The You Project

According to Dr. Gloria Mark, we spend an average of just 47 seconds on any screen before shifting our attention and it takes 25 minutes to bring that attention back to a task after an interruption. And that we interrupt ourselves more than we're interrupted by others. Also, did you know that that we can only focus on one thing at a time? Or that multi-tasking doesn’t really work or lead to greater efficiency or better outcomes. Or that cognitive fatigue is a thing? Or that having a mobile electronic ‘brain’ permanently attached to us (one that does the thinking, remembering and problem-solving for us) is down-regulating our actual biological brain? Technology is not bad (of course) but we need to learn how to co-exist with it in a healthy and sustainable way. Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. She takes a deep dive in examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood with the use of digital devices. She has published over 200 articles. Enjoy. gloriamark.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resident TYP Nerd (and golden tonsils) Patrick is back talking tech, enlightening the dinosaur (Stegosaurus Harps) and this time we talk about a medical radar device that can monitor older adults (are you listening Ron and Mary?) through walls, without a need for wearable trackers or cameras! Also, we learn about new technology that allows people with disabilities (or anyone, for that matter) to operate their devices via small lip and tongue movements (f**king amazing). We chat about a dude who won first prize at a prestigious photo competition but wouldn’t accept the prize because his award-winning ‘photo’ was actually an AI generated image! We also talk about the New York Police Department introducing robot dogs (what could go wrong??) as part of their police force. And on the creepy-as-f*ck front, Patrick tells me about a VR experience designed to simulate a cardiac arrest (yours) and then guide you through your own death. Nope. Nope. Nope. F*ck that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is comparison really the thief of joy? What if the comparison you’re making is between previous you and current you? And what if that comparison provides you with perspective, self-awareness and even a little motivation? And eventually, improvement, growth and a new-and-improved version of you? Like many things, comparison can be both a positive and a negative in our lives, depending on how we use it. This episode is a co-share of a chat I had with young Tiff on Roll With the Punches. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who knew that a professor could be as sweary as me? And also a funny, inappropriate, brilliant story-teller? And a science communicator, who makes the (potentially) complicated stuff, simple, practical and listener-friendly? Dr. Jaimie Krems is all that and more and I f**king loved our chat. She is a social psychologist with interdisciplinary training and her research draws on theoretical perspectives from social psychology, cognitive and evolutionary anthropology, behavioural ecology, and animal behaviour to investigate how people navigate their social worlds. Enjoy. kremslab.com @JaimieKremsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a ten-month period in 2020, Cyndie Spiegel’s young nephew (who she was close to) was murdered, her mum died unexpectedly (not long after), her brother had a severe stroke and almost died and Cyndie was diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing surgery and radiation therapy. And somehow, in the middle of all that suffering, grief and mayhem, Cyndie found a way to latch onto moments of joy. Sometimes life truly sucks and sh*t things happen to good people but I love the way Cyndie thinks, tells stories and connects and I believe for many, this will be an important listen. Her book is called ‘Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life is Not Okay.’ Enjoy. cyndiespiegel.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matty Lansdown is back at TYP HQ and this time we discuss food myths and misconceptions, sugar and hyperactivity, the pros and cons of coffee, eggs and cholesterol, trans-fats (terrifying), Slurpees and brain freeze (it’s science), meal times, brown sugar vs. white sugar, good and bad fats and plenty more. Enjoy. mattylansdown.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Griffin is a world-renowned Author, Buddhist Teacher and Speaker who happens to be a recovering addict, musician and incredibly down-to-earth bloke, who is refreshingly honest, flawed (like me), realistic, relatable and dare-I-say… somewhat ‘unspiritual’ (that’s not meant to be an insult). Oh.. and he’s also wise and funny. This was a meandering but enjoyable ‘coffee-chat’ style of episode and I loved it. kevingriffin.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was a totally new topic and conversation for me and I found it fascinating. It was also somewhat confronting because Batja’s research around emotions didn’t neatly fit into my ‘how emotions work’ box. How dare she. In this chat, we talk about the relationship between culture and its impact on emotions; and not just cultural differences between countries but also differences between religions, corporations and all kinds of groups. Growing up in the Netherlands where (in Batja’s words) people are somewhat direct, not gushy and not overly complimentary (unless it’s totally warranted), she was perplexed when she moved to the U.S. to find herself in the middle of an excess of compliments, superlatives and (in her mind) unwarranted praise and inappropriate familiarity from strangers. This chat is an eye-opener and mind-bender. I loved it.*Spoiler alert… when Batja was a little girl, she asked her mum “am I pretty?” and her Dutch mum replied.. “oh, about average”, being completely serious (and not trying in any way to be hurtful) and in our conversation Batja tells me “her judgement was correct, I am about average looking”. batjamesquita.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Bailey is a Canadian writer and productivity consultant, and the author of The Productivity Project (2016), Hyperfocus (2018) and How to Calm Your Mind (2022). It took an on-stage panic attack for Chris to recognise how critical it is for us to invest in calm at the same time as we invest in becoming more productive. Productivity advice works - and we need it now more than ever -but it’s just as vital that we develop our capacity for calm. By finding calm and overcoming anxiety, we don’t just feel more comfortable in our own mind, we build a deeper, more expansive reservoir of energy to draw from throughout the day. The pursuit of calm ultimately leads us to become more engaged, focused, and deliberate, while leading to deeper satisfaction in our lives. chrisbailey.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Zahos is a Humanitarian, Emergency Nurse and Paramedic who has volunteered in disaster areas around the world and has cared for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. She has volunteered in Iraq in IDP Camps, in Nepal after the earthquake and Philippines after the Typhoon, as well as assisting during the Syrian refugee crisis on the border of Greece and more recently, she has travelled to the war-torn Ukraine. Helen is funny, passionate, kind and obviously, more courageous than me. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.