5 Habits that Destroy Your Productivity

Dr. Alok Kanojia is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who specializes in the health and happiness of people who grew up online. He is the cofounder and President of Healthy Gamer, a subclinical mental wellness platform that makes premium content and coaching resources.
For more mental health resources: explore.healthygamer.gg/menta...
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Dr. K’s Guide to Mental Health: bit.ly/3hDTctX
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more here: wlo.link/@healthygamer
▼ Timestamps ▼
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00:00 - Preview
00:18 - Introduction
01:00 - Pitfall 1
04:52 - Pitfall 2
07:13 - Pitfall 3
10:43 - Pitfall 4
14:51 - Pitfall 5
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DISCLAIMER
Healthy Gamer is an online community and resource platform for gamers and their families. It does not provided medical services or professional counseling, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care. Our coaches are peer supporters, not professionally trained experts, and they cannot provide medical service. If you or a loved on are experiencing an emergency, please call your nation's emergency telephone number.
All guests of Healthy Gamer are informed of the public, non-medical nature of the content and have expressly agreed to share their story.

[@HealthyGamerGG]

Hey folks - Dr. K’s Healthy Gamer Coaching is a cutting-edge program tailored for the unique mental health needs of the internet generation. It can help with issues like lack of motivation, excessive procrastination, missing life purpose, repairing/building relationships, and more! Sessions start at just $30. You can learn more here: bit.ly/3FDSSDm

[@ElijahStormblessed]

One of my worst habits in terms of productivity is watching KZbin videos on productivity instead of being productive

[@michaelnurse9089]

Luckily you haven't resorted to the worst habit of all, commenting on productivity videos on KZbin.

[@susrev88]

that's the business model (how to get rich/productive and all self-help shit). it's not about making you productive, it's about selling you a product, make you addictive to the topic, buy courses for money. you'll never get if you are the consumer. it's better to get a mentor (pro bono) while doing stuff, or shadowing, on the field. basically copy somebody who does it better than you or the way you want to do it. of course, you need to understand why things work they way they do, you have to get the principle and not the act.

[@ElijahStormblessed]

@@susrev88 I mean, my comment was a joke more than reality

[@WanderTheNomad]

Have you tried reading books on productivity rather than watching youtube videos on productivity? 🤔 /j

[@hotwheelz20072]

I TRY to listen to these videos while being productive 😅

[@marcomarquez1524]

1. Passive reading 2. Multitasking 3. Having a side hustle which is multitasking work, exception when the side hustle is related to what you already are doing or is a slow controlled change of life path 4. Hustle culture, work smarter not harder 5. Being selfish makes you dissconected and lose networking

[@changed1867]

Thank you!!

[@1bontenbon]

Really appreciate you doing this. 👍🏻 thank you.

[@Zeila1]

thanks, my adhd brain appreicates it.

[@Sentientmatter8]

Thank you so much. He spends a lot of time talking about what he's going to talk about instead of getting to the point. Gotta get those ad minutes I guess.

[@leblonk5428]

@@Sentientmatter8 it's because these discussions usually happen on a livestream where people don't know what he's going to talk about

[@mitthrawnuruodo1730]

I’ve learned that productivity isn’t always linear. For me I want to be an artist so I practiced 2d, then I learned that I could get better if I practiced 3d so I bought a pc, then I learned if I wanted to learn a particular software so now I’m programming. Sometimes to go forward you need to also go left, two steps back, another left, right, turn around and back again. But I keep going knowing it’ll all pay off.

[@MariJadeWrites]

Yes indeed, I am am artist too and some other of my hobbies/skills play a part into me building my skills as an artist and my KZbin channel. 😊👍 Good luck to you on your artistic journey!

[@BlindZubat]

Ngl, sounds exactly like me in therapy. Progress is not linear.

[@mightymeatymech]

I love this, it's so true.

[@angusbryant3583]

So being productive is like the Cha-Cha slide, eh?

[@jay_arson5075]

Do you still to 2d?

[@digitalspecter]

Regarding looking out for other people: I've taught my kids to be generous and helpful toward other people (and recognize when someone's trying to abuse your goodwill).. and I just got a good example of what it can lead to. I got suddenly unemployed (big contract got dropped) and was quite anxious about it. Through my friends and ex-coworkers I got 4 job offers within a month... they wanted to help me because I had had their backs. One old ex-coworker even told me that "you were one of the very few people who didn't treat me like trash when I was going through rough times". Don't be a doormat but be kind and supportive. You never know when you're the one in need.

[@BrianGivensYtube]

Thats good to hear! When I got my job out of college the same year covid hit, I messaged up all my former classmates to make sure they had a job. One of them didn’t and so I got him a job where I was working. I just didn’t want to see anyone unemployed if I could help it because I went through a major depression feeling useless and everything. I guess I would have liked to have a hand out instead of struggling like I did but it turned out for the best.

[@jailflower5096]

Thank you for sharing this experience! May I ask how do we know whether someone is trying to take advantage of our kindness?

[@jackdeniston6150]

It is hugely important to teach the 'abuse your goodwill' part of this.

[@matttran7161]

"Do no harm, but take no shit"

[@zombielord4332]

When you talk about the first pitfall it's basically this saying "Knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing"

[@abbasballout4441]

No

[@amentrison2794]

@@abbasballout4441 i think op is just saying that they touch on the same sentiments, even if you don't fully agree with the saying (which I don't)

[@abbasballout4441]

@@amentrison2794 fain

[@what-dz1ez]

Isn't it more like "knowing is different from doing"?

[@hotdiggedydemon]

I've always said that playing kickball against 2 year olds is just like playing chess against a 3 year old

[@tutata]

No challenge. Got to start playing vs 4 and 6 year olds at least.

[@maxresdefault8235]

@@tutata it would be challenging for me. I'm not good at chess or kickball.

[@RougeCrossfire]

Did not expect to see you here today hahaha. Love your animations man. Hope you're having a good day!

[@dameazize]

You know how it feels to play Go against a 4 year old? It's like that.

