Our topic this week is the mystery and science behind streaks. Ben Cohen covers the NBA for the Wall Street Journal and is the author of “The Hot Hand: The Mystery & Science of Streaks.” We discuss the phenomena of the “hot hand” in basketball and a famous paper from the 1980s that claims the hot hand doesn’t exist. We also explore how the hot hand relates to Shakespeare’s plays, Rob Reiner’s movies, picking stocks, betting at the roulette table and even farming. We often see patterns where there are none, so it’s important to determine when a streak is just random or an indication that something really has fundamentally changed. Ben Cohen helps us sort it all out, and we learn valuable lessons we can apply to make better decisions and maybe, just maybe, create the conditions to experience the “hot hand” in our own lives and careers.What You’ll Learn:·     How Steph Curry’s big night changed the NBA and how we think about streaks·     What research tells us about the “hot hand” in basketball·     Why Shakespeare and Einstein did get the hot hand in their creative work·     What is the “gambling fallacy” and how it relates to the “hot hand”·     Why most people bet against the “hot hand” at the roulette table·     How our understanding of streaks can make us better decision makersResourcesThe Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks by Ben CohenConnect with Ben CohenTwitter: @bzcohenWebsite: https://www.bzcohen.com/Connect with Sean MurrayEmail: seanm@realtimeperformance.comTwitter: @seanpmurray111LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpmurray/Website: www.seanpmurray.netNewsletter: https://www.realtimeperformance.com/newsletter/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Description:The topic this week is time management and productivity – how to get more out of each day. Time is our most precious resource. It is the currency of our lives. In this episode, your host, Sean Murray talks with time management expert Paul Burton. Paul offers great advice on strategies on how to stay focused, avoid distraction, get the most important work done and feel better about what we’ve accomplished.What You’ll Learn:·     The difference between necessary and unnecessary distraction·     How to reduce distractions to create more focus·     The danger of multi-tasking and why it doesn’t work·     The importance of taking command of our technology and getting it to work for us·     How technology companies prey on our vulnerabilities and attempt to capture our attention·     How we can prevent apps, social media and other technologies from devouring our attention·     The connection between productivity and the positive feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day·     How being more efficient at work can free up time for friends, family and relationships to help us live the good lifeResourcesPaul Burton’s website: www.quietspacing.comConnect with Paul BurtonEmail: paul@quietspacing.comConnect with Sean MurraySean’s Twitter AccountSean’s Email: seanm@realtimeperformance.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sean Murray talks with Brent Snow, the designer of the popular course on decision-making called, "Decision Mojo." Brent teaches decision-making to corporate executives.In today's episode, Brent talks about how to improve our decision-making by recognizing our cognitive biases, and taking steps to mitigate their effect. Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, and Ray Dalio all come up in the conversation as we seek to understand what makes them such great decision-makers, and how we can apply their lessons to our own life.IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:The role of cognitive bias in decision-makingHow to recognize bias in decision-making and mitigate their effectsThe "overconfidence" bias in estimating and forecasting, and how to manage itWhy you should always identify "what you don't know" when making decisionsThe confirming evidence biasHow to use probabilities and base rates, and humility to improve decision-makingWhy Warren Buffett worries about the confirming evidence bias and what he does to reduce its impactWhy Jeff Bezos can lead a rocket company without being a rocket scientist himself, and what that teaches us about decision-makingThe availability bias, how it comes into play in decision-making, and how to counter itWhy patients are being asked to take on more decision-making, and what that means for usWhy the dialogue between patient and doctor is so important in medical decision-makingBOOKS AND RESOURCESBrent's websiteCONNECT WITH BRENT SNOWBrent's email: brent@tenthousandfeet.comBrent's LinkedIn pageGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode, Sean Murray talks with Nabil Ayers, a professional musician, successful entrepreneur, and U.S. head of the independent music label, 4AD. Nabil is also a gifted writer. He has published in the New York Time, and the National Public Radio (NPR). Later this year, Viking Press will publish his memoir.Nabil exemplifies