·        Andy Galpin on The Andrew Huberman podcast - Dr. Andy Galpin: Optimal Protocols to Build Strength & Grow Muscles | Huberman Lab Guest Series

·        Outlive by Peter Attia - https://peterattiamd.com/outlive/

·        The one-year cumulative mortality for individuals hospitalized due to a fall causing fracture was 25.2% (63 deaths) [10]. In regional studies, non-fatal injuries were more prevalent than fatal. A study conducted in India also showed that mortality after a fall is 25% : https://bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12873-023-00784-z 

·        Quality Coffee, Quality-of-Life | Olympia Coffee Roasting – Olympia Coffee Roasting Company

·        Lumen - metabolic measurement device https://www.lumen.me/

·        Nintendo Switch - https://www.nintendo.com/switch/

·        Journey (video game) - https://thatgamecompany.com/journey/

·        Astronaut - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Mitchell

·        How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan - https://michaelpollan.com/books/how-to-change-your-mind/

·        OWYN Protein shakes - Plant Based High Protein Shakes| Pro Elite | OWYN (liveowyn.com)

·        TXG YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@txgxccgolf

Give us a call on the Better Show community line at +1 971–333–8007, or drop us a note on Instagram to share your story with others in The Better Show community. You can also email us at hi@bettershow.io. We look forward to hearing from you!

Here are some highlights from this episode:

• 11:58 — What is an NFT and why would someone pay for one?
• 33:20 — March and Ian summarize the significance of blockchain technology and how it will change much of how we
• 34.45 — March shares a “quick hit” book that has piqued his curiosity lately, Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor.

We’d love to benefit from your wisdom on NFTs, DAOs, and the blockchain so drop us a note on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter and share your story with others in The Better Show community. Or you can email us at hi@bettershow.io. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Show Notes

• 1:32 — Where we’ve been with the show and how COVID gave us a chance to pause and reflect on what we want to accomplish with the show.
• 4:02 — Our goals for show and how we want to bring more to our listeners and the Better Show community.
• 9:54 — Ian shares his curiosity about NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and DAOs (distributed autonomous organizations)
• 11:58 — What is an NFT and why would someone pay for one?
• 16:00 — How NFTs relate to works of art.
• 22:05 — What is a DAO (distributed autonomous organization)?
• 23:50 — Darren provides an example of how a Coke machine could work as a DAO.
• 26:31 — Ian describes how a DAO works as a democratic organization.
• 29:35 — The operational (and trust) benefits of a DAO.
• 33:20 — March and Ian summarize the significance of blockchain technology and how it will change much of how we
• 34.45 — March shares a “quick hit” book that has piqued his curiosity lately, Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor.
• 💬 Community: Better Show Cafe on Facebook

• 1:55 — We recap our conversation in part 1 about why coffee matters.
• 7:07 — Darren and March discuss Bulletproof coffee.
• 8:40 — Darren tells the story of how he first became interested in coffee and espresso.
• 13:22 — Ian explains the art of roasting coffee beans.
• 18:43 — The trade-off between acidity and bitterness.
• 20:58 — The chemistry of coffee roasting and the importance of drying out the beans.
• 26:26 — Ian explains how different coffee roasts are defined and how roasting coffee is a little like popping popcorn.
• 34:40 — The goal of a good coffee roaster and how they balance different flavors in the bean roasting process.
• 37:10 — The 5 stages of roasting coffee and what happens at each stage.
• 37:44— How sugar content is affected by the roasting process and what that means to the final flavor of the drink.
• 39:39 — The chemistry of caramelization and the joys of a good crème brulee.
• 43:01 — March finds some similarities between coffee roasting and aging whiskey.
• 43:59 — March introduces his new puppy, Leonard, to the YouTube audience.
• 47:10 — Acidity versus bitterness and how we taste the different flavors.
• 51:05 — Acidity versus aromatics and a short diversion to reflect on the taste of crayons. 🙂
• 54:00 — Ian previews part 3 where we do a live coffee tasting (also called a cupping).

Mentions

• 📖 Book: World Atlas of Coffee
• 📺 Documentary: Barista
• 📺 Documentary: Baristas
• 📦 Product: Library of coffee aromas

• 8:05 —Ian answers the question why does coffee matter and why you might want to start exploring the world of coffee.
• 11:40 —The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd “waves” of coffee history.
• 12:05 — The connection between coffee and cultural histories across the world.
• 15:25 — The depth of the world of coffee and how it compares to the world of wine.
• 19:19 — March shares how he was first introduced to coffee and how he consumes it today. and
• 26:31 — Darren shares how he discovered espresso in anticipation of a trip to Italy.
• 31:19 — Darren recommends Zimbabwe coffee.
• 32:41 — Ian shares his journey of becoming passionate about coffee and shares how he was first introduced to coffee at the famous Espresso Vivace.
• 36:20 — What is commodity coffee and how does it differ from specialty coffee?
• 41:40 — Ian shares the source of his fascination with the world of coffee.
• 46:45 — What is the difference between the origin of coffee and its variety?
• 55:55 — Ian breaks down some of the best varieties of coffee.
• 1:08:30 — Different ways to process coffee.
• 1:12:46 — How coffee is graded and what does a coffee’s “grade” actually mean.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: World Atlas of Coffee
• 📺 Documentary: Barista
• 📺 Documentary: Baristas
• 📦 Product: Library of coffee aromas

• 0:58 — Ian gets hungry for fresh veggies and Darren realizes that he knows someone who can help.
• 4:58 — Darren welcomes Carmen Johnston to the show.
• 7:19 — Darren learns a French term for a “kitchen garden”.
• 7:59 — How gardening has become more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 9:02 — Carmen gives us all permission to kill plants on the journey of learning how to do it.
• 10:01 — How to get started without the need for a lot of space.
• 12:30 — How to tell whether you are buying good soil.
• 14:50 — Carmen weighs the pros and cons of use seeds versus starters.
• 16:41 — Identifying the easy veggies to start growing.
• 17:33 — Gardening as an exercise for home schooling.
• 19:27 — Why you really want to grow tomatoes at home if you can and tips for growing tomatoes.
• 23:22 — How to keep your herbs from “going to flower”.
• 26:48 — How to know when (and how much) to water your plants.
• 31:30 — How to know which plants will grow in your area.
• 35:26 — The social aspect of gardening and how to leverage your local community to expand your knowledge and share your produce.
• 38:21 — The magic of gardening in motivating kids to try new foods.
• 41:40 — Carmen gives us her email and offers to provide personal advice to The Better Show community.
• 44:29 — Ian, March, and Darren reflect on the tips from Carmen.
• 46:19 — March makes a connection between gardening and venture capital.
• 48:20 — The incredible growing environment of Ireland.
• 52:40 — March reflects on the tips from Carmen that stood out most to him.
• 55:16 — Ian is surprised at how many aspects of life can be improved by gardening.
• 58:08 — Darren is inspired by the community aspect of gardening and how it can help strengthen our social fabric.
• 59:20 — March shares resources for community gardening and community supported agriculture.

Mentions

• 📰 Blog: Four container gardens to plant today
• 📰 Magazine: Southern Living Magazine
• 📰 Website: Carmen Johnston Gardens
• 📷 Social Media: Carmen Johnston on Instagram
• 📦 Product: Grow Box for vegetables
• 📰 Online Tool: Growing Calendar from Burpee.com
• 📦 Product: Kitchen Herb starter kit

• 3:47 — March discusses his interest in this topic and the benefits of music including increased ability to concentrate, improved performance in mathematics, improving mood and reduction of pain.
• 4:55 — Darren and Ian share their relationship to music and their background with playing instruments.
• 13:01 — Darren recommends an episode of Every Little Thing podcast titled “Secrets of the Symphony”
• 13:55 —March shares his experience learning to play piano and the profound experience he had after picking it up after a long break.
• 24:01 — Why does listening to music have so many benefits?
• 27:37 — How educators use music to aid in memorization.
• 29:42 — How to use music to improve your cognitive function.
• 30:30 — What is music therapy.
• 37:51 — Using music to improve your health including how to use music to motivate yourself to move.
• 44:09 — Using music for pain reduction.
• 46:04 — Using music to improve your mood.
• 48:31 — The inclusion of music on the Voyager space probe.
• 49:58 — Ian is curious about whether it’s important to listen to a wide variety of music.
• 53:29 — The benefits of playing music.
• 56:30 — We recommend our “Better Next Step”.

Mentions

• 📱 App: Endel personalized soundscapes
• 📱 App :Bubl Draw —creative drawing with music for kids
• 📦 Product: SleepPhones comfortable headphones for sleep
• 🎙️ Podcast: Every Little Thing podcast titled “Secrets of the Symphony”

Mentions

• 📰 Website: EmbraceRace
• 👥Social Media: EmbraceRace on Facebook
• 📺 Webinar: Supporting Youth Leadership and Activism
• 📺 Webinar: “How do I make sure I’m not raising the next ‘Amy Cooper’?”
• 📖 Book: So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

• 3:10 — We take a moment to recognize the importance and express our support of the racial justice movement in response to the recent killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
• 5:26 — We share a list of reputable organizations working to further the cause of racial justice.
• 14:30 — Is a pet store a good place to find a pet to adopt?
• 15:00 — What is a puppy mill and what kinds of conditions do animals endure in puppy mills.
• 18:49 — Darren recommends a Netflix series called Rotten that exposes the realities of our food chain.
• 20:26 — How to find a reputable pet seller.
• 22:02 — How to identify a responsible breeder.
• 24:40 — Darren shares how he and his wife, Mardee, confirmed that the rescue they worked with in Texas to adopt Ellie was reputable.
• 26:28 — Online resources for finding a new pet.
• 28:00 — What to expect when adopting a new pet including what fees and costs are appropriate.
• 31:13 — Using the breeder or rescue organization to learn about your new pet.
• 36:26 — Resources to find service animals.
• 39:30 — How to help your local animal rescue services.
• 40:30 — Different categories of service animals.
• 43:25 — Other things to consider before adopting a new pet.
• 47:35 — The surge of adoptable ducklings and rabbits that occurs right after Easter.
• 48:30 — Darren advocates for pet insurance.

Mentions

• 💲 Pet Insurance research: Consumer’s Advocate review of pet insurers
• 🐕‍🦺 Organization: Dogs for the Disabled
• 🐕‍🦺 Organization: Canine Partners for Life
• 🐕‍🦺 Organization: American Foundation for the Blind
• 🐕‍🦺 Organization: Canine Good Citizen program from the American Kennel Society (AKC)
• 📰 Website :Petfinder.com
• 📰 Website: Adopt-a-pet.com

• 2:46 — Darren shares that he and his wife recently adopted a new puppy, Ellie and he discusses his motivation for focusing on this topic.
• 4:10 — The benefits of pet adoption including companionship, stress reduction, and better mental health.
• 7:01 — March shares his past experience adopting a large dog in his small apartment.
• 13:04 — March reflects on the differences between pet ownership in Ireland and the US.
• 13:50 — Ian reveals that he and his family are long-time cat people.
• 15:27 — We take a moment to enjoy a view of Ian’s dream of owning a baby giraffe. 😄
• 19:21 — Darren shares a story from his youth about owning an evil poodle.
• 21:32 — The importance of preparation and a little bit of research when choosing to get a new pet and the difficulty of finding a new home for a pet that doesn’t fit your lifestyle.
• 23:30 — Deciding what you want out of a pet — exercise companion, cuddle companion, etc.
• 24:49 — Selecting your pet species and the breed.
• 26:30 — Questions to ask yourself when choosing a pet and a breed of dog or cat.
• 27:01 — Online resources to help you learn about different dogs and cats.
• 28:55 — The right flavor of giraffe for your home and lifestyle.