[@jackcahill2457]

You’ve changed for the better since your meeting with the swoodish guy

[@manueldepena8185]

1 Reading with NO application❌ - Practice what your learn✔ 2 Multitask Only if necessary❌ - Focus on single tasks✔ 3 Diluting career with side hustle for the sake of income/productivity❌ - Side Hustle to get Expertise/Transition to something else for a living✔ 4 To much Hustle (Burnout, Less Productive)❌To little Hustle(boredom, less productive)❌Balanced Hustle (Healthy Stress, engagement, More Productive)✔ 5 Always put yourself first(No one gives a Damn about you!!)❌ - Help others (more likely for people to take you in account on any opportunity and grow your networks)✔. ...Here's My 2 cents for y'all ☝. hope it kinda Help ✌

[@Amur7igr0]

He just said not to always focus on yourself because if you do then other people around you, will feel that u don’t care about them

[@sanachanto]

Just want to throw in my two cents to say: I feel like a better balance could be found between the more recent super tight, jump cut style of editing and the older style that kept Dr K’s natural speaking rhythm. I’m sure the faster pace works better for some, but I appreciated the breathing room between phrases and important points we had before.

[@blake4865]

Agreed. The no gaps style of editing works better for a 30 second tik tok then it does for a 25 minute KZbin video.

[@Bassynater2500]

I felt this, I was like dang Dr. K had a LOT to say in this video 😅

[@Drumbsticks]

Took the words out of my mouth. I will always prefer natural paced education form content over anything else. Gives the viewer more time to soak in and contemplate information

[@natalietadros980]

Definitely agreed!

[@michaelnurse9089]

Editing often attracts the wrong audience - those who need to get back to the hustle. Those who are serious about working on themselves have time and patience and so will listen to the pauses as much as the words.

[@JinKay797]

I know people have been talking about this lately, but in this video i really felt how the editing and the cuts to make the video shorter gets in the way of understanding the message, it's a constant flow of words one after another and it gets hard to understand and focus on it

[@capnbarky2682]

Something that helped me with toxic multitasking is seeing a lot of my tasks as processes in cooking. It's not really multitasking in a way, but it's learning to structure the completion of active tasks (done with singular focus) which have a long passive period first, and shorter passive periods last. In cooking a full meal you will often start with simple tasks that take a long time first. For simplicity take a small weeknight meal, it's easy to rinse and start rice cooking because all you need to do is boil water, but the rest of the meal can be done in the time the rice takes to cook. Alongside this you can prep and steam some veggies (on top of the rice that's already cooking if you have the cookware for it) and then set your singular focus on, say, grilling some protein. This is something that's really important in project management, where identifying what is the rice, the veggies, and protein is vital to being able to "multitask" effectively. It's a bit of a magic trick to have a constant flow of things you don't actually need to focus on going on in parallel.

[@darthriahuz1]

This is such an interesting perspective!

[@Swarm509]

Pitfall #5 really hits home for me. I've been working at the same company for 10 years, and think I am good at what I do, but I am very much a head down, do my work/projects and move onto the next item on my list. I tend not to work with others often and stick to my stuff and moving forward. I've found this is great for getting stuff done but I have almost no reciprocity built up around the office for getting help on projects when needed or when taking time off and need to pass off projects (so I just don't take time off), or getting given the more interesting projects/opportunities. I love helping people if they have questions or issues but I never get them, instead they go around me to a more junior employee in the company for that which can feel hurtful to me. Watching the more junior employee she has the reciprocity thing down pat. She has that bubbly charisma and will go out of her way to help people, take on extra projects/work when others are stressing to help them out, and others will go to her to discuss project issues and give her unique additional education opportunities and unique projects. These may be opportunities or projects that I fit better from due to experience or such, but will get passed over regularly since I am not doing what she is. The problem is that I haven't done this reciprocity thing for so long it feels like company culture is set in stone around it, so the only way forward is to find a new job away from everyone which is stressful. Not ideal as I actually like the company and people here, and the work.

[@gigsmaster6430]

From my experience, starting out with a simple “good morning” goes a long way. Sure at first it’s kinda awkward saying that out of nowhere to coworkers that you kinda know, but the net gain overall is positive imo

[@maimoonakhan7203]

I'm just like you in this regard lol. Whenever I feel like I'm not working out with the people around me, my mind is like, "I have to leave them. When do I leave them?" I'm so bad with people. I have a lot of strong opinions and personal opinions, and so I don't have much to talk about to people who don't think about the things and the way I do. So I've cut off with a lot of friends, and most people don't like me either 'cause I don't have a bubbly personality, neither am I very confident, instead I am very insecure and mess things up, so the trendy, friendy-with-all, gossiping, chit-chatting people don't like me much, and I don't like them either. But I have people who I agree with and like and they like me too, but just because of the way I talk to people, which isn't social and absolutely warming, I won't get a 100/100 from them either. Having a good personality, being a warm person is always a plus point, definitely, definitely, definitely, and it's not like it's impossible to develop that, so maybe we shouldz work on ourselves. And I don't think anything major has happened for you to change jobs, you said its a pain to do so too. But you know best, if the pain will be worth it.

[@mahatiggy]

I think the 'good morning' thing is a good start. Maybe even start asking about the projects they have and even go as far as asking them if they need a hand with anything. Maybe that would help them see you in a different light and approach you in the future. I am not an office worker, but I am helpful when I can be. Hope this can help.

[@sstankfish]

There's always time and room for change. If your skills are valuable, just start putting yourself out there, of course slowly at first. If it's unlike how you've been, I know it's not as simple as "just do it". If you can just start the shift with pleasantries or offering assistance, things will start to come more naturally. You will start up the ladder of coworker>acquaintance>friend>etc and life will continue on around you. That being said, you can't go into this expecting a certain outcome. Just doing it for the benefit of others might have to be the goal for yourself, and taking whatever comes your way as a result.

