The Better Show

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Better Look Back Vol. 2 - Clutter & Meditation Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

Our second Better Look Back episode on clutter & meditation to tell you what worked, what failed and what new discoveries we’ve found to help you get better. We cover a lot of ground, including:

Show Notes

1:57 — March's success with the clothes hanger trick to declutter his closet
4:48 — Darren's epic Santa shirt story
8:24 — Update on Ian's Facebook De-clutter Day event
10:22 — How Darren digitized & organized his paper clutter using Trello
15:46 — March's calendar failure and how he aims to fix it
21:24 — How Ryan Carson uses AI to manage his calendar & meetings
25:49 — Ian discovers alternate opinions on KonMari method for organization that may surprise you
35:40 — Darren and March share their personal experiences using KonMari method in their relationships
40:55 — The new Outlook feature that made March hate work email a bit less
44:30 — Meditation breathing that Navy Seals and Marines use
50:07 — Ian on his experience using Kevin Rose's new meditation app, Oak, for over 50 days every morning
51:53 — March on his use of the Calm app for meditation for 25 days
54:35 — Sleep stories: bedtime stories for grownups
1:01:56 — Darren on how Oprah is great for meditation
1:04:01 — Noise canceling headphones are key for great meditation
1:05:33 — Darren on his mantra-based meditation experiments
1:12:19 — Ian on his gratitude journal failure
1:14:15 — March gets tips on how to start daily gratitude journaling
1:18:59 — March on his new breathing technique discovery
1:24:43 — Ian wonders why we haven't evolved to breathe better

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Better Bite - Productivity Planner Nov 26, 2017

Show notes

In this first short “Better Show Bite” episode, Ian, Darren & March deep dive on a single tool that they’ve mentioned in previous episodes of The Better Show — The Productivity Planner by Intelligence Change. We cover a lot of ground, including:

Show Notes

0:45 — Our experiment with a new episode format — Better Show Bites.
2:11 — March explains what the Productivity Planner is like — physically and methodologically
4:40— Why Ian initially avoided using the Productivity Planner
7:03 — The commitments each guy made to using the Productivity Planner — including March paying for Ian’s massage
8:45 — How Productivity Planner helped Darren be way more focused than every before and accomplish meaningful work
9:37 — Darren’s “secret sauce” modifications he’s made to Productivity Planner to make it even more powerful for him (and you!)
16:10 — Structure vs. Flexibility in a planner — March and Ian talk about the pros and cons of each
19:24 — The Pomodoro Technique and how Italian tomatoes can help your brain be more productive when using the Productivity Planner
26:30 — How The Productivity Planner impacts your work calendar
27:40 — How you can get your own Productivity Planner (including for free!)

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Defeat procrastination and achieve your goals Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March talk about how to deal with procrastination. We reflect on why people procrastinate, our own personal experience with it, tips & tricks you can use, and experiments we're going to try and report back on.

Show Notes

1:48 — Why you should actually address procrastination
3:33 — Why curious minds might be prone to accidental procrastination
7:20 — Can fear be a motivator for procrastination?
9:19 — The problem all creatives face
13:30 — How to flip procrastination on itself and take stock of productivity
17:09 — Tips to go from fruitless to fruitful procrastination
21:36 — The difference between procrastination and intentional recreation
27:23 — How to plan your way around procrastination
45:04 — How to gain and retain your productivity momentum
52:30 — The Fogg method to build better habits
1:05:12 — Accountability as an antidote to procrastination
1:08:31 — How calendars, reminders, and supplements can help you achieve more
1:18:41 — March's experiment: Stickk and external editor
1:19:24 — Darren's experiment: Qualia nootropic supplements
1:20:23 — Ian's experiment: the Productivity Planner

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Eating to perform at your best Nov 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March talk about optimizing your nutrition for performance. We reflect on why nutrition matters, our own personal experiences with food, tips & tricks you can use, and experiments we're going to try and report back on.

