#099 - Chris Sparks - Productivity Without Limits

Sep 2, 2019

Chris Sparks, a productivity coach and former top online poker player, shares his insights on enhancing personal productivity. He reveals strategies for setting effective goals and building lasting habits. Sparks delves into the lessons learned from poker that apply to decision-making and self-mastery. He emphasizes avoiding quick fixes and instead focusing on actionable steps and personal commitment. Listeners will gain practical tips to overcome procrastination, minimize distractions, and align daily habits with their priorities.

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ANECDOTE

From Poker to Productivity

Chris Sparks' background is in professional online poker, reaching top 20 worldwide.
This experience taught him about peak performance, leading him to productivity coaching.

INSIGHT

Holistic Emulation

Emulate individuals whose entire lives align with your aspirations, not just specific aspects.
Consider the full cost and unseen challenges of others' success.

ADVICE

Incremental Experimentation

Avoid adopting entire systems wholesale; instead, experiment with individual elements.
Test changes incrementally for efficacy before fully integrating them.

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Experiment Without Limits

Personal Experiments for Peak Performance and Productivity

Chris Sparks

Experiment Without Limits is a comprehensive guide to enhancing productivity and peak performance. It offers actionable strategies and step-by-step experiments to help individuals set meaningful goals, design effective systems, and build productive habits. The book is based on Chris Sparks' extensive experience working with high-achieving individuals, including entrepreneurs and investors.

Hardwiring Happiness

The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

Rick Hanson

In 'Hardwiring Happiness,' Dr. Rick Hanson explains how the brain's ancient survival mechanism makes it more adept at learning from negative experiences than positive ones. He introduces a simple method using everyday experiences to build new neural structures filled with happiness, love, confidence, and peace. Dr. Hanson's four-step HEAL method (Have, Enrich, Absorb, Link) helps readers to counterbalance the brain's negativity bias, making contentment and resilience the new normal. This approach involves focusing on positive experiences, absorbing their good feelings, and linking them to other positive experiences to override negative ones, thereby transforming the brain into a refuge of calm and happiness[1][3][5].

Deep Work

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Cal Newport

In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'. Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.

Off the clock

Laura Vanderkam

Make It Stick

The Science of Successful Learning

Henry L. Roediger

Mark A. McDaniel

Peter C Brown

Make It Stick challenges conventional wisdom on learning and teaching by presenting evidence-based strategies that replace less effective but widely accepted practices. The authors explain that effective learning comes from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has occurred, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. The book uses real-world examples and stories to illustrate these principles, making it an indispensable guide for students, educators, and lifelong learners.

Atomic Habits

James Clear

Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].

1984

None

George Orwell

Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.