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#471: Adam Grant — How to Remember Anything

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Oct 8, 2020

Guest

Adam Grant

In this conversation with Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and bestselling author, listeners delve into the fascinating science of memory. Adam shares compelling techniques to enhance recall for personal and professional success. He illustrates how memory impacts decision-making, drawing parallels with remarkable instances in sports. Additionally, he highlights the significance of authentic self-expression in the workplace and explores the challenges of emotional exhaustion. This episode is packed with insights on improving memory and fostering inclusive environments.

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ANECDOTE

McVay's Memory

LA Rams coach Sean McVay used his exceptional memory to transform the team's performance.
He recalls almost any play he's seen, giving him a decision-making edge.

insights

INSIGHT

Historical Importance of Memory

Throughout history, strong memory has been vital for survival and social success.
From identifying safe food to building trust, memory plays a key role.

insights

INSIGHT

Grant's Search for Memory Improvement

Adam Grant, despite being a professor, lacked a good answer for how to improve memory.
He then discovered Joshua Foer, a science journalist, and his work on memory.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Memory in the Game: The Rams' Turnaround

04:01 • 6min

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Unlocking Memory: Techniques and Transformations

09:32 • 11min

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The Power of Personal Memory and Workplace Authenticity

20:34 • 2min

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A Journey from War to Workplace Inclusivity

22:32 • 2min

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Creating an Inclusive Workplace and the Power of Collective Memory

24:08 • 2min

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Preserving Organizational Memory

25:40 • 12min

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Originals

How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant

In 'Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World', Adam Grant delves into the creative process and the mindset of individuals who challenge the status quo. The book discusses how originals manage risk while following their vision, the importance of quantity over quality in idea generation, and the role of procrastination and strategic timing in creative output. Grant also addresses how to communicate original ideas effectively, deal with emotional turmoil, and instill originality in various contexts, including business and child-rearing. The book challenges common myths about success and creativity, offering practical advice and anecdotes from historical figures and contemporary examples.

Give and Take

A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Adam Grant

In 'Give and Take', Adam Grant examines the surprising forces that shape success, highlighting the differences between givers, matchers, and takers. Givers contribute to others without expecting anything in return, matchers aim to trade evenly, and takers strive to get as much as possible from others. Grant uses cutting-edge evidence and captivating stories to show how these styles impact success across various industries. The book emphasizes the benefits and challenges of adopting a giver mentality and provides practical advice on how to build successful relationships and achieve extraordinary results.

Moonwalking with Einstein

The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Joshua Foer

In 'Moonwalking with Einstein', Joshua Foer delves into the world of competitive memory sports and the science behind human memory. The book follows Foer's transformation from a journalist to a mental athlete as he trains for the USA Memory Championship. It explores historical and cultural aspects of memory, including ancient techniques like the 'method of loci' or 'memory palace', and discusses modern research on memory. Foer also interacts with renowned memory experts and savants, providing a comprehensive look at how anyone can improve their memory through specific techniques and practices.

Option B

Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

Adam Grant

Sheryl Sandberg

Option B is a book that delves into the themes of grief, loss, and resilience. It begins with Sheryl Sandberg's personal account of her husband's sudden death and her journey through acute grief and isolation. The book extends beyond her personal story to explore how various individuals have overcome different types of hardships, including illness, job loss, sexual assault, and natural disasters. It offers practical advice and research-based strategies for creating resilient families, communities, and workplaces. The authors emphasize the importance of processing feelings, avoiding self-blame, and finding small victories to rebuild emotional equanimity.

Power Moves

Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force

Sarah Jakes Roberts

Power Moves by Sarah Jakes Roberts is a guide to help readers live life authentically and tap into their most powerful version. The book emphasizes the importance of humility, honesty, and continuous growth, and provides actionable steps to confront and overcome struggles. It helps readers give language to their changing needs, acknowledge and applaud their growth, refuse to bear the weight alone, and release their power. The book encourages readers to determine their truth without judgment and to live out the truth of who God says they are with confidence.

Please enjoy this special episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, featuring the superhuman Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) and his podcast with TED, WorkLife.

Many of you have heard my interview with Adam, which was one of the most popular interviews of 2019. I titled that podcast “The Man Who Does Everything” because Adam seems to accomplish more than the next 10 people combined, and he has built systems and habits that allow him to do this.

Adam is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of four books that have been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. 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, is one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He’s received distinguished scientific achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. It goes on and on. The good news is that this isn’t all freakish genes and good luck; Adam uses uncommon tools and strategies for getting all of this done. You can find our previous episode about this at tim.blog/adamgrant.

In Adam’s WorkLife podcast, he takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck; put another way, how do you make work actually work for you?

Adam and I share an intense interest in just how far—and easily—you can train your memory to do things that seem impossible, and I wanted to share with you an episode from Adam’s podcast titled “How to remember anything.” It is highly tactical.

One last thing—for legal reasons, we didn’t have the flexibility to remove any mid-roll ads, so... Accenture, this one’s on me.

Please enjoy the episode! You can subscribe to WorkLife with Adam Grant wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is brought to you by “5-Bullet Friday,” my very own email newsletter, which every Friday features five bullet points of cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and—of course—all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.

It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.

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