Show Notes

2:57—Why nutrition matters for optimum performance
5:13—Darren, March and Ian talk about their own relationship with food, from childhood to adulthood, and Ireland to Georgia.
10:52—The current state of nutritional science
12:51—The surprising story of why Michelle Obama made healthy eating her legacy
15:00—The one piece of advice Darren's doctor gave him that changed his eating habits
18:13—Why you should question what you're being told is good or bad for you
21:04—Why nutritionists know so much more about food than your doctor
24:19—How Ian ditched drinking soda by eating ice cream
29:43—Adding something to your diet is the best way to remove something else
31:26—Dark, leafy vegetables are the magic pill of nutrition
34:00—Save money buying healthy food with the Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen lists
36:34—How march went from hangry to happy by stabilizing his blood sugar
39:38—The many benefits of Darren's daily morning caffeine
43:15—Ketogenic diet: What is it, the benefits, March's experience with it
51:15—March tells Ian how to get started with a Ketogenic diet
1:01:07—How starting your day with protein helps with weight loss, energy and focus
1:02:58—March's best quick tips for finding the time to eat healthy
1:05:12—Ian's best quick tips for avoiding food cravings
1:08:41—The one thing people always mess up when trying to eat more vegetables
1:10:51—Darren's Chick-Fil-A hack when you're in a pinch for healthy food
1:13:05—March's next experiments: Forehead tapping & lowering protein intake for ketosis
1:14:48—What March's typical day of food looks like on a ketogenic diet
1:16:03—Darren's next experiment: MCT oil for more daily energy
1:17:30—Bulletproof coffee: a ketogenic coffee drink
1:19:26—Ian's next experiment: 100% small batch dark chocolate for lower blood pressure

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Better Look Back Vol. 1 - Sleep & Stress Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March look back on their experiments from the first two episodes on sleep and stress to tell you what worked, what failed and what new discoveries they've found to help you get better.

Show Notes

1:00 —Salves, salts, and the case of the ill-fitting bathtub
10:54 —How Ian's Oura ring helped him figure out the missing factor in his fitness routine
18:44 —Darren discovers the secret ingredient to 5-star sleep
24:38—Why March substituted one sleep machine for another
28:16 —Confessions: One of the guys is a Coast2CoastAM junkie
31:07 —Binaural beats as part of a bedtime routine
36:10 —How March is getting pleasantly guided to sleep
40:54 —The only sponsor for this episode is our newsletter, The Better Show Bits. Sign up today!
41:51 —Darren on his holotropic breathing experiment…useful or just hyperventilating?
47:55 —Ian on how using The Daily Stoic has been his #1 de-stressing tool
53:58 —March reviews 3 top mediation apps: Headspace, Sattva, & Calm
1:06:24 —March's success with light therapy
1:12:06 —March says "the best thing on YouTube" is Crash Course
1:14:48 —Ian's new obsession: crafting a morning ritual

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Meditation for focus & happiness Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March talk about meditation. We reflect on how meditation can help deal with all sorts of life challenges, our own personal experiences with meditation, tips & tricks you can use, and experiments we're going to try and report back on.

Show Notes

1:02— What meditation is and how it begets mindfulness
2:21 —The science behind meditation and how it can positively affect your mind and body
6:13— Darren’s journey — you too might be mediating already and not know it
13:58 —Why not all attempts at meditation might stick
16:11 —Ways meditation can help make your life more balanced like it did for Ian
19:27 —Finding yourself not able to be “in the now” or having trouble letting go? March recommends meditation
- “Letting go of extrinsic motivators, and embracing intrinsic ones”
24:35 —It’s not called a meditation practice for nothing
26:25 —Shamanic drumming, binaural beats, and brain entrainment: how rhythm and other external factors can elevate your consciousness
33:05 — “Meditation is the exercise to get strong mental muscles and mindfulness is the use of those muscles to help me” — March
33:30 —Methods to practice focusing your attention, as tested by March
36:03 —PSA: meditation is not a religious activity
37:39 —App suggestions to help you get started on your meditation practice
44:19 —What three personal meditation routines actually look and feel like
1:05:20 —Transcendental meditation can teach you how to access your inner calm
1:13:34 —Our next experiments:
- Ian will continue his mindfulness meditation streak, try TM, start a daily gratitude journal
- Darren will read Man’s Search for Meaning and meditate outside in unpleasant weather
- March will continue daily meditation, experimenting with mantra-based meditation, and start a gratitude journal

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Cut out clutter and feel happier Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March talk about how to handle clutter. We reflect on why reducing clutter matters, our own personal experiences with clutter, tips & tricks you can use, and experiments we're going to try and report back on.