Mentions

• 📰 Article: Research on pets and mental health
• 📰 Article: Best pets for mental health
• 📰 Article: Why Some People Think of Pets Like Children and Others Don’t
• 📖 Doc: Google Doc from Seattle Humane Society with a collection of Learning Resources
• 📺 Videos: PAWS Academy (videos to learn about animals)
• 📰 Website: Petcube blog

• 4:15 — Why habits are important to pay attention to and what role they play in our lives.
• 8:09 — Ian, March, and Darren share their personal experiences with building good habits and breaking bad ones.
• 14:14 — Ian explains the core concepts behind BJ Fogg’s methodology in Tiny Habits.
• 15:28 — Why the “tiny” component is so important to the process.
• 17:10 — The Fogg Behavior Model and what it tells us about forming habits.
• 21:45 — Ian explains why being highly motivated can actually be a bad thing for creating a new habit.
• 23:43 — The concept of “magic wanding” and how to figure out which behaviors to focus on.

• 28:49 — The relationship between ability and the formation of habits.
• 32:18 — Anchoring a new desired behavior to an existing habit.
• 35:50 — The relationship between emotions and habits.
• 39:58 — Ian explains why BJ Fogg says that it’s wrong to try to “break” a bad habit.
• 43:23 — Tactics to break bad habits by increasing the effort required to engage in those behaviors.
• 46:39 —Supporting others in their quest to adopt a new good habit.
• 50:00 — The Tiny Habits Recipe Card.

Mentions

• 📰 Website: Free Tiny Habits 5-Day Program
• 📖 Book: Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

• 1:15 — How we arrived at the topic this week.
• 3:40 — March reflects on how losing his sense of curiosity is an indicator of burnout for him.
• 12:45 — Darren shares a gesture of gratitude that his sister-in-law received from the principal at her school.
• 14:14 — Ian shares how he has been experiencing burnout lately.
• 15:20 — March reflects fondly on a recent recovery day and the different types of recovery days in his life.
• 17:30 — Zen and the art of home repair.
• 21:40 —The characteristics of a recovery day for Darren including getting away from obligations.
• 23:29 — Darren proposes instituting a holiday on the first sunny Friday of the year.
• 25:17 — Ian talks about how the definition of a recovery day has changed for him over the past several years.
• 30:15 — Prioritizing your own recovery and the Eisenhauer Matrix.
• 34:01 —March shares how his perfect recovery day would unfold including time in nature and being productive with his hands.
• 40:20 — Some things that didn’t work for March when trying to recover.
• 47:29— Ian shares his tactic of unplugging from his normal routine including unplugging from his phone’s notifications.
• 47:29 — Ian shares one way he unplugs is by reading something old.
• 54:31 — Rediscovering old pleasures like classic video games and old movies.
• 56:44 — Finding your highlight for the day.
• 59:20 — Ian waxes poetic on his love for the sauna.
• 1:02:04 — Darren describes his perfect recovery day including waking up with the sun, going for a swim in the ocean, and enjoying the conversation at a local coffee shop.
• 1:08:50 — March’s “better next step” is a portable sauna.
• 1:10:02 — Darren leans in on creating high-quality cocktails.
• 1:11:19 — Ian is going to schedule more mental health days.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Luminara flameless candles with timer
• 🎵 Music: Kind of Blue album by Miles Davis

• 6:15 — What to do about background noise including an AI-based software solution that cancels background sounds and a pro-level solution that uses audio hardware to block unwanted sounds.
• 11:31 — Why it’s important to pay attention to keeping your face centered in your webcam.
• 13:00 — Tailoring your backdrop so you look professional.
• 14:55 — Ian suggests using software or a good camera lens to blur your background.
• 17:19 — Green screen solutions for less than $10.
• 18:24 — How kids are using custom backgrounds to trick teachers into thinking that they are paying attention in virtual class.
• 19:49 — Picking a good router to ensure that you have adequate bandwidth to stream good quality video.
• 24:18 — How to get the most out of the software you use to connect with others.
• 29:29 — Maintaining a sense of presence while engaging with others via a video call.
• 32:10 — Gaze correction software.
• 33:19 — Darren shares his experience with video conferencing with friends and family using the Facebook Portal TV.
• 34:17 — The etiquette of using the mute button.
• 37:15 — The etiquette of activating your video versus broadcasting in the dark.
• 40:01 — Several nice things you can do as a participant to make a video conference more pleasant and productive for everyone involved.
• 45:59 — Tips for business-focused video conferences including recording calls for those who cannot attend.
• 54:00 — Ian gets inspired by the Fraiser sitcom. 😁
• 55:01 — Zoom fatigue and how to recover from it.
• 58:55 — March discusses his experience using virtual reality for some of his video conferences with his friends.
• 1:01:30 — Darren shares some ideas for things you can do to mix up your video calls with family and friends including cooking together, virtual poker, and a virtual wine or spirit tastings.
• 1:04:55 — Ian, Darren, and March invent a new video conferencing game based on Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: TP-Link Archer 20 wireless router
• 📦 Product: Eero Pro + 2 Eero Beacons
• 📰 Article: How to make a cheap green screen
• 📦 Product: Netflix Together Chrome extension
• 📰 Article: Table quiz (100 questions to get your started)
• 📰 Website: Roll20
• 📰 Website: Tabletopia
• 📰 Article: Best Use of Zoom Goes to Katie Nolan
• 📦 Product: Surface Pro X gaze correction
• 📦 Product: iOS 13 gaze correction

• 7:19 — The benefits of connecting with others via video and why a quality video conferencing setup matters for you and for the people with whom you are connecting.
• 12:15 — Ian shares his experience with video conferencing and confesses that he’s never really given much thought to the quality of his setup for video calls.
• 15:52 — March discusses how his move to Ireland necessitated that he pay additional attention and make some additional investment in the quality of his video conferencing setup.
• 20:48 — We kick off the tips & tricks part of the show with tips on high quality audio.
• 22:44 — The importance of good quality audio and options to improve the audio you project to others, including a dedicated headset and a product called the Blue Yeti.
• 26:20 — Microphones that will upgrade you to a professional level of audio.
• 25:35 — Tips for good camera placement and also a few things to avoid.
• 31:19 — The good, better, and best options for webcams.
• 34:20 — Using your smart phone as a video camera.
• 36:39 — Using an DSLR camera for video conferencing and which models to look for when shopping for an inexpensive DSLR that you can use for video conferencing.
• 42:35 — The importance of lighting and tips to get your lighting just right.
• 46:09 — The very best option for lighting: key lighting.
• 49:10 — The rise of online video streaming among gamers and a supplier of premium hardware and software for streamers.

Mentions

• 📰 Article: Good, Better, Best: Creating the ultimate remote worker webcam setup on a budget (Scott Hanselman, Microsoft)
• 📰 Article: 7 things you need for better video calls (Wirecutter)
• 📰 Article: The best podcast microphones on the market (The Podcast Host)
• 📰 Article: How to look good on camera, according to Tom Ford (NYT)
• 📰 Article: How to look good on video calls for Zoom FaceTime Skype (HotandFlashy)
• 📰 Article: Use your Canon camera as a webcam! (Scott McKenna)
• 📦 Product: 3 Best Smartphone Tripod Mounts (Think Media)
• 📰 Article: How to make a $300 camera look pro! (Nigel Barros)
• 📦 Product: Godox SL60W Video Light Review (Sam Holland)
• 📦 Product: Recommended camera to use as webcams

• 1:27 — We reflect on our sense of exhaustion with COVID-related news.
• 4:49 — Why gratitude can help us through challenging times.
• 8:10 — Darren reflects on how his parents have been an example to him of how to practice gratitude every day.
• 9:44 — March marvels at the power and expanse of the Internet and the positive impact it has had on the world.
• 14:48 — March shares a visualization of the network of satellites orbiting the Earth.
• 16:19 — Darren explains what a traceroute is and plugs a business idea he had 16 years ago called www.agreener.com.
• 22:10 — Ian explains his belief that anonymity on the Internet will eventually go away.
• 23:45 — Ian shares his most recent passion: coffee and explains why he views coffee as a modern wonder of the world.
• 26:50 — Ian explains what a “pour over” is and the nuance in the technique in crafting a pour over that determines the flavor of the finished beverage.
• 30:01 — We discuss “single origin” coffees and the difference between the different geographies including coffee from Yemen.
• 41:01 — Darren shares a book he discovered titled Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts that has become his favorite book of all time.
• 44:20 — Darren reads one if his favorites a passage from the book.
• 46:20 — Ian shares a book he’s recently heard about that is getting good reviews.

Mentions

• 📰 Website: Visualization of the Internet
• 📖 Book: Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts
• 📦 Product: Chemex pour over coffee container
• 📖 Book: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
• 📰 Article: www.agreener.com
• 📰 Article: Messages of Hope, Gratitude And Safety Replace Ads in Times Square (NPR)
• 📰 Article: Gratitude in the Face of Crisis (NYT)
• 📰 Article: 50 Questions That Will Help You Feel Grateful and Good About Life (Tiny Buddha)
• 📰 Article: Amazon: Coronavirus Tests So Hard To Get We’re Building Our Own Lab (Forbes)
• 📰 Article: Thanks to Sheltering in Place, Animal Shelters Are Empty (Wired)

• 5:59 — March describes experiencing a “background stress” with a source that is hard to pinpoint.
• 7:29 — Ian and Darren joke about how one of the most stressful things about sheltering in place is the never-ending "bad hair days" now that we haven’t been able to go to the barber.
• 8:41 — We take a detour to appreciate the Floebee! self-haircutting product from the 1980's.
• 10:50 — Ian shares his difficulty in setting boundaries between his “work time” and his “personal time”.
• 14:02 — Darren is completely losing track of the days of the week confusing Wednesdays with Saturdays.
• 15:57 — March reflects on how quickly all of our circumstances changed.
• 19:19 — Darren is surprised by how much we still don’t know about this strain of Coronavirus and how different the guidance from experts changes from day to day.
• 20:51 — Ian is enjoying working from home way more than he would have expected and no longer feels like an “outsider” when attending meetings remotely.
• 26:02 — Ian is grateful for the reduced pollution and positive impact social distancing has had on the environment and hopes we find ways to use this moment as a turning point for changing destructive habits we otherwise haven’t considered.
• 29:17 — March takes solace in the improved sense of solidarity among his community in Ireland.
• 30:50 — Darren describes a silver lining for him for the shelter at home situation is having more quality time with his wife, Mardee, and their Boston Terrier, Maggie.
• 32:12 — March is surprised by how effective the “stay-at-home” orders have been in the West despite the cultural value on individual liberty.
• 34:55 — Darren describes how he was briefly rendered speechless by the sheer magnitude of the jobless claims in the US.
• 36:33 — Ian reflects on how people’s social circles are defined by the value of relationships instead of geographic proximity.
• 38:35 — March has a deeper appreciation for the impact of technology as a force for good in the world.
• 40:37 — Darren shares the heartwarming feeling he’s had watching communities globally appreciate the brave work of medical front line workers.
• 42:10 — Ian applauds the respect finally coming to the role teachers play in our society.
• 43:50 — March and Ian share some additional observations about the result of the COVID-19 pandemic including: the public’s awareness of medical data, the role of the office in one’s work experience, and the idea of anonymity being a thing of the past.
• 48:52 — Darren calls for planning to start on some publicly significant way to celebrate our successful emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mentions

• 📰 Article: America is in a depression. The challenge now is to make it short-lived.
• 📰 Article: Wait But Why: 10 Types of Friendships
• 📰 Article: A 2-Year Stanford Study Shows the Astonishing Productivity Boost of Working From Home
• 📺 YouTube channel: Some Good News with John Krasinski, Episode 1

• 2:33 — Ian wishes Kevin happy birthday. 🎂
• 3:55 — Kevin discusses why it’s important for us to think about leadership and how it is changing.
• 6:01 — Why it is difficult for organizations to disperse power.
• 13:46 — Kevin talks about the empowerment that comes from answering a question with a question.
• 20:58 — How can we all get better at shared leadership?
• 23:00 — Kevin shares how he was inspired by observing how power is dispersed in nature.
• 25:25 — Ian is curious about whether the concept of shared leadership is limited to business environments or can it be applied in other aspects of life.
• 32:10 — Kevin discusses the lesson from his experience that stands out most for him: that listening is for understanding, not for judgement.
• 36:02 — Kevin asks a profound question, “What if everybody on earth felt trusted, respected, valued, and heard?”
• 38:00 — The one thing that Kevin suggests we all do to help release our own true voice.
• 41:50 —Kevin shares a concept from the Native American Sioux tribe “We’re all brothers. All things are one thing. We are all related.”

