What most of us consider advice isnt actually advice at all.
Not useful advice, at least.
podcastmissioned to solve lifes problems one question at a time.
Stories, says Duhigg, are critical for anyone to understand and internalize life-improving advice in any meaningful way.
I spoke with the author ofThe Power of HabitandSmarter Faster Betterto commemorate the one-year anniversary ofHow To!.
There is actually kind of an interesting thing that came out of the podcast since writingSmarter Faster Better.
And they would say like, yeah I read that chapter but its not working for me.
And I was trying to figure out why this was.
Can you share an example?
We did this one episode called How to Lose 155 Pounds Happily.
And there was this woman who had gotten gastric bypass surgery and shed lost 155 pounds.
But she was still super unhappy.
And basically, Brittany told her story about like what had happened after shed lost all that weight.
And what Brittany said is not Earth-shatteringly new, right?
But she told as a story in a way that totally landed.
It was a really powerful episode.
And I think its because he had great advice, but it was not embedded in the story.
It was literally just advice.
Has this happened to you personally?
Have you recently heard astory that made you understand advice in a way you hadnt previously?
So heres a heres a great example.
We did this episode called How to Sleep.
But again, none of this is revolutionary, and this is stuff that I had heard for years.
Hes done everything he can.
And thats how he discovered meditation.
Its work, its not relaxation.
I was like, oh, no, Ive been doing meditation all wrong.
And it transformed how I fall asleep.
When building productivity, is a support system a nice-to-have or a need-to-have?
Oh, need-to-have, absolutely.
And I think this actually gets back to why stories are so important.
And the only that way you might see that narrative is reflected in someone elses eyes.
And unless we have a story about ourselves we will not be able to change.
Whats your workspace like?
But, you know, honestly, I dont have anything very special.
I dont spend a lot of time thinking about the space I work in.
Basically I just need a desk and a computer.
And I love reading things like How I Work, right?
I understand that people willbelievethat is the determinant of their own productivity.
And its obviously good to be in a space that we feel comfortable.
I think what matters much more is have they figured out what helps make them feel in control.
My office never looks that nice.
It never looks special.
I do not actually believe that someone is more or less productive because of what their office looks like.
Whats a main determinant for your productivity?
Number two, I like to be able to take walks.
It is really, really helpful.
And then third thing is to have technology working.
Not just because the Internet was out, but because it felt out of control.
When technology doesnt work it totally throws me off.
Whats the problem that youre trying to solve?
Theres all these great podcasts out there that are like 10 episodes a year.
How do we do that faster?
Who else would you want to hear answer these questions?
I would definitely love to hear how Michael Lewis organizes his time and work for a couple of reasons.
Like, once hes reached that time limit, he just stops.
Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell.
Id be really curious how Malcolm arranges his time, he would be really interesting.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
