Tools for Improving Productivity | Dr. Cal Newport & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Dr. Cal Newport and Dr. Andrew Huberman discuss a productivity strategy known as the 'pull-based workflow management' system, which encourages maintaining focus on just three active tasks and organizing the remainder into a queue to be pulled from when the active tasks are completed.

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Timestamps
00:00 Mastering Workload with a Pull-Based System
01:48 Interactive Q&A: Applying the Pull-Based System
05:47 Introducing Multi-Scale Planning
06:59 Deep Dive into Daily Scale Planning & Communication Blocks
11:43 Conclusion & Invitation to Watch Full Episode

#HubermanLab #CalNewport #Productivity

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[pattressel]

Dr. Newport is describing aspects of the very well known and established kanban process. That involves having a collection of tasks, sorted into "doing" tasks -- the small number of tasks one is actually working on, those that are "ready" to act on, and, just to allow tracking and giving oneself little pats on the back, a "done" set. Other task sets can be added according to one's, or one's team's, needs, such as a set for ideas or tasks that are not yet actionable. Two core ideas are that a kanban is a pull system (not a new term) -- workers take new tasks when they are ready for a new task -- and the "work in progress (WIP) limit". A kanban system can be used by individuals or teams, can be managed using paper sticky notes or fancy online systems, of which there are many. Trello is an example of a kanban task list -- others include Jira, Asana, Kerika, etc. etc. But the management tool does not entirely enforce the philosophy. If one's boss attempts to push a task beyond one's WIP limit, one can ask, "Ok, which task shall I stop working on?" For a team / workplace, the philosophy needs buy-in, or this could degenerate into just another project tracking system. The WIP limit is where bosses commonly try to fudge the philosophy. Note for many of us, the WIP limit should be one, or perhaps one core task and one side task that does not need deep concentration. Have a look at the book Personal Kanban by Jim Benson and Torianne Barry, or look up kanban on Wikipedia. Especially look at the history of kanban, from the Toyota Production System, and current use as a part of agile methods in software development.

[ReflectionOcean]

By YouSum Live

00:00:02 Implement a pull-based system for better focus.
00:00:31 Reduce distractions by limiting active tasks to three.
00:03:45 Utilize tools like Trello for task organization.
00:05:47 Adopt multi-scale planning for efficient time management.
00:06:01 Plan daily, weekly, and seasonally for productivity.
00:07:02 Incorporate time blocking to enhance daily planning.
00:10:10 Allocate specific blocks for communication and tasks.
00:10:57 Follow time blocks to reduce decision fatigue.
00:11:34 Separate activities for better cognitive focus.

By YouSum Live

[L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

I do something similar but mine has more room for "outside" projects. I'd suggest having 5 projects to work on at a time, next five being your "upcoming" projects (queue), and everything else goes in your "Ideas" list. Sometimes you have to work on a project you didn't directly choose to work on and if you have just 3 things to work on as a rule, you won't be able to put "an outside project with a deadline" in the queue. So, 5 current projects and 5 upcoming projects (queue). This gives you the option to choose which of your current project you'll pause working on, and which one to continue working on. So, "outside" projects both have a room in your plan and don't make you their slave.

[EcomCarl]

Implementing a "pull system" can streamline workflow and boost productivity by focusing on the most impactful tasks. Sharing this strategy with your team and using tools can further enhance collaboration and efficiency.

[SalmanMKC]

Isn't that a kanban board or to do list? Or the whole way of planning in agile with OKRs and KPIs?

[tinytim]

This could not have been better timed.

[sihr]

This is very similar to the Franklin Covey system, which I’ve been using for years. Nice upgrade! ❤

[AndiKod]

Easy! Waste less time with YouTube videos, and do real things instead. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[HRuncoded]

This is such a wonderful video. Thank you so much.

[joychapman]

I'd be interested in your skin health topic. Are you including toxins released from tattoos?

[prerna_aggarwal]

’ve been guilty of piling on too much at once, so limiting focus to just three tasks is such a simple but powerful shift. Have any of you tried this and noticed a real difference in your workflow?

[halliegrant]

I just listened to this while driving to work seeing the guest on the show just briefly, I seriously thought it was Jason Bateman the entire video. 😂 I was so confused

[IntegrityMeansAll]

This was a great episode - concrete tips! Qu.: Wouldn’t it make sense though to also include other duties/activities in that schedule? Since non-work related daily duties are also time-consuming and often we don’t consider them..

[MaxwellPietsch]

Oh you mean like a kanban board? The idea that's been around forever?

[someguyusa]

I'll have to see if there is a study-specific version of this. These tips are only useful if you are not actively trying to learn new material like in college.

[fourlokody]

what about if you’re working on something but you need data from someone, and they take a week to get back to you with the data you need? how does that scenario of collaboration fit in?

[ethan]

im so productive i can have 6 girlfriends at 1 time

[adrianpietro]

A nice video would be ways to implement a rotation ... If you know what I mean

[SunnDeath]

Good episode. However, I'm not the type to put all my personal life into spreadsheets

[usuario.millenar]

How good would it be if the link window was on the other side of the screen 😂