[@Muhluri]

The thing with side hustles is that they are a great way to gradually transition from 1 thing to another without losing your main source of income. If your goal is to take your side hustle and make it your full time job then it’s worth it IMO Edit: nvm he already mentioned this. Nice one Dr K

[@rafaelh2282]

My bad habit: watching self help videos and doing nothing, then watch another self help video and forget everything because is too much information

[@ryancxe]

Scrolling through your phone first thing in the morning, teaches your brain to expect rewards before you put ANY work in

[@maxismadnice]

whoops, just woke up and here i am 😅

[@letsreadtextbook1687]

Don't call me out like that bruh 😭

[@7TwistedAshes]

Ahhh.. that explains it well.

[@csanadtemesvari9251]

@@7TwistedAshes No it doesn't lol, don't fall for these gimmick account

[@laserbeam444maddness7]

@@csanadtemesvari9251 there’s nothing wrong with what he said. Using your phone first thing in the morning supplies your brain with undeserved dopamine, you won’t feel like doing any hard work throughout the day it isn’t as exciting as doing the first thing you did waking up

[@livipup]

Regarding pitfall 5, I have always found that my favourite way to improve my own skills is to help people who are struggling with things that I am trying to learn more about. Fixing mistakes teaches more than doing things right in my experience :)

[@obanoodlegod6901]

7 habits of highly effective people changed my life ngl, can highly recommend that book. Even though i have adhd and struggle with finishing books often this is one of the few books where i had absolutely no issues finishing it, even made a shitton of notes and didn't put it away untill it was falling apart. The book was really resonating with me, probably because i used these habits all along when playing competitive pvp games. But reading the book made the habits i already formed by playing video games on a very high level practicable and usable for me in real life.

[@Vivivofi]

Wow, that sounds amazing. Can you go into a little more what aspects of your life you were able to change? 0:

[@obanoodlegod6901]

@@Vivivofi so as i mentioned once upon a time i played a video game in which i was very successfull - top 0,01% but to achieve that i fucked up every other aspect of my life. But in the game i thought very proactive, with the goal of beeing the best in mind always, i was able to make great and organized decicions when it came to my practice, finding teammates and synergizing with them and so forth. But the decisions i made in real life looked like the exact opposite, i messed up everything. . So when i read the book i noticed that YES im terrible at real life, but essentially i've built all these habits that the book is talking about in the video game i was playing for years. So i figured i was a bum but at the same time i wasn't, i definetly had what it took to be very very effective i just had to transpose those habits to new skills in the real world. So i was able to change ALL aspects of my life. in my days as a gamer i was using these habits subconciously just to get ontop of leaderboards or win tournaments, but once i used that type of effort, motivation and skill in my real life, well everything changed and made me finally and easily reach many goals i never thought i can reach. I just never made that connection before reading the book i thought im just a god gamer but really i was a pretty damn effective learner that was hiding in video games instead of going after the things i really wanted in my life.

[@cawcawmeowmeow]

@@obanoodlegod6901 this was fun to read , thanks for sharing!

[@dust1077]

​@@obanoodlegod6901 Can quickly summarize what those habits were? I'm genuinely curious now.

[@obanoodlegod6901]

@@dust1077 1. Be Proactive 2. Begin with the End in Mind 3. Put First Things First 4. Think Win-Win 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the Saw i believe that most people that read that book will go like "ah yea i kinda knew that already but never heard it explained with these words and examples", it's very universal and simple nothing magical or fancy that you don't know already. the wikipedia summary looks very short and explains each point better than i could summarize it here.

[@ryeofoatmeal]

arrghh finally somebody said it! the side hustle, hustle culture just unproductive! if you don't have side hustle means you're a loser, just hate that mindset. I want a peaceful job that I can have a hobby by the weekend. I don't wanna do another job after I finished my full-time job, just ridiculous 🙄

[@henryholsten8802]

Never mind that it is ridiculously hard to do most side hustles. Ever wonder why most sites/platforms you can't reach a human? Humans are shite, no one wants to deal with people

[@missdragon5892]

- Books - Don't have a main job and a side hustle and not cut back on your main job - Be effective instead of doing more - You shouldn't always put yourself first

[@ReaperWithHips]

Thanks

[@pencilcheck]

raised up in an asian family background, I was told that no one will look out for you, so you have to be very firm in getting "fair share" and prove you are better so you get more share. Never was I was told about any of those stuff in this video, so in the past I was constantly battle against people and ideal that sharing is better, communication is better, working as a team is better, all I can think about is being alone and work alone and only trust myself. Of course I was so into this, I kept rejecting those other ideals, then I think I get older so I am glad to say that I was wrong and it helps my brain to stop thinking all the time and hatred all the time.

[@positivefraud3012]

I have grown up in the same culture and the way they encourage strict individual effort and reject any external help in all your endeavors is a way to cultivate close-mindedness and can potentially hinder your success in life both internally and externally. Being a collectivist is also proved to make one happier than more alone people.

[@pencilcheck]

@@positivefraud3012 They did it with good intention, e.g. my parents don't want me to suffer and get taken advantage of, but it actually does the opposite.

[@positivefraud3012]

@@pencilcheck our parents love us enough to protect us, that is true. It is just that cultures and societies in general have reached a point where they believe that over-protection with their children will yield them success. As cliche as it sounds, It is not possible to succeed without some absence of protection and you will need some adversity to grow.

[@jeremiedubuis5058]

Great video. The altruism part is actually a trait I've seen in most high performers. You don't start off a high performer, you become one by doing stuff. By actually engaging with people's problems you approach problems in different ways, you learn parts of your craft you wouldn't have. If someone in your professional workspace approaches you with an interesting problem, helping them solve that problem will make you better. Hustlers and productivity brainwashers make you think it's the end personal goal that matters, I have litterally never seen anybody remotely good at their jobs think that way. They are usually specialized people with a mind to widen their field, because the secret is they actually enjoy their work, they aren't hustling to become something else. Become an expert at one thing, then another, then another, broaden your perspective. People that become really good are the ones who actively engage with their work. The argument on mentoring as a way of cementing your own skills is a very good one too.

