A Productive Conversation

Chris Bailey Talks About Hyperfocus, Meditation, and Attention Management


Listen Later

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.


In this Flashback Friday episode, I reconnect with Chris Bailey, with a conversation centering on his book, Hyperfocus. We dive into the lessons he learned since the release of Hyperfocus and explore his approach to managing distractions and cultivating deep focus in a world full of noise. Chris also shares his thoughts on how meditation can enhance our ability to stay on track, drawing from his personal experiences and extensive research.

This conversation provides a fresh take on productivity, where slowing down and focusing deliberately is more effective than working fast and frantically. Whether you’re struggling with distractions or just looking to improve your focus, this episode has actionable insights that can help you be more intentional with your time and energy.

Key Discussion Points

  • Chris’s journey since releasing Hyperfocus and his latest work on mindfulness and calm
  • How to manage attentional space in a world full of distractions
  • The benefits of meditation in increasing focus and mental clarity
  • Practical tips for creating a distraction-free environment to foster deep work
  • The importance of doing the right things deliberately, rather than just doing more
  • How Chris fits new ideas into his current projects to maximize impact

  • I’m grateful to Chris for sharing his wisdom and experiences in this Flashback Friday episode. His work continues to inspire us to be more intentional with our time and attention. If you’re looking to dive deeper into focus and productivity, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways. Don’t forget to check out the links mentioned and take a look at Chris’s latest work. (Originally released October 2018)

    Links Worth Exploring

    • Connect with Chris: Website | Instagram | Twitter/X | LinkedIn
    • About that Ben Folds song...
    • Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction
    • The Productivity Project
    • APC Episode 77: The Productivity Project with Chris Bailey
    • A Lesson from “About a Boy” on Hyper-Scheduling
    • The Hyper-Scheduling Experiment | MacSparky
    • Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
    • Essentialism by Greg McKeown
    • APC Episode 201: Willpower Doesn’t Work with Benjamin Hardy
    • APC Episode 73: Deep Work with Cal Newport

    • Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.

      Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, you can subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can subscribe on Spotify and also on Apple Podcasts. Not using either of those to get your podcasts? Just click on this link and then paste the podcast feed into your podcast app of choice.

      Thanks again for listening to A Productive Conversation. See you later.

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


      If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      A Productive ConversationBy Mike Vardy

      • 4.2
      • 4.2
      • 4.2
      • 4.2
      • 4.2

      4.2

      102 ratings


      More shows like A Productive Conversation

      View all
      Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

      Freakonomics Radio

      32,246 Listeners

      The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

      The Tim Ferriss Show

      16,174 Listeners

      The Art of Manliness by The Art of Manliness

      The Art of Manliness

      14,296 Listeners

      Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields / Acast

      Good Life Project

      3,375 Listeners

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job

      1,036 Listeners

      The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

      The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

      8,876 Listeners

      Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee by Dr Rangan Chatterjee: GP & Author

      Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

      3,903 Listeners

      Everyday Better with Leah Smart by LinkedIn

      Everyday Better with Leah Smart

      355 Listeners

      anything goes with emma chamberlain by emma chamberlain

      anything goes with emma chamberlain

      62,601 Listeners

      The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

      The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

      14,324 Listeners

      Best Laid Plans by Sarah Hart-Unger

      Best Laid Plans

      821 Listeners

      Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

      Huberman Lab

      29,272 Listeners

      Jillian on Love by Jillian Turecki | Daylight Media

      Jillian on Love

      1,401 Listeners

      The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

      The Mel Robbins Podcast

      20,222 Listeners

      HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

      HBR On Leadership

      170 Listeners