The OptimalWork Podcast (OptimalWork)

#126: You may think that anxiety is an inherent trait, something that cannot be changed, only managed. In fact, it’s a state of training — of a small region of your brain called the amygdala. In this rebroadcast, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the definite steps you can take, not just to overcome it, but actually to transform it into your best performance.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#191: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres review the book “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. “The Anxious Generation” attributes the skyrocketing levels of anxiety among youth, particularly Gen Z, in large part to the widespread use of smartphones and social media. The negative effects of smartphones include social disconnection, sleep deprivation, attentional problems, and addiction. Haidt recommends dramatically restricting kids’ access to the “virtual world,” while also encouraging them to engage more with the real world. Sharif and Dr. Majeres summarize Haidt’s insights and show how they connect to key OptimalWork concepts like challenge and ideals.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#139: It is possible to accept in theory that every challenge presents an opportunity, while still in reality viewing the actual challenges you face in a negative light. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Majeres discuss the need for a robust worldview to be able to reframe any challenge, and how to tap into that worldview to make it more operative.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#211: Is it possible to sustain a high level of challenge throughout the day? At first, it may seem daunting. But embracing challenge brings growth and with it an increase in energy. The key is to embrace challenges in order to serve, so that challenges are not about improving yourself in isolation, but deepening the bonds with those around you.

Find more at ⁠https://www.OptimalWork.com⁠. 

#109: Is self-love always selfish? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Rashad Badr discuss why true self-love is actually a necessary step for being able to love others.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#136: In this episode Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss Steven Pressfield’s book “The War of Art.” Pressfield has developed a kind of mythology to describe the psychology of following one’s true calling. You know you’re on the right path if you encounter Resistance. But if you persevere and work through the Resistance your Muse will inspire you to do great things. In this episode, we compare Pressfield’s practical conclusions to the advice we give at OptimalWork.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#52: You might think that love and work have nothing to do with one another. In fact, work has a lot to learn from love, and love from work. In this episode, we explore the similarities between good work and love; how love can provide light and purpose to work; and how to “work” love to prevent it from growing cold.

#175: Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re always broadcasting our own inner experience. By shaping our actions according to our ideals, we forget about ourselves and create a positive tone around us. In this episode, we’ll show you psychological strategies for how to do this.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#28: If you’re trying to build a new habit but get frustrated by failure, you might think you need more discipline, more willpower. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the real source of constancy in struggle and growth: sincerity. Sincerity about your motives leads to a willingness to sacrifice particular satisfactions or outcomes in the pursuit of ideals. It thus provides the sure foundation for growth and change.

#91: A lot of people have heard about the practices of sleep hygiene, and are using them, but still struggle to achieve sleep. It may seem like sleep is something that either happens effortlessly or not at all. Recent research, however, suggests that falling asleep is a skill that can be learned.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#81: On November 1, 2021, the founder of cognitive therapy, Dr. Aaron T. Beck, passed away. Dr. Kevin Majeres trained with Dr. Beck and reflects on his significance, both for the field of psychology and for his own work.

#60: Is personality something you can develop by working on it? What would it look like to grow your personality? In this episode, we’ll apply our theory of growth to this very tricky topic.

#186: Why do we sometimes feel like we're at war with ourselves? In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres dive into a therapy approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS), exploring how our mind has various parts — protectors and exiles — which are sometimes in conflict. Approaching these parts with curiosity and compassion paves the way to resilience and growth. IFS offers value tools for everyday life and self-therapy. This discussion is geared toward empowering you to apply these learnings to your own internal challenges, fostering a path to flourishing.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#121: As you start to develop a new habit, you may meet internal resistance. Far from being a sign that you’re failing to build a virtuous cycle, facing internal resistance is actually a sign that you’re on the verge of real progress. Resistance is necessary in order to build true and lasting momentum and connect your new habits to deeper and more meaningful motives.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#72: One of the most frequent reasons for people to see their doctor is to treat fatigue or brain fog. In this episode, we look into the causes of brain fog and the potential solutions.

#25: We’ve often discussed anxiety: it develops over time as you train your amygdala to perceive certain challenges as threats to be fled. Anger is the flip side of anxiety, when you train your brain to perceive challenges as threats to be fought. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Majeres discuss how to shape your response to anger. Since it frequently occurs in the context of close relationships, we can discover in anger an opportunity to grow closer.