Mentions

• 📖 Book: The Seventh Power by Kevin Hancock

• 2:32 — We announce the introduction of The Better Show on channel on YouTube.
• 5:11 — Darren shares his pick for most useful YouTube channel: This Old House.
• 9:13 — Ian shares his pick for most useful channel: NutritionFacts.org
• 12:05 — March’s pick for most useful is MedLife Crisis.
• 14:59 — Ian shares his coffee addiction with James Hoffman — Coffee.
• 18:09 — March shares a celebration of maker culture with Adam Savage’s Tested.
• 20:30 — Darren shares Mr. Puzzle a fun channel where the host finds and solves puzzles in real-time.
• 22:40 — March shares his most esoteric pick with 3Blue1Brown.
• 25:00 — Darren shares a channel from Vihart on math that, among other things, explains the history of hexaflexagons.
• 26:39 — Ian shares a music-related channel from Sam Johnson called Voice Teacher Reacts.

Mentions

• 📺 YouTube channel: The Better Show channel on YouTube
• 📺 YouTube channel: This Old House
• 📺 YouTube channel: NutritionFacts.org
• 📺 YouTube channel: MedLife Crisis
• 📺 YouTube channel: James Hoffman — Coffee
• 📺 YouTube channel: Adam Savage’s Tested
• 📺 YouTube channel: Mr. Puzzle
• 📺 YouTube channel: 3Blue1Brown
• 📺 YouTube channel: ViHart
• 📺 YouTube channel: Voice Teacher Reacts

• 1:22 — Ian welcomes John to the show.
• 2:39 — John talks about what has changed since the book came out in late 2018 that makes the topic of time management more important.
• 6:01 — John discusses how the need to work from home during the COVID-19 lock down has changed the routines for nearly all of us.
• 8:44 — The different way we perceive time now that we are spending all our time at home.
• 10:15 — The effect of adding more intention to your days.
• 15:25 — John talks about the circumstances in his life that led to the creation of Make Time.
• 19:26 — How John’s time management habits have changed since his transition from a full time employee to entrepreneur.
• 22:19 — John discusses the importance of finding the things in life that give you energy.
• 24:22 — How the use of social media affects our in-person interactions and why it’s important to be conscious about it.
• 29:07 — John offers some new tips that he’s discovered since writing the book including the use of a “calendar template”.
• 30:01 — John shares what’s on his personal “calendar template”.
• 33:10 — John discusses the concept of “iceberg yes” and how to use it to avoid getting overwhelmed.
• 38:30 — John explains what a “charge cabinet” is and
• 40:33 — The importance designing your physical space to reinforce good time habits.
• 41:22 — Using “social jujitsu” to increase the quality of your social interactions.
• 43:40 — The reality that many of structures and routines that we have relied upon in life are no longer there and we need to find new ways to support healthy routines.
• 45:40 — How the news can be a source of acute anxiety and the importance of moderating one’s news consumption.
• 50:35 — John shares his tip for the single biggest quality of life improvement you can make.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
• 📰 Article: MakeTime.blog
• 🎙️ Podcast: The Better Show Episode 19: Nourish Your Mind with a Better Media Diet

Show Notes

• 1:42 — The authors’ backgrounds and why they were uniquely qualified to write a book about focus.
• 3:31 — Ian discusses why this book, in particular, is a valuable resource in helping you make improvements in your system of focus and why the method in this book is different than other productivity methods.
• 8:30 — March discusses his personal strategies for maintaining his focus including the way he uses his calendar and estimating the time required for each task on his to-do list.
• 12:52 — Darren reflect on his favorite tool for maintaining focus — The Productivity Planner — and some of the similarities between its method and the method outlined in Make Time.
• 14:45 — Ian talks about his desire to be more intentional in the way he spends his time.
• 15:59 — Ian provides an overview of the 4-step Make Time process beginning with the highlight of your day.
• 18:41 — What is the “busy bandwagon” and what is an “infinity pool”?
• 23:40 — Setting new defaults for yourself starting with selecting your daily highlight.
• 28:10 — What are the characteristics of a good daily highlight?
• 30:50 — Ian describes several of the methods offered in Make Time for how to make time for your highlight.
• 32:50 — How to get (and stay) laser-focused on your highlight during your day.
• 34:17 — March’s tip for using YouTube’s “watch later” list to batch his distractions.
• 35:10 — Ian describes a super-tip offered in Make Time called “random question time.”
• 37:02 — The importance of staying energized to reinforce your focus and productivity.
• 39:30 — How the Make Time method uses the scientific method for continuous improvement.
• 44:01 — Darren, March and Ian’s key takeaways and the things they are going to incorporate in their lives.
• 39:30 — We identify the “better next step” for listeners who want to incorporate one key thing from this episode.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
• 📖 Book: Sprint by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
• 📦 Product: Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Avensi line of premium coffee cups
• 📦 Product: Bottomless coffee service w/ discount code

Show Notes

• 4:18 — Nathan shares why he felt compelled to write about the economics of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 7:18 — The contrast between the parts of the economy that are wiped out versus the parts of the economy that are surging.
• 12:39 — Nathan’s experience with the recent changes ushered in by the response to COVID-19.
• 15:48 — Trends and changes in online behavior as people are staying at home now.
• 18:05 — What strategies Nathan suggests for businesses during this time.
• 20:15 — The response from event organizers like SXSW over canceling events prior to the spread.
• 22:15 — The difference between the 2008 mortgage crisis and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
• 24:07 — The impact of supply chain disruptions.
• 28:25 — Nathan discusses what economic impact surprised him the most so far.
• 31:50 — Ian and Nathan discuss their predictions for what’s next for the economy.
• 36:06 — Ian closes the conversation on a positive note.

Mentions

• 📰 Newsletter: Divinations newsletter by Nathan Baschez
• 🎙️ Podcast: The Better Show Episode 128: Econ 101 in the age of COVID-19

In this episode, we aim to help alleviate that anxiety by explaining what is going on right now with the economy. We discuss the economic impacts of COVID-19, explore why the stock market is fluctuating so wildly, and offer tips for how to navigate your financial situation in these changing economic times.

Show Notes

• 1:59 — Ian outs Darren as a true economics geek.
• 3:28 — Alternate episode recommendation if this topic isn’t your jam.
• 5:50 — Why the ability to understand what’s going on with the economy helps our mental health during uncertain times.
• 8:09 — What exactly is going on right now with the financial markets?
• 10:58 — How this situation is different than previous economic downturns.
• 17:10 — Ian suggests the Divinations newsletter by Nathan Baschez as another helpful resource to understand what’s happening now with the economy
• 17:35 — March makes an observation of how an economic slowdown is similar to holding one’s breath.
• 19:39 — Why we are fortunate that the economy was in a growth cycle when this pandemic hit.
• 23:05 — Why the stock market is so volatile right now.
• 27:45 — We discuss how to think about cryptocurrency.
• 30:38 — What is the role of government and regulators and what action is being taken by the US government to help stabilize the economy.
• 37:20 — What does it mean for an economy to be in a recession and what does it mean for ordinary people.
• 43:19 — What does this economic downturn mean for older individuals?
• 45:25 — We find some bright spots in the midst of challenging circumstances.
• 46:20 — What is happening to mortgage rates right now.
• 51:15 — What to do now if you’ve suffered significant losses to your savings.
• 53:15 —What does it mean to simply “do nothing” in response to this economic fluctuation.
• 54:09 — How much emergency cash should you have on hand.
• 56:23 — Darren recommends other podcasts and resources for learning and staying informed about economic issues.

Mentions

• 📰 Newsletter: Divinations newsletter by Nathan Baschez
• 🎙️ Podcast: NPR Marketplace
• 🎙️ Podcast: Planet Money
• 🎙️ Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money
• 🎙️ Podcast: EconTalk with Russ Roberts (for those who want to go REALLY deep into economic theory)

• 1:55 — Darren reveals that strength training isn’t his absolute favorite activity and March shares why it is so important.
• 3:11 — The difficulty in getting to the gym in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
• 4:27 — How to decide what kind of strength training regimen is for you if you’ve never done this before.
• 6:28 — The downsides of “skipping leg day” and the relationship between opposing muscles.
• 8:35 — Getting started with strength training including exercises that use your own body weight, exercises that use machines and using free weights.
• 11:55 — Finding a place to exercise at home and what exercises to start with.
• 13:28 — How to tell if you are “pushing the button.”
• 16:44 — Slow push-ups and how they work for strength training.
• 19:31 — How to do ring row exercises, pull-ups, and hand-stand push-ups.
• 24:50 — One-legged squats.
• 28:38 — How to determine how much weight to start with.
• 31:58 — How should you stretch and what is the difference between stretching and warming up?
• 36:02 —How to think about cardio.
• 38:10 — Diet considerations.
• 40:55 — How to plan your ramp-up program and balance workouts with recovery.
• 48:01 — Final thoughts.

Mentions

• 📰 Website: Workout routine from Nerd Fitness
• 📰 Article: How to stay in shape without leaving the house

• 3:49 — March shares stats about the minimum recommended amount of strength training.
• 7:15 — The different classes of exercise and the benefits and different results of each.
• 9:35 — What is sarcopenia and why strength training guards against it.
• 13:40 — Why strength training can reduce your risk of falling in old age.
• 15:44 — The minimum threshold for exercise to qualify as strength training and why it’s important to “push the button.”
• 22:03 — Ian shared his experience with strength training.
• 25:11 — The Centenarian Olympics
• 26:50 — Darren’s history (or lack thereof) with strength training and the conversation he had with his doctor that changed his perspective on exercise and living a healthy lifestyle.
• 31:30 — Strength training that you can do at home.
• 36:28 — How soreness is related to exercise and strength training and how to adjust the frequency of your workout to minimize soreness.
• 40:50 — Ian is curious about how to combine his sauna routine into his strength training routine to maximize the health benefits.

