On this episode, we chat about how we use and think about social media. We cover what the problem is with social media (if there even is one), how the “novelty bias” hijacks our attention as we use it, and tactics to use to keep social media contained.

Topics covered include:

• The books we’re reading (and loving);
• Impulsiveness and procrastination;
• How social media algorithms come down to “bodies and comparing lifestyles”;
• Ardyn’s incredibly wholesome Instagram feed;
• “Stimulation loops” and the “novelty bias”;
• Crowding out social media;
• Extracting more meaning out of social media;
• Putting guardrails in place to waste less time;
• Time cues on your phone.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Books:
  • Hyperefficient
  • Slow Productivity
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set
  • How to Write a Lot
  • Naked Economics
  • The Future of Geography
  • Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
  • These Precious Days
  • Values
  • After Steve
  • Purr
  • Outlander

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: How to think about social media appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about whether or not you should wake up early—and how our biology and daily constraints dictate when we should rise. Topics covered include:

• Calculating your natural wakeup time;
• How our wakeup time drifts;
• The “sepia toned” idea we have to wake up early;
• Carving out time in the morning to be deliberate;
• How biology affects our wakeup time;
• How the constraints of our day affect wakeup time;
• Having an anchor in your morning routine;
• Whether waking up early makes a difference in our daily productivity.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Russell Foster’s great TED Talk, Why Do We Sleep?
• Nick Lewis’s video, You’re Organizing Your House Wrong!

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: Should you wake up early? appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to avoid “all or nothing” thinking—also known as the “eff it” effect, or the abstinence violation effect, if you want to get technical about it. Topics covered include:

• Not being satisfied by partial success
• How the effect plays out across different time scales
• The idea of “sunk costs”
• How awareness is key to behavioral change
• The downfalls of black and white thinking

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: All or Something Thinking (Replay) appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how to stay productive when you don’t feel like it. Ideas covered include:

• How to settle into work when you just don’t feel like it;
• Not letting your to-do list turn into a list of expectations for how things will go;
• The idea of making “only progress”;
• Feeling your “pace of productivity”
• Understanding the procrastination triggers;
• Managing expectations downward;
• Connecting with how you feel to analyze how you’re stuck;
• Paying yourself ‘time and a half’;
• Accommodating your mental resistance to doing a task.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ardyn’s ChatGPT photo
• Timeular

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: How to Get Unstuck appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about our phone home screens, debate about whose is better, and talk about whether “focus modes” should drive what’s on our home screen.

Chris’s home screen:

Ardyn’s home screen:

A few links mentioned on the episode:

• Locket app: iOS; Android;
• Pedometer++ on iOS;
• ChatGPT voice assistant;
• Kijiji wikipedia page;
• Withings Body Scan.

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: Our phone home screens appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how the nature of productivity is changing, and how AI is making us more productive by making our work tasks higher-leverage. Topics covered include:

• The most important tasks in your work;
• How our “productivity leverage” increases with time;
• How AI makes us more productive by moving us up the “layers of abstraction” in our work;
• How we can delegate work to AI;
• How AI can save us time;
• The most popular AI apps right now.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• TinyWow
• Canva
• DeepL
• Github Copilot
• Hugging Face

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: The highest-leverage tasks in your work appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about the perks and benefits of doing a “fake commute” each morning. Topics covered include:

• Chris’s experiment to do a “fake morning commute”;
• The benefits of morning sun;
• Other benefits of a fake morning commute;
• How commuting variables affect our happiness level;
• Pre- and post-work rituals.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Happy City, by Charles Montgomery (great book!)
• Research:
  • The Positive Utility of the Commute: Modeling Ideal Commute Time and Relative Desired Commute Amount
  • Commuting and Life Satisfaction Revisited: Evidence on a Non-linear Relationship
  • Does commuting matter to subjective well-being?
  • Highway to health? Commute time and well-being among Canadian adults

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: The perks of a fake morning commute appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about how the book publishing industry works—and how you can publish a book of your own, either the traditional or nontraditional way.

[Here’s the PDF] Lucinda mentioned in the podcast!

Topics covered include:

• What Lucinda learned going from being an agent to being an author;
• The role of literary agents in getting you a book deal;
• The art of the “query letter”;
• How to shape a book so it’s distinct and differentiated;
• Timely and timeless ideas;
• Whether having a platform as a potential author is important;
• Your voice, content, and offering as an author;
• Whether to self-publish or traditionally publish a book.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Get Signed book

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: How to Get a Book Published appeared first on Chris Bailey.

On this episode, we chat about chore credits, our system for getting more chores done at home. Topics covered include:

• How different couples split the chore burden;
• Chores and conflict;
• The value of keeping on top of chore tracking;
• The chore tracking sheet we designed.

Here’s a link to a blank version of the chore tracking template if you want to try it on for size!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Get Signed book
• Studies and research mentioned:
  • The Relationship Between Conflict Topics and Romantic Relationship Dynamics
  • For American couples, gender gaps in sharing household responsibilities persist amid pandemic
  • Statistics Canada: National No Housework Day
  • The Gottman Institute: 4 Typical Solvable Relationship Problems
  • Gender Inequality in Household Chores and Work-Family Conflict

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: Our “chore points” system appeared first on Chris Bailey.

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 Write a Lot
  • How Not to Age
    • Outlive
  • The Creative Act (and Rick Rubin’s Wikipedia page)
  • The nerdy productivity pick: New Developments in Goal Setting and Task Performance

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: The Books We’re Loving appeared first on Chris Bailey.

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-It Notes
    • Non-affiliate link

Office Stuff

• The Timeular
• Ardyn’s favorite oversized hair clips
• Topo Comfort Mat by Ergodriven
  • Non-affiliate link
• Aura Carver photo frame
  • Non-affiliate link
• Week from Hell Hand Lotion and Blistex
  • Non-affiliate link 1, 2
• Takeya water bottle
  • Non-affiliate link
• CyberPower UPS, the most boring pick of the season 🎄
  • Non-affiliate link.

All affiliate link proceeds will be donated to Camp Quality Eastern Ontario, an organization that helps kids and teens with cancer. Non-affiliate links are also provided if you’d prefer.

You can listen (and subscribe) to the podcast below!

The post Podcast: The productivity holiday gift guide.. continued! appeared first on Chris Bailey.