Show Notes

1: 21 - How clutter can negatively affect your health and productivity
8:45 - The difference between clutter and hoarding
10:00 - Ian, on dealing with "I might need it one day" syndrome
13:15 - Darren, on minimalism and finding a happy medium
15:37 - March, on tidying up vs organizing
18:51 -Easy first steps on your path to a clutter-free environment
22:55 - How the KonMari method can refresh the way you approach decluttering
28:55 - Your neighbors' secret to buying nothing
34:44 - How sharing economies can reduce individual clutter
38:10 - Services to help you get rid of your physical clutter
44:08 - Closet and storage hacks you can experiment with
52:50 - How to prevent future clutter through your buying choices
56: 56 - Digital decluttering tips for your emails, files, and more
1:04:59 - Do we even need to organize our digital files anymore?
1:11:00 - March's trick for handling mounds of paper communication
1:15:43 - A PSA on digital clutter
1:17:33 -Lightning round of tricks for tidying up and being productive
1:23:39 - Our next experiments:
- Ian will start a Declutter Day event on Facebook
- March will try Ian's closet hack and BuyNothing
  Darren will digitize all his old paperwork

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Turn stress into a performance tool Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March talk about how to deal with stress. We reflect on why stress matters, our own personal experiences with stress, tips & tricks you can use, and experiments we're going to try and report back on.

Show Notes

1:23 - Stress - the good, the bad, and the ugly
4:00 - Darren, on his chronic stress and awakening to it
6:02 - Ian, on finding balance and avoiding stress
8:10 - March shares a warning from a life lesson he learned during one crazy year
- The water glass analogy to understand stress
10:45 - Ian's secret to flipping stress like other people flip houses
14:00 - How a mindfulness practice can help transcend or even prevent stress
- 16: 20 - March's tip to practice noticing your thoughts
18:56 - In defense of stress: reasons to allow stress in your life
- Louis C.K. doesn't want you to escape sadness and neither does The Better Show
22:52 - Multiple ways to manage your stress through music or movies
26:28 - Stressors vs soothers: how identifying and utilizing them can upgrade your life
32:12 - The "miracle drug of the 21st century" and other tips to increase resilience
- 41:00 - Darren's quest for more kale, less cookies
42: 15 - What to do in the very moment you're hit with stress
51:41 -Tips for dealing with chronic stress
54:13 - How a little bit of scheduling can go a long way towards boosting your sanity
56:54 - Our next experiments: stoicism, meditation, breath work
- Ian will add daily Stoic readings to his morning routine
- March will start a daily meditation practice
- Darren will try out holotropic breathing and track long term meditation effects
1:04:16 - Reach out to us & join the community!

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Sleep for health and focus Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

Why do we sleep? What impacts can it have on your body, mind, and everything else in your life? How do we get better at sleep?

Show Notes

1:25 - How sleep deprivation came to affect each of the guys
6:00 - What we know (and don't know) about sleep
7:35 - This is your brain on sleep
- 9:19 - the (compelling/ surprising/ unexpected) link between insomnia and Alzheimer's disease
10:00 - What sleep deprivation can mean for your life
11:54 - Are you actually more focused when you're sleep deprived?
- 14:47 - Fuel in the tank ,money in the bank (resilience)
- 15: 40 - mental focus vs emotional energy
19:16 - How to track your sleep through apps and wearables
28:34 - The phases of the moon can affect your sleep (even if you're not a werewolf)
30:44 - Understanding your body's love/hate relationship with blue light and how to manage it
36:34 - How your sleep can improve with fresh air and temperature change
40:25 - March, on how he went from skeptic to believer of sleep masks
43:45 -Darren, on how yoga transformed his sleep
46:03 - Ian, on his experiments with socks and snugness
49:53 - Breathing tips for getting to sleep faster, as tested by March
53:37 - March conquers jet lag through fasting, Ian through exercise, and maybe by walking barefoot?
1:03: 32 -How to use caffeine to take better naps
1:06-ish - sidebar on timing
1:10:36 - Our next experiments: sounds, salves, and sunrise
- Ian will be using his Oura ring and waking up at sunrise
- Darren will try Sleep cycle and mapping his meditation practice to his sleeping habits
- March is trying topical magnesium and the delta wave sound machine
1:19:00 - How to join The Better Show community

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Welcome to The Better Show Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

Who are the people behind this podcast? Why did we start the show? What will we talk about? How will the show be structured? How can you participate?

Show Notes

Your tour guides on the road to getting better - 0:50
Who are Darren, March, and Ian anyway? How a shared passion became a podcast - 3:55
Why self-improvement is for everyone. Really. - 6:37
What you will
get from every episode - 7:33
How you can join the community and contribute to the show - 8:30

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