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All(158) +1s(80) PhilosophersNotes(6) Authors(7) Quotes(65)

+1s (80)

“The Purgatory of the Idiot”
#1286

vs. The School of Genius

As you probably noticed if you’ve been following along, I recently rebooted the PhilosophersNotes TV series. (Check it out on the App, on the site, on

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+1 inspired by Note: Stillness Is the Key

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Conquering Digital Addiction & Mindfulness

Areté conquering-digital-addiction focus iconoclast Mind mindfulness productivity

#1286

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The Inventor of the Telephone
#1283

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Refused to Have a Telephone in His Study

Alexander Graham Bell once said: “Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” As I was preparing for our Fundies session on Focusing, I knew I’d share that. And, I knew I’d share the quote along with ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Digital Minimalism

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conquering-digital-addiction focus Mind productivity technology time management

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How to Create Time
#1253

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And Put It to Work for Us

A few +1s ago, I invited you to join me and play The 100,000 Game. As in: 100,000 steps per week. Which, as we discussed, comes out to an average of 14,285.7 steps per day. (👈 Don’t forget that .7, folks!! 🤓) Now… You might see that number and think I�...

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+1 inspired by Note: The Freak Factor

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What’s Your 0?
#1249

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Let’s Turn It Into a φ

Since COVID-19 rolled into town and decided to stay (and then all of our other cultural issues took on an even greater degree of intensity), I started using online news sources to keep myself up to speed. A little bit of online news became a little bit more online news which became a little bit...

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+1 inspired by Note: Focus

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A Wandering Mind
#1234

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Is an Unhappy Mind

Not too long ago we spent some time with the brilliant neuroscientist Ian Robertson, discussing some Ideas from his great book The Winner Effect. Today we’re going...

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+1 inspired by Note: The Stress Test

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conquering-depression focus Happiness meditation presence technology Work

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How to Delete a Bad Habit (Again!)
#1233

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One Way: Make It Harder

In our last +1, we alchemized an Enervator into an Energizer and did some fancy new math: -1 → +1 = +3 for the win! I mentioned the Enervator I wanted to address: Online news. Now, this isn’t a super-bad habit (like it used to be) but, frankly, I just don’t need to download ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Tiny Habits

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algorithms conquering-digital-addiction focus Habits productivity technology Work

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Limitless Steps
#1189

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How to Moonwalk Around the Earth 2 Dozen Times

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that we are the superheroes of our own lives. Our ultimate supervillain? Technology. (At least when used sub-optimally.) Recall the 5 Digital D’s: Deluge + Distraction + Dementia + Deduction + Depression. (Note: I still can’t believe the stat ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Limitless

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Peak Performance & Productivity

compound focus Fundamentals Peak Performance productivity Work

#1189

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Superhero, Meet Your Supervillain
#1188

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The 5 Digital D’s: Deluge + Distraction + Dementia + Deduction + Depression

A few +1s ago we spent some time with Jim Kwik and his brilliant book Limitless. Jim is a huge fan of superheroes. As a kid, he suffered a brain injury that made it challe...

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+1 inspired by Note: Limitless

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Clark Kent’s Changing Room
#1185

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The Flow Telephone Booth

Continuing our brief foray through Jim Kwik’s brain and book, let’s talk about the power of getting into Flow. Jim tells us that being able to flip the switch and drop into a powerful Flow state is one of the keys to tapping into our (

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+1 inspired by Note: The Rise of Superman

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#1185

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Astonishing Productivity
#1180

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Some Math on How to Create It

In our last +1, we had some fun playing with Cal Newport’s Deep Work equation. We modified it from: High Quality Work Produced = Time Spent x Intensity of Focus to: High Quality Work Produced = Time Spent x Quality of...

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+1 inspired by Note: So Good They Can't Ignore You

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High Quality Work Produced =
#1179

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Time Spent x Quality of Energy x Intensity of Focus

Back in the day, we chatted about Cal Newport’s Deep Work Equation. It goes like this: High Quality Work Produced = Time Spent x Intensity of Focus ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Deep Work

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How to Make Yourself Miserable
#1112

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And How Not to Waste Brain Cells

In our last +1, we talked about my impulsive little foray into a Dropbox Paper chat—allowing myself to get distracted reacting to some inputs BEFORE doing my (pre-inputs!) Deep Work. I went across the Brig...

