What are you called to do in life? What is your life’s task? And once you figure that out, how do you pursue it?

The one and only Robert Greene sat down with us on the pod to talk about all of these questions and a whole more.

We discuss finding and pursuing one’s life task, the nature and causes of “Peter Pan Syndrome”, science vs timeless wisdom on life, figuring out what do in midlife after you’ve taken the wrong path, and a much more.

Enjoy.

Sign up for my newsletter, ⁠Your Next Breakthrough⁠. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough⁠

About Robert Greene

Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, The Laws of Human Nature, and most recently of The Daily Laws.

In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, Greene’s books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry (including Jay-Z, Drake, and 50 Cent).

Greene attended U.C. Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Robert’s Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com/

Robert’s Books: https://powerseductionandwar.com/books/

Robert’s social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobertGreeneOfficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial

X: https://x.com/RobertGreene

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Robert-Greene-100085341047380/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@robertgreene

Chapters:

00:40 The F*ck of the Week: Finding Your Life’s Task

29:37 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Peter Pan Syndrome

43:15 Q&A: Science vs Timeless Philosophy, How to Start Over in Midlife

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

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It's hard enough to change, but why it is so hard to maintain that change too? How might psychedelics facilitate big changes in our lives? And how can young men find healthy role models in the modern world?

In this week's pod, we cover my current struggles around keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle, how psychedelics might actually scramble your brain (in a good way), and why so many young men are struggling to find a place in the world today.

Enjoy.

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

00:15 The F*ck of the Week: Struggling with food and healthy eating

14:23 Brilliant of Bullsh*t: Psychedelics rewire your brain?

26:37 Q&A: How do I be man in today's world?

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by ⁠Periphery⁠, used with permission from Periphery.

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Why can’t we just do the things we know we should do? It’s a simple question with a very complex answer.

To help us answer it, I sat down with my old friend, Nir Eyal, a behavioral design expert and author of the best-selling book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

I love Nir’s approach because he doesn’t linger on the surface of the problem of distraction by hocking the latest app or hack or fancy new time management method. Instead, he dives right into the thorny emotional realities we all face in trying to lead productive, meaningful lives.

In this episode, we talk about what it means to be “indistractable” and how it’s probably the most important skill of the 21st century. We also get Nir’s take on the role of social media in our lives (his views on this might surprise you). And finally, he answers that timeless question: Why don’t we just do what we know we should do?

Enjoy.

About Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. His books have resonated with readers worldwide, selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages.

Nir’s book, Indistractable: http://geni.us/indistractable

Nir on time boxing: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing/

Nir on values: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/

Nir’s free schedule maker: https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/

More articles by Nir: https://www.nirandfar.com/best-articles/

Follow Nir on social media:

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

https://www.youtube.com/user/nirandfar

https://twitter.com/nireyal

https://www.facebook.com/nirandfar/

http://instagram.com/neyal99

2:02 The F*ck of the Week: Becoming Indistractable

23:04 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: The Social Dilemma

44:20 Q&A: How do I get myself to do the things I know I should do?

Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

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How many f*cks should we give about politics? What’s driving the widening ideological gap between young men and women? And is the world truly and utterly f*cked beyond all recognition?

In this episode, we talk politics without really talking politics. We cover how to stay up-to-date on current events without going insane, what history can teach us about the present, the real downside to TikTok’s invasion of—well, everything—and why there is still reason to hold out hope, even when it seems like the world is going straight to hell.

Check it out.

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person.

Chapters

01:17 The F*ck of the Week: Politics

16:24 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: Is TikTok Ruining Politics AND Dating?

32:24 Q&A: Is Everything Just F*cked?

Theme song: Icarus Lives by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

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Cutting off bad or toxic parents is all the rage in some pockets of the internet these days—but have we lowered the bar a little too much for what makes a parent “toxic”? How can we navigate and own up to the hard conversations we need to have with the people closest to us? And is there a silver lining for putting up with family members who drive us absolutely f*cking insane?

Join us on today’s pod as we get a little squirmy in our chairs while we tackle these issues. Drew squashes some beefs, Mark sniffs out some of the bullshit around cutting people off, and we answer one of your questions about dealing with those crazy people you just can’t get away from: your family.

Enjoy.

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

Theme Song: Icarus Lives by Periphery, used with permission from Periphery.

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The quality of your life often comes down to the quality of the relationships you have. That’s why we’re giving a huge f*ck about friendship this week.

While the benefits of having good friends are pretty obvious, the cost of maintaining friendships is often overlooked by a lot of people. We dive into that, plus some advice on when you should and shouldn’t cut off people in your life, and how friends and romantic partners really impact our happiness.

Check it out.

Here’s the paper we discuss:People perceive parasocial relationships to be effective at fulfilling emotional needs

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person:https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

If you’d like to submit a question for us to consider, you can leave it in the comments below or email it to[email protected]

Theme Music: "Icarus Lives" byPeriphery

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Are you addicted to self-improvement? Are experts really any better than the rest of us at knowing how to make positive changes in our lives? What are some common pieces of life advice that just don't seem to work?

Drew and I tackle all of these questions today in our brand new, updated format for the pod. Find out why self-help can turn into pseudo-religion (and why we should bring back exorcisms), whether or not a huge mega-study by a bunch of fancy experts can tell us anything about behavioral change, and some common self-improvement tropes that just don't do it for us.

Here's the study we discuss:Megastudies improve the impact of appliedbehavioural science

Let us know what you think of the new show format in the comments below.

And sign up for Your Next Breakthrough, my weekly newsletter that will help you be a slightly less awful person:https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

Got a question for us? Leave it in the comments below or send it to[email protected]

Theme song is "Icarus Lives" by Periphery.

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Steven Pressfield was 52 years old when he published his first hit novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Prior to that, he wrote tirelessly for decades in obscurity, supporting himself with odd jobs along the way.

After writing several more novels and movie scripts, he distilled all of his wisdom into The War of Art, his now-famous treatise on the grinding process of creativity.

Now in his 80s, Steven looks back on his work and life with a clear-eyed view of what it truly means to make it as a creative professional. In this episode, he explains why he persisted writing for decades with little to show for it, how he compensated for his own lack of talent, why creating great art is actually a grueling war fought within the artist’s own mind, and much, much more.

Enjoy.

Steven’s new book, The Daily Pressfield

All of Steven Pressfield's Books

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We often think self-discipline requires massive action and a lot of pain and sacrifice—but the reality is a lot more boring. Today, we tackle some common misconceptions about self-discipline, arguing that real change comes from setting up your environment for success, not grinding through endless struggle.

We explore the hidden dangers of romanticizing pain and why true self-discipline is more about boring consistency than epic feats of endurance. Hopefully, this episode challenges you to rethink how you approach your goals and habits. If you're ready to stop punishing yourself and start seeing real, lasting change, you won’t want to miss this.

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help you be a less awful person:https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

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It’s bonus episode time! Today, I’m doing a Q&A with questions you’ve all submitted. We dive into how I’ve changed my mind, bad habits, regrets, dead dreams, advice to young people, meditation, and a whole lot more.

Submit your questions for future podcasts in the comments or email them to [email protected].

Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help you be a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough

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