Takeaway: When we have a bit of time to relax, we tend to spend time on activities that provide us with a quick dopamine hit. This is especially the case when we spend our downtime in the digital world. The key to relaxation is to invest in strategies that make your mind less stimulated . Usually this means spending more time in the analog world. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 53s. Podcast Length 23 minutes, 38s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). How to Relax For the past few months, ...
Nov 19, 2019•24 min
Takeaway: There are things you can reflect on each day that will make you more resilient. It’s worth beginning each morning by reflecting on what you’re grateful for, what you intend to focus on, and what you want to let go of. Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute, 37s. Podcast Length 32 minutes, 31s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). I read Neil Pasricha’s latest book, You Are Awesome , in two sittings. I’ll cut right to the chase: this book is one of the best (and most vulnerable and entert...
Nov 05, 2019•33 min
Takeaway: Over the next 13 weeks I plan on losing 20 pounds by doing three things: making myself more accountable, tracking my weight and food intake, and anticipating any weekly obstacles that might arise. Want to join me? Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 30s. Podcast Length 25 minutes, 27s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). Between now and January 14th (the next 13 weeks), I plan on losing 20 pounds, going from 190lbs to 170 lbs. Of course, a 13-month weight loss challenge is anything...
Oct 22, 2019•25 min
Takeaway: Drinking alcohol can drain your energy the next day and leads to many negative health effects, but it can also lead you to loosen up, have more fun, and generate more creative ideas. It’s worth consuming alcohol strategically and with intent, rather than out of habit. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 11s. Podcast Length 26 minutes, 2s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). Obligatory disclaimer: you should consult with your physician before taking any advice from the internet—part...
Oct 08, 2019•26 min
Takeaway: Some experts are worth listening to, and others aren’t. To find the good ones, look for those who have dug deeply into a topic, aren’t afraid to be vulnerable about where they fail, don’t speak from a pedestal, and are further along in exploring a topic than you are. Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 47s. Podcast Length 28 minutes, 14s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). There are a lot of people out there who call themselves experts —and as someone who writes books , gives spee...
Sep 24, 2019•28 min
Takeaway: For the greatest performance benefits, drink caffeine strategically, instead of habitually. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 50s. Podcast Length 24 minutes, 35s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). This week on Becoming Better , we dig into the science behind how you can extract as much energy—and productivity—out of caffeine as possible. I write about caffeine quite a bit on ALOP, and for good reason: it can give us a great boost of productivity and focus , if we consume it del...
Sep 10, 2019•25 min
Takeaway: The paperback version of Hyperfocus comes out today! It looks awesome. Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute, 12s. One year ago, my second book, Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction , hit store shelves! I consider the book to be the best thing I’ve created to date. It’s about how to take advantage of the science behind how our attention works. Today, a new version of the book hits store shelves, as a paperback published by Penguin Books! Same book, but with nic...
Aug 27, 2019•20 min
Takeaway: Three ways to hold yourself accountable for doing aversive tasks: get a deadline (however you can); fire up Focusmate ; and get an accountability partner. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 2s. Podcast Length 16 minutes, 33s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). Research shows that the more unstructured a task is, the more likely you are to procrastinate on it. One of the best ways to combat this? Get other people to hold you accountable for getting your most aversive tasks and pro...
Aug 13, 2019•17 min
Takeaway: Meditation saves you time because it allows you to work more efficiently. Five practical benefits of having a meditation ritual: you’ll be happier (which makes you more productive); you’ll have greater clarity of what’s important as you work; you’ll develop deeper relationships; you’ll focus deeper; and you’ll become less dependent on your addictive devices. Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes, 8s. Podcast Length 34 minutes, 12s (link to play podcast at bottom of post). For a simple, acc...
Jul 30, 2019•34 min
Takeaway: Keeping a log of how you spend your time, even if just for a few days, makes you aware of whether you’re spending time on what’s actually important to you. Keeping a time log sounds like a hassle, but it takes less time and attention than you might think. Plus, doing so lets you discover how many hours you actually work, step back from the stories you tell yourself, makes time feel richer, and may end up being the push you need to change how you spend your time. Estimated Reading Time:...
Jul 16, 2019•37 min
Takeaway: You should work around your energy levels; working on more important tasks when you have the most energy, and less productive tasks when your energy dips. Below is how to calculate when your energy peaks (your “biological prime time”), and a few suggestions for working around your energy levels. Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 11s. Podcast Length 22 minutes, 25s. Our energy-per-hour isn’t consistent, and because of this, neither is our focus nor productivity. Luckily, though, there ...
Jul 02, 2019•22 min
Takeaway: The trick to traveling smarter is to prepare ahead of time, and develop strong traveling habits. Some ideas covered below: creating a default packing list; preparing things to consume and work on while you’re offline; leaning into how tired you are while traveling; and making your trip feel more like home. Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes, 46s. Podcast Length 29 minutes, 22s. Whether you’re traveling for a business trip, for fun, or something in between, here are some strategies to ma...
Jun 18, 2019•29 min
Takeaway: Apps can be distracting and lead you to waste a ton of time, but the best apps make you more knowledgeable, organized, and productive. The 10 apps below—selected by myself and Ardyn on our podcast—all will help you do this. Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes, 4s. Podcast length 26 minutes, 45s. At their worst, apps are distracting and lead you to waste an ungodly amount of time. But at their best, they can make you quite a bit more efficient and productive. So which ones are worth your ...
Jun 04, 2019•27 min
Takeaway: Some productivity rituals worth trying out: setting three intentions every day; reviewing and mapping out your week (and day); having an accountability partner that keeps you on track; and maintaining an “accomplishments list” throughout the week. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 1s. Podcast length: 26 minutes, 0s. Great productivity rituals allow you to become more productive without much thought ; once you make a habit out of them, you become more productive every day, automaticall...
May 21, 2019•26 min
Takeaway: For this week’s episode of Becoming Better , I interviewed David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done . A few of my favorite nuggets from our interview (expanded upon below): our heads are for having ideas (not holding them); mental clarity comes when we store fewer commitments in our head; we should capture every single commitment we have on our plate; that we need mental space as much as we need more time; and that we should be listening to the “still small voice” in our mind thr...
May 07, 2019•31 min
Takeaway: Doing a digital declutter helps you step back from your digital life, so you can see what parts of your digital world make your life better, and which parts you waste too much time on and have become addicted to. To conduct one, choose what apps/services/websites to not use for a month, what digital things you want to use less, and what analog things you plan on doing in place of these digital habits. Article Reading Time 3 minutes, 5s. Podcast Length 29 minutes, 58s. On this week’s ep...
Apr 23, 2019•30 min
Takeaway: I chatted with Cal Newport, the author of Digital Minimalism , on the latest episode of Becoming Better. A few things you’ll take away from the chat: why digital technologies can be so addictive; that we should question the “constant companion” mode of using our phone; that we need more time for solitude; that distraction will always creep back in; and that we should try out a “digital declutter.” Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 43s. Cal Newport is the author of six books —including...
Apr 09, 2019•34 min
Note: I’m currently submitting the podcast to various podcasts hosts, including Apple Podcasts. It should be up there in the next day or two. There are a lot of podcasts out there. So why should you subscribe to this one? I’m a big fan of podcasts—in my podcast app, I just counted 13 that I listen to on a regular basis. For years I’ve wanted to start one myself, but haven’t, for a simple reason: I wasn’t sure what would make my show different from all the others. But finally, a few months back, ...
Mar 26, 2019•6 min
