The Tim Ferriss Show

#399: Adam Grant — The Man Who Does Everything

Dec 5, 2019

Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton and bestselling author, dives into the intricacies of productivity and personal motivation. He challenges the notion of laziness, suggesting that aligning projects with intrinsic values boosts engagement. Grant shares how feedback can enhance confidence and teaching effectiveness, and discusses the importance of structured routines for maximizing productivity. He also emphasizes redefining success beyond metrics, highlighting personal growth and the impact of meaningful relationships.

02:03:50

Episode guests

Adam Grant

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Quick takeaways

Focus on projects that are intrinsically motivating and meaningful to maximize productivity.

Cultivate a challenge network to embrace criticism and continuously improve.

Prioritize attention management over strict time management for increased productivity and focus.

Saying no with authenticity and aligning commitments with personal values and capacity is crucial for success.

Deep dives

The Importance of Accountability in Teaching

Early in his teaching career, the speaker received feedback that he was nervous and had room for improvement. Instead of giving up, he focused on his passion for sharing ideas and being helpful to the students. He developed a challenge network, a group of individuals who provide unvarnished feedback, to help him improve in his teaching. He also recognized the value of time and attention management. By dedicating specific days to teaching and others to creative work, he maximized his productivity. When conflicts arise between commitments, he proactively communicates with others, finding replacements or alternative solutions to ensure the best outcome for all parties involved.

Create a User Manual of Yourself for Others

02:34

Productivity is a means to an end

01:36

Build a "Challenge" Network, Not Just a Support Network

03:02

Focus on Strengths, not just Problems

01:02

Intro

2min

Enhancing Fitness and Productivity: A Blend of Technology and Motivation

5min

Building Confidence Through Feedback

28min

The Book Writing Odyssey

4min

Navigating Productivity and Commitment

20min

Mastering Email Management

11min

Navigating Triage in Project Management

6min

Redefining Success: Beyond Metrics

25min

Maximizing Productivity Through Structured Routines

7min

10.

Success Through Support

9min

11.

Connecting Work and Wellness

7min

Adam Grant — The Man Who Does Everything | Brought to you by Zapier and Peloton.

"When you feel like you're not productive, it's not necessarily because you're lazy or because you have bad habits, it's because you're not working on the right projects and you haven't found the ones that are intrinsically motivating and meaningful to you." — Adam Grant

Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. He is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of four books that have sold over two million copies and been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been recognized as among the year's best by Amazon, The Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal and been praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, and Malala Yousafzai.

Adam hosts the TED podcast WorkLife, and his TED talks have been viewed more than 20 million times. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, and The Gates Foundation. He has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers, Fortune's 40 under 40, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and received distinguished scientific achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. Adam writes for The New York Times on work and psychology and serves on The Department of Defense Innovation Board.

He received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former magician and junior Olympic springboard diver.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.