#220: Working with a spirit of service lies at the core of working at your best. But the spirit of service has a doppelgänger: aiming to please people. This often arises from motives of fear (fear of conflict, etc.), whereas service is rooted in love. In this episode, we compare these two motivations, and discuss how to escape the trap of seeking to please others.

Find more at ⁠https://www.OptimalWork.com⁠. 

#142: Is it possible to sustain a high level of challenge throughout the day? At first, it may seem daunting. But embracing challenge brings growth and with it an increase in energy. The key is to embrace challenges in order to serve, so that challenges are not about improving yourself in isolation, but deepening the bonds with those around you.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#222: In this episode of the OptimalWork Podcast, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres delve into the significance of humility in leadership and team dynamics. They explore the concept of humble leadership, the detrimental effects of pride, and the four horsemen of team dysfunction: defensiveness, criticism, stonewalling, and contempt. The conversation emphasizes the importance of cultivating humility as a means to foster better relationships, enhance team cohesion, and promote personal growth. The episode concludes with actionable steps for developing humility and the transformative power it holds in achieving mastery in various aspects of life.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#85: One of the least-discussed emotions may be the most powerful in bringing about well-being. When was the last time you were filled with awe? People may think of awe as a nice-to-have emotion, but not needed for living a good life. Recent research, however, suggests that awe may be essential to true thriving.

#36: In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the importance of rising early to meet the challenges of the day head-on. They present an email from someone who uses OptimalWork asking for advice: whether she should adjust her schedule to be much earlier to accommodate a morning workout. They apply OptimalWork’s approach to this question and examine the results it yielded.

#29: Procrastination always involves a double-deception. First, you get deceived by the thought of all the effort the task will take, as if that is what you face when starting the task. Next, you deceive yourself by putting it off, even though you know it’s better to get started. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres take a deeper look at the underlying causes of procrastination. Understanding the cause reveals the path to overcoming procrastination.

#7: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif, OptimalWork co-founders, discuss how to "materialize your ideals," that is, how to bring them to life: into reality, into your actions. The key to this is the practice of order, intensity, and constancy: three ideals that you can perfect in each hour of work, and that ultimately shape your practice of any other ideal.  An example we discuss in the video is kindness. How can you bring kindness to life? First order: think about how you're going to practice it, what situations; get a good picture of what it will look like. Then intensity: apply yourself in a particular situation with your whole attention. Then constancy: challenge yourself over the course of, say, a conversation to look for more opportunities to practice kindness.  This is key to understanding a saying we like to repeat: the way you work is the way you live.

#182: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In the second installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage two: using mindfulness to experience the alarm of anxiety. When you focus on the alarm of anxiety, rather than the trigger only, the learning generalizes to all triggers. It also flips the feeling of fear into one of daring, an eagerness to approach the trigger. This sets the stage for you to use your anxiety and adrenaline to achieve peak performance, which is the topic of next week’s episode.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#89: Are you new to OptimalWork? Have you started listening to the Golden Hour in the last year? Join us as we go back to the basics in this episode and discuss OptimalWork’s history, it’s mission, and how we help people get started on a path to self-mastery.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#113: We often emphasize generosity as a crowning ideal: a key character quality to strive for. But this raises some questions. Should you just give everything to everyone? What are the limits? What if people start to take advantage of your generosity? In this episode, we discuss how to set boundaries that will help you maximize your generosity by making it sustainable.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#80: Could there be a link between ego depletion and the increase of depression in modern times? We think there could be. But it’s not ego depletion itself; rather, it’s the theory of ego depletion that may be causing it. In this episode, we discuss what ego depletion is thought to be, and why implicit belief in it does more harm than good.

#61: Is the world divided between good sleepers and bad ones? Do poor sleepers simply have to be content with not sleeping well? In this episode, we’ll discuss the skills and ideals that can help you master sleep.

#87: The goal of OptimalWork is to help people challenge themselves according to their highest ideals in each task. In this episode, we dive deeper into this core concept, showing how challenge is the surest path to growth.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#82: What, if anything, does OptimalWork have to say about reflecting on the past? How can we use gratitude to help us make sense of our lives and deepen our bonds with others? Join us as we discuss these and other questions.