Mentions

• 📰 Website: The Centenarian Olympics
• 📰 Article: How to stay in shape without leaving the house

• To purchase Celeste’s new book visit https://amzn.to/2PSSZ4X
• 2:45 — Ian welcomes back Celeste to The Better Show.
• 4:14 — Why slowing down and learning to sometimes “do nothing” is a important to our individual health and well-being.
• 8:20 — Ian asks whether the idea of overworking is a cultural phenomenon or if it is just a western trait.
• 10:10 — We learn about the “hedonic treadmill” and how this adaptation of human psychology affects our behaviors towards work, money, and time.
• 12:30 —Celeste shares the story of how she came to a turning point with her work-life balance and how being out of balance deeply affected her health and happiness.
• 18:00 — How the things we do to save time end up costing us time in the long run.
• 19:18 — How the invention of the steam engine completely transformed the way we think about (and value) time.
• 21:21 — If we’ve adopted all these time saving techniques and technologies, why aren’t we working fewer hours each week compared to how we worked 50 years ago?
• 22:54 — Celeste shares things we can do to begin to recapture our time and increase the quality of our lives.
• 23:32 — Why digital communication tends not to save us time.
• 26:20 — Ian asks whether we have to shun technology if we are going to recapture the quality of our lives.
• 28:20 — How multitasking can actually do cognitive damage to your brain.
• 31:11 — Why Celeste makes it a point to throw more parties.
• 32:00 — How the changes that Celeste made in her life really constituted a lifestyle change and how she introduced the change with her friends.
• 34:00—Are we obsessed with researching decisions to death at the expense of actually making the decision?
• 39:50 — The one thing that Celeste recommends people start with in order to make progress on this aspect of their life: do a time audit to see how you are REALLY spending your time.
• 43:01 — Ian asks Darren and March to share their impressions of the interview with Celeste and Darren draws a parallel between Celeste’s concept of “doing nothing” and the Slow Food Movement.
• 44:12 — March reflects on the difference between the tool and the implementation of the tool.
• 47:20 — Ian reflects on how he wants more meaning and intention in how he spends his time.
• 49:16 — Darren shares how Celeste’s observation of the hedonic treadmill seemed, to him, like a very deep truth about the human condition.
• 50:05 — March offers the suggestion of a well-being audit to get a sense for what things in life cause you happiness and unhappiness.
• 52:14 — Ian shares how Celeste’s insights on the history were helpful in giving him an idea of how different generations have different perspectives on their values.
• 55:22 — March reflects on the value of questioning our cultural assumptions about time equaling money.
• 59:47 — The team ends on a note of optimism about the future and our ability to use Celeste’s observations to improve our future.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee

Show Notes

• 2:31 — Ian recommends the book Fail Forward by Thomas Nelson.
• 3:02 — Darren reflects on his failure to consistently meditate.
• 6:10 — How travel can interrupt your routines and a method that Ian uses to counteract the interruption.
• 7:13 — March finds a quiet place in the middle of a noisy airport.
• 9:20 — March shares a very unpleasant experiment he tried with cold water swimming in the Irish Sea as a form of cold therapy.
• 11:50 — Ian observes that his Finnish heritage hasn’t helped him embrace the cold water therapy.
• 15:40 — Ian’s difficulty in adopting the Productivity Planner.
• 21:35 — March and Darren share a failure they have in common in their attempt to adopt a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout.
• 27:29 — Darren references the classic movie scene “7 Minute Abs” from the movie Something About Mary.
• 28:53 — Ian’s shares his difficulty in trying to reduce his consumption of meat.
• 32:17 — March offers Ian a couple of tips to try to reduce his meat consumption.
• 39:31 — We learn that Darren loves his movies and TV series too much to seriously reduce his screen time and rattles off a few of his favorites including The Two Popes, For All Mankind, Billions, and The Mandalorian (3 cheers for Baby Yoda!).
• 44:31 — March learns just how difficult it is to learn a new language without being fully immersed in it.
• 48:29 — Ian’s unrealized dream of trying to master lucid dreaming.
• 50:40 — March finds a study that shows how Vitamin B6 can affect the intensity of dreams.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Fail Forward by Thomas Nelson
• 📺 Movie: The Two Popes
• 📺 TV Series: For All Mankind
• 📺 TV Series: Billions
• 📺 TV Series: The Mandalorian
• 📦 Product: Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change
• 📺 Video: Wim Hof breathing: Kevin Rose 16 min intro video

• 1:55 — How Darren discovered the Lumen device and why he was interested in trying it out.
• 2:58 — What is Indiegogo anyway?
• 5:21 — Describing the physical device and what it does.
• 6:05 — How does Lumen measure your metabolism and what science backs up this method.
• 10:42 — What kinds of nutritional advice does Lumen provide and why does it matter?
• 12:33 — Darren demonstrates how he uses the device and walks us through what data he enters into the app and what advice the device provides.
• 19:49 — Darren starts his day with a recommended diet and we learn how to identify a single serving of carbohydrates.
• 21:51 — The benefits of simply paying attention to your body’s signals.
• 23:48 — The process Lumen uses to personalize its recommendations to your body.
• 26:12 — Darren makes history by declining a chocolate chip cookie offered to him by Ian.
• 26:47 — Ian gets an answer to his question about whether he can share a device with his wife, Carine.
• 29:07 — Darren’s key takeaways from using the Lumen so far.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Lumen: Hack Your Metabolism

• 3:59 — March shares the results from his experiment with reducing his alcohol to improve the quality of his sleep.
• 6:57 — How his heart rate variability has changed based on measurements from his Oura ring.
• 7:50 — Matthew Walker’s interview with Kevin Rose on the effects of alcohol on sleep quality.
• 9:52 — Darren’s results on increasing his exercise to help combat the winter blues.
• 10:45 — The record-breaking winter weather that Seattle has experienced this year.
• 11:23 — How combining his goal of working from home has helped Darren carve out time for exercise and made it easier to cook at home more.
• 12:30 — Ian shares what he’s done to improve the effectiveness of meetings that he organizes at work using tips from episode 102: Better Meetings.
• 13:50 — What happens when none of the meeting participants read the meeting agenda ahead of time.
• 15:37 — The results of March’s experiment with recording all his meetings and sharing the recording with others.
• 16:35 —March shares a pro tip of playing meeting recordings back at 2X speed.
• 17:30 — The etiquette of giving attendees a heads up that the meeting is being recorded.
• 18:40 — Meetings that March specifically does not record.
• 19:55 — Darren’s experiment with hot-cold therapy using the sauna at the gym followed by a cold shower.
• 22:28 — March introduces Ian and Darren to the sauna sleeping bag and the sweat box.
• 23:40 — We discuss the ridiculousness of the home sweat box available from Alibaba and Darren remarks at the similarity between the sweat box image and Violet Beauregarde blowing up into a blueberry from the Willy Wonka movie. 😂
• 26:01 — Ian shares his experience with adopting the Peloton as his regular exercise routine.
• 28:35 — The impact of adopting some of the tactics offered by B.J. Fogg in establishing strong habits.
• 31:04 — March reflects on hosting more dinner parties to increase the quality time with his friends and the knock-on effects in his community.
• 32:40 — Tips for Ian as he’s house hunting to ensure that
• 33:15 — Darren reflects on tactics he adopted from Episode 104: Friendships to stay better connected to close friends across the country.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: The home sweat box from Alibaba
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 104: Friendships
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 102: Meetings Part 1
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 87: Circadian Rhythms
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 116: Habits 2020
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 117:Beat winter blues
• 🎙️ Podcast: Episode 64: Work from home

• 1:40 — The inspiration for this episode.
• 4:38 — What “doing nothing” every once in a while is important.
• 7:42 — Darren ponders why we seem to be busier than ever even as we introduce new technology that is supposed to save us time
• 8:21 — March shares an interesting finding from a recent survey that showed that only 17% of Americans spent any time just being with their thoughts in the past month.
• 10:40 — The definition of “burnout” and the research into the risk factors for burnout.
• 13:37 — The connection between loneliness, technology and burnout.
• 15:01 — Ian shares his personal experience of studying stoicism as a remedy for personal burnout.
• 17:53 — The importance of recognizing the importance of stillness in life.
• 19:14 — March’s experiment with creating a time for stillness and the similarity he found with a meditation practice.
• 20:58 — Paying attention to the “default mode network” of the brain and the tendency toward negative thoughts.
• 22:51 — Darren shares how he has prioritized his “IRL” interactions and his yoga practice as ways of guarding against personal burnout.
• 25:35 — Tactics Ian and March use to create space in their lives for stillness.
• 29:54 — The benefit that being bored helps foster your creativity.
• 30:47 — March shares the findings from “the phone book study” about boredom and creativity.
• 34:59 — The benefits of quiet time and “boredom” on short-term memory and social interactions.
• 36:49 — Cognitive behavioral therapy.
• 38:28 — The Happiness Trap by Russ Harriss
• 41:15 — Using the tactic of setting boundaries as a way to prevent personal burnout.
• 42:39 — Make Time by Jake Knapp
• 43:40 — The Bored & Brilliant Challenge from the Note to Self podcast.
• 46:40 — Taking a “stay-cation” to reduce stress and burnout.
• 48:52 — March, Ian and Darren share the things they are going to adopt from this episode.

Mentions

• 🎙️ Podcast: Bored and brilliant challenge from the Note to Self podcast
• 📰 Article: Why the Internet Has Made Us Lonelier Than Ever (Psychology Today)
• 🎵 Music: Kind of Blue album by Miles Davis
• 🎵 Music: Disintegration album by The Cure
• 📖 Book: Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday
• 📖 Book: The Obstacle is The Way
• 📖 Book: Ego is the Enemy
• 📖 Book: Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy
• 📖 Book: The Happiness Trap by Russ Harriss
• 🎙️ Related episode: Episode 5: Meditation for focus & happiness
• 🎙️ Related episode: Episode 56: How Morning Routines Make the day
• 🎙️ Related episode: Episode 61: Better Health Through Yoga
• 🎙️ Related episode: Episode 20: Controlling Screen Time, So It Doesn’t Control You 

1:41 - is a cover letter required?
3:01 - how to think about what to put into a cover letter
4:10 - three things that if included in a cover letter, will INSTANTLY disqualify you from a job
9:20 - ideas for how to start a cover letter
12:15 - why including numbers in your cover letter can help grab the attention of the hiring manager
20:20 - how long should a cover letter be and how long is too long for a cover letter
24:22 - what is a personal brand strategy and why is it useful in the job search process
27:30 - what is the goal for your personal brand strategy
29:40 - the pros and cons of authenticity
32:50 - what kinds of things are appropriate to post in environments that blend personal and professional
37:50 - how to create your professional portfolio
39:49 - the pros and cons of using a website domain for your personal brand
44:55 - the benefits of blog posts
48:17 - why investing in your LinkedIn profile is important and using recommendations from others to enhance your personal brand
54:11 - our individual experiments on this topic

• 1:01 — Why it’s important to polish your resume even if you aren’t currently looking for a job.
• 6:00 — Thinking about your resume and cover letter as an advertisement for yourself.
• 8:58 — Why does a well-crafted resume matter.
• 10:41 — The benefit of including a portfolio as a compliment to your resume — even if you aren’t a designer
• 13:32 — How to infuse authenticity into your resume and professional profile and the positive impact it can have.
• 17:44 — Darren shares an experience from early in his career when he had the benefit of getting professional advice on how to create a strong resume to represent himself.
• 20:21 — What is the role of automation in screening resumes and how can you benefit from automated resume screening.
• 23:44 — Treating your resume as a living document.
• 24:50 — The basic parts of a good resume.
• 27:14 — The psychology of using numbers on your resume to maximize the impact of your resume on a hiring manager.
• 29:44 — How to structure your resume if you don’t have a lot of work experience yet.
• 33:45 — How to know what keywords to include on your resume to customize it for a particular job.
• 36:39 — Listing extracurricular activities on your resume as a way to infuse your values and personality into your resume.
• 43:18 — How to get experience in areas where you currently don’t have any.
• 49:27 — Where to find very good templates for writing a resume.

