Big Think

The CIA method for making quick decisions under stress | Andrew Bustamante


Listen Later

“The very same time that’s making you anxious is actually your most valuable asset. You can always create more energy and more money—but you can never create more time.”

What if the path out of overwhelm was less about doing more and more about doing less—intentionally? In a world saturated with distractions, decisions, and demands, the CIA’s covert approach to multitasking offers a surprising lesson for the rest of us.

Former spy Andrew Bustamante unpacks how operatives in high-risk, high-stakes environments manage overwhelming complexity—not through superhuman ability, but by mastering one surprisingly simple principle: do the next fastest thing.
00:00 Resources that matter
01:50 Task saturation
04:23 Your next simplest task
07:37 Your path to survival
08:33 Head trash
10:04 Managing overwhelm

About Andrew Bustamante:
Andrew Bustamante is a former covert CIA intelligence officer and decorated US Air Force combat veteran. In 2017, he founded EverydaySpy.com, the first digital platform teaching real-world intelligence techniques to everyday people. Drawing from his 20 years running human and technical operations globally, Bustamante empowers individuals to break social, financial, and cultural barriers using proven spy skills. He's a Fortune 10 corporate advisor, cybersecurity expert, and author of "Everyday Espionage: Winning the Workplace and Social Game."

----------------------------

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

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

Big ThinkBy bigthink

  • 2.4
  • 2.4
  • 2.4
  • 2.4
  • 2.4

2.4

10 ratings


More shows like Big Think

View all
Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,462 Listeners

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps by Josh Szeps

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

836 Listeners

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating by Big Bang Productions Inc.

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

1,048 Listeners

The Michael Shermer Show by Michael Shermer

The Michael Shermer Show

916 Listeners

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas by Sean Carroll | Wondery

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

4,142 Listeners

Quillette Podcast by Quillette

Quillette Podcast

806 Listeners

Within Reason by Alex J O'Connor

Within Reason

1,531 Listeners

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss by Lawrence M. Krauss

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss

488 Listeners

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

5,397 Listeners

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal by Theories of Everything

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

467 Listeners

UnHerd with Freddie Sayers by UnHerd

UnHerd with Freddie Sayers

225 Listeners

Honestly with Bari Weiss by The Free Press

Honestly with Bari Weiss

8,721 Listeners

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins by Richard Dawkins

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins

81 Listeners

Conversations With Coleman by The Free Press

Conversations With Coleman

366 Listeners

The Moynihan Report by 2WAY

The Moynihan Report

115 Listeners