#46: Many people dream of being “confident” someday. When that day comes, they would have total certainty that they could attain any outcome they seek, without any anxiety at all. While it’s understandable that people want to work without uncertainty, this episode shows how “confidence” could actually mean that you are living on a plateau. Far better to aim instead for growth and your best performance and let confidence (or lack thereof) become simply irrelevant.

#11: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the default mode network, a network of brain regions that have profound implications for the way we work and live. The default mode is involved when you get distracted, but it can also be trained to help you focus better.

#9: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss the Golden Hour, the central method behind OptimalWork. A Golden Hour is like exercise for your work, when you deliberately practice working at your best by preparing for your work with three steps: reframing, mindfulness, and challenge. The Golden Hour can be practiced at www.optimalwork.com!  Some of the questions we discussed are:

• What is a Golden Hour and how do you do one?
• Why did we develop the idea of the Golden Hour? What's its origin and purpose?
• Will the Golden Hour help me find meaning and purpose in my work? (Hint: yes!)

#179: Difficult situations can feel intolerable. That intolerable feeling is produced by dynorphins and it makes us want to give up and abandon the difficulty we’re facing, whether it’s exercise, a difficult task, time in the sauna, or some small annoyance. But the more we embrace the dynorphin effect — the intolerable feeling — the more we develop a kind of inner strength. And, paradoxically, we end up unleashing a subsequent wave of endorphins, which cause feelings of wellbeing and improved mood. In this episode, we discuss how to harness this effect to grow in ideals and form deeper bonds.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#193: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the theory and science behind reframing, which is a foundational skill of OptimalWork. Reframing is essential to personal growth and overcoming challenges. But it goes beyond many of the techniques espoused by “self-help experts.” It is not just about positive thinking or building habits, but about discovering the meaningful opportunities for growth hidden within the challenges you face. This episode summarizes the theory and science of reframing, with practical examples to help you apply this key skill in your life. 

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#199: The classic example of a courageous person is one who can approach the possibility of death in battle. But this case has little to do with work in the modern world. Is courage, then, irrelevant? In this episode, we discuss what courage means in a modern work context and why it is not just relevant, but essential for thriving.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#145: Over the past five years, OptimalWork has grown into a unique and powerful digital platform for growth, centered on our MasterClass. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Majeres discuss the history of our digital platform and recent findings about how effective the MasterClass is in helping people achieve behavior change.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#12: This week we used the feeling of frustration as our starting point. In the course of the discussion, we also talked about self-labeling (what we call "schemas"); the true nature of success and failure; and the benefits of focusing on process rather than outcome. This episode gets to the heart of OptimalWork's approach. Schemas are contrasted with ideals: schemas result from and lead to motives of fear, whereas ideals, especially service, offer motives of love. When we act independently of the schemas we (implicitly) have, we become free to learn, practice, grow, and serve.

#100: You may think that memory is a fixed trait: sure, some people may have a great memory, but yours is not so good. Well, the great masters of learning didn’t rely on natural talent — they all used strategies and techniques to memorize important texts, ideas, and arguments. In this episode, we discuss how they did it, so that you can learn to as well.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#53: You might experience email as your worst nightmare — constantly interrupted, overwhelmed, unproductive. We’ll show you how to flip this around completely. We discuss strategies for managing your inbox and, more importantly, for crafting emails to make others’ lives easier. Improving the way you compose emails is a perfect opportunity to bring a spirit of service into your work.

#86: Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re always broadcasting our own inner experience. By shaping our actions according to our ideals, we forget about ourselves and create a positive tone around us. In this episode, we’ll show you psychological strategies for how to do this.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#74: Conversations can be a source of frustration, but they can also be the source of our deepest and most fulfilling joys. The bonds that we form with others are forged in large part through conversations. In this episode, we’ll talk about the key skill needed to have good conversations.

#2: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif, OptimalWork co-founders, discuss how to aim for ideals in difficult relationships, and how to respond to negative emotions.  The discussion was mainly inspired by the following comment: I am on quarantine. Three of the people I live with are insufferable characters. They hijack conversations, aggressively contradict people who are just sharing information (not even opinions) and needlessly complain. I'm not anxious of getting covid-19. That virus cannot hold a candle to the virulence of my housemates.