[@mintee8638]

One trick I like for improving for books, but also for other sources like videos and web articles, is taking notes, with the goal of memorizing great ideas from the notes with. I end up having to simplify and rethink a list of ideas I want to remember. I find this more efficient to remember logically (connected or related ideas), vs. ideas I don't spend time to connect.

[@level20art50]

I watched a video yesterday by Better Every Day talking about skill stacking. It was basically this idea that, if you can have a few things that you are mediocre to decent at, and all of these things can be put towards a single goal, it will be better than trying to perfect a singular thing.

[@WanderTheNomad]

Better Than Yesterday?

[@level20art50]

@@WanderTheNomad Yes, that's it.

[@emilianowiiland]

Yeah but i dont think thats the case in a professional setting

[@joslinnick]

A huge issue I had, maybe I still have, is that it never seemed clear to me how to actually productively study for a test. It's like I could never figure out what material I needed to focus on. To a certain extent, I felt like it was a mind-reading exercise. A lot of times I would work very hard and spend many hours reviewing as much material as I could, only to find out that an enormous amount of the test material didn't have anything to do with what I reviewed. It's very frustrating. I feel like an aspect of test taking that isn't talked about is a student's ability to intuitively understand what the professor wants them to know. Some people have that ability and some people really don't. The better intuition you have for what the professor wants you to review, the better chance you'll have learning material that will appear on the test.

[@michaelnurse9089]

I learned the hard way at University that to beat the test focus on similar tests and ignore the source material. That said, I learned a literal TON of important things for life from studying the source material - it just wasn't useful for writing the test.

[@brittybee6615]

Why not just ask the professor what you should be focusing on? I think a lot of people blame themselves for being confused when it’s really that the person responsible for giving guidance just wasn’t being clear or helpful. Best attitude shift I’ve had at work is to start actually treating the higher ups like it’s their job to provide the support our team needs to be successful, because it absolutely is their job. They just don’t know what needs to be improved unless we ask for it.

[@joslinnick]

@@michaelnurse9089 I agree with this. It was always very productive to review practice tests. Some professors would give practice test from multiple years past. Other professors didn't do that and just told you to study certain chapters. Unsurprisingly, I always did better on tests when practice material was actually provided.

[@porky1118]

20:08 That's also my take on multi tasking. I like, when I have more open tasks. So when I get stuck at one task, I can go to another task first. Maybe I can also delegate some open tasks I don't like or I don't feel like I'm good at them to other people. And when I get back to them myself, I often am better at them. Maybe my subconscious mind solved the problem already. Maybe I had a tunnel vision on that problem after working too much on that. Maybe I learnt something important when working on some other stuff, which can also be applied to the other problem. Maybe I've just been too tired or in the wrong mood that day.

[@wunderwalze]

Can relate, I just gotta be careful not to do other things just to procrastinate

[@MariJadeWrites]

Thank you for the videos and food for thought. 😊👍 I am doing art and writing on the side in hopes it'll eventually be my full-time job with the help of KZbin, Etsy shop and Amazon coloring book and fiction book sales. Your take on side hustles and hustle culture was very interesting 😊

[@grumpyAF]

There are a lot of comments in the recent videos about the editing that made good understanding very hard. I agree with those. Please, take them in consideration. We need those pauses doctor K. makes.

[@LachlanKadick]

I do have a couple qualms with the idea of side-hustles are negative. 1. Some professions don't have a lateral chain (such as teachers.) 2. If you become competent in a second area, those two fields will begin to synergize and will lead to innovation. A massive majority of innovations comes from crossing to distinct fields.

[@invadergame]

In regards to books, Dr. Krashen does note that reading is key to literacy and vocabulary. It may not boost your productivity, but it will increase your verbal/linguistic skills. Also if you are learning a language, reading is the best thing you can do (generally speaking)

[@tiryaclearsong421]

I would also say that reading can improve understanding on a social level. I found fantasy books helped me become a more accepting, generous, and social person. It's a way to get in the head of other people and think about how they respond to scenarios, what you might do instead, etc. Well-written fiction with decent themes that an individual is engaged with tends to be worth the investment to read it and then some. That is in addition to the mentally restorative powers that just relaxing with an interesting book can bring. I dislike that most productivity gurus act like fiction is a waste of time that would be better spent grinding on whatever.

[@cunnylicious]

​@@tiryaclearsong421 pretty much this. i find fiction to be therapeutic and helped me understand how to view things in the world in a different perspective.

[@waraalee]

Thanks so much!! I feel less overwhelmed listening this :)

[@kylesizemore2751]

I have a great career as an engineer but I maintain a side hustle where I watch dogs for extra money on the side. I could go learn a new coding language but I'm indifferent toward my job and the thought of spending my free time doing more of it is deeply disturbing. it's something im good at but it brings me no joy beyond the paycheck i recieve. I love spending casual time with dogs and making a little money for it but I'm definitely not going to be making an engineer salary doing that full time. side hustles are a great way to dip your toes in more satisfying work when diving in full time is unviable.

[@alguem..]

00:03 Reading a lot of books doesn't necessarily increase productivity or lead to success. 03:20 Reading books alone is not enough to improve skills; practical application and introspection are crucial. 06:46 Avoid multitasking and prioritize focusing on a single task at a time 10:16 Hustle culture promotes the idea that working more hours leads to success, but that is not necessarily true. 13:45 Studying more doesn't correlate with higher test scores 16:59 Prioritizing others can lead to professional opportunities and good outcomes. 19:44 Focus on single tasks for better outcomes. 22:37 Helping others can lead to personal growth and improved relationships Crafted by Merlin AI.

[@GodMeowMix]

This was a great video, thank you for debunking these productivity myths.

[@Stovetopcookie]

Number 5 deserves its own video!!