so much of what we talk about on this show. There is a theme of music and creativity that runs throughout his life and career. In this episode, he talks about listening to an inner voice that has guided him through major decisions and career transitions. We also discuss what it means to follow your passion, and how that has played out in his life. Other topics include how Nabil channels creativity, and how writing has changed his day-to-day experiences.IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:The role of creativity in “The Good Life”What it means to “follow your passion”How Nabil started and built Sonic Boom, a successful chain of record stores in SeattleHow Nabil balanced playing music professionally while growing a businessHow a conversation at a party made him lead the New York office of a major independent record labelHow Nabil went from not writing in 5 years, to publishing in the New York Times and the magazines, to having a memoir coming outHow writing has changed Nabil’s lifeBOOKS AND RESOURCES:Nabil Ayers' websiteCONNECT WITH NABIL AYERS:Nabil's TwitterNabil's LinkedInGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today’s episode we pause to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned in the first year of The Good Life Podcast. In this retrospective, your host, Sean Murray revisits some of the most impactful guests and topics from 2020. There are a couple of motivations for this. First, we launched in January of 2020, so we're also celebrating the first year of The Good Life Podcast. Second, the audience has grown tremendously since we launched. Many of you who may have joined in the summer or in fall might not be aware of the episodes and guests from earlier in the year. This may alert you to a topic of interest which might motivate you to go back and listen to an earlier episode. Third, as you know, one of the recurring themes we heard from the guests this year, as they shared with their thoughts on how to live the Good Life, is this idea of taking time for reflection. Whether it's writing in a journal or going for a walk, or whatever it is that you like to do, it's beneficial to set aside time periodically to revisit our recent experiences, conversations and reading to just reflect on the lessons we can draw from them.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:Brian Portnoy explains the concept of “Hedonic Adaptation” and why it is so important to understanding happinessRyan Hanley explains the two ways Adam Smith tells us we can live our lives, and which path leads to true happiness and flourishingElizabeth Samet explains what Seneca means when he seeks “tranquility” and why it is so important for living the good lifeWilliam Irvine explains why it is important we adapt a “philosophy of life” and why he chose StoicismMichael Erwin explains what he means by solitude, and why it’s so importantJames Mustich talks about finding the next book to read and why we need to follow our instinctsScott Hambrick makes the case for reading the Great BooksJonathan Clements talks about the role money and wealth play in achieving happinessBOOKS AND RESOURCESThe Geometry of Wealth: How to Shape a Life of Money & Meaning by Brian PortnoyOur Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life by Ryan Patrick HanleyLeadership: Essential Writings by Our Greatest Thinkers by Elizabeth SametA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. IrvineThe Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer and More Resilient by William B. IrvineLead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude by Michael Erwin & Raymond Kethledge1,000 Books To Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List, by James MustichOnline Great Books How to Think About Money by Jonathan ClementsCONNECT WITH GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:Brian Portnoy's Twitter: @brianportnoyMichael Erwin's Twitter: @ErwinRWBJames Mustich's Twitter: @jamesmustichJonathan Clements' Twitter: @ClementsMoneyGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, we talk about the novel "War & Peace." Sean sits down with Andrew Kaufman, Professor of Russian Literature at the University of Virginia, and author of the book "Give War & Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times." Andrew is incredibly knowledgeable about Tolstoy, and the life lessons we can draw from what many consider to be the greatest novel of all time. Don't worry if you haven't read War & Peace. Andrew does an amazing job talking about themes and characters without any major plot spoilers.In this episode we talk about Tolstoy's advice for how to deal with change, both in our individual lives and in society at large. We discuss Tolstoy's view on suffering and how it relates to meaning. We talk about the role of family in a flourishing life. We also cover Tolstoy's view on leadership. Stick around for the end when we get to Tolstoy's advice on how to live the good life.