#163: In their 2019 book “The Power of Agency,” Paul Napper and Anthony Rao lay out their theory of growth and happiness, which centers on the concept of “agency.” In this episode, we compare their seven principles with OptimalWork’s approach, and show how ideals are essential to true agency.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

Negative feedback is a part of life. It’s also essential in helping us identify our biggest opportunities for growth. In this episode, we discuss how to give and receive negative feedback and the role it plays in the social dimension of growth.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#133: We’ve often spoken about the importance of maintaining a cheerful tone around us. But sometimes people find that inwardly they are very harsh and demanding with themselves. In this episode, we’ll discuss how to aim for the ideal of cheerfulness, but interiorly: with ourselves, our thoughts, and our emotions.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#170: With rising rates of anxiety and depression, some have suggested that managers be trained to provide “mental-health first aid” to employees in distress. In this episode, we discuss the best ways managers can help employees thrive at work, how to help them grow, and how to balance the need to get results from their teams with the ideal of supporting and mentoring them.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#198: As you start to develop a new habit, you may meet internal resistance. Far from being a sign that you’re failing to build a virtuous cycle, facing internal resistance is actually a sign that you’re on the verge of real progress. Resistance is necessary in order to build true and lasting momentum and connect your new habits to deeper and more meaningful motives.

Find more at ⁠https://www.OptimalWork.com⁠.

#99: We often put off big challenges — a large project, a different career path, a new hobby, etc. — because we don’t know how precisely to get started. Well, there’s a virtue for that! Study: the keen application of your mind to its proper object. In this episode, we discuss how to fruitfully engage challenges — new and old — with study.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#166: Shame is the emotion we feel when we fear that our failures or weaknesses will become known. This fear can lead us to pursue certain outcomes as defenses — money, success, prestige, etc. — or to shy away from challenges that will expose us. In this episode, we discuss how to experience and accept shame, and why doing so gives us a profound freedom and unlocks the most meaningful forms of growth. 

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#155: A lot of people have heard about the practices of sleep hygiene, and are using them, but still struggle to achieve sleep. It may seem like sleep is something that either happens effortlessly or not at all. Recent research, however, suggests that falling asleep is a skill that can be learned.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#188: It can be tempting to fit people into our categories: we think things like, “she’s sanguine,” “he’s not good at math,” “she’s shy,” “he’s melancholic.” We may even convince ourselves that these labels help us people as they want to or ought to be treated. But taken too far, labels prevent us from forming meaningful relationships with people. They can limit what we say or do, leading us to avoid certain topics of conversation or shared activities, and sometimes even introduce fear into the relationship. To form true bonds, we need to be radically open to the other person and treat them as a unique individual.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#5: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif, OptimalWork co-founders, discuss how to gain victory over tiredness - in the context of afternoon tiredness, naps, and missed sleep.  The discussion was mainly inspired by the following questions:

• If every time I feel tired I jump on the treadmill will that amplify the feeling of tiredness because I am acting on it? 
• Can you address the advisability of the short afternoon nap?
• How do we get back on track of our sleeping schedule, once we had left it?

#68: We’ve often spoken about the importance of reframing challenges according to ideals. Inspired by questions, we’ve decided to revisit this topic, discussing ideals, what they are exactly, where they come from, and how to live them out in your life.

#108: Join Dr. Kevin Majeres and Rashad Badr for a discussion on narcissism, an attachment to one's self-image, and how to attain true self-knowledge through humility.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#119: This episode is a deep dive into the relationship between Internal Family Systems (IFS), a growing method of psychotherapy, and OptimalWork. We can view friction in life as different parts of us locked in conflict, ultimately seeking to avoid a painful emotion. Through work — and the practice of reframing, mindfulness, and challenge — we can learn to redirect the energy that powers these parts to work for us.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#10: Mastery is one of the central concepts of OptimalWork. It means doing work well, and is cultivated through the development and practice of strategies. The projects and templates tools on www.OptimalWork.com are meant to help you make good strategies, and refine them over time.

