Tools for Improving Productivity | Dr. Cal Newport & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Dr. Cal Newport and Dr. Andrew Huberman discuss a productivity strategy known as the 'pull-based workflow management' system, which encourages maintaining focus on just three active tasks and organizing the remainder into a queue to be pulled from when the active tasks are completed.
Cal Newport, Ph.D. (@CalNewportMedia) is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and bestselling author of numerous books on focus and productivity and how to access the deepest possible layers of your cognitive abilities in order to do quality work and lead a more balanced life. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Watch the full episode: • Dr. Cal Newport: How t...
Show notes: www.hubermanlab.com/episode/d...
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Timestamps
00:00 Mastering Workload with a Pull-Based System
01:48 Interactive Q&A: Applying the Pull-Based System
05:47 Introducing Multi-Scale Planning
06:59 Deep Dive into Daily Scale Planning & Communication Blocks
11:43 Conclusion & Invitation to Watch Full Episode
#HubermanLab #CalNewport #Productivity
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[@pattressel3864]

Dr. Newport is describing aspects of the very well known and established kanban process. That involves having a collection of tasks, sorted into "doing" tasks -- the small number of tasks one is actually working on, those that are "ready" to act on, and, just to allow tracking and giving oneself little pats on the back, a "done" set. Other task sets can be added according to one's, or one's team's, needs, such as a set for ideas or tasks that are not yet actionable. Two core ideas are that a kanban is a pull system (not a new term) -- workers take new tasks when they are ready for a new task -- and the "work in progress (WIP) limit". A kanban system can be used by individuals or teams, can be managed using paper sticky notes or fancy online systems, of which there are many. Trello is an example of a kanban task list -- others include Jira, Asana, Kerika, etc. etc. But the management tool does not entirely enforce the philosophy. If one's boss attempts to push a task beyond one's WIP limit, one can ask, "Ok, which task shall I stop working on?" For a team / workplace, the philosophy needs buy-in, or this could degenerate into just another project tracking system. The WIP limit is where bosses commonly try to fudge the philosophy. Note for many of us, the WIP limit should be one, or perhaps one core task and one side task that does not need deep concentration. Have a look at the book Personal Kanban by Jim Benson and Torianne Barry, or look up kanban on Wikipedia. Especially look at the history of kanban, from the Toyota Production System, and current use as a part of agile methods in software development.

[@Zapperiopa]

My thought about this as an ex-Atlassian consultat, but you wrote it very harmonized and well, could not done it better.

[@rajkamalD.o.G100]

Damn the timing of this episode

[@AndiKod]

Easy! Waste less time with KZbin videos, and do real things instead. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[@EduardocardenasMX]

you see a youtube video, i see an open class room, where i can learn about everything and the teachers are professional all around the world... and its free 😜

[@tinytim71301]

This could not have been better timed.

[@L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

I do something similar but mine has more room for "outside" projects. I'd suggest having 5 projects to work on at a time, next five being your "upcoming" projects (queue), and everything else goes in your "Ideas" list. Sometimes you have to work on a project you didn't directly choose to work on and if you have just 3 things to work on as a rule, you won't be able to put "an outside project with a deadline" in the queue. So, 5 current projects and 5 upcoming projects (queue). This gives you the option to choose which of your current project you'll pause working on, and which one to continue working on. So, "outside" projects both have a room in your plan and don't make you their slave.

[@youtuberuser]

Finally Johnny deep with our kushal

[@SalmanMKC]

Isn't that a kanban board or to do list? Or the whole way of planning in agile with OKRs and KPIs?

[@tinytim71301]

I’ve it found anyone in our company that is using Kanban. Do you have experience with it?

[@RosenetTV]

This is pure Lean Kanban. Product Backlog and everything.

[@mid110300]

He mentioned Trello, which is a service that implements Kanban.

[@PureSparkles22]

10:00 blocks

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

This was a great episode - concrete tips! Qu.: Wouldn’t it make sense though to also include other duties/activities in that schedule? Since non-work related daily duties are also time-consuming and often we don’t consider them..

[@joychapman2407]

I'd be interested in your skin health topic. Are you including toxins released from tattoos?

[@ReflectionOcean]

By YouSum Live 00:00:02 Implement a pull-based system for better focus. 00:00:31 Reduce distractions by limiting active tasks to three. 00:03:45 Utilize tools like Trello for task organization. 00:05:47 Adopt multi-scale planning for efficient time management. 00:06:01 Plan daily, weekly, and seasonally for productivity. 00:07:02 Incorporate time blocking to enhance daily planning. 00:10:10 Allocate specific blocks for communication and tasks. 00:10:57 Follow time blocks to reduce decision fatigue. 00:11:34 Separate activities for better cognitive focus. By YouSum Live

[@adrianpietro5825]

A nice video would be ways to implement a rotation ... If you know what I mean

[@fourlokody]

what about if you’re working on something but you need data from someone, and they take a week to get back to you with the data you need? how does that scenario of collaboration fit in?

[@IAmDavidWhipple]

That’s a great question. It then becomes an issue of team leading and radical communication. How to express and inspire urgency.

[@someguyusa]

I'll have to see if there is a study-specific version of this. These tips are only useful if you are not actively trying to learn new material like in college.

[@ethan9553]

im so productive i can have 6 girlfriends at 1 time

[@franciscoh.demello6518]

😂😂😂

[@SunnDeath]

Good episode. However, I'm not the type to put all my personal life into spreadsheets

[@MaxwellPietsch]

Oh you mean like a kanban board? The idea that's been around forever?

[@Ameridlo]

the valuable part is the asynchronous nature and the compilation of information before deployment

[@geekspeak1066]

Yep

[@geekspeak1066]

Yep. I actually like Kanban but managing the backlog is untenable. Especially when executive requests come in. Anyone have thoughts or suggestions.

[@LIGHTISBURNING]

Wow, almost like everyone knows about kanban boards and you dont actually need no one to spread this idea since its like 1+1 = 2

[@RosenetTV]

Yep. Kanban, with product backlog refinement. Pure and simple. Hardly a revelation.

[@sbr090]

It’s a TO Do list 😂

[@TurnRacing]

**how to teach a smart person Lean Kanban so that they still think they're a genius**

[@hugster2000]

How hasn’t this dude been cancelled yet lmao

[@drillsports]

Dude.. you didn't know about Trello?!😅 this is just ridiculous

[@MVR777]

The guy started with a kanban board and continued with all the other approaches used by many for years. Totaly nothing new and there are many better ways to do what he tries to accomplish here.

[@drillsports]

Please tell me

[@MVR777]

@@drillsports Look up for the Agile best practices and tools. Get yourself introduced to Agile principles as well, because tools and methods without understanding are less effective. Frequently review what you where able to accomplish and how would you improve it if you would have to do it again. You can time-box your work up until 25 min increments, using pomodoro technique, but it's up to you and your ability to focus. Another points that he didn't mentioned are to keep your surroundings organized and spend some time on learning how to focus e.g. meditate.