PRODUCTIVITY

Today we're talking about the power of "yet" — what it is, where it comes from, what a study published in Nature found about how “yet” changes real behavior, and three ways to use it right now, in the middle of whatever goal is testing your patience and your sanity. STUDY CITATIONS Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., et al. (2019). "A national experiment reveals where...

Today we're breaking down what rumination is, looking at what the research says ruminating is doing to your productivity, your relationships, and your sleep, and giving you three practical ways to stop the ruminating loop. STUDY CITATION Cropley, M., Zijlstra, F.R.H., Querstret, D., & Beck, S. (2016). Is Work-Related Rumination Associated with Deficits in Executive Functioning? Frontiers...

How to train your brand voice inside Jasper.ai so you can produce more content easier, what the research says about why brand voice consistency matters, and three practical steps to get Jasper sounding like you instead of sounding like every other AI output in your industry. STUDY CITATION Barcelos, R. H., Dantas, D. C., & Sénécal, S. (2018). "Watch Your Tone: How a Brand's Tone of V...

Today, we're breaking down the Aspirin vs. Vitamin Habit Test. We explain what Aspirin vs. Vitamin Habit Test is, where it comes from, why psychology backs it up, and three ways you can use the Aspirin vs. Vitamin Habit Test to build habits that actually stick and make you more successful. STUDY CITATIONS Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and avoidanc...

Today we're breaking down the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, covering the research that proves your brain is more adaptable than you think, and giving you 3 practical ways to rewire how you respond to setbacks so you start treating failures as data points instead of verdicts. STUDY CITATIONS Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit t...

We're taking a negotiation tactic straight out of the FBI playbook from former hostage negotiator Chris Voss and showing you how to use it to set boundaries, push back on overload, and protect your time and SANITY..  At work, at home, with a contractor, a friend, whoever. We explain what no-oriented questions are, cover the psychology behind why no oriented questions work, and give you three...

We're breaking down the IKEA Effect — what the IKEA Effect is, what the research says, and three ways to use the IKEA Effect to build a more productive team that cares about the work. STUDY CITATIONS Norton, M. I., Mochon, D., & Ariely, D. (2012). The IKEA effect: When labor leads to love. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22 (3), 453–460. Make sure you hit "FOLLOW" in your podcas...

We teach you the four-pillar mental toughness system Navy SEALs use to conquer doing the hardest things, the research that proves it works, and how to put each Navy SEAL technique to use the next time pressure hits you. STUDY CITATION: Smith, E. N., Young, M. D., & Crum, A. J. (2020). Stress, Mindsets, and Success in Navy SEALs Special Warfare Training. Frontiers in Psychology , 10, Article 29...

We break down what manipulation is, walk through the six tactics researchers pinpointed people use to manipulate you, in a real psychology study, and then give you 3 ways to stop manipulation in its tracks, whether it's coming from a coworker, a family member, a friend, or a partner. A must listen if you feel like you are or have been manipulated. STUDY CITATION Buss, D. M., Gomes, M., Higgin...

We look at what the research says about why planes are a hidden productivity goldmine and give you 5 tips to make your next flight much more useful to get work done. Based on  science and my experience traveling over 500,000 miles in the air. STUDY CITATION: Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). "The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress." CHI '08: Proceedings of...

Descript, an AI video editor that turns long videos into short-form social clips by letting you edit video like a document.  We  explain how Descript works, look at research that shows why short clips are worth the effort, and give you a simple process to pull 10 clips from one video...easily.  CITATIONS: Apasrawirote, D., Yawised, K., Chatrangsan, M., & Muneesawang, P. (2022). "Short-for...

We explain what psychologists call “hope” that can change how you feel, look at a study from the Journal of Organizational Behavior that shows how hope drives real performance, and give you 3 science backed  strategies to use hope to feel better and more positive. STUDY CITATIONS Peterson, S. J., & Byron, K. (2008). Exploring the role of hope in job performance: Results from four studies. Jour...