Some of the questions we discussed in this video are:

• What is mastery?
• How can you grow in mastery?
• What's the role of mentoring and collaboration in growing in mastery?
• What's the relationship between strategies and mastery?

#57: How do you go about pursuing high ideals and forging relationships? You might immediately think of action, but also important is rest. In this episode, we look at the science of rest, showing how to rest well, so you can work more effectively and for higher ideals, stay energized, and forge deeper bonds with others.

#23: Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the neurological phenomenon of thalamic gating: the way your brain selectively filters sensations based on what you act on. By changing your behavior — for example, your response to pain or fears — you can train your brain to simply stop noticing these triggers. The key conclusion is that being willing to suffer in the end reduces suffering. This episode presents the neuroscience to support this claim.

#112: Optimism is a belief that things will improve in the future. Sometimes it doesn’t always seem that way. As we struggle to improve, we may get discouraged and think that things will always be difficult. However, the science of habits and habituation teaches us that as we challenge ourselves, things do in fact get easier and more enjoyable as our body adjusts to the new behaviors.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#39: The more you find yourself complaining or dreading, the more you’ll benefit from reframing, the skill that is most essential to OptimalWork. In this episode, Dr. Kevin and Sharif take several examples of difficult situations, pointing out possible reframes and, in the process, shedding light on the different ways to find meaning in the challenges you face.

#158: Conversations can be a source of frustration, but they can also be the source of our deepest and most fulfilling joys. The bonds that we form with others are forged in large part through conversations. In this episode, we’ll talk about the key skill needed to have good conversations.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#104: Does mindfulness present a paradox between self-referential thoughts and the ability to focus intensely on our work? Does mindfulness lead us to be overly focused on ourselves or lead us to forget ourselves? Can it help us to deal with a frenetic workplace? The answer to this seeming paradox and these questions gives a clear insight into OptimalWork’s theory and measure of growth.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#62: How do you help others grow? How do you know when it’s the right time to help them grow? What’s the best way to pursue those conversations? This episode pursues these questions and others, so that you can thrive in any role in which others depend on you.

#98: Is competition a good motivating force? Why are some people more competitive than others? Is being competitive a virtue or a vice, and can it be compatible with living a life of high ideals? These questions and more in today’s episode.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#127: Reframing lies at the heart of OptimalWork’s approach. In this episode, Dr Kevin Majeres and Sharif survey some precursors to reframing in the literature and practice of psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy, and what distinguishes reframing from these other approaches.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#66: Are you hypnotized right now? It might surprise you to learn that, in a technical sense, you very well may be. Understanding how trances work, the topic of today’s episode, will allow you to free your attention from the things that capture it.

#197: Complaining is very tempting. When experiencing difficulty, it can seem helpful to vent our frustration. But chronic complaining can hinder the development of genuine bonds and can reinforce a negative mindset. Complaining narrows our focus and prevents us from reframing challenges as opportunities for growth. In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Majeres do a deep dive into complaining. Defending oneself or correcting injustices are not considered complaining. Real complaining — which is the futile expression of impatience — has negative effects on our brain and body, weakens our bonds with others, and prevents us from truly solving the problems we face. Instead of complaining, we can accurately assess challenges and find ways that they will bring out our best.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#96: More and more people report experiencing “imposter syndrome,” often in new and challenging social or professional situations. They are unable to internalize their own success, attributing it instead to external factors like chance or luck; as a result, they often see themselves as “frauds.” In this episode, we introduce a solution to imposter syndrome that gives us independence from the validation and judgements of others.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#63: Feeling uncertain can paralyze us. In those moments, we might seek reassurance from ourselves or others. In this episode, we discuss why you shouldn’t just seek certainty, and how these challenges provide the best opportunities for adventure and growth.

#41: If someone around you has some defect that annoys you, it can cause a kind of obsession that develops into a critical attitude towards the very person. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss how this annoyance develops, what it means for the relationship, and what to do about it.

#178: What do you do when you feel tired? Go back to sleep? Take a nap? Power through? In this episode, we discuss a number of approaches to overcoming tiredness, from tracking your levels of fatigue (not recommended) to changing up your diet. But the ultimate approach draws on all the principles of OptimalWork and will actually help you harness tiredness for increased energy!