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:Why War & Peace is an entirely new form of novel that had never existed beforeHow Tolstoy took on the "Great Man" theory of history and replaced it with a more realistic version of history that is based on the individualHow War & Peace can affect our relationship with changeHow Tolstoy’s characters in the novel find meaning through sufferingWhy our greatest insights come from the moments in our life when we experience our greatest sufferingWhy Russian writers are uniquely positioned to teach lessons about life and survival Why Tolstoy needed 1,500 pages to tell this storyHow today's tragedy is often the springboard to tomorrow's triumphWhy Napoleon’s strategy during the invasion of Russia in 1812 failed, and why the Russian general Kutusov's strategy succeededWhy Tom Peters, the leadership guru, called "War & Peace" the greatest book on management ever writtenWhy Tolstoy tells us that life is change, movement and sufferingWhy Tolstoy advises us not to confuse happiness with the gratification of our own desireHow Tolstoy's lost his family's ancestral home in a card game, and why that experience helped him write a better novelThe power of family to help us through life's changes and challengesHow a simple action of human compassion and kindness can change everythingWhy greatest joy is enjoying the experience of simply being alive, and enjoying the sheer beauty of the presentWhy we shouldn't trust the 'gurus" when they offer us an easy answer to success or living the good lifeBOOKS AND RESOURCESGive War & Peace a Chance by Andrew KaufmanWar & Peace by Leo TolstoyBrowse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) hereSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsorsCONNECT WITH ANDREW KAUFMANAndrew Kaufman's WebsiteAndrew Kaufman's Twitter AccountAndrew Kaufman's Facebook PageAndrew Kaufman's LinkedIn AccountGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s show, we brought back by popular demand, our Mastermind group on decision making. I believe decision making is one of those super-powers in living The Good Life. Improving our judgment can have a far-reaching impact on our health, our well-being, our emotions, our happiness – so many different aspects of our life. Decision making is the primary tool we have to go about in constructing a flourishing life.The Mastermind group includes Jake Taylor of Farnam Street Investments, Annie Duke, author of "Thinking in Bets", and Brent Snow, founder of Ten Thousand Feet which is a company that provides training to Fortune 500 companies on decision making. I've asked each of our guests to introduce a tip or technique that they recommend in improving our decision making. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:How quitting helps us deal with uncertaintyWhy, when the world changes, we should change our mindWhy being “quit-tuitive” is not intuitive, and what do do about itGritty is good but when do we quit and get gritty about something else?The "quit-ability" of an option should be something we take into considerationDetermine the conditions in advance that would cause us to change our mind and try another strategy or modelWhy Bezos encourages his team at Amazon to quit and shut projects downWhy we should "Widen the frame" – consider more than just two optionsWhy a group is great for providing different perspectives and independent thinking, but one person should make the decisionWhy we shouldn’t use a group meeting to decide, rather we should use it to inform. Information diets and truth densities - give yourself permission to go on an information dietPare down your input to information with high truth densityWhy books are the oil of informationBOOKS AND RESOURCESHow To Decide  by Annie DukeLetter to Investors on Decision Making by Jake TaylorAll of the HSA benefits. None of the hassle. Make the most of your health savings account with BendHSA.Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. What’s in your wallet?Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) hereSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsorsCONNECT WITH ANNIE DUKE, JAKE TAYLOR & BRENT SNOWAnnie Duke's Twitter AccountAnnie Duke's WebsiteJake Taylor's Twitter AccountJake Taylor’s Farnam Street InvestmentsBrent Snow’s Ten Thousand FeetGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My guest today is my friend and fellow host on the Investor’s Podcast Network, Trey Lockerbie. Trey is a former professional musician who has toured around the world. He’s also the CEO and founder, along with his wife, of the beverage company Better Booch, which makes Kombucha Tea, and he's an avid Value Investor.We focus this episode on how Trey got into Value investing, how he met Warren Buffett, what he learned from that interaction, and the value investing principles he’s taken from Warren and incorporated into his own investment approach.