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Episode Summary
On March 8th, the world pauses to celebrate International Women’s Day — but most people don’t know how it actually began, or how staggeringly large the invisible economy it points toward really is. In this rapid-fire bonus Factlet, Joshua unpacks the strike that accidentally toppled a 300-year dynasty, puts a hard dollar figure on the world’s most underpaid labor force, and closes with a personal word to the woman behind the work.

Episode Highlights
The Historical Twist
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th not because of a summit or a declaration, but because of a strike. On that date in 1917, women textile workers in Petrograd walked off the job demanding “Bread and Peace.” When soldiers ordered to suppress the protest refused and marched with the women instead, the movement became unstoppable. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated seven days later, ending three centuries of Romanov rule. The provisional government that followed granted women the right to vote, making Russia one of the first major powers to do so.

The Shadow Economy Stat
According to a 2020 Oxfam study (the largest of its kind) women globally perform 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care work every single day. Valued at minimum wage, that labor would be worth $10.8 trillion annually. That’s more than three times the size of the entire global technology industry in case you’re keeping score.

Note: The Oxfam “Time to Care” report (2020) uses minimum wage as a floor, which Oxfam itself describes as a conservative underestimate. The real figure is almost certainly higher.

References 

1. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2024). Russian Revolution. Britannica.com.
2. International Labour Organization. (2018). Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work. ILO.
3. InternationalWomensDay.com. (2026). IWD 2026 campaign theme: #AccelerateAction.
4. Oxfam International. (2020). Time to care: Unpaid and underpaid care work and the global inequality crisis. Oxfam GB.
5. Spartacus Educational. (n.d.). The February Revolution (1917).
6. UK Parliament, House of Lords Library. (2026). International Women’s Day 2026: Women’s rights around the world.
7. UN Women. (2026). International Women’s Day 2026.
8. World Economic Forum. (2024). Global gender gap report 2024.

If this episode made you think, made you feel, or made you want to know more — that’s exactly what Oh, That’s a Fact is for.

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© 2026 Oh That’s A Fact · Joshua Hess

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In this episode of "Oh That's A Fact," host Joshua dives into the fascinating world of habit formation, exploring why relying solely on willpower often leads to failure. Tune in to uncover surprising facts about the psychology behind habits, learn practical life hacks for making lasting changes, and get quick tips to simplify your journey toward better behavior. With a focus on curiosity and forgotten facts, this episode offers actionable advice to help you understand and improve your habits more efficiently. Don't miss out on these insights that will leave you saying, "Oh That's A Fact!". 

Understanding Habit Loops and Rewards

Debunking the 21-Day Myth

Storytime: Oprah Winfrey's Power of "No"

Quick Tips on Habit Formation

Quick Quizlet on POWER NAPPING

BONUS HABIT HACK

Bibliography

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314.

Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Random House.

Mendelsohn, A. I. (2019). Creatures of habit: The neuroscience of habit and purposeful behavior. Biological Psychiatry, 85(11), e49–e51.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Making lifestyle changes that last. APA.org.

Maltz, M. (1960). Psycho-cybernetics. Prentice-Hall. http://ir.harambeeuniversity.edu.et/bitstream/handle/123456789/212/Psycho%20Cybernatics%20-%20Maxwell%20Maltz%201960.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Gardner, B., & Lally, P. (2022). Habit and habitual behaviour. Health Psychology Review.

Learning Liftoff. (2024, May 6). Overcoming obstacles: What Oprah Winfrey learned from her childhood of abuse.

KEYWORDS: Habit Formation, Habit Formation Strategies, OTAF, Willpower, Self-Improvement, Productivity, Behavioral Science, Mental Health, neuroplasticity, dopamine rewards, basal ganglia, psychology, Oprah Winfrey, Two-Minute Rule, Environmental Tweak, 21-Day Myth, Practical changes, Changing, Keystone Habit, Keystone statement, Keystone Thought, people pleaser, Bonus Habit Hack, Quick Quizlet, Habit Loop, Change Hacks, Tips, Tricks, Strategies, Brain Function, Behavioral Change, Psychology of Habits 

Thanks: Marcy, Mark Herscovitz, Sim B., Sarah, Mikey/Jare, Sat Meetup Crew, PMC and my Toots.

Habit Formation: Why Willpower ALWAYS Fails You  © 2026 by Joshua Hess is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. View license copy at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: [email protected]

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Joshua, the host of "Oh, That's A Fact," discusses PROCRASTINATION in the first episode. He argues that procrastination is often misunderstood, being more about emotional regulation than laziness. He identifies two types: passive/chronic and active/strategic. Active procrastination can enhance creativity, decision-making, and efficiency. Joshua cites a 2016 Stanford study showing procrastinators generate 28% more creative ideas. He also mentions Victor Hugo's strategic delay in writing "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Joshua provides practical tips like the Two-Minute Rule, Task Decomposition/Chunking and the app, Goblin Tools to manage procrastination effectively.

Quick Quizlet Question:

How long does it typically take  to form a habit?  

   A)  21 days 

   B)  30 days 

   C)  66 days

   D)   90 days  

   E)  1,000,000 years 

Action Items

• Write down the answer to the Quick Quizlet Question about how long it typically takes to form a habit.
• Reach out to the host at [email protected] with any feedback or questions.
• Subscribe to the podcast to not miss the next episode.
• Share the episode information with others who may find it helpful.

Sound Effects courtesy of Floraphonic, Liecio, StudioKolomna, Aviana Phoenix via Pixabay.

OTAF Music: “Happy Event Music Is”  provided by: Diamond Tunes via Envato

# Bibliography

1. Psychological Science (2018) – Neural Basis of Procrastination

2. American Psychological Association – Procrastination Statistics

3. APA.org – Rationalizations for Procrastination

4. PubMed Central – Exploring the Genetics of Procrastination

5. Fast Company – 5 Unexpected Benefits of Procrastination

6. Stanford Creativity Study (2016)

7. MIT Sloan Management Review (2022)

8. Harvard Business Review – “The Strategic Value of Delay”

9. Fast Company – 5 Unexpected Benefits of Procrastination

10. James Clear – The 2-Minute Rule

11. Cal Newport – Time-Block Planning

12. UC Berkeley – Language and Task Aversion Research (2023)

13. Daniel E Gustavson - Genetic Relations Among Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Goal-Management Ability: Implications for the Evolutionary Origin of Procrastination   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4185275/

14. Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81-97

(The thank you list was too long to be here. Please check out the "transcription" for The List.)

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: [email protected]

Thank you for listening. Please SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW, RATE and REVIEW wherever you listen (because that stuff really counts. Who knew?!)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakingofvo/

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Hey there. I'm Joshua, and I host, "Oh That's A Fact.” And I'm sure you can tell, I have tons of questions. If you're anything like me and have questions of your own and an insatiable curiosity, this podcast is gonna give you some answers by providing you with some forgotten facts, tons of life hacks and lost lessons you may have missed.

Expect to learn some quick tips, tricks and suggestions to help make your life simpler, easier and more efficient. We are going to dive into how we can do things simpler; using less time, money and energy. 

Episodes of "Oh, That's a Fact" will be bite-sized and between 10 - 15 minutes long and will be aimed at reminding you and I about some things we may have forgotten and discussing other things that are just good to know. 

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: [email protected]

Thank you for listening. Please SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW, RATE and REVIEW wherever you listen (because that stuff really counts. Who knew?!)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakingofvo/

https://www.instagram.com/OhThatsAFact