Mentions

• Podcast: The Better Show episode 96: Building a Better LinkedIn profile
• 📺 YouTube: Vintage Head & Shoulders commercial
• 📰 Document template: Great example resume
• 📰 Document template: Example cover letter
• 📰 Document template: Modern Chronological Resume template for Word

• 1:00 — If a Garmin running watch isn’t your jam, we suggest an alternate episode (Episode 59 — How to fight the flu) to check out instead.
• 6:05 —What is the Garmin Forerunner 645 and why did March decide to pick one up?
• 9:01 — Why you can’t simply “brute force” running training and why variety in your training routine benefits you.
• 11:07 — The design of the Garmin Forerunner and what’s it like to wear it while running.
• 12:29 — Battery life and how to extend it.
• 15:16 — Heart rate tracking — the strengths and the weaknesses of the current state of the art.
• 16:03 — Ian chimes in with his experience with the Scosche heart rate monitor he uses with his Peloton.
• 21:22 — March gives the Garmin his grade on industrial design.
• 24:39 — What is a “stride length” and how do smart devices use stride length and information from other sensors to improve accuracy of their measurements.
• 29:10 — When you should back off your training routine.
• 32:52 — What else the Garmin Forerunner does in addition to measuring your running training routine.
• 34:19 — Why some people prefer to listen to podcasts or audiobooks rather than music when they exercise.
• 36:48 — The social features of the Garmin app.
• 38:54 — The other features of the watch includes the Garmin Pay feature that enables fast payments at retail stores.
• 43:40 — March concludes with his final rating of the Garmin Forerunner 645 smart watch.

Mentions

• 📱 App: Garmin Connect app
• 📦 Product: Garmin Forerunner 645 smart watch

• 2:01 — March shares that he recently switched over to all Christmas music all the time on his Spotify playlist and Darren discovers a couple of new Christmas songs that are exclusive to Amazon Prime.
• 6:40 — How can you tell if you are affected by the “winter blues.”
• 10:22 — What causes the “winter blues.”
• 15:14—We explore a new study that suggests that people with lighter eyes might be more resilient to Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• 18:39—March shares his personal experience with the winter blues growing up in Ireland.
• 25:07 —Darren discusses his first experience dealing with the winter blues after moving to the Pacific Northwest.
• 27:01 — Ian does a latitude check on his hometown and discusses the experience of a friend whose doctor prescribed a sun lamp as a way to combat winter blues.
• 34:14 — Exercise as a way to counter the effects of winter blues.
• 35:23 — How avoiding simple carbs can also help improve your mood during the dark days of winter.
• 37:57 — We discuss some research that indicates that consumption of fish oil can help improve mood.
• 43:42 — How to use light therapy to help overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder and the relationship between bright light and the body’s production of melotonin.
• 54:20 —If the sun won’t come to you, maybe you consider going to the sun.
• 58:44 — How hot-cold therapy and spending some time in a sauna can help improve your mood during the cold winter months.
• 1:06:21 — We decide on The Better Next Step for this episode and discuss what experiment each of us are going to try based on this episode.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Best light lamps for SAD — Independent.co.uk
• 📦 Product: Best light therapy lamp — Wirecutter
• 📦 Product: Philips GoLTE Blu
• 📦 Product: Sauna Hats

• 2:28 — Why habits matter so much
• 10:17 — Flashback to March's meditation 2019 habit goal & update on how it went
• 16:15 — Flashback to Ian's reading 2019 habit goal & update on how it went
• 21:16 —Flashback to Darren's exercise 2019 habit goal & update on how it went
• 28:24 — Flashback to March's 2019 wine habit he wanted to break, and how it went.  
• 32:48 —Flashback to Ian's 2019 late bedtime habit he wanted to break, and how it went.  
• 36:33 — Flashback to Darren's 2019 cookie habit he wanted to break, and how it went.  
• 40:42 — Darren's 2020 habit to make: fat burning exercise at least 2x per week. 
• 43:50 — March's 2020 habit to make: body weight resistance workouts 2x per week and couples habits
• 47:29 — Ian's 2020 habit to make: read 2 books each month
• 51:03 — Darren’s 2020 habit to break: stop driving to work
• 51:39 — March's 2020 habit to break: TBD
• 53:09 — Ian's 2020 habit to break: time randomization

• 1:04 — Day 4 (Thursday): March finally feels good; Darren feels great and experiencing incredible mental clarity; Ian reflects on his hardest day yet.
• 3:40 — Ian and March compare last year’s fast with their experience this year including the fast’s effect on their sleep quality.
• 5:30 — Darren shares the data he’s collected on his overall weight, % of water weight and % of muscle weight from his digital scale.
• 13:15 — Day 5 (Friday): March has 4 hours to go and Ian does a little karaoke.
• 14:00 — Ian’s soup tragedy.
• 17:10 — Darren’s continued battle with sleep.
• 19:57 — Ian’s water-drinking super power and March ponders how that superpower could help him fight crime.
• 21:05 — March lists off the various “cheat codes” we’ve discovered to stave off hunger during this fast.
• 21:19 — We give a shout to soup for all its wonderfulness.
• 22:10 — How we are each preparing to transition off of our fast and how it all went wrong for March and Ian after last year’s fast.
• 27:09 — Darren’s plan for breaking his fast in cooperation with UberEats.
• 33:32 — Day 6 (Saturday): Darren wonders whether this the end of his fast or whether it is a new beginning for him.
• 36:25 — How often should someone do a fast, anyway?
• 39:10 — March describes his first meal post-fast and the hangover that followed the next morning.
• 43:18 — We discuss the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food.
• 45:22 — The benefit of doing a fast with someone else — for motivation and for moderation.
• 47:29 — Ian describes his and Carine’s first post-fast meal and his experience with a little nausea the next day.
• 50:28 — Our final thoughts about this fast and how this experience is going to affect us going forward.

• 1:07 — We introduce the week-long fast with an overview of the rules for the fast, a discussion of what the research shows about fasting, and the benefits we hope to experience.
• 13:30 — March’s motivation behind doing this fast.
• 15:29 — Darren’s motivation behind doing this fast.
• 19:38 — The Keto flu
• 22:28 — The Lumen device that claims to measure metabolism
• 24:30 — Darren and March document the time of their last meal.
• 27:02 — Day 2 check in: Ian is clearly feeling the hunger, March is holding strong to his water-only fast, and records this episode in total darkness.
• 29:57 — Coffee as the killer “cheat code” for surviving a fast
• 31:20 — Darren’s initial impression of the Prolon food kit and his doctor’s reaction to hearing about this 5-day fast.
• 33:50 — March uses a VR headset; Darren loses a couple of pounds; Ian appreciates having Carine as a partner in the fast.
• 39:35 — How the fast is affecting Ian, Darren, and March’s sleep.
• 42:12 — Day 3 check in: Darren and March each reflect on a difficult night; Ian grieves over an uneaten birthday cake.
• 46:38 — Ian and Carine start experiencing some increased mental clarity
• 49:00 — March gets a renewed appreciation for soup; Ian and Carine start plotting their approach for breaking their fast.
• 53:02 — How the fast is screwing up sleep quality for Darren and improving sleep quality for Ian.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Prolon food kit

• 2:42 — We look at wearable devices to help measure fertility
• 6:46 — Darren describes a new device he pre-ordered from an Indiegogo campaign that aims to personalize fitness and diet advice based on your metabolism.
• 11:54 — Ian shares a new tool for making fitness-based virtual reality more immersive.
• 15:29 — March educates Darren about Beat Saver
• 18:20 — March shares an ambitious project among the DIY diabetes community that aims to replicate the human pancreas.
• 15:29 — March educates Darren on Beat Saver
• 20:28 — Diagnosis documentary about DIY medical research
• 22:30 — Devices that are coming very soon including glucose monitoring devices that measure glucose in real-time with no finger prick.
• 30:00 — Devices that measure stress levels through perspiration.
• 34:30 — Ingestible sensors that measure medical conditions from inside your body.
• 38:19 — New earbuds and ear-based instruments for measuring vital signs.
• 41:24 — Stats on the sales of Apple Airpods
• 47:23 — Smart glasses and smart contact lenses.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: KAT loco: Complete Wearable Locomotion System — Walk into V3R
• 📦 Product: Homemade artificial pancreas
• 📦 Product: Lumen personalized fitness coach based on metabolic measurement
• 📦 Product: Ava fertility monitor
• 📦 Product: CheckMe Pro vital signs monitor
• 📦 Product: Timex internet messenger
• 📦 Product: ECG as a patch
• 📦 Product: Self powered sweat sensor patch
• 📦 Product: Blood glucose patch
• 📦 Product: The medical tricorder
• 📦 Product: Apple Watch
• 📦 Product: Fitbit watches
• 📦 Product: Garmin watches
• 📦 Product: Garmin Forerunner 645
• 📦 Product: Pebble watch (wikipedia)
• 📦 Product: Microsoft Band (wikipedia)
• 📦 Product: Spire (relaxation wearable)
• 📦 Product: Lumo Lift (posture wearable)
• 📦 Product: Upright Go (posture wearable)
• 📦 Product: Oura ring
• 📦 Product: fitbit ace 2 activity tracker for kids

• 2:19 — Ian is curious about the origin of the term “wearable”
• 3:20 — We recommend checking out Episode 29: Emergency Preparedness as an alternative episode if this week’s topic is not your jam.
• 6:55 — March reveals the origin of the term “wearable computer” first coined by a mathematics professor in the 1960's.
• 8:45 — March quizzes Ian on a few facts about wearables.
• 10:50 —What is the origin of the rule about achieving 10,000 steps per day?
• 14:40 — How can wearable tech benefit you?
• 22:05 — Ian shares his experience with wearable tech starting all the way back in 2004.
• 26:06 — That time Ian used a heart rate monitor to measure his nervousness at asking his future wife out on a date. ️💘
• 28:39 — The evolution of March’s wearables starting with a pedometer in 2008 and evolving to a Pebble watch in 2012.
• 33:40–-A reference to Episode 57 where we discuss the Oura ring.
• 35:13 — Where to start when shopping for a piece of wearable tech.
• 44:05 — The pros and cons of a wearable with GPS.
• 46:59 — Three categories of fitness wearables.
• 55:57 — How you can use a wearable to improve your posture and why that matters.
• 1:03:03 — Using wearables to improve stress management.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Ava fertility monitor
• 📦 Product: CheckMe Pro vital signs monitor
• 📦 Product: Timex internet messenger
• 📦 Product: ECG as a patch
• 📦 Product: Self powered sweat sensor patch
• 📦 Product: Blood glucose patch
• 📦 Product: The medical tricorder
• 📦 Product: Apple Watch
• 📦 Product: Fitbit watches
• 📦 Product: Garmin watches
• 📦 Product: Garmin Forerunner 645
• 📦 Product: Pebble watch (wikipedia)
• 📦 Product: Microsoft Band (wikipedia)
• 📦 Product: Spire (relaxation wearable)
• 📦 Product: Lumo Lift (posture wearable)
• 📦 Product: Upright Go (posture wearable)
• 📦 Product: Oura ring
• 📦 Product: fitbit ace 2 activity tracker for kids

Show Notes

• 1:16 — The Better Show is growing like a weed: quick update on how many countries we have listeners in worldwide.
• 2:44 — What is the most popular holiday in the world?
• 4:30 — Why do holidays matter?
• 6:41 — The Tail End insight about the time you spend with family
• 12:11 — How to have better conversations during the holidays
• 17:26 — Gift giving tips from Darren's wife Mardee
• 22:35 — Ian's "Buy One, Get One" trick for gift buying
• 24:07  — The Pajama Fairy story
• 26:15 — Giving the gift of choice with a personalized gift catalog
• 28:13 — How experiences can be some of the best gifts
• 29:12  — Does Ian have a bad gift giving habit?
• 33:49  — Maintaining routines during the holidays
• 43:23  — The Averaging Effect on gift giving
• 46:36  — The value of the surprise in gift giving
• 50:22  — The power of batching when gift giving
• 52:52  — Pinterest, Amazon Universal Wish List and more for inspiration and organization
• 55:32  — Asking questions of people's personal experiences to build empathy and avoid conflict
• 59:53  — Using your family history as a shared common background for family discussion
• 1:04:53  — March will experiment writing Thank You notes for gratitude this holiday
• 1:06:46  — Darren will experiment with small gifts, mostly experiences, and being more present this holiday season
• 1:07:34  — Ian will experiment with sending hand-made holiday greeting cards to family & friends
• 1:10:28  — Darren recommends Postagram for sending quick thank you cards