[@stickx_in_the_mud3956]

25:20 so i remeber being the quiet shoulder everyone cried on and being the strong one that didtn't need help in 7th grade to 9th. And this damaged me as much as it helped. I wish i didnt act so strong but due to the fact i was so young, i was still the oldest in my class. I got held back 2 year by my parents mostly for my reading comprehension, and out-loud reading. Which if i wasnt held back i would be a regular joe i feel. So to all and you Dr. A K the most influential figure in my life time i thank you for every thing and i share this one quote from the "greatest" minds of them all Albert Einstein ~ " If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it enough." For you my fellow human you more than understand what your are saying and you even disclaimer cause you know what worked for you and you know that what worked for you may or may not help others. You are a knight in shining armor and I do wish one day to meet you, and acquaint myself with you. I wish the best of health to all...

[@thicccorgi6187]

Especially when it comes to labor jobs you have to be careful not to over work yourself! Its good to make money but it makes no sense to wear your body out and potentially incur some health costs that eat up the extra money you made to begin with!

[@blackorcshagrat8587]

Just a minor nitpick, but I think instead of saying 'reading books', he should have said 'overvaluing books'.

[@footwinner1]

Cal Newport's work on Deep Work and Digital Minimalism was really eye-opening for me on these topics

[@rogeriusmester5609]

I have a lot of books and I seldom think about reading as a means of acquiring useful information and raising my productivity. I just enjoy it. Thus I strive to do it more. It has a lot of positive side effects, but I wouldn’t do it if I hadn’t derive tremendous pleasure from this activity. Plus there are a lot of advantages of reading which can’t be measured by productivity raising. At least directly. You get to places and ages far away, you increase your vocabulary, you broaden your worldview thus become a more pleasant and tolerant person and a better conversation partner. It strengthens your concentration skill etc.

[@ningyosama4782]

The part about multitasking. My last performance review the only negative amongst all my positives which are in the realm of detail, precise, efficient work was that I don’t always notice people sneaking up on me right away. The type of person who goes up to the front and stands there and stares at you without saying a word. Or the staff members who silently wave at you from your side expecting you to say hi back from that. The other location is better for me because of sound cues from the door stairs and elevator so I have my bases covered but the head office people can come at me from all directions and it’s really uncomfortable The guy who got promoted over me is good at noticing this but he has sloppy work, doesn’t complete much in a day, leaves a lot of work for the rest of us. So Yeah I totally notice the value of multitasking mediocre standard of work over single tasking exceptionally

[@_kevstah]

This seems like a problem of misidentifying what 'valuable work' really means in your workplace. It sounds like good social interaction within your team is just as valuable as the detailed, precise, efficient work. Looking at 'single-tasking vs multitasking' is probably not very useful in this case.

[@NoName-tr3vs]

Pitfall #5 is something very American in my experience. Being from Europe myself, most people over here are not like that at all. Which is great.

[@michaelnurse9089]

It various a lot depending on city size and industry as well.

[@PitchBlack33]

Dr. k, I would recommend to look into the book Range. I think you’re right that specialization increases earnings, however being more general makes you better at your job. Range does a good job of explaining this.

[@luizabakumenko]

I like that you go over every single thing at the end. It really makes it stay in your brain.

[@WinnieDaPouh]

The value of reading books is not only from what's inside; reading brings focus and discipline

[@KoltPenny]

What I've found out with side hustles is that they should be the treated as if they are going to be your next main hustle. That's true for me and game development, moving from development.

[@OasisFirefly]

23:50 I initially subbed for the great content, but this is what made me stick to Dr. K's content in the long term

[@andrewfinch76]

That's a really good point about working more hours not leading to greater productivity. Especially because we have a lot of studies coming now out on four day eight hour work weeks showing that it leads to increased productivity. Overworking yourself is just going to lead to burnout and lower the quality of the work you put out.

[@alexsere3061]

i think a lot of these advice follow a sociological phenomenon I can't remember the name of. Its that the most you use something as an index for an abstract concept, the more distorted it gets because people want to follow the metric. This happened when people used the price of a big mac to meassure how affordable a country is, and the argentinian goverment artificially lowered the price of a big mac. Same thing that happens with books. If you are intrested in things you may read boos about them which help your learning, but people think that reading boos is the key, rather than actually learning stuff.

[@Sanity016]

I think what's killing my productivity is watching KZbin while trying to work at my job simultaneously

[@be_cracked8212]

Yeah, justifying that as a sort of relaxation and productivity multitask is just bs. Did that for quite a while to myself as well.

[@2greenify]

​@@be_cracked8212underappreciated comment. Very true.

[@user-ky8ym7le9m]

@@be_cracked8212 depends on the job; for example, if your work doesn’t require focus like trucking then I don’t see the problem

[@avatar098]

Agree with the side hustle thing. As a programmer who works on backend systems, my side hustle is more so on video game development. I am absolutely rock solid in programming and the mechanics of how the computer works at the low level. I also am not half bad at art (though I’m improving there) and I also write my own music. Less things for me to ramp up on and I can focus on the actual project itself.

[@kcloudz8182]

I loved the topic of eustress. I never knew the real word for this idea but I've belived in it for a while. I personally Called it being Criticaly-welmed. not under-whelmed and not over-welmed.

[@TypicalRussianGuy]

I don't understand why the "books" are in the first spot. Yes, reading too much and not doing anything is a problem (especially if it's just fantasy books), but if it's a book form your sphere (like the medical books you've mentioned, or the books about law, or about management, or about programming, as in my case at the moment), reading them is immensely useful! Even if you're not gonna apply the stuff you read immediately, the mere fact of reading it will help you obtain vocabulary necessary for discussing or looking up stuff during the actual experience, not to mention how much your big picture becomes clearer after reading one book (or five books) on the subject. Yes, if you've read, like, 10 books on a specific subject already, and you are feeling like you're not learning anything new from them after reading the 11th book, I think it's time to stop, but I am sure 99% of people never reach that poin. By the way, reading books changed the way I was as a law student. In my college years (16-19 in Russia), I was a mediocre law student. But after I started reading law books on different subjects for fun, by the age of 23 I started understanding law better than many of my peers (even those who had some practical experience), so I became known as one of the best student at my university by the time I got my bachelor's diploma at the age of 24. Had I decided to continue my legal career, I think the fundamental knowledge obtained from books would've helped me immensely, just as knowing more about different diseases would help a general practicioner in medicine. And yes, I did have some practical experience working as a lawyer's assistant, as well as working as an intern at a local court and at a local chamber of commerce and industry, but during the little practice I had (just a few months of practicing here and there during the course of my early twenties, because most of of the time I worked as a translator), I felt how much the theoretical knowledge from books helped me see the big picture and understand the situations more deeply.

