Episodes

On this episode, we chat about the best books we’ve recently read and what we’re currently reading. We also rank Chris’s books. Here are the links mentioned in this episode: Chris’s books that we chatted about: How to Calm Your Mind Hyperfocus The Productivity Project Fiction: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow We Spread The Classical School Snow Crash Charlie and the Chocolate Factory James and the Giant Peach Nonfiction: Stress-Free Productivity Good Habits Bad Habits Grit How to Writ...

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 two of two—include: Stationary Stuff Septcouleur Lab Notebook Non-affiliate link The Baronfig Mastermind Desk Pad Journals: Ardyn’s personal journal Non-affiliate link One Line a Day journal Non-affiliate link Our favorite pens: In black! Non-affiliate link In color! Non-affiliate link TSWBI fountain pens Post-I...

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 No...

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 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: Commi...

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 g...

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 Ba...

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 ove...

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 ...

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...

Exploring the science behind napping.

We dig into the research surrounding multitasking—including where it does and doesn’t work.

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; Am...

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 subscrib...

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;...

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 p...

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. Lin...

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 stat...

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 ...

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...