Products Mentioned

• Tim Urban's thoughts on time with family
• Ancestry.com
• 23andme.com
• Postagram
• Amazon Echo

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• 1:27 — We got nominated for a “best health and fitness” podcast award!!
• 5:20 — March recommends checking out Episode 56: Better Morning Routines.
• 6:48 — What benefits can you reap from using services to automate things in your life?
• 8:25 — Automating your laundry with LaundryHeap.com
• 12:16 — How to automate your grocery shopping
• 16:10 — Ian’s experience using TaxFyle.com to outsource his tax preparation.
• 19:39 — A few of the lesser known outsourcing services that Darren and Mardee use including Dolly, Fiverr, and 99Designs.com.
• 22:00 — How to decide which outsourcing services are the best value for your lifestyle.
• 25:50 — Ian reflects on the benefits of having a roommate to “outsource” some activities around the house.
• 27:01 —March almost confesses to making phone calls to random people. :-)
• 32:00 — The two categories of automation / outsourcing services.
• 34:19 — Are we already living in a dystopian future of automation?
• 38:42 — Darren offers to do Ian’s taxes. (Not really.)
• 40:00 — The precarious task of putting up Christmas lights.
• 43:10 —The 3 weirdest things that have been outsourced using TaskRabbit.
• 49:45 — The difference between Fiverr and TaskRabbit.
• 51:38 — What is Mechanical Turk by Amazon?
• 1:00:01 — The different options for food and grocery delivery.
• 1:01:00 — The different personal shopping services and how they work.
• 1:05:20 — A service called OffTheRecord.com that will contest your traffic tickets on your behalf.
• 1:07:19 — Automating the setup of a company and payment system using Atlas by Stripe.
• 1:07:59 — Services that automatically coach you on sales calls or for live presentations.
• 1:10:01 — Services that help you automate your travel planning.
• 1:13:05 — Services like Dolly that can help you find people to move large, heavy objects.
• 1:15:05 — How you can get rid of three feet of snow using the Shovler app.

Mentions

• 🎙️ Podcast: The Better Show Episode 56 — Better Morning Routines
• 📦 Product: TaxFyle
• 📱 App: TaskRabbit
• 📱 App: Fiverr
• 📱 App: Shovler
• 📰 Website: Mechanical Turk by Amazon — automate repetitive tasks
• 📰 Website: AngiesList
• 📰 Website: Craigslist.org
• 📰 Website: MyBuilder.com — find tradesmen in the US
• 📰 Website: TradePlatform.com.au — find skilled tradespeople in Australia
• 📰 Website: Tradesman.ie — find skilled tradespeople in Ireland
• 📰 Website: OffTheRecord.com
• 📰 Website: Clerky.com — outsource legal paperwork for startups
• 📰 Article: Best Grocery Delivery Services 2019 (USA)
• 📰 Website: Amazon Fresh
• 📰 Website: Brandless
• 📰 Website: RideOrDrive.org
• 📰 Website: Atlas by Stripe
• 📱 App: Dolly
• 📺 Video clip: Fake Jim scene from The Office

• 2:50 — Why might you want to automate certain tasks in your life?
• 6:04 — The advantages of reducing friction in your life.
• 7:03 — Three questions to ask yourself to discover areas where automation might be advantageous for you.
• 8:50 — March shares the areas in his life that he has happily automated including bills, discovery of relevant news, and retirement savings.
• 9:59 — Why you might NOT want to pay attention to your investments.
• 13:22 — Ian shares a few things that he’s automated in his life but laments that this is one of the few areas where he is not an early adopter.
• 15:45 — “Just in time” shopping.
• 16:50 — Darren shares his philosophy on how he thinks about life automation and lists a number of services he and his wife, Mardee, have used to automate basic life tasks.
• 19:32 —The strangest thing that Darren has automated in his life and a reference to Episode 29 where he shares the story of what motivated him to do it.
• 21:57 — Five things everyone should automate.
• 25:55 — How Ian broke the central heating system in his new home.
• 33:28 —Five surprising things that you can benefit from automating including food delivery, shopping for deals, and feeding your cat.
• 35:54 —Darren gives a hearty endorsement of Sun Basket, the food delivery service that he and Mardee use regularly.
• 43:49 — How to keep track of cool stuff in space.
• 45:25 — How to use automation to get out of annoying or difficult conversations.
• 49:10 — The things that you DON’T want to automate.
• 52:38 — Things our listeners wish they could automate but that are difficult or impossible to automate.
• 53:50 — Ian, Darren, and March decide which things from this episode they are going to try out and report back on.

Mentions

• 📱 App: IFTTT
• 📱 App: Wunderlist
• 📱 App: Trello
• 📰 Website: Camelcamelcamel.com
• 📰 Website: Invisible Hand
• 📰 Website: CouponFollow.com
• 🎙️ Podcast: The Better Show Episode 46 — Stay Safe Online
• 📦 Product: Dropbox
• 📦 Product: Google Photos
• 📰 Website: EatThisMuch.com
• 🥗 Meal Service: Blue Apron
• 🥗 Meal Service: Sun Basket
• 🥗 Meal Service: Home Chef
• 🔒 Secure password manager: Dashlane
• 🎙️ Podcast: The Better Show Episode 29 — Emergency Preparedness
• 🤖 Robo-investment service: Wealthfront
• 📺 video: Robot chefs (coming soon to Las Vegas!)
• 📦 Product: Google Duplex

• 1:30 — Why March has been thinking a lot about building an exercise habit lately
• 2:52 — Darren asks Ian and March if they exercise grudgingly or just not consistently enough
• 8:54 — March dives into the research of why exercise matters
• 11:20 — The psychological benefits of exercise & how it is similar to fasting or public speaking
• 13:09 — Research into the maintenance of exercise programs
• 14:18 — Disclaimer: Ian's priorities to focus on before exercise 
• 16:38 — Ian, Darren and March share their personal experiences with building an exercise habit
• 17:35 — Exercise is a way to physically express yourself
• 21:22 — What March is stumped about around his exercise habits
• 22:35 — Why Darren has never gotten into a consistent exercise routine
• 25:32 — Ian's observation about organized sports, children, and exercise habits
• 28:32 — The exercise puzzle we are all trying to solve together
• 32:29 — Tip 1: You're not lazy, you're just starting from zero
• 33:43 — Tip 2: Don't beat yourself up about your current level of fitness
• 34:45 — Tip 3: Focus on your own progress, not others
• 36:09 — Tip 4: Avoid boredom & make it interesting to you
• 37:30 — Ian's iPod Nano Nike+  Power Song story
• 39:29 — Task bundling, guilty pleasures, and exercise
• 40:13 — Tip 5: Reframe the suck
• 43:20 — Tip 6: Replace willpower with willingness
• 45:22 — Tip 7: Forget all or nothing
• 46:48 — Tip 8: Find your secret sauce
• 47:47 — Tip 9: How can technology help you?
• 51:03 — Experiments that Ian, March & Darren will try & report back on in a future episode

Mentions

• 📰 Article: 100 Ways to Disguise Exercise
• 📱 App: Strava
• 💻 Website: Fitocracy
• 📱 App: Seconds
• 🎵 Playlist: Spotify 180 BPM playlist
• 🪓 Activity: Axe Throwing
• 💪 Activity: Tough Mudder
• 💪 Activity: CrossFit

• 3:20 — Why planning your week matters? Spoiler alert: we all have a limited amount of time and can benefit from aligning our efforts with our goals.
• 5:18 — Why do people dread Mondays?
• 8:35 — How March plans his week and balances his personal and professional obligations and how he balances his schedule with his spouse.
• 10:17 — March’s tip for planning the coming week on Friday.
• 13:04 — Ian outlines how he plans his week and describes the experiments he tried out in preparation for this episode.
• 17:19 — Ian’s tip for how he quickly gets up to speed after a long absence from work.
• 19:01 — Ian and March’s tactics for managing overloaded email.
• 25:03 — The power of setting goals for your week.
• 32:59 — Calendar management tips.
• 38:55 — How meals affect the productivity of your week and how you can use meal prep to maximize your impact for the week.
• 53:27 — Tips for planning your morning routine.
• 56:50 — Planning the week ahead on Friday afternoon.
• 1:00:29 — Making time for fun during your week.
• 1:03:00 — The trick of prepping your workout gear to encourage yourself to exercise.

Mentions

• 📦 Product: Instant Pot Ultra 6-Quart
• 📦 Product: Vitamix Professional Series 750
• 📦 Product: Air Fryer (Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Oven)
• 🎧 Podcast: The Better Show Ep. 42 — Maximize Your Time with Better Priorities
• 🎧 Podcast: The Better Show Ep. 56 — How Morning Routines Make the Day
• 🎧 Podcasts: The Better Show productivity related episodes

This week we discuss how you can improve and foster better friendships with both new and existing friends in your life.

EPISODE NOTES

Show Notes

• 1:18 - Insights from a study about loneliness across generations 
• 3:20 - How friendships affect your mental and physical health positively
• 7:40 - Could there be a relationship between microbiome and friend groups?
• 9:05 - Surprising scientific facts about friendships
• 12:52 - Insights of a LinkedIn study weighing friendships vs promotions
• 13:52 - What does "friend" mean anyway? 
• 16:04 - Best countries to make friends for expats, as ranked by a survey
• 18: 39 - How Irish friendliness impacted March's marriage
• 19:23 - Worst countries to make friends for expats from the same survey 
• 21:33  - March & Darren cook up an idea for a study or a reality show 
• 22:30 - Darren shares his experience with close friendships that withstand relocation and time
• 23:55 - March shares how proximity has played a role in his friendships
• 26:00 - March describes his super-friend and what he can teach us
• 29:30 - Darren & March discuss ways they've made time for keeping in touch
• 32:40 - A lightweight way to insert thoughtful energy into a friendship
• 33:33 - A great tip to counteract "We should get together sometime" syndrome
• 35:29 - Darren's tip to go beyond surface-level friendship
• 37:23 - Reflections on vulnerability's role in building friendships
• 38:23 - What differentiates being open and being vulnerable
• 40:49 - March explains what awkward experiences can signal about a friendship
• 41:43 - Avoiding problem-solving and why can be a struggle
• 44:45 - How being present can be helpful during tough times 
• 48:12 - A guide to being a friend when you don't see eye to eye
• 50:40 - Tips for maintaining trust in a friendship
• 52:15 - How to find and choose new friends
• 54:36 - Darren and March commit to some practices to nurturing their friendships
• 57:52 - Another tip for friends who live far apart
• 1:00:10 - The "better next step" for listeners

Mentions

• 📰 Study: The millennial friendship crisis

• 1:35 — Insights from Paul Graham’s blog post “Maker’s Schedule vs Manager’s Schedule”
• 3:20 — When to schedule meetings with “makers” to minimize the disruption to their days.
• 4:25 —Caucus meetings versus moderated meetings and the pros and cons of each.
• 6:21—The characteristics of a moderated meeting.
• 9:32 — Ian and March engage in a friendly debate about the value of moderated meetings
• 10:03 — Ian’s case against a moderated meeting.
• 12:18 — The value of taking an improv class as a way to foster a “yes and…” mindset.
• 13:15— March’s case for a moderated meeting in specific circumstances.
• 18:05 — How moderated meetings can be much more effective when including remote team members.
• 18:54 — Tips from March for working remotely and which meeting types work best for in-person meetings versus remote meetings.
• 20:48 — Ian reflects on how Leo Laporte organized his meeting space so that remote interviewees appeared physically present.
• 23:45 — The power of recording meetings for later reference and at tip for listening at 2X speed.
• 26:05 — March and Ian give a shout out to the value of the Microsoft Whiteboard app as a great tool for collaboration with remote meeting attendees.
• 27:40 — Darren, Ian, and March decide which tips they are going to apply to improve their meetings.
• 29:33 — The “better next step” for listeners.

