The OptimalWork Podcast

Latest Episodes:

179. Unleash the Power of Dynorphins Jan 22, 2024

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#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

178. How to Get Energy from Tiredness Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

#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

[Rebroadcast] A Deeper Dive into Challenge Jan 08, 2024

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#177: 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.

[Rebroadcast] How to Approach Every Challenge With a Sense of Newness Jan 01, 2024

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#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

[Rebroadcast] How to Broadcast Positive Emotions Dec 25, 2023

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#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.

174. The Paradoxes of Mindfulness Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

#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.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

173. From Tolerance to Acceptance to Love Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

#173: The two fundamental ways you can relate to challenge are approach and avoidance. Typically, approach leads to a virtuous cycle: the challenge gets easier and more enjoyable over time as you grow in mastery. Avoidance, on the other hand, often leads to a vicious cycle of increasing difficulty and pain. In this episode we further break down approach into three levels — tolerating, accepting, and loving the challenge — to show how to speed up the virtuous cycle and maximize your growth in the process.

Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

[Rebroadcast] How to Work Intensely without Stressing Yourself Out Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

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

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

[Rebroadcast] Choose Flow, Not Hyperfocus Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

#171: 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.

170. Should You Be Doing Therapy at Work? Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

#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

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