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+1 inspired by Note: Grit

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Habits & Willpower

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#1112

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Crossing Bright Lines
#1111

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And Getting Back on Track

This morning I did my normal thing. Starting last night with shutdown complete, etc. You know the drill. My #1 AM1 Deep Work goodness was clear: Create +1s. Note: That’s supposed to be pre-inputs. Only… That’s not what I did. Rather than get to...

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+1 inspired by Note: Digital Minimalism

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Want to Make It Stick?
#1030

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Explain Like I’m 5

In our last +1, we talked about the research on the fact that The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Today I want to talk about ano...

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+1 inspired by Note: A Mind for Numbers

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focus Learning productivity Speaking technology Work

#1030

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The Pen Is Mightier
#1029

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Than the Keyboard (Science Says re: Taking Notes)

In our last +1, we talked about Phil Stutz’s insight that leadership entails a willingness to embrace what he calls “hatred and misunderstanding.” We connected that to

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PhilosophersNotes (6)

Make Time

How to Focus on What Matters Every Day

by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky

Want to Make Time? Well, Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (JZ) have the system to help you, as per the sub-title of their great book: “Focus on What Matters Every Day.’ Jake and JZ met at Google. Jake had worked on Gmail and JZ on YouTube before they connected at Google Ventures. While there, they worked with a ton of startups in which Google invested (including Uber, Slack and 23andMe) on a project-development system they created called “Sprint.” This book is all about resetting our culture’s default settings by stepping off of what they call “the Busy Bandwagon” while jumping out of “Infinity Pools” of distraction to optimize our energy, focus, and time. It’s a GREAT book that echoes a ton of what we talk about all the time. Big Ideas we explore include how to make time in four steps: Highlight (what's today's focal point?) + Laser (vs. disco balls) + Energize (be a good Homo sapien) + Reflect (it's all one big experiment!).

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Barking Up the Wrong Tree

The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

by Eric Barker

Eric Barker is the creator of the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, which “presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.” This is a REALLY engaging, well-written, compelling book. Eric takes us on a fun adventure through the science of what *really* works. And, as the sub-title suggests: How most of what you *think* works, is either a LOT more nuanced than you may have been led to believe or is just plain wrong. Big Ideas we explore include why valedictorians don’t typically top the success charts, how to get more willpower, why managing your energy is so key, the power of mentors (and how to get one), and the #1 thing to remember for success.

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Fully Engaged

Using the Practicing Mind in Daily Life

by Thomas M. Sterner

Thomas Sterner wrote the great book The Practicing Mind (see Notes). This is a follow-up practical guide to applying the concepts in that book to our daily lives. It’s a great little book packed with wisdom and zero fluff. Having the ability to do be fully (!) engaged in this moment is the ultimate super power. Big Ideas we explore include: how to be fully engaged, the #1 goal of meditation, how to get in total control of your life, goal poison, premeditated procedures, and the powerful question: “And then what?”

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Focus

The Hidden Driver of Excellence

by Daniel Goleman

Daniel Goleman is a former New York Times science writer and author of the uber-bestselling book Emotional Intelligence. In Focus, we look at the underlying neuroscience of attention. We need to start by realizing that the strength (or weakness) of our attention is at the core of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. we do. Everything! Which is why Goleman calls it “the hidden driver of excellence.” Big Ideas we explore include rumination vs. reflection, the three foci of willpower, smart practice and hitting the mental gym.

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Smarter Faster Better

The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business

by Charles Duhigg

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning NY Times journalist (and Harvard MBA) who wrote the best-selling book The Power of Habit in which he walked us through the science of building better habits. In this book, he walks us through the science of being productive so we can be smarter, faster and better at everything we do. It’s a great book packed with fascinating stories and practical applications. Big Ideas we explore include the 2 keys to motivation, how to build your focus, the best way to set goals (think: Stretch + SMART), why disfluency helps learning and how productivity is all about choices.

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Deep Work

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

by Cal Newport

Deep Work. It’s the key to how you get So Good They Can’t Ignore You—which, of course, is the title of another one of Cal’s great books. Big Ideas include Deep Work vs. Shallow Work, how to give your neurons a workout, cleaning up attention residue, the four rules of deep work, finding the routine that works for you and learning how to shut down completely.

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