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#176: Whenever we do something repeatedly, we’ll tend eventually to do it in a rote, automatic way. This even applies to OptimalWork’s core practices: reframing, mindfulness, and challenge. In this episode we show how curiosity can help you overcome this tendency and bring a sense of newness to every challenge you face.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#205: In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss OptimalWork's recently launched anxiety course called Overcoming Anxiety. Having the proper attitude toward anxiety is essential. Rather than thinking we must get rid of anxiety or merely cope with it, we need to see how to embrace anxiety and use it to perform at our best and live out our highest ideals. This understanding is key to shaping our actions, and also helping others to engage the challenges they face.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#161: This episode continues our discussion of Alfie Kohn’s “Punished by Rewards.” Kohn believes that a person’s motivation (especially a child’s) starts out pure but gets corrupted by rewards and praise. Here we explore the possibility that intrinsic motivation is actually something that develops over time, and thus behavioralist psychology, rather than destroying intrinsic motivation, in fact opens up a path to it.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#143: Working with a spirit of service lies at the core of working at your best. But the spirit of service has a doppelgänger: aiming to please people. This often arises from motives of fear (fear of conflict, etc.), whereas service is rooted in love. In this episode, we compare these two motivations, and discuss how to escape the trap of seeking to please others.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#34: In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the “cloud of unknowing.” Whenever you are on the edge of your understanding, you will experience a kind of cloud, in which the way forward is unclear. This cloud can be daunting, and you may try to leave it for a safer path — but in fact it is a condition for innovation. Dr. Majeres gives advice on how to advance through the cloud toward discovery.

#69: What makes OptimalWork different from other productivity systems? What makes the Golden Hour different from any other period of focused work? And what is the difference between OptimalWork and Dr. Cal Newport’s highly popular Deep Work? These questions and more in today’s episode.

#152: You may have a goal of achieving a high level of performance with no difficulty, no inner turmoil whatsoever. In this rebroadcast, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss approaching challenges in a different way: not aiming for effortless success, but rather for acceptance of difficulty and perseverance — what Dr. Majeres calls aiming for silver, rather than gold. Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#149: Are you hypnotized right now? It might surprise you to learn that, in a technical sense, you very well may be. Understanding how trances work, the topic of today’s rebroadcast, will allow you to free your attention from the things that capture it.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#95: If you’re often frustrated, you may think you need more of the opposite: more satisfaction. In this episode, we discuss how frustration is actually related to failed strategies. Each experience of frustration then points out an opportunity to employ better strategies and pursue more meaningful goals.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#15: In this episode Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the nature and cause of anxiety. Understanding how anxiety works and what it really is — which is quite simple — can help you transform your approach to it. Crucially, as Dr. Majeres explains, anxiety is not a disorder or something to be avoided. Anxiety can be transformed into your best performance by following three steps: reframing, mindfulness, and engaging the challenge. You can follow these three steps before a time of work, turning it into a Golden Hour of focus and training yourself to embrace anxiety and use it to your advantage.

#137: Sometimes when people learn about OptimalWork they think the principles apply only to desk work, academic work, or deep work: in a word, work that can be completely controlled. In this episode, Rashad Badr and Dr. Kevin Majeres show how OptimalWork’s principles can be applied to all types of work, focusing especially on meetings you attend, the quintessential example of work that’s “out of your control.”

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#51: As you’re trying to develop new and better habits, there are some common obstacles you may run into — they might lead you to give up just when you’re on the cusp of great progress. In this episode, we discuss the most common reason people give up on new habits, and how to overcome it.

#219: In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discuss the concept of Extreme Ownership, as introduced and developed by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Willink and Babin learned this concept from their time serving as Navy Seals and have gained popularity adapting it to other contexts, like business and relationships. In this conversation, Sharif and Dr. Majeres discuss the nuances of this approach, and share applications to challenges faced in various contexts, from the classroom to the boardroom.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

#147: Sometimes it may seem like the outcome is the most important thing you need to obtain: the perfect grade, the well-deserved promotion, or the necessary money. In this episode, Dr. Majeres and Sharif discuss the superiority of growth goals and why you should never aim for outcomes as ends in themselves.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com. 