[@thejonker6980]

Finally a doctor that confirms my almost non-existent study habits compared to my peers, coz I dedicate less time studying aside from actual schooling compared to my colleagues and whenever I try to do what they do which is strenuous, I just can't absorb the same.

[@RaiXYT]

One of my regrets is helping the 'wrong people', they just 'forget' about me when they succeeded. In turn I have to be very careful who I'm helping and how much I should help somebody without being used.

[@WitsyBleu]

I understand your concern, but helping others should not be about what they can do for you. This will make you grow resentful, and actually means you are just using people too. If you help people because you care about them and their goals, you will feel fulfilled immediately and not feel disappointed even if they don't do the same for you. If they don't help you in return, that's on them. You can only control your own actions, so decide what kind of a person you want to be.

[@RaiXYT]

@@WitsyBleu what I meant in a way was getting into a negative treatment as a 'thank you'. Those are the ones revealed their bad intentions after they got the things they needed.

[@michaelnurse9089]

They should be conscientious people. Helping that ambitious blowhard ahole get ahead is just asking to get 'scorpioned' - referring to the Russian folk tale of the frog and scorpion.

[@susrev88]

@@WitsyBleu this depends on the type of help you need/give and the context (work vs personal ife). also, people get conditioned very quickly after a couple of negative experiences. i water the plants and they grow and bloom but i don't expect anything from them. however, same investment with people makes you feel robbed if they do not reciprocate. so i think it also about respect and acknowledging giving/getting help. and reciprocitiy is key, not because ROI but this is how society and communities supposed to work. individualism goes against evolution, i dare to say.

[@Yoyobionicle]

I'm adding a comment to help the algorithm! Thank you for everything you do, Dr K!

[@MKW288]

@20:55 even the "side hustle" that birthed the Healthy Gamer channel was a spin off of your primary field and source of income. The transition from private practice with individuals/small groups to producing content for wider audiences online relied on content knowledge and skills that were already developed. TLDR - For Dr. K, the Healthy Gamer channel was like a side quest where he could use his leveled character, not an alt account starting from the tutorial.

[@nickc2837]

The multitasking part is HUGE. I know that work tasks often come up at the same time in a lot of fields(examples: finance, support, etc) but you really need to get into a mindset of doing one task at a time if you struggle. Thinking you can multitask when you really can't(like me) can lead to mistakes.

[@wpelfeta]

Yup. People say I'm great at multitasking, but truthfully, it's just because I write everything down in my todo list and work on them one at a time. >.>

[@leza4453]

Multitasking workes well when you combine a physical/automatic activity with a intelletual one. Like listening to audiobooks or talking on the phone while doing dishes/sports/gardening/driving. Two intellectual activities at once don't work well.

[@ErebosGR]

@@leza4453 That may be time-efficient but it can be bad for mental health and cognition. Studies have shown that task-switching is associated with bad short-term memory. Plus, dividing your attention between different tasks results in sub-optimal performance, so you're basically half-assing both tasks. Task-switching is the opposite of mindfulness.

[@fortissima94]

There’s a 3-week online course from Jim Kwik about improving your reading speed and remember more of what you’ve read. It’s not cheap, but I did it 2 years ago and still harvest its fruits. Totally worth it!

[@digitalspecter]

Great video as usual! However, I'd like to expand on the tip number 1. If you're like me and you learn by watching youtube, googling a bit and then 95% by doing. I would say that finding a good book or two about the subject and reading them could be a really good idea. (Good) books tend to be much more focused, comprehensive and systematic about the subject than learning tons of tidbits here and there. So, if you're like me, stop every once in a while and DO read a book.. and then put it in the practice.

[@AlastairGames]

good insights, thanks!

[@achumangelanga6299]

I agree on the side hustle thing. I have a side hustle and have done my CFA exams at the same time. I don’t regret it because progression in your career is not linear and it’s also not a straightforward formula. So for me the side hustle has been good but I agree with the overall principle.

[@IonTrone]

Great ideas/opinions 💡 Plus, Healthy Gamer GG was a side hustle in the same ballpark. It's not like it went from psychiatrist to computer code debugging!

[@Gearsturfs]

If you intersect class side hustles do make sense. Often jobs for people with lower income do not make enough and they have to side hustle and build community and connections Low income people also tend to live in tighter knit communities where side hustles are easier to get off the ground If you come from middle to upper middle class backgrounds you have more means and quiet time to study and invest in something that will grow. Side hustles create capital that can go into a business or investment which may be your way out without education (which is becoming less of a guarantee or benefit).

[@pamukacademy]

Thanks

[@theGhostSteward]

I think side rustles are good to artists since it provides some security to pursue a passion. (And even the necessary materials)

[@faraichikosi3544]

You are the best, absolute legend...

[@dobdagawd]

Thank you 🙏🏾 😊

[@srisungazesplash1340]

Thanks man 🙏🏻

[@MissMajalis]

For years I was depressed and would feel miserable for not being my ideal productive multi-tasking "best version of myself" and I wanted to improve my life on every level, all at once. I really got better with the appropriate therapy and realized it was more effective to focus on ONE THING AT A TIME. One topic, one "problem" at a time. And a topic can take me a few months to cover, and that's ok, because that what is working.

