “silver bullets” of scaling up an idea; The five hurdles we need to overcome when scaling something; How scale is a “weakest link” problem; How to discover which of our ideas have a chance; The three reasons we don’t quit soon enough (and often enough); How to become a “marginal thinker”; How he stays so productive. Links mentioned in this episode: Book: The Voltage Effect You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: How to scale up your work appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our daily habits—especially the ones we’re actively tracking and moving toward implementing. Topics covered include: The habit tracker we use (and recommend) The daily habits we track The cues that trigger our habits—and how to implement more of them Links mentioned in this episode: Article: The Best Habit Tracking App for iOS Article: The 11 Best Habit Tracking Apps in 2022 Article: The Best Light Therapy Light Book: The Why Axis Two videos on how healthy barberries are You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Our favorite daily habits appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we dig into New Year’s resolutions. Topics covered include: The resolutions we’ve set; How often New Year’s resolutions fail—and why they do; The difference between resolutions and goals; How to account for constraints in goal setting; The power of “course correcting” to get closer to your goals; How to course correct on a regular basis. Links mentioned in this episode: A free New Year’s Resolutions Guidebook I wrote a while back. You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below! The post Podcast: Should you set New Year’s resolutions? appeared first on Chris Bailey.