Mentions

• 📰 Blog post: “Maker’s Schedule vs Manager’s Schedule” by Paul Graham
• 📰 Blog post: “Caucus Meetings Suck” by Chelsea Troy
• 📦 Product: Microsoft Whiteboard

• 2:05 —Some facts about the current state of meetings in the US including the average cost of a meeting when you add up the salaries of all attendees.
• 10:30 — The value of recording meetings so others who can’t attend can get the value of the information shared at the meeting.
• 11:43 — The most common complaints about meetings.
• 14:05 — Ian shares a challenge he faces in needing to meet with a wide variety of individuals on other teams.
• 16:55 — March shares his perspective on how meetings have changed for him since he’s moved to Ireland and is now a remote team member.
• 22:15 — Basic meeting etiquette for remote meeting attendees.
• 23:27 — Some tactics Darren has used to try to improve the value of the meetings he organizes.
• 29:39 — Tips from The Surprising Science of Meetings by Steven Rogelberg
• 33:28 — Ian shares the different impressions of people who actively listen in a meeting and those who multi-task.
• 41:34 — The importance of communicating a goal for a meeting.
• 47:55 — How Darren organized the daily stand-up meeting at his previous company.
• 57:11 — The ideal number of attendees for a meeting for maximum productivity.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: The Surprising Science of Meetings by Steven Rogelberg
• 📺 Song: Stand Up by Ludacris

Mentions
🎙 Podcast: Stuff to Blow your Mind
🎙 Podcast: Bottom of the Map
🎙 Podcast: Bag Man
🎙 Podcast: Stuff You Missed in History Class
🎙 Podcast: Below the Line with James Beshara
🎙 Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz
🎙 Podcast: The Good Place Podcast
🎙 Podcast: Intelligence Squared
🎙 Podcast: Mystery Show by Gimlet Media
🎙 Podcast: Women in Business & Technology

Show Notes
3:49 - We reflect on which of the tips from the show have been most influential on our lives.
7:05 -We discover that the tips related to improving sleep were the ones that were most impactful for us and we discuss the individual resonated most with each of us.
9:50 - How marriage has been a factor in helping Ian improve his sleep habits and his sleep routine.
11:35 - Darren reflects on episode 51 on how to have better conversations and how the need for improving the way we engage with people with whom we disagree is so important.
16:00 - March shares how the Oura ring (episode 57) has impacted his sleep quality and reflects on why it has been a wearable something that has stuck with him. 
17:45 - We record an impromptu episode on "better wedding rings" and learn that March has lost four wedding rings and learn about a time when Darren almost lost his in a blowhole in Hawaii.
22:33 - Ian shares a system for which aspects of life to focus on first and then which ones to attack next.
25:40 - We admire March's office and the assortment of plants he's assembled in his home office.
27:30 - Darren recommends the Ecosphere to March as the world's lowest maintenance pet and we record a mini episode on the Ecosphere.
32:04 - We discuss HIIT workouts from episodes 33 and 95. 
34:01 - The most surprising tips and facts that we learned from the past 99 shows including Darren's surprise at the impact of the human microbiome. 
35:50 - We reminisce on episode 70 on better bedding and our interest in eucalyptus sheets.
36:38 - March shares how he was amazed to learn about the negative impact of single-use plastics from episode 73. 
38:30 - March recalls the predictive power of the "Stand Up Challenge" from episode 33.
43:58 - Ian reflects on his experience with fasting using the Zero app, what he learned from episode 58, and how he and March cataloged their fasting experience on episode 66.
48:18 - We reflect together on the experience of creating a podcast from scratch, building an audience, and the effort that goes into creating a high-quality product.
53:59 - We share our favorite listener reviews from the previous two years.

Show Notes
3:53 - The Japanese concept of ikagai.
10:30 - Being the CEO of your own career and how to get started.
13:40 - Why it's helpful to have a healthy emotional distance from your job so you can analyze your career options objectively.
17:50 - Two things that a job can provide you that are not money.
23:22 - Five skills to learn in any job that are transferable to just about any other job.
27:39 - The value of learning the skill of problem solving and a 5-step process for solving problems.
29:48 - The evolution of formal education and "the 5 Cs" being taught in school today.
32:10 - March's #1 tip for evaluating any job.
34:05 - Scott Galloway's career advice
36:25 - The 3 questions should you ask yourself when deciding whether to go back to school to help advance your career.
40:49 - What to do if your goal is to not work at all.
45:40 - How to think about "unpaid work".

Mentions
Video: Scott Galloway's career advice
Article: Problem Solving Techniques & Strategies for Project Managers
Book: The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

Show Notes
3:35 - Why intentional career planning is so important and something you need to revisit periodically throughout your career.
8:56 - March reflects on the story arc of his career and the diversity of experiences he's had.
14:50 -Ian shares the origin story his career in technology as well as the lessons he learned working at his family's business and how his career has evolved since then.
21:55 - The myth of the linear career and the difference between working hard and having an impact.
25:30 - March sets a goal for listeners to begin looking at themselves as the CEO of their own career.
26:08 -How Ian began with the intention of becoming a user experience design researcher and was pleasantly surprised at how his entrepreneurial experience led him to become a program manager at Microsoft.
29:20 -Why you should pay attention to the things you actually do rather than what you think you eventually want to do.
30:04 -Scott Adams' approach to his own career development.
34:44 -March's recipe for career success and progression.
36:12 -Aligning your work with the larger goals and priorities of your organization.
40:40 -The mindset you need to become the CEO of your own career.
44:02 - The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman.
49:40 - March shares the career implications of his decision to move his family to Ireland.
54:55 -Four career opportunities that people typically under value in terms of the potential impact on their career.
59:05 - Things to consider when choosing whether to pursue a new career opportunity.
1:01:52 - Fragile careers versus resilient careers.
1:05:48 - March and Ian debate different perspectives on fragile versus resilient careers and explore things you can do to change the risk profile of your career path.

Show Notes
04:05 - What is anxiety and how do we recognize it in ourselves.
06:57 - Coping With Anxiety by Edmond Borne and Lorna Garano
10:25 - How is anxiety different in our modern society than it was decades and centuries ago.
15:13 - How mental health issues, including anxiety, have increased over the past several generations.
19:19 - The most common sources of anxiety in Western society.
25:30 - Darren shares his experience with an anxiety attack several years ago and explores the issues that brought on the attack.
30:00 - March shares how anxiety manifests itself in his life and shares what he's learned about anxiety after having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
35:58 - Ian's experience with short-term anxiety and the ways he has found to cope with it.
38:50 - Ian shares a personal story of an experience several years ago where with an overwhelming 
40:49 - How tidying up and getting busy can help alleviate short-term anxiety.
41:50 - When you should go see a doctor and telephone hotlines for anyone dealing with severe anxiety or contemplating suicide.
44:30 - Tactics to help overcome anxiety including modifying the stories we tell ourselves about the things going on in our lives.
52:28 - The Anderson Cooper interview of Stephen Colbert and the powerful insight Colbert shared about happiness.
55:45 - How exercise can be one of the most effective tactics for immediately dealing with acute anxiety and March's experience with HIIT workouts to help with anxiety.
57:57 - What the research suggests about caffeine's long-term affect on anxiety.
1:06:18 - How simplifying your surroundings and de-cluttering can help reduce psychological stress and reduce anxiety.
1:09:18 - The Dutch concept of "niksen".
1:13:35- We close with a few quick tips for things you can do in the moment to deal with anxiety right away.
1:16:00 - What is the mammalian diving response and how you can use it to deal with stressful and anxiety-driving situations.
1:19:17 - Why getting off of social media and news-based media helps reduce anxiety in general.

Mentions
Book: Coping With Anxiety by Edmond Borne and Lorna Garano (https://amzn.to/33Z926E)
Book: The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris (https://amzn.to/3274s4D)
Website: May Clinic on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610)
Article: The Dutch concept of "niksen" (https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/wellness/what-is-niksen-a4196666.html)
Article: Breathing exercises for dealing with anxiety (https://www.lifehack.org/761526/breathing-exercises-for-anxiety-simple-and-calm-anxiety-quickly)
Article: The Mammalian Diving Reflex (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_reflex)
Video: The Anderson Cooper interview of Stephen Colbert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6hcyHS_kTY)

Show Notes
2:40 -LinkedIn by the numbers including how many people are on LinkedIn and how fast the professional social network is growing.
8:40 - Why you should always entertain a conversation from someone interested in speaking with you about a new job.
10:39 - Why it's important to have a strong professional profile on LinkedIn even if you aren't looking for a job right now.
12:10 - Darren and Ian try to guess what year LinkedIn was first launched.
13:15 -The different ways you can use LinkedIn other than looking for a job.
15:48 - Darren shares an experience he had early in his career that motivated him to invest in his professional profile on LinkedIn and elsewhere.
19:20 -What your LinkedIn profile (or lack thereof) says about you to others.
20:05 - Ian shares his first impression of Darren based on his LinkedIn profile (and it's not what you'd expect.) 😊
23:19 - How often you should update your LinkedIn profile and why.
25:40 - We run down the basics of a quality LinkedIn profile.
29:16 - Your LinkedIn vanity URL.
36:25 - How to search engine optimize your LinkedIn profile.
40:35 - What makes an effective LinkedIn profile headline.
50:51 - What makes a good LinkedIn profile picture, what to avoid, and what is the impact of having a really good profile picture.
54:40 - Different perspectives on what you should include in your LinkedIn summary.
59:15 - Who you should (and shouldn't) connect with on LinkedIn.
1:07:05 - We do a live review of Ian's LinkedIn profile.
1:20:35 - Our better next steps.

Mentions
Website: LinkedIn
Ian's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianmikutel/
Ian's personal website: www.ianmik.com 
Darren's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrengaustin/
Darren's personal website: www.darrengaustin.com
March's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/march-rogers-a720b04/

Mentions
📱 App: Dailyo
📱 App: Tide
📰 Website: BrianKeaneFitness.com
📖 Book: The Fitness Mindset by Brian Keane
📺 YouTube channel: Brian Keane Fitness
📦 Product: fitbit ace 2 activity tracker for kids
📦 Article: Runtastic article on staying fit at work

Mentions
Documentary: The Great Hack
Podcast: The Better Show, Episode 19 - Nourish your mind with a better media diet
Website: AllGeneralizationsAreFalse.com - Vanessa Otero's visualization of media bias
Website: GoodNewsNetwork.org
Website: Postive.news
Podcast: The Bored & Brilliant Challenge from Note to Self podcast by Manoush Zomorodi
Article: Comparing Obama Campaign and Cambridge Analytica's Use of Facebook Data
Movie Review: TechCrunch's review of The Great Hack

Mentions
📖 Book: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
📖 Book: How About That for a Crack Baby by Shawn Blanchard
📰 Article: Reverse Mentoring: What is it and Why it is Beneficial
📰 Article: Examples of Radical Candor by Pavneet Singh Saund
📖 Book: The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferris.
📰 Article: 5 Types of Mentoring Relationships you need for your career by A Millennial's Diary
🛠️ Tool: First Round Capital's template for setting up a mentoring relationship

As we sat down to record this week's episode, March ran into some last minute technical difficulties and wasn't able to join the recording session so it's just Ian and me this week. We had such a fun time talking about our new podcast discoveries that we plan to do another episode just like this in the future where March can chime in with his favorites and we feature recommendations from The Better Show community.