We explain how to build trust on your video calls by breaking down why looking at your camera lens instead of your screen can 10x your ability to build trust in virtual meetings.  We explain the psychology behind virtual eye contact, review research that shows what it does and how best to do it, and finish up by giving you 5 proven tips to master this skill and become more trustworthy and persuasi...

More than half of adults in the U.S. are mouth breathers, and it's quietly sabotaging their energy and focus. Whether you breathe through your nose or mouth makes a massive difference in your productivity.  We explain the science behind a simple breathing switch that will increase your oxygen uptake by up to 18%, review research showing how nose breathing lowers blood pressure and sharpens fo...

Today we're breaking down Gamma, the AI presentation tool that recently got supercharged with Claude integration.  We'll show you why this combination is a productivity game-changer, look at research proving AI tools dramatically cut creation time, boost quality and attention, and finish up by giving you 4 power moves to start using Gamma today. Make sure you hit "FOLLOW" in yo...

Olympic athletes, military special forces operators and professional athletes are taught how to change their self talk voice and shift their nervous system from panic mode to peak performance mode.   In this episode of the Productivity Podcast we’re teaching you how to do it.   We break down the science of self-talk and its measurable effects on your physiology.  We explain what's happening i...

We break down information density and the Too Long Didn’t Read or TL;DR style. We explain TL;DR and information density, the brain science proving whyTL;DR works, and a dead-simple 5 step framework you can use in your next email or meeting that will have people thanking you in the office kitchen when you’re getting a coffee.  Make sure you hit "FOLLOW" in your podcast player so you never...

We're explain vibe coding, the method that's letting non-technical people build custom software tools using plain English instead of learning Python or JavaScript.  We explain what vibe coding is, review academic research showing vibe coding’s massive productivity gains, give you 4 practical tips to start building your own tools, and cover one critical security concern you need to know a...

We break down the "3-2-1" follow-up system, a research-backed framework for persistent communication that works.  We'll explain what the "3-2-1" follow-up system is, show you the science proving why "3-2-1" follow-up system matters, and give you 3 actionable strategies to start using "3-2-1" follow-up system today. Citation: Verbeke, W., Dietz, B., &amp...

We break down the CODE Framework. The CODE Framework is a simple four-step system that stops you from losing valuable information and helps you use what you learn.  We explain what CODE stands for, look at research on why your working memory needs external support, and give you 4 practical ways to start using CODE today to make you smarter and more productive. CITATION: Paas, F., & van Merriën...

Today we're breaking down the "Give First" networking strategy: how to build a high-value network without ever asking for a "favor."  We explain what it means to give first, dive into the research that proves Giving First Networking works, and give you 4 practical strategies to start building your network smarter. CITATION: Flynn, F. J. (2003). How Much Should I Give and H...

We break down lateral thinking, the problem solving skill behind breakthrough solutions.  We'll define what Lateral Thinking means, explore the research showing how Lateral Thinking helps you solve tough problems faster, then give you the 3 step process to leverage Lateral Thinking the next time you or your team is stuck. Make sure you hit "FOLLOW" in your podcast player so you neve...

We explain what custom AI training is, review research proving personalized AI actually matches human writing styles, then give you a simple three-step process to train AI to write like you that works across Claude Projects, Google Gemini Gems, ChatGPT Custom GPTs, and Microsoft Copilot.  You'll walk away with an AI assistant that sounds like you and get’s you 90% to the finish line with any...

Today, we're breaking down the EAR Method, a powerful conflict de-escalation technique that calms 90% of upset people within 30 seconds.  We explain what EAR stands for, review the research proving the EAR method to de-Escalate any personal or workplace argument works, then give you a simple framework to use it the next time workplace tension threatens to kill your productivity and relationsh...

Welcome to the final episode of our Speak Like a Pro mini series.  In episode 1, we covered the Rule of Three. In episode 2, we tackled how to think faster and talk smarter in spontaneous moments.  Today, we're going after the thing that undermines all of public speaking anxiety.  We explain why your brain panics when you speak, what the research says about reframing that panic, and give you...