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:What it was like for Trey to meet Warren Buffett and what he learned from their conversationHow Trey went from options trader to value investorThe book Buffett told Trey to read, and what Trey learned from that bookThe power of compoundingThe importance of “Circle of Competence”Why the concept of “Mr. Market” is so powerful and important to value investingWhy estimating intrinsic value is so important yet there is no single formula on how to do itWhy “margin of safety” is a bedrock principle of value investingWhy one of Buffett’s greatest assets is his love of learning and his ability to evolve his thinking and change his mindBOOKS AND RESOURCESTrey's first episode as co-host of We Study BillionairesCheck out our top picks for the Best Investing Podcasts in 2020All of the HSA benefits. None of the hassle. Make the most of your health savings account with BendHSA.Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. What’s in your wallet?Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) hereSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsorsCONNECT WITH TREY LOCKERBIEBetter BoochTrey: Twitter | LinkedInGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Sean Murray talks with Eric Jorgenson about the latter's new book, "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant." This is a book Eric collaborated on with Naval and they are giving the book away free online. It is essentially a collection of the wisdom of Naval, which was pulled from a variety of sources like Twitter, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, and other ephemeral media, which Eric assembled and organized into a book that is easy to read and search.Naval is a fascinating and very successful entrepreneur and investor who has a lot of interesting things to say about getting rich, building wealth, achieving happiness, developing your unique talents, and leveraging them.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:The unconventional education and career of Naval Ravikant and how that contributed to his success as an investorHow to get rich without getting luckThe importance of developing specific knowledge – leveraging your unique gifts, experiences, interests and dispositionWhy you can't take someone else's playbook and use it to execute your own successWhy it’s important to find opportunities that leverage your unique edgeWhy the leverage of "zero marginal cost products” is so importantWhy money solves your money problems but that’s about itWhy your health just may be the most important thing in your lifeThe role of identity around judgment and decision makingBOOKS AND RESOURCESThe Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric JorgensonCheck out our top picks for the Best Investing Podcasts in 2020All of the HSA benefits. None of the hassle. Make the most of your health savings account with BendHSA.Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. What’s in your wallet?Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) hereSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsorsCONNECT WITH ERIC JORGENSONEric's Twitter AccountEric's WebsiteThe Almanack of Naval WebsiteGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s show, Sean’s guest is a filmmaker and writer, Tiffany Shlain. Tiffany is the author of the book 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day per Week. In our conversation, we address a number of questions many of us have been grappling with for a long time – questions that go to the heart of what it means to live a flourishing human life.Ten years ago, Tiffany and her husband started taking one day off each week and unplugging. They put their devices away, no iPhones, no laptops, no screens of any kind. They refer to this as their digital Shabbat (or Sabbath). This practice has profoundly affected Tiffany’s life, relationships, memories, work, mindset, even her attitude toward technology.  IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:What a typical digital Shabbat look likeThe wisdom embedded in the ancient Jewish tradition of the Sabbath going back 3,000 yearsThe dangers and addictions of technologyHow to overcome the most common excuses for not practicing a “tech Shabbat”Why taking a day off from technology makes us more productiveHow unplugging improves sleep, creativity, gratitude, and memoriesHow constraints lead to freedomThe wise answer provided by Tiffany’s father on his death bed when she asked him “what is the meaning of life?”BOOKS AND RESOURCES24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and ConnectionAll of the HSA benefits. None of the hassle. Make the most of your health savings account with BendHSA.Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. What’s in your wallet?Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors.CONNECT WITH TIFFANY SHLAINTiffany's Twitter AccountTiffany's WebsiteGET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAYSean's Twitter AccountSean's LinkedIn AccountEmail: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.comWebsite: RealTime Performance, Inc.Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance NewsletterHELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.