“Routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.” – W. H. Auden
This episode is a conversation/debate/trading of ideas between Chase Jarvis (@ChaseJarvis) and yours truly. We discuss a little bit of everything, including:
- Optimizing creative output
- Systems thinking
- Quota setting
- Celebrating the small wins
- Success for type-A personalities
- Meditation techniques
- Absurdity
- The details of the struggles of creating a high level
- And much, much more…
If you enjoy this conversation, then I recommend you check out creativelive.com/30daysofgenuis. Here you can find incredible videos from people like Richard Branson, Seth Godin, Brené Brown, and many more. It’s free. Sign up now.
If you sign up by Friday, May 13th at 11:59 p.m. PT, you are entered to win a mentorship from me, Chase, and 3 other high-level performers for a year. We will pick 1 winner on May 15, and I hope it’s you.
If you want a quick taste of what’s in this episode, here’s a story (I’ve never shared before) about the closest I’ve come to drop-kicking someone.
Enjoy!
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another podcast delving into tactics for enhancing creativity? — Listen to my conversation with Whitney Cummings. In this episode, we discuss how she uses pain as fuel for her creativity (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What is your biggest frustration with the creative process? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
- Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
- Habit List to enhance your habits
- Play It Away by Charlie Hoehn
- Learn more about the tools I use for faster and better sleep
- Check out f.lux for evening work
- Two of my top podcasts:
Hardcore History | Here’s the Thing (shorter episode length)
- Check out the Black Mirror TV series
- Read my posts on dealing with “Productivity Hacks” and Thoughts on Suicide
- Chimpanzee Politics by Frans de Waal
- Waking Up by Sam Harris
- The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
- Check out notable episodes of the Tim Ferriss Show:
Jamie Foxx | BJ Miller | Patrick Arnold
Arnold Schwarzenegger | Derek Sivers | Kevin Kelly
- Check out The 4-Hour Life course on CreativeLive
- Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
- Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman
- Watch Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech
Show Notes
- On the success of The Tim Ferriss Show [5:56]
- Systems inspired by Scott Adams [6:34]
- How to use the question, “What would this look like if it were easy?” [9:08]
- How can I set my ‘quota’ lower so that I can feel like I’m winning? [13:33]
- How to celebrate the small wins [18:13]
- Lionel Ritchie anecdotes [19:40]
- Meditation techniques and practical tactics for dealing with the real world [23:38]
- Absurdity as a synonym for creativity [29:17]
- Why the masks people wear often tell us more about the person than the truth [33:03]
- Details of our morning routines [40:58]
- Evening routines and tools for better sleep [45:23]
- How to deal with the negative or self-defeating voices in your head [50:53]
- How to not “retreat into story” [55:24]
- How to manage the complexities of life [59:28]
- Why good content and good work is the best SEO in the world [1:05:18]
- Why “It’s too late” is usually awful advice [1:06:20]
- Embracing (and creating) the freedom to play and experiment [1:07:38]
- A story that Tim has never told [1:11:03]
- Why having certain constraints is necessary to actualize your highest potential [1:21:00]
- How to use creative constraints to get rid of crutches and improve your craft [1:23:36]
- If Tim could put up a billboard up anywhere, where would you put it and what would it say? [1:28:58]
- Tim’s most-gifted book to friends, acquaintances, and family [1:29:27]
- Something about Tim that most people would be surprised to learn [1:31:01]
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