The OptimalWork Podcast by OptimalWork

05.27.2024

197. The Ultimate Guide to Complaining

#197: Complaining is very tempting. When experiencing difficulty, it can seem helpful to vent our frustration. But chronic complaining can hinder the development of genuine bonds and can reinforce a negative mindset. Complaining narrows our focus and prevents us from...

05.20.2024

196. Equipping Yourself to Engage Challenge

#196: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the concept of self-efficacy and its practical application in various examples. Self-efficacy is the brain's prediction of success right before engaging in a task. It affects motivation, resilience, and the...

05.13.2024

195. Why Self-Efficacy is More Important than Self-Esteem

#195: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the concept of self-efficacy and its relationship to mastery and confidence. Albert Bandura, a psychologist at Stanford, initiated the self-efficacy literature. He developed ways to help people overcome their fear...

05.06.2024

194: Reviewing Cal Newport’s “Slow Productivity”

#194: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss Cal Newport's new book, “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.” “Slow Productivity” builds on themes he explores in his previous books: for instance, mastering your craft and...

04.29.2024

193: Mindset Mistakes that Sabotage Success

#193: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the theory and science behind reframing, which is a foundational skill of OptimalWork. Reframing is essential to personal growth and overcoming challenges. But it goes beyond many of the techniques...

04.22.2024

192. Going Beyond Outcomes with Growth Goals

#192: Automaticity, while beneficial in some ways, can also be a danger if it makes everyday actions become rote. Treating each moment of a task as unique allows for growth, meaning, and mastery. One way to do this is frequently...

04.15.2024

191. How to Help the Anxious Generation Thrive

#191: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres review the book “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. “The Anxious Generation” attributes the skyrocketing levels of anxiety among youth, particularly Gen Z, in large part to the widespread use of...

04.08.2024

190. Is All Therapy Bad Therapy?

#190: In her recent best-seller “Bad Therapy,” Abigail Shrier argues that therapy for children causes more problems than it solves. Shrier critiques the approach many therapists take as based on a flawed understanding of human nature, and she also draws...

04.01.2024

[Rebroadcast] The Impact of Awe

One of the least-discussed emotions may be the most powerful in bringing about well-being. When was the last time you were filled with awe? People may think of awe as a nice-to-have emotion, but not needed for living a good...

03.25.2024

188: Why You Should Stop Labeling People

#188: It can be tempting to fit people into our categories: we think things like, “she’s sanguine,” “he’s not good at math,” “she’s shy,” “he’s melancholic.” We may even convince ourselves that these labels help us people as they want...

03.18.2024

187. Harnessing Your Brain’s Predictions to Transform Anxiety

#187: The brain’s models and predictions play a central role in the vicious cycles that drive procrastination, dread, and anxiety. When your brain assess a challenge as a threat, often it’s predicting some pain, or shame and sounds the alarm...

03.11.2024

186. How to Navigate Inner Conflict

#186: Why do we sometimes feel like we're at war with ourselves? In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres dive into a therapy approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS), exploring how our mind has various parts — protectors and...

03.04.2024

185. Getting Past Shame-Based Motivation

#185: What motivates you to get up in the morning? What motivates you to continue working on a challenging task? Learning how to motivate yourself is essential to true success, but so many people are motivated by a fear of...

02.26.2024

[Rebroadcast] How to Process Negative Feedback

Negative feedback is a part of life. It’s also essential in helping us identify our biggest opportunities for growth. In this episode, we discuss how to give and receive negative feedback and the role it plays in the social dimension...

02.19.2024

183. Overcoming Anxiety III: Incorporating Ideals

#183: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In the third and final installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage three: using adrenaline to achieve maximal growth. Stage one, bronze-work, centers on challenging yourself by engaging triggers head-on,...

02.12.2024

182. Overcoming Anxiety II: Develop Daring

#182: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In the second installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage two: using mindfulness to experience the alarm of anxiety. When you focus on the alarm of anxiety, rather than the...

02.05.2024

181. Overcoming Anxiety I: Feel the Fear

#181: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In this first installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage one: confronting the trigger of anxiety head-on, embracing the fear. Over time, the trigger will habituate; as you challenge yourself,...

01.29.2024

180. How to Discipline Your Children While Deepening Your Bond with Them

#180: When a child does something wrong, your first instinct may be justice: to punish them. In this episode, we discuss “No-Drama Discipline,” by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson, exploring how to discipline children in a way that builds your...

01.22.2024

179. Unleash the Power of Dynorphins

#179: Difficult situations can feel intolerable. That intolerable feeling is produced by dynorphins and it makes us want to give up and abandon the difficulty we’re facing, whether it’s exercise, a difficult task, time in the sauna, or some small...

01.15.2024

178. How to Get Energy from Tiredness

#178: What do you do when you feel tired? Go back to sleep? Take a nap? Power through? In this episode, we discuss a number of approaches to overcoming tiredness, from tracking your levels of fatigue (not recommended) to changing...