[@outsidethewall8488]

I'm only 2 mins in but wanted add my 2 cents about reading books and productivity. Growing up I didn't have any gaming consoles and very rarely was allowed to play computer games (when I was they were educational). I was a huge bookworm though so I didn't mind. I loved harry potter, lotr, percy jackson, charlie bone, all things fantasy, and some specific YA stuff etc. But having ADHD, my relationship to books was a lot like an ADHD gamer's relationship to video games. I would hyperfocus on my book for hours on end, completely tune out the world. I'd get in trouble for apparently agreeing to do chores while reading but would have no memory of being asked because i was so engrossed. I would read under the covers all night long with a flashlight so my parents wouldn't find out because because I knew I'd get in trouble (or worse, have my book confiscated) because I wasn't trying to sleep. I definitely think reading made me smarter in certain ways (ie i have a great vocabulary) but it DEFINITELY did not make me more productive. Very much the opposite. In my young adulthood I largely stopped reading because I was so busy learning how to adult but in the last couple years I rediscovered my love for it, and once again found myself falling completely behind in uni because I could not bring myself to put my goddamn book down in order to study lol.

[@100Rhiannon]

Oh. Oh... That's uhm... awfully familiar. So much to my sentiment that my (suspected, not officially tested yet) ADHD is very mild, because I can focus on books just fine. To the point that I don't realize someones talking to me, getting in trouble because I don't answer that person, getting in trouble because I stay up all night reading or continue reading in class, forgetting to eat, drink, sleep, getting my books confiscicated, because I don't do anything else (even though my parents generally like me reading so much), missing my bus/train stops by several stops, ...

[@outsidethewall8488]

@@100Rhiannon Yes exactly - my parents loved that I was a big reader but they also were concerned at how much reading got in the way of my schoolwork, sleep, chores, etc. I definitely think it's worth seeking an evaluation if you relate to my experience. I also thought "surely I can't have ADHD, I'm an excellent reader and that requires lots of focus!" until I realised I only hyperfocus on reading books when it's a book I am interested in. I hated being forced to read random books for school that weren't within my niche area of interest and I hated reading any sort of textbooks or nonfiction. If your ability to pay attention feels entirely dictated by your level of interest/enjoyment of the subject of said attention, that's definitely a major symptom of ADHD. Good luck in your journey towards diagnosis!

[@Govanification]

I put reading aside (for fun, still had to read things for school/work) for most of college and a few years after it, but recently picked up some scifi / fiction again and similarly keep finding myself totally losing track of time reading late at night and missing hours of sleep. Seems that for ADHD brain, it doesn't really matter what the thing is that captivates your attention, the hyperfocus/loss of time perception can manifest. I've resorted to setting timers using an app called Multi Timer which rings and then prompts you to extend for another 2/5/10 min (whatever you set) or dismiss it if you can stop now.

[@outsidethewall8488]

@@Govanification 100%. Like, I'm very glad to have rediscovered my love for reading because it genuinely brings me value but as an adult we are still not immune to the ADHD hyperfocus effects. The timer trick sounds like a great idea, thanks for sharing!

[@bygmesterfinnegan6938]

Those are not books.

[@OsculatingPlane]

"Multitasking" is a euphemism for doing two things badly.

[@sloomslukethejew]

The best part of my "side hustle" is I get to pick and choose when I work. And only need to spend a few hours a year to certify.

[@LancarVieira]

#5 is kind of "caring about your improvement does not mean to abandon others. Take care, of you, AND the others"

[@isaachester8475]

Some thoughts about reading books, and their value: Broadly, you can read for entertainment or read to learn, sometimes a mix between the two. But if you are reading to learn, you can get immense value out of a book by forcing yourself to consciously summarize the points in each chapter, paragraph, etc. and break it down. Also, ask questions that the book itself doesn't answer, which further causes you to think about the material. If you can't come up with your own answers (or even if you can), search outside resources to help you better understand what you're reading, and get a different angle. Then try to come up with your own well-informed opinions on what the book is claiming/saying. Not only will all of these things help you to remember what you read, but they will sharpen your critical thinking skills, force you to engage with (and sometimes apply) the material, and overall enrich the reading process so much. And this brings me to the value of books imo - it's not "only" introspection, but it's exposing you to new information, teaching you concepts, giving you ideas for your own life, etc. So the introspection is important, but if you don't even have a starting off point of what to introspect about, what good is the introspection anyways? And the nice thing about books as compared to other forms of reading -- (well-written) books often address a lot of the things you would even want to introspect about, condense different sources into one location, and tie everything together with a nice theme to make it easier to comprehend. Now as Dr. K says, 100 books won't make you 100 times better. This is definitely a "quality over quantity" thing. It's better to get as much as you can out of a single book, vs passively reading 100 books and just barely understanding them. Cheers!

[@kith190]

Thanks. A lot. As always

[@danedebeer5179]

Does anyone know if Dr. K has a video on dealing with chronic pain and finding purpose of carrying on?

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

8:00 I'm a phd...still have to have 3 jobs cause my 'main' job pays half it should. So yes, my other businesses are in the same field but I think you're conflating some things here. Same, my sis is also a lecturer and she likes to braid (hair). So she now does both.

[@zynera]

@HealthyGamerGG Wanted to mention the Pitfall 5 Card has the same text as Pitfall 4. Maybe something to double check!! Thanks for all you do!!

[@yohaizilber]

To be successful you must be CONSISTENT at what your good at, break the habits that get in your way!

[@csanadtemesvari9251]

Duh

[@brontsmoth671]

Ah yes, vague generalized advice that tells you what to do, but not how to do it. So, incredibly helpful

[@RealHero101111]

its in mind. personally dont care that much about all that productivity or work and when force all that get depressed so bein myself and barely followin others conditionin is success to me. everyone's success is different though.

[@susrev88]

@@brontsmoth671 it's like how get rich. pro tip: invest in property and rent it to people who will pay your loan, etc. gee, thanks. you have to be rich in the first place to be able to invest in anything, let alone property.

[@sorchahannah288]

Oh gosh this video feels timely.

