{"id":5027,"date":"2013-10-10T07:45:22","date_gmt":"2013-10-10T11:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=5027"},"modified":"2022-09-02T16:22:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T16:22:59","slug":"100-incredible-things-learned-watching-ted-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/100-incredible-things-learned-watching-ted-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"100 incredible things I learned watching 70 hours of TED talks last week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Estimated Reading Time:<\/strong> 12 minutes, 6s. It’s skimmable, though.<\/div><\/div>\n

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The other week I watched 70 hours of TED talks<\/strong><\/a><\/span>; short, 18-minute talks given by inspirational leaders in the fields of T<\/b>echnology, E<\/b>ntertainment, and D<\/b>esign (TED). I watched 296 talks in total<\/strong>, and I recently went through the list of what I watched, weeded out the crappy and boring talks, and created a list of the 100 best things I learned !<\/p>\n

This article isn’t entirely about productivity, but I guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two.\u00a0Here are 100 incredible things I learned watching 70 hours of TED talks last week!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Productivity<\/h2>\n

1.<\/strong> Studies have shown that what motivates a person the most (in non-factory-type work) is how much autonomy, mastery, and purpose they have<\/b><\/a><\/span>, not how much money they make.<\/p>\n

2. Playing video games <\/b>can actually make you more productive<\/b><\/a><\/span> because video games give you more physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> A lot of people aspire to be productive so they can become happier, but happiness has been shown to lead to productivity<\/b><\/a><\/span>, not the other way around.<\/b><\/p>\n

4. <\/b>You don’t have as much attention to give to the world around you as you think<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/b> You can’t recall memories while processing new data, you can only process so much information at once, and your attention is easily manipulated (like by magicians).<\/p>\n

5. <\/b>Innovative thinking is often a slow and gradual process<\/b><\/a><\/span>, not a moment of instant, lightbulb-like inspiration.<\/p>\n

6. If you want people to remember you, <\/b>sweat the small stuff<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/b> Most companies (and people) do the big stuff right, so sweating the small stuff (like getting the user interfaces on your products right) can really set you apart.<\/p>\n

7. <\/b>You have three brain systems for love<\/b><\/a><\/span>: lust, romantic love, and attachment. To develop more intimate relationships with your significant other, it’s important to invest in all three.<\/p>\n

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8.<\/strong> When you create an environment for your employees that makes them truly happy<\/b> (instead of just rich), more profits may follow<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

9. <\/b>Your office is actually a pretty crappy environment to get work done.<\/b><\/a><\/span> In fact, when Jason Fried asked folks where their favorite place to get work done was, almost no one said “in the office”.<\/p>\n

10. <\/b>Taking time off can make you a lot more productive<\/b><\/a><\/span>, because time away from your work lets you explore, reflect, and come up with better ideas.<\/p>\n

11.<\/strong> The greatest leaders and companies constantly reflect on why<\/em> they do what they do<\/b><\/a><\/span>, instead of simply doing it.<\/p>\n

12. <\/b>Success isn’t a destination, it’s a continuous journey that’s made up of eight parts<\/b><\/a><\/span>: passion, hard work, focus, pushing yourself and others, having great ideas, making constant improvements, serving others, and persistence.<\/p>\n

13. <\/b>The key to becoming more productive and successful may be to fail faster and smarter<\/b><\/a><\/span>, especially if you do creative work.<\/p>\n

14.<\/strong> We don’t feel fear because of a potential loss of income or status, we feel fear because we’re afraid of being judged and ridiculed<\/b><\/a><\/span>. Any vision of success has to admit what the definition doesn’t include, and what you may be missing out on.<\/p>\n

15.<\/strong> IQ isn’t the only thing that dictates whether someone will be successful or unsuccessful; grit does too<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

16.<\/strong> If you want to make better long-term decisions, imagine how your decisions will affect your future-self<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