#14: Last week, we discussed the left-brain/right-brain paradigm as it bears on work, and this week we are building off the discussion to address motives. Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist re-popularized this paradigm in his 2009 book The Master and His Emissary, grounding it in neuroscience and using it to explain aspects of psychology, society, and culture (in contrast to previous pseudo-scientific versions of the theory). The approach has profound implications for understanding what motivates your actions —  fear or love?

#162: Procrastination is something of a mystery. Its costs — decreased quality of work, fraying of bonds with others, increased negative emotions like stress, even health effects — are universally acknowledged. Yet procrastination persists — or, put precisely, people persist in procrastinating. In this episode, we discuss the primary cause of procrastination (a reluctance to experience negative emotions like stress or reluctance), how it leads to a vicious cycle of procrastination, and how to overcome it.

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#35: In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss the question of worrying. Worrying is when you have some bad outcome that you continually think about how to avoid. It is one of the top reasons people get stressed out, experience burnout, and feel fatigue. Dr. Majeres helps clarify the precise nature of worrying, as well as steps to take to overcome it.

#42: If you’re aiming to work at your best, constantly operating at 100%, won't you quickly become exhausted? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss how to make intense workdays sustainable by introducing periods of intense rest. Intense rest not only helps you recover from work, it also helps you consolidate the learning and growth you attain while working.

#174: Mindfulness lies at the heart of OptimalWork’s approach. Living your highest ideals means being fully present, fully engaged with reality. Cultivating this habit is the work of mindfulness. But mindfulness rests on a set of apparent contradictions. Foremost among them is this: while mindfulness involves accepting reality as it is, it is often used as a way of achieving personal or behavioral change. In this episode, we discuss this apparent paradox and others, shedding light on the true nature of mindfulness and how to practice it most effectively.

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#204: : In this episode, we focus on the ideal of temperance, sketching what it looks like at various levels, and how to grow in it. At all levels, we show how temperance, the ability to act according to your ideals no matter what desires you have, is not a matter of effortful willpower, but can be gained with the simple practice of mindfulness.

Find more at ⁠https://www.OptimalWork.com⁠.

#131: Ideals lie at the core of our approach. Indeed, our mission is to help you challenge yourself according to your highest ideals in each hour of work and life. For this, it is necessary to have an image in your mind of what the various ideals look like when lived fully. In this episode, we paint a picture of humility.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

#140: One of the consequences of living in threat mode is that you often feel overwhelmed. Your view of yourself and your situation becomes fixed, and you can lose your optimism. In this rebroadcast, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discussed how to regain a sense of possibility and freedom whenever you’re overwhelmed.

#22: This week we discuss the nature of addiction, that is, repeatedly giving into a craving in which the costs outweigh the benefits. Addiction comes in many varieties. One mild example discussed is frequently giving in to distractions in work. The pattern of how addictions form is generally the same, and they are likewise broken by following the three steps of the Golden Hour, reframing, mindfulness, and challenge.

#167: At the heart of our approach is the practice of a Golden Hour: preparing your mind for a time of work, focusing on one thing, and setting a stop time in advance. Doing a Golden Hour brings the key practices of psychology into your hour of work, so you not only do your best work, but you also practice bringing your highest ideals into your actions, which is the entire goal of OptimalWork. In this episode, we discuss the genesis of the Golden Hour, how to do it well, and some common questions about how to tailor it do different situations.

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#110: Many people think that they and others work best under extreme external pressure: impending deadlines, demanding bosses, etc. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss better ways to achieve intensity.

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#97: When facing a conflict with someone close to us, our instinctive reaction can be one of rigidity, a desire to achieve a particular outcome, or even to fight. When this happens, our approach will harm the bond. In this episode, we show how to approach conflict with creativity, flexibility, and understanding, so that the source of the conflict can be an occasion for deepening the bond.

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#27: You may have wondered how to apply OptimalWork's principles to "passive" activities like attending class or meetings. This week, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres discussed how to actively challenge yourself in these situations, in particular, by doing a "post-pre flip" to completely change how you prepare for them.

#105: Have you ever worked with great intensity and lost track of time, only to realize later that it was all a waste? You had fallen for the trap of hyperfocus. In this episode, we’ll distinguish between hyperfocus and true flow, and show you how to always attain the latter.

Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.