[@fitnesssoup7553]

Know what i think... I'm not sure that content creators are interested in others as much as serving their own interests. 😅 I very much agree on the hustle culture perspective. Have you ever noticed how busy we are and how there's so many thing vying for our attention? I absolutely detest being busy. I want to be productive! That would include: Planing Organizing Communication Knowing how to relate with others, culture Being knowledgeable and action based

[@BellaEstrella7]

pitfall 3 - per side hustles - what if we particularly enjoy the different type of work in our side hustles? ex. i'm a UX Designer but i enjoy content creation in beauty & fashion. do i give up my side hustle bc fashion doesn't relate to software design and youre saying to devote more of my skills to ux design? what if parts of my career bore me yet it makes me A LOT more money? i cant really cut back hours in my full time job cuz its a full time salaried job for a corporation. and then sometimes i get too tired to do my 'side hustle'... idk is there any real clear answer? i dont think so? i just try to balance the best i can. some days i win some days im tired.

[@floydbethel2941]

This is probably the only youtube video where i actually make the video slower to get to the point

[@stevieb7865]

I’m listening to this as I’m looking up side hustles. I’m a creative who works on a software engineering team within the aerospace industry. I’ve been a little bored, so I also freelance and have a few hustles. I think I overcompensate due to issues at home that aren’t getting rectified. Dr. K…. I need your help! I’m an “overachieving” mess who’s really suffering. I’m stressed and have started getting sick from it.

[@henryholsten8802]

What side hustle can I even do that is not a scam lol

[@stevieb7865]

@@henryholsten8802 I’ll take pics for an app called iVueIt or do user testing for a few UX/UI apps. They’re legit & I’ve made more money than thought I would, but it’s not consistent . I also freelance, but it’s super time consuming. I create NFTs, but I’m currently in the learning stage of how to sell them, so zero profit. There are a lot of channels trying to sell courses on how to drop ship, affiliate marketing, or other e-commerce related stuff like it’s all so easy and any person who signs up will be successful. Wrong! I find most of these courses ridiculous and a scam. E-commerce takes a lot of work and you have to have good ideas. I guess it really depends on your skill set? That plays a role.

[@DIABStudios]

You should look at what is causing your suffering. I imagine it is things that is not at all related to your career or creative side hustles. Since you code my first guess is you are neglecting having fulfilling social life, but thats just a guess

[@matamich8228]

do you by any chance play leag?

[@JamesDecker7]

Sounds like you might benefit greatly from seeing an actual therapist who can help you figure out and take steps to change 1) The things outside work which aren’t getting better and 2) How to change your processing so that work isn’t being used as an escape.

[@danj338]

Another big one is “getting prepared to get started” - mentally, physically, physiologically (think “Mise in place” but where it’s not integral to the task at hand)

[@samavila5065]

His ability in presenting such ideas flawlessly.. Literally from the highest quality content out there.

[@thejankjohnsonshow7189]

Does the side hustle take feel a little out of touch to anyone else? I personally do a job I can't advance in and don't like so I have to do other stuff on the side just to keep my standard of living. Even his example of a side hustle being real estate is out of touch most people are just taking a second job or something they aren't wunderkinds with 10k extra just laying around they're people just making ends meet.

[@idobenamram3743]

very informative

[@Dialogos1989]

Socrates was against writing his philosophy down because then it becomes dead. Reading books, or Holding information in your head does not amount to knowledge. Application of information get you closer to actual knowledge, and this is a continual process that gets better over time. Never at some point do you have the “truth”. Truth is an action. Pursuing excellence. An eternal chase.

[@JuiceTubes]

Ehhhh I dunno, none of my clients suffer from putting themselves first. It’s always “I prioritize everyone else and no one prioritizes me.” I was under the impression that if someone starts to put themself first, invest in themself and prioritize their own self care, others will follow suit. The opposite of what’s said here I think, correct me if I’m wrong

[@andycastro9697]

Boy, I sure would love to see Dr. K talk with Adam Grant

[@lucianowillemse8244]

Are side hustles also bad if you are a postgrad student trying to earn extra money for living expenses? Like many succesful Biochemists in my building have side hustles, although most of their side hustles are related to biochemistry. My side hustle is food stuffs but I am specialising in nutritional biochemistry. I really love making food, as it is a meditative process for me and I want my food business to grow so I can produce healthier versions thereof for people with allergies and metabolic disorders. If it also grows then I can create jobs for other people which in return can help take the pressure off one person managing everything. Is it then still a waste of time?

[@svader9680]

I found myself disagreeing with point number three regarding side hustles, but then agreeing after mention of the caveat. Out of curiosity and for the sake of discussion, anyone else have serious disagreement with any of these "pitfalls"?

[@risingtsun]

It is only a dog eat dog world if you've constructed the world around you that way.

[@ashleybursch2804]

just what I needed😏

[@jmarch_503]

This advice seems best for overachievers

[@amariwilliams8233]

Nice

[@oatmeal5422]

"Multitasking..." I was about to start arranging my stuff while listening to this.

[@ohnotagain851]

1. Realizing that no matter what i achieve, I'll put another goal on myself after the one I've already achieved. No matter how high. 2. the fact that I can be happy right now, right here, which falls more into hedonism but it doesn't have to mean I will be a person without empathy ( my pleasure at the expense of others.) But that I can stop thinking about my mission for the world 24/7 cause pleasure is what we all seek (in one way or another) 3. realizing that desire is the device that helps human manifest in reality so I can just wish someone else to make the change I want to make and it will eventually happen 4. being realistic about my place in the world and what percent of people in my situation succeed in the way that I wish to succeed And 5. Even after all this, I still want to do it. but well, there's always tomorrow. (no there isn't) These are killing my productivity. And more existentialism, the all are one thing which means everyone already knows in a higher level what I want to create so I don't have to lift a finger but yeah. Yay.

[@DIABStudios]

Sounds like a combo of "nothing matters why try", "my current pleasure is worth than my future peace", "Its hopeless why try to be great". All bad mindsets like you said that hinder you from action. Use Strong Loss Prevention as the initial motivator and strong Positive goals and rewards to help you deal with the stress of doing productive work

[@nielshaentjens5758]

That moment when you're multitasking while listening to this video on the background, and Dr. K hits you with pitfall 2