The Dangers and Problems of Context Switching

Ari Meisel joins me today to explain why multitasking is a problem and what you can do instead. Multitasking involves rapidly switching between two or more tasks, resulting in a lack of focus and attention. Ari and I discuss his top secrets to success, how to optimize your time, and the idea of work-life integration. Listen and get valuable tips about how to live your best optimized daily life!

Less Doing, More Living @arimeisel on Twitter @arimeisel on Instagram Ari Meisel on LinkedIn  

• [02:02] - Ari talks about how he overcame Crohn’s disease, and how his book came out of that journey.
• [05:16] - How is Ari’s methodology different from Getting Things Done (GTD)?
• [07:09] - Ari discusses biohacking, talking about the HumanCharger and explaining what it is and how it works. Stephan points out how helpful it can be with jet lag.
• [10:55] - Did Ari cover stem cell therapies in his book Intro to Biohacking? He answers, then he and Stephan talk about triathlons and Tough Mudder.
• [13:57] - Ari talks about his top secrets to success in terms of optimizing time. He first recommends throwing out the concept of work-life balance in favor of the idea of work-life integration.
• [17:35] - Stephan talks about Keith Cunningham’s idea of having a thinking chair, and then Ari brings up an example involving Salvador Dalí. In terms of triggers, Ari uses his phone as his trigger.
• [20:22] - Ari shares his thoughts on Slack, explaining why it’s such a valuable tool for team communications.
• [22:20] - Multitasking doesn’t actually exist, Ari explains. Instead, what we think is multitasking is rapidly switching back and forth between tasks.
• [24:25] - How do you figure out when your 90-minute peak time is, and how do you maximize that time?
• [28:34] - Stephan just bought the ŌURA ring and is excited to try it out. Ari then talks about how he uses this ring.
• [30:50] - Is Ari using TrueDark glasses to help him sleep? Is he doing blood sugar monitoring throughout the day?
• [33:58] - Ari discusses other tools, in addition to Slack, that he likes for automating, delegating, and team communication.
• [36:19] - When does Ari use Trello versus Airtable? He answers with helpful information about both. He and Stephan then talk about kanban.
• [40:36] - Ari uses Zapier and Ifttt to connect Trello with other applications. He describes when he would use one versus the other.
• [42:02] - Does Ari have any tool, training, or online course to walk people through how he uses all these various tools? Yes, he has a membership site called the Less Doing Labs.
• [44:58] - Ari describes the biggest difference in his life between now and two years ago. His answer involves the Amazon Echo.
• [47:27] - What are the most important things that Ari wants listeners to get from this conversation, or things that we haven’t touched on yet?

• Less Doing, More Living
• @arimeisel on Twitter
• @arimeisel on Instagram
• Ari Meisel on LinkedIn
• Less Doing, More Living
• Less Doing Podcast
• Getting Things Done (GTD)
• David Allen on the Optimized Geek
• HumanCharger
• Biohacker Summit
• ARX Fit
• Dave Asprey on the Optimized Geek
• Intro to Biohacking by Ari Meisel
• Dr. Harry Adelson on the Optimized Geek
• Tough Mudder
• Keith Cunningham
• Alter ego concept by Todd Herman
• Salvador Dalí
• Slack
• Cal Newport on the Optimized Geek
• Attention residue
• Flow state

• Heart rate variability (HRV)
• ŌURA ring
• CNS Tap Test
• Human Performance app
• TrueDark
• Viome
• Asana
• Trello
• Airtable
• Intercom
• Kanban
• Zapier
• Ifttt
• Less Doing Labs
• ManyChat
• Twilio
• Rodeo Reminders
• Infusionsoft
• ScheduleOnce
• Calendly
• Amazon Echo
• Alexa Skills