17. <\/b>All you have to do to learn practically anything is jump in<\/b><\/a><\/span> and ask yourself, “what’s the worst that could happen?”<\/p>\n

18.<\/strong> People tend to avoid conflict (it’s in our nature), even though a moderate level of conflict may be the key to better relationships, research, and businesses<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

19.<\/strong> Mass media is pretty much dead, so the key to making big changes is through tribes<\/b><\/a><\/span>. As time goes on, more and more people are investing their time and attention in their tribes (like TED!)<\/p>\n

20.<\/strong> The best way to help someone is often to shut up and listen to them<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

21.<\/strong> A great way to kill two birds with one stone: have walking meetings<\/b><\/a><\/span>, where you walk and talk to someone at the same time. It’s great exercise, and it speeds up the meeting.<\/p>\n

22. Stress by itself doesn’t affect your health<\/b>. How you think about stress<\/a><\/span> does.<\/p>\n

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Here are three other productivity experiments<\/a><\/span>\u00a0I’ve done recently:<\/strong>\u00a0Meditating for 35 hours over 7 days<\/a><\/span>;\u00a0using my smartphone for only an hour a day for three months<\/a><\/span>;\u00a0living in total reclusion for 10 days<\/a><\/span>.<\/div><\/div>\n

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Becoming a better human<\/h2>\n

23, 24, 25. Limits are bullshit<\/b>. Some people choose to not be set back by limits, and at the end of the day, they’re the ones who end up giving TED talks. Like Neil Harbisson, who was born without the ability to see color, so he hacked together a device to hear<\/i> color<\/a><\/span>. Or Caroline Casey, who didn’t learn until she was 17 that she was legally blind<\/a><\/span>. Or David Blaine, who pushed his body and mind to hold his breath for 17 straight minutes underwater<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"littlehappyboy\"26.<\/strong> Don’t worry – texting isn’t ruining your understanding of the English language<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

27. <\/b>You’re not as rational as you think you are<\/b><\/a><\/span>. One example: do you supersize your meal at McDonald’s even when you’re not hungry?<\/p>\n

28. Three keys to success <\/b>from Elon Musk<\/b><\/a><\/span>: Work very hard, pay attention to negative feedback (especially when it comes from friends), and study physics to learn how to reason from first principles (instead of by analogy).<\/p>\n

29.<\/strong> If you’re arguing with someone to win the argument, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. You should be arguing to learn<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

30.<\/strong> Like it or not, your body language affects how other people think of you<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

31. Great, committed sex combines two things<\/b>: your need for security, and your need for surprise<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

32.<\/strong> Being introverted isn’t a bad thing; it’s quite the opposite! Even though society often seems to value extraverts more, introverts should be celebrated just as much<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

33.<\/strong> To save more money, commit to saving more money, tomorrow<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

34. <\/b>Living an awesome life<\/b><\/a><\/span> means having a great attitude (seeing the good in things), seeing the wonder in the world around you, and being authentic.<\/p>\n

35, 36, 37, 38, 39. 40, 41. There isn’t one secret to happiness, but there are a lot of small secrets that will move you in the right direction. <\/b>Stay in the moment<\/a><\/span>, and be mindful<\/a><\/span>. Spend money on other people, rather than on yourself<\/a><\/span>. Slow down<\/a><\/span>. Take time to appreciate and see the good in what you have<\/a><\/span>. Live a life that’s full of meaning in the short-and long-term<\/a><\/span>. And change how you look at the past, present, and future<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

42. <\/b>Your memory is a lot faultier than you think<\/b><\/a><\/span>. You frequently remember things that didn’t happen, and remember things differently than they actually happened. Plus, your memories can be manipulated.<\/p>\n

Interlude: My 10 favorite productivity experiments from my year of productivity<\/b><\/h2>\n

10 of my favorite experiments<\/a><\/span> from my year of productivity, in no particular order. Just click on any picture to visit the experiment’s article.<\/p>\n

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