Productivity

Takeaway: Can’t explain why you act the way you do? Your values may be at play. There are 10 human values that we hold most dear, explained below. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 22s. When I was a teenager, I ran a marathon. Well, sort of. Following the instructions from a great book (my memory

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

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”

Takeaway: If you’re not careful, your to-do list can make your work less enjoyable, while leading you to feel less in control of your time. When finishing tasks, reflect on the next most important project to work on—and treat your to-do list as a series of suggestions, not obligations. Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 26s. One

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

Written by Chris Bailey Chris Bailey has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity and is the author of three books: How to Calm Your Mind, Hyperfocus, and The Productivity Project. His books have been published in more than 40 languages. Chris writes about productivity on this site and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they

Takeaway: My five favorite ways to manage a busy inbox: conduct email sprints, use your email’s auto-responder feature, limit emails to five sentences, delete the email app off of your phone, and tackle email during lower energy periods. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minute, 39s. Email can feel like a weird beast to tame. Equal parts essential,

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

Written by Chris Bailey Chris Bailey has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity and is the author of three books: How to Calm Your Mind, Hyperfocus, and The Productivity Project. His books have been published in more than 40 languages. Chris writes about productivity on this site and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they

Takeaway: If you want to better transition into work mode while working from home, try a “fake commute.” Estimated Reading Time: 1 minutes, 45s. I’ve worked from home for the last decade or so. Despite all the benefits of WFH life, I do occasionally miss elements of my long-ago morning commute: the audiobook time as