Why You Can’t Stop Your Productivity Addiction - Oliver Burkeman - #1061
Modern Wisdom
02/19/26
•92m
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Oliver Burkeman is a journalist, a writer for The Guardian and an author.
How does the insecure overachiever evolve? You think success will quiet the doubt, then you hit 30, and it’s still there. More achievement, more stress. So how do you feel proud of what you’ve built without always fearing it’s not enough?
Expect to learn if it possible to be the best in the world and relaxed at the same time, how to deal with uncertainty more effectively, the biggest changes insecure overachievers will face as they age, the cost of constantly asking, “Am I living my best possible life?“, how to know when it’s a good time to settle and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) The Hidden Trap of Tying Your Worth to Success (6:31) How to Accept You Can't Control Everything (15:25) Why Nothing Going Your Way Might Be a Gift (19:04) The Real Cost of Trying to Control Everything (24:27) Why You Should Do It Anyway (30:41) Can You Actually Design Fun? (41:03) Is AI Just Another Control Fantasy? (46:26) The Insecure Overachiever Paradox Explained (55:14) Is Optimising Your Life Making You Miserable? (58:41) Do High Performers Create Their Own Problems? (01:05:19) How to Handle Criticism and Let Go of Control (01:21:22) Does Settling Lead to a Better Life? (01:26:12) What Is Oliver Working On Now? (01:31:25) Where to Find Oliver
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Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Previous Episode
Rick Glassman is a comedian, actor, and podcaster.
Why do humans act so complicated? We’re simple creatures — farts are funny, everyone does awkward stuff, yet we all pretend we don’t. Maybe life gets better when you lean into the weird instead of hiding it. So how do you embrace being different and find the fun instead of stressing about it?
Expect to learn how Rick’s brain works, what his favourite show and jokes are and how they shaped him, the top things that are difficult to look cool while doing, why using "condoms" with friends are useless, how to handle our people pleasing tendencies for good, why humans are so hard to interact with at times, the awkward feelings of becoming intimate with someone, the biggest message Rick Glassman wants to give out in the world and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) How to Set Boundaries (11:01) Should We Ask More Questions? (20:30) The Power of Being Honest About Who You Are (32:50) Self-Love vs Self-Improvement: Finding the Balance (44:40) Are People Pleasers Actually Being Selfish? (53:55) Is Farting Actually Funny? (01:06:06) Are You Honest About What You Really Want? (01:15:21) The Right Way to Approach Someone New (01:25:50) The Power of Reverse Charisma (01:29:20) Breaking Through the Confines of the Game (01:35:01) The Fastest Ways to Look Uncool (01:39:01) The Hidden Rules of Conversation We Ignore (01:49:01) How to Handle Flakiness (02:03:02) Why Being Included Feels So Good (02:13:26) How to Build a Top Podcast (02:25:00) Where to Find Rick
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Next Episode
It’s time to rethink your entire life plan - Dave Evans - #1062
February 21
•108m
Dave Evans is an entrepreneur, early Apple engineer, former Electronic Arts executive, Stanford lecturer, and author.
How does someone genuinely find meaning in their life? We’re often told that when things feel empty, uncertain, or painful, the answer is to “find more meaning”. But what does that actually mean? Is meaning something we discover, like a hidden truth waiting to be uncovered? Or is it something we construct through choice, responsibility, and attention?
Expect to learn what people actually mean when we’re talking about meaning, the problem people are actually trying to solve when they say they want meaning, how to engineer more meaning into your life, what the difference between the problem-solving world and the meaning-making world is, what the red herrings are in terms of meaning, why so many people become objectively successful and subjectively miserable and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) How to Figure Out What You Want in Life (5:30) What Does Meaning Really Mean? (15:34) Making Sense of Life’s Changes (21:05) Reframing Fulfilment to Fully Enjoy Life (22:43) Are We Confusing Meaning With Feeling Alive? (28:41) Has Optimisation Killed the Magic of Meaning? (39:31) The Hidden Power of Wonder (42:52) The Best Ways to Inject Wonder into Life (47:03) Does Coherence Create Purpose? (50:46) Can You Be Balanced and Coherent? (52:32) The Secret to Finding Your Flow State (57:06) Is Multitasking Killing Your Flow? (01:02:40) How to Engineer Flow into Your Life (01:09:59) The Biggest Mistakes High Achievers Are Making (01:19:25) How to Strive Without Missing Your Life (01:25:43) Why Community is Essential (01:33:18) The Signs It's Time to Redesign Your Life (01:47:05) Where to Find Dave
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get up to $350 off the Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom
Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom
Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom
-
Get Dave Evans' new Book - 'How to Live A Meaningful Life' here: https://designingyourlife.link/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life/chris
-
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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