Episodes
Alex Epstein discusses how he is able to work long hours while rarely feeling tired or fatigued. He identifies four ways others can have the same experience: 1. Develop deep nighttime empathy with “morning guy” 2. Discover and liberally utilize “inevitable rejuvenation practices” 3. Separate proactive and reactive time 4. Cultivate a love of working energized and a hatred of working while tired
Published 07/06/21
Published 07/06/21
Alex Epstein discusses Greg McKeown's new book Effortless, how Alex had benefited from the chapters on Rest and Pace, and how separating proactive and reactive time can make the principles of Effortless even more effortless.
Published 06/08/21
Alex Epstein discusses how to appreciate the many great things that exist today that didn't exist even in the recent past.
Published 05/17/21
Alex Epstein discusses his equation for "time security"--expected resources outstrip current commitments + expected threats--and how keeping this equation positive has an enormous impact on happiness.
Published 05/03/21
On this best-of-HFP, Alex Epstein discusses the three ingredients of relaxed productivity—inevitably productive processes, high-altitude planning, and real rejuvenation—along with one poison: focus-destroyers. This version features a new introduction in which Alex talks more about his recent experience with inevitably productive processes.
Published 04/13/21
Alex Epstein discusses how the handwriting experience of the modern iPad makes possible an unprecedented form of journaling that can make your reflections on life far more effective.
Published 03/29/21
Alex Epstein discusses several ways to identify easy-to-implement best practices that will improve our lives, and easy-to-eliminate bad practices that are unnecessarily undercutting our lives.
Published 03/16/21
Alex Epstein discusses, using Richard Hamming's allegory about a drunken sailor, why vision and persistence are the two most powerful elements of productivity within our direct control.
Published 03/02/21
Alex brings on Brian Amerige, with whom he cofounded Thoughtful, to discuss the problems of social media today and how to overcome them. They discuss: - Is there any role for government in the content policies of social media platforms? - What content policy would make Facebook or Twitter a better "marketplace of ideas"--or is that even possible given the purpose of these platforms? - What it takes to create a real alternative to mainstream platforms, and where Parler and Gab have...
Published 02/13/21
Alex Epstein discusses two mindsets that can advance one's career even when one is starting from the most adverse circumstances: "customer obsession" and "100% responsibility."
Published 02/01/21
Alex Epstein discusses several characteristics that unite his productive role models for 2021, including focus, optimizing for value creation over advertising, and having very little need for short-term feedback.
Published 01/18/21
Alex Epstein discusses some lessons that his experimentation with "work fortnights"--11 days on, 3 days off--has reinforced.
Published 01/04/21
Alex Epstein discusses 6 kinds of focus that make individuals more productive and fulfilled: 1) focusing on a high-value and meaningful market 2) focusing on an area of comparative advantage 3) focusing on the most valuable few projects 4) focusing on performing your core work 5) focusing on inevitably productive processes 6) focusing on your progress
Published 12/21/20
Alex Epstein discusses one of his biggest productive breakthroughs to date: maximum separation of "performance time" and "feedback time."
Published 12/07/20
Alex Epstein discusses one of life's basic questions--"How do I spend the very limited time I have on Earth?"--and shares three techniques for answering it: life-blocking, ranked lists, and calendar comprehensiveness.
Published 11/23/20
Alex Epstein discusses the work and new podcast of Cal Newport, his favorite thinker on productivity.
Published 11/09/20
Alex Epstein discusses why he is suspicious of any “morally safe” activity—any easy way to be seen by oneself or others as a good person. Doing the “morally safe” thing, he argues, often involves 1) a lack of critical thinking, 2) wasting time, and 3) acting on unhealthy motives.
Published 10/26/20
Alex Epstein discusses the three ingredients of relaxed productivity—inevitably productive process, high-altitude planning, and real rejuvenation—along with one poison: focus-destroyers.
Published 10/12/20
Alex Epstein discusses why we should seek out the rare phenomenon of the master practitioner-teacher wherever we can find it, using Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' new business book as an example.
Published 09/28/20
Alex Epstein discusses how to avoid overwhelm when one feels totally overcommitted for the upcoming week. The key is "calendar comprehensiveness," which Alex shares a quick process for achieving.
Published 09/14/20
Alex Epstein discusses three interrelated ways to avoid the pervasive problem of “overwhelm”: time blocking, choosing projects carefully, and scoping projects carefully.
Published 08/31/20
Alex Epstein discusses how thinking through best-case and worst-case scenarios can dramatically improve anything from the planning of your week to a hiring decision to a new project.
Published 08/17/20
Alex Epstein discusses the main resolution he made upon turning 40: being more disciplined about setting the right conditions for work--so that the work itself is far easier, more relaxed, and more enjoyable.
Published 08/03/20
Alex Epstein discusses what to do when you’re having trouble getting started on a valuable activity, from a workout to a challenging project.
Published 07/20/20