01.12.2024

[Rebroadcast] Why You Should Aim for Silver Instead of Gold

#152: You may have a goal of achieving a high level of performance with no difficulty, no inner turmoil whatsoever. In this rebroadcast, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss approaching challenges in a different way: not aiming for effortless success,...

01.12.2024

[Rebroadcast] Challenging Anxiety

#157: Do you have any anxiety that you feel might be holding you back? In fact, anxiety is like a forge that you can use to shape yourself according to your highest ideals. In this episode, we show you how...

01.12.2024

[Rebroadcast] How to Have Deeper Conversations

#158: Conversations can be a source of frustration, but they can also be the source of our deepest and most fulfilling joys. The bonds that we form with others are forged in large part through conversations. In this episode, we’ll...

01.08.2024

[Rebroadcast] A Deeper Dive into Challenge

#177: The goal of OptimalWork is to help people challenge themselves according to their highest ideals in each task. In this episode, we dive deeper into this core concept, showing how challenge is the surest path to growth. Find more at...

01.01.2024

[Rebroadcast] How to Approach Every Challenge With a Sense of Newness

#176: Whenever we do something repeatedly, we’ll tend eventually to do it in a rote, automatic way. This even applies to OptimalWork’s core practices: reframing, mindfulness, and challenge. In this episode we show how curiosity can help you overcome this...

12.25.2023

[Rebroadcast] How to Broadcast Positive Emotions

#175: Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re always broadcasting our own inner experience. By shaping our actions according to our ideals, we forget about ourselves and create a positive tone around us. In this episode, we’ll show you...

12.18.2023

174. The Paradoxes of Mindfulness

#174: Mindfulness lies at the heart of OptimalWork’s approach. Living your highest ideals means being fully present, fully engaged with reality. Cultivating this habit is the work of mindfulness. But mindfulness rests on a set of apparent contradictions. Foremost among...

12.11.2023

173. From Tolerance to Acceptance to Love

#173: The two fundamental ways you can relate to challenge are approach and avoidance. Typically, approach leads to a virtuous cycle: the challenge gets easier and more enjoyable over time as you grow in mastery. Avoidance, on the other hand,...

12.04.2023

[Rebroadcast] How to Work Intensely without Stressing Yourself Out

#172: Many people think that they and others work best under extreme external pressure: impending deadlines, demanding bosses, etc. In this rebroadcast, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss better ways to achieve intensity. Find more at ⁠https://www.OptimalWork.com⁠.

11.27.2023

[Rebroadcast] Choose Flow, Not Hyperfocus

#171: Have you ever worked with great intensity and lost track of time, only to realize later that it was all a waste? You had fallen for the trap of hyperfocus.In this episode, we’ll distinguish between hyperfocus and true flow,...

11.20.2023

170. Should You Be Doing Therapy at Work?

#170: With rising rates of anxiety and depression, some have suggested that managers be trained to provide “mental-health first aid” to employees in distress. In this episode, we discuss the best ways managers can help employees thrive at work, how...

11.13.2023

169. How to Persuade Your Emotions

#169: What’s the best way to prevent distractions? Are prevention techniques — like website blockers — effective? In this episode, we discuss different strategies aimed at behavior change. We argue that the source of the most sustainable behavior change is...

11.06.2023

168. The True Value of Reframing

#168: Reframing is a practice that developed from cognitive behavioral therapy. It means discovering the opportunity present within a challenge. If you face a challenge that causes anxiety, distraction, or burnout, reframing can help you approach it more effectively. But...

10.30.2023

167. The Power of a Golden Hour

#167: At the heart of our approach is the practice of a Golden Hour: preparing your mind for a time of work, focusing on one thing, and setting a stop time in advance. Doing a Golden Hour brings the key...

10.23.2023

166. Why Embracing Shame Will Help You Thrive

#166: Shame is the emotion we feel when we fear that our failures or weaknesses will become known. This fear can lead us to pursue certain outcomes as defenses — money, success, prestige, etc. — or to shy away from...

10.16.2023

165. How to Stop Justifying Yourself

#165: When people experience cognitive dissonance — that is, a clash between one’s self-concept and reality — they will tend to favor their self-concept, and can rationalize this bias in a process of self-justification. This process can thwart meaningful personal...

10.09.2023

164. Why Venting Negative Emotions Only Makes Things Worse

#164: It’s a widespread belief that when experiencing negative emotions like anger or frustration, it’s helpful to vent them. In fact, this practice is counterproductive. Studies indicate that when people express negative emotions in this way, far from letting them...

10.02.2023

163. The Power of Agency

#163: In their 2019 book “The Power of Agency,” Paul Napper and Anthony Rao lay out their theory of growth and happiness, which centers on the concept of “agency.” In this episode, we compare their seven principles with OptimalWork’s approach,...

09.25.2023

162. How to Conquer Procrastination

#162: Procrastination is something of a mystery. Its costs — decreased quality of work, fraying of bonds with others, increased negative emotions like stress, even health effects — are universally acknowledged. Yet procrastination persists — or, put precisely, people persist...

09.18.2023

161. How to Develop Lasting Motivation

#161: This episode continues our discussion of Alfie Kohn’s “Punished by Rewards.” Kohn believes that a person’s motivation (especially a child’s) starts out pure but gets corrupted by rewards and praise. Here we explore the possibility that intrinsic motivation is...

09.11.2023

160. Punished by Rewards?

#160: In this episode, we explore the radical claims made by Alfie Kohn in his 1993 book Punished by Rewards. Kohn, an expert in education and psychology, argues against the use of rewards to incentivize behavior. For Kohn, such incentives...

09.04.2023

[Rebroadcast] How to Be Generous and Still Thrive

#159: At OptimalWork, we often emphasize generosity as a crowning ideal: a key character quality to strive for. But this raises some questions. Should you just give everything to everyone? What are the limits? What if people start to take...

08.14.2023

[Rebroadcast] Making Wise Use of Small Blocks of Time

#156: Do you ever find that you don’t have enough time to accomplish all the things you’d like to? Small blocks of time may seem inconsequential, but they add up. Making wise use of these blocks can increase your productivity...

08.07.2023

[Rebroadcast] Boost Your Sleep Skills

#155: A lot of people have heard about the practices of sleep hygiene, and are using them, but still struggle to achieve sleep. It may seem like sleep is something that either happens effortlessly or not at all. Recent research,...

07.31.2023

154. Mastering Your Brain’s Predictions

#154: The pain you experience from negative emotions is your brain’s way of predicting and preparing you for some kind of avoidant behavior. In this episode, we’ll show you how to most directly change your brain’s predictions and thus attain...

07.24.2023

153. Break Through Your Brain’s Predictions

#153: When you experience anything — tiredness, pain, distractions — you’re engaging not just reality, but also your brain’s predictions. This insight has profound consequences for how you should engage challenges like tiredness, and for the types of beliefs you...

07.10.2023

[Rebroadcast] How to Face Imposter Syndrome

#151: More and more people report experiencing “imposter syndrome,” often in new and challenging social or professional situations. They are unable to internalize their own success, attributing it instead to external factors like chance or luck; as a result, they...

07.03.2023

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The OptimalWork Podcast episodes:

197. The Ultimate Guide to Complaining

196. Equipping Yourself to Engage Challenge

195. Why Self-Efficacy is More Important than Self-Esteem

194: Reviewing Cal Newport’s “Slow Productivity”

193: Mindset Mistakes that Sabotage Success

192. Going Beyond Outcomes with Growth Goals

191. How to Help the Anxious Generation Thrive

190. Is All Therapy Bad Therapy?

[Rebroadcast] The Impact of Awe

188: Why You Should Stop Labeling People

187. Harnessing Your Brain’s Predictions to Transform Anxiety

186. How to Navigate Inner Conflict

185. Getting Past Shame-Based Motivation

[Rebroadcast] How to Process Negative Feedback

183. Overcoming Anxiety III: Incorporating Ideals

182. Overcoming Anxiety II: Develop Daring

181. Overcoming Anxiety I: Feel the Fear

180. How to Discipline Your Children While Deepening Your Bond with Them

179. Unleash the Power of Dynorphins

178. How to Get Energy from Tiredness

[Rebroadcast] Why You Should Aim for Silver Instead of Gold

[Rebroadcast] Challenging Anxiety

[Rebroadcast] How to Have Deeper Conversations

[Rebroadcast] A Deeper Dive into Challenge

[Rebroadcast] How to Approach Every Challenge With a Sense of Newness

[Rebroadcast] How to Broadcast Positive Emotions

174. The Paradoxes of Mindfulness

173. From Tolerance to Acceptance to Love

[Rebroadcast] How to Work Intensely without Stressing Yourself Out

[Rebroadcast] Choose Flow, Not Hyperfocus

170. Should You Be Doing Therapy at Work?

169. How to Persuade Your Emotions

168. The True Value of Reframing

167. The Power of a Golden Hour

166. Why Embracing Shame Will Help You Thrive

165. How to Stop Justifying Yourself

164. Why Venting Negative Emotions Only Makes Things Worse

163. The Power of Agency

162. How to Conquer Procrastination

161. How to Develop Lasting Motivation

160. Punished by Rewards?

[Rebroadcast] How to Be Generous and Still Thrive

[Rebroadcast] Making Wise Use of Small Blocks of Time

[Rebroadcast] Boost Your Sleep Skills

154. Mastering Your Brain’s Predictions

153. Break Through Your Brain’s Predictions

[Rebroadcast] How to Face Imposter Syndrome

[Rebroadcast] An Unconventional Way to Stop Wasting Time

[Rebroadcast] How to Dehypnotize Yourself

148. Why Leisure is More than Just Rest