2:37 - Darren talks about Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast and a new collaboration between Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis.
5:25 - Ian shares the shows that he and Carine listened to on a recent road trip.
7:50 - Seth Godin's decision to move from focusing on books to podcasting.
15:01 - Darren updates his LinkedIn profile with a list of his favorite podcasts.
18:09 - Google's new feature featuring videos from celebrities commenting on the most common questions asked about them on google.com.
28:18 - Darren shares one of his favorite shows, Every Little Thing by Gimlet Media.
30:10 - We plug The Better Show number +1 971–333–8007 and invite the community to share their favorite podcast recommendations.
33:01 - Ian wonders, "how do new words start?"
38:01 - Ian and Carine listen to The Drive by Peter Attia on a road trip.
42:50 - EconTalk and an interesting episode on addressing the problem of homelessness.
46:44 - The Daily by The New York Times
48:10 - True crime podcasts and a few recommendations for interesting shows covering true crimes.
49:47 - S-town by the creators of Serial and This American Life.
52:28 - Reply All by Gimlet

Links to podcasts mentioned
🎙 Podcast: Reply All by Gimlet Media and episode #102 Long Distance and episode #103 Long Distance Part 2
🎙 Podcast: Planet Money and episode #416 Why the price of Coke didn't change for 70 years and episode #666 The Hoverboard Life
🎙 Podcast: Slow Radio episodes Forgotten Sounds and Dementia Voices
🎙 Podcast: Every Little Thing by Gimlet Media and the episodes titled Thrift Store Smell: What it it? and Auctioneers: Why do they talk like that? and Is Egg the Only Nog?
🎙 Podcast: Pivot with Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
🎙 Podcast: 99% Invisible
🎙 Podcast: Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
🎙 Podcast: Numbers Geek  by Geekwire
🎙 Podcast: EconTalk and the episode with Erica Sandberg on Homelessness and Downtown Streets Team
🎙 Podcast:Atlanta Monster
🎙 Podcast: Serial
🎙 Podcast: S-Town
🎙 Podcast: Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell and the episode titled Food Fight
🎙 Podcast: Akimbo by Seth Godin
🎙 Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show and the episode with Seth Godin
🎙 Podcast: Broken Record
🎙 Podcast: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
🎙 Podcast: The Drive by Peter Attia and the episode 60 with Annie Duke on poker as a system for life.
🎙 Podcast: The Daily by The New York Times
🎞️ Documentary: The LIKE Movie

Show Notes

02:15 - How Pres. Obama prioritized his decision making

04:40 - How your mood and environment can affect your decisions

08:00 - Why we make bad decisions

11:00 - Darren cheating at the lottery & chimpanzees caring about fairness :)

16:00 - Darren, Ian & March share stories about big move decisions

23:00 - The power of asking "Is this decision reversable?"

26:00 - March talks about the limits of pros and cons lists and how to change the frame of how you make decisions

31:39 - Are there some decisions you can't optimize for? How do we deal with decisions with more than one right answer?

36:25 - Darren's shares what he learned from Ray Dalio's 'Principles' & Malcom Gladwell's 'Blink'

44:40 - Ian talks about how 'first principles thinking' has helped him make better decisions

52:00 - Why you should use a decision making framework that aligns with your values rather than the 'perfect' decision

54:00 - March explains the 3 possible outcomes framework and roleplays how to use it with Ian

59:35 - Ian explains the clarifying questions framework - such as 'What would it be like if it was easy?'

1:05:00 - March explains the rational decision making framework and what it is and isn't good for

1:11:00 - The power of asking other people about their experience - March teases a future episode on mentorship

1:13:00 - 'What would you say to a friend?' method of decision making

1:15:00 - Experiments the guys are going to try and report back on

Mentions

📖 Book: Ray Dalio's 'Principles' 
📖 Book: Malcom Gladwell's 'Blink'
📃 Essay: Aristotle and the Importance of First Principles
📃 Essay: By Asking Himself This 9-Word Question, Tim Ferriss Changed His Life
📃 Essay: The Rational Decision Making Framework

Show Notes

• 2:50 - March kicks off the discussion with a background on what Circadian rhythms are and an overview of the basic human Circadian rhythm.
• 6:40 - How Circadian rhythms affect mental alertness and physical performance.
• 9:10 - How do our Circadian rhythms change to accommodate different lifestyles?
• 11:35 - Why do our Circadian rhythms matter and why is it helpful for us to be conscious of our sleep-wake cycles.
• 15:38 - We discuss Dr. Matthew Walker's book Why We Sleep?
• 16:33 - We look back on some of the sleep experiments we committed to way back in episode 2 on sleep and Ian discusses his experience with the Oura ring.
• 19:51 - March shares his experience with using topical magnesium and delta wave sounds to improve sleep quality.
• 22:01 - Ian shares a new product for sleep improvement he discovered called NuCalm.
• 25:00 - Darren shares his experience adopting a mediation practice and what effects meditation had on the quality of his sleep.
• 28:11 - The Oak meditation app and the new mantra meditations the recently introduced.
• 29:10 - We each share our experiences using the Oura ring and explore the Oura web dashboard to learn more about our sleep and readiness cycles.
• 33:11 - How the Oura ring calculates its "readiness" score and what does the readiness score really tell us.
• 36:20 - We compare our levels of various sleep quality measurements including the amount of deep sleep and heart rate variability.
• 38:50 - How Darren's amount of deep sleep has changed and what he attributes his increase in deep sleep to.
• 42:14 - Heart Rate Variability - what it is and what it tells us.
• 46:39 - We each share a few tricks to help improve sleep quality and optimize our schedule with our Circadian rhythms.
• 53:03 - Darren shares his experience with a recent spike in the amount of deep sleep he's getting and hypothesizes about the cause of that improvement.
• 56:17 - Ian decides that he is going to "go back to the basics" in terms of optimizing his sleep environment.

Mentions

• 👍 Product: NuCalm
• 📖 Book: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• 👍 Product: Oura ring
• 👍 Product: Oak meditation app

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Show Notes

• 1:10— We discuss the difference between when summer starts astronomically versus when it actually starts from a weather (and cultural) perspective.
• 4:50— Ian shares Conan O’Brian’s perspective on summer weather and the change of seasons.
• 6:44— Darren talks about his desire to adopt the “snow bird” lifestyle in retirement.
• 9:22— Ian and March discuss why it’s important to make the most of our summers and how we can use the seasons to mark the passage of time and fully appreciate life.
• 12:30 —March talks about the difference in seasons in different geographies around the world.
• 16:12— March recalls two very different summer experiences — one making the summer feel very long and the other that seemed to cause the summer to fly by.
• 21:35— Ian reflects on his memories of summer starting lemonade stands as a young child and later on working at his family’s ice cream shoppe, Sprinkles.
• 26:45— Darren talks about summer road trips and accidentally discovering a beautiful waterfall.
• 30:05— Darren describes the fun beach trips to St. Augustine that marked his childhood summers.
• 32:35— March suggests checking in on your goals for the year — you’re half way through the year now so how are you doing?
• 37:50— March and Darren share that they both have vacations planned to visit Portugal and Ian gets motivated to plan a trip to Portugal himself.
• 39:05— Darren declares The Pimm’s Cup to be the Official Summer Cocktail of The Better Show and reflects on how he was introduced to this drink while on a ridiculously extravagant business trip. See recipe below.
• 45:35— We discuss the opportunity that summer presents to eat outside with friends— either at home or at a favorite restaurant with outdoor seating.
• 46:35— We suggest taking full advantage of the huge variety of fresh produce available during the summer by visiting farmer’s markets during the summer.
• 49:30— March has an “outside of the box” suggestion for spending the summer starting a small side business.
• 54:05— Darren notes that many cities organize outdoor theater events like Shakespeare in the Park.
• 55:38— Ian reminds us about the opportunity to enjoy outdoor movies during the summer.
• 56:45— March shares another “outside of the box” suggestion for fully enjoying the summer by taking time to visit a friend of mentor whom you don’t often see.

Mentions

• Cliff Mass' Weather Blog
• Shakespeare in the Park
• Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park hosts free outdoor yoga classes
• The Cliveden
• History of the road trip
• The Better Show New Year's Resolutions Decoded episode
• Pimm's Cup cocktail recipe:\
  • 1 part Pimm's Cup №1\
  • 3 parts Bundaberg Ginger Beer\
  • 3--4 slices of cucumber\
  • Slice of lemon\
  • Spring of mint\
  • (optional) razor thin slice of fresh ginger

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0:45 - Darren talks about his mom's experience with a C.Diff (Clostridium Difficile) infection, how our earlier research into the microbiome helped him better understand her condition, and what new things he learned from her experience.

5:22 - Feedback from Ian's friends about our single-use plastics episode.

6:15 - Darren shares an experience he had at The Masters golf tournament this year where single-use plastics continually came up as a topic of concern among attendees.

9:01 - A new development from researchers at the UC San Diego that are using discarded plastics in new road construction.

10:43 - March explains the concept of the "circular economy".

14:40 -Ian's idea for achieving environmental sustainability by developing products that get better with use. 

15:55 -We ask, "why do modern treadmills still require external power?"

20:18 -Ian shares a new hacks he learned from his mom on how to reduce his use of single-use plastics.

22:48 -March offers a killer pro-tip on managing different sizes and brands of Tupperware.

24:05 -Reusable bags for dry cleaning and a tip about requesting dress shirts in a box.

25:54 - The magic of the LaundryHeap service and its popularity as a gift to new parents.

30:22 -Remembering the Amazon Tote, other new initiatives from Amazon.com to reduce waste, and the field of study on packaging design.

35:50 - The environmental impact of reusable coffee mugs.

40:30 - In an awkward 30 seconds, the team struggles to remember The Better Show hotline and in the process invents a new hashtag #awkwardnessisauthenticity.

42:10 - Ian defends the honor of Millennials worldwide. 😂

• Why Ian & Darren are more likely to experiment with supplements than March (and coincidentally why does Darren have two heads while Ian's skin is bright green?!).
• The importance of being aware of how supplements are regulated and how you can protect yourself as a consumer.
• Surprisingly effective (and ineffective) popular supplements
• Proven ways to think and exercise harder :)
• And much more…


• 2:25 - Why does Darren have two heads while Ian's skin is bright green?!
• 2:50 - What are supplements and how are they regulated?
• 5:20 - How do you know what's in the bottle matches what's on the label?
• 8:10 - Helpful websites that review supplements for quality
• 13:10 - Tactics for finding good brands for supplements
• 14:05 - The guys speculate on who would be the Bizzaro superman equivalent of Dr. Rhonda Patrick
• 14:35 - The difficulty with health claims on supplements
• 21:30 - The calculated risk of whether to take a particular supplement
• 24:00 - All about vitamins
• 32:00 - The guys debate the value, safety and effectiveness of vitamin supplements
• 35:00 - What supplements have the strongest evidence of being useful?
• 49:00 - Some useful supplements for performance including creatine 
• 56.30 - March is happy to let Ian & Darren experiment with more exotic supplements :)

Highlights
- What are the characteristics of the perfect luggage?
- How your packing strategy should change depending on the destination & activities you plan
- We have the debate on folding vs. rolling vs. bundling. Which method will win?!
- The miracle material that is Glad Press 'n Seal!
- March's patented wrinkle fix formula
- and lots more 🤣

Show notes
- 1.35—Darren shares his secret talent of cramming 5lbs of things into a 2lb bag
- 2:18— March shares 4 pillars for better packing
- 2:47—How to choose the right luggage
- 6:20—Darren shares his favorite luggage brand
- 7:30—How Ian finds his luggage on the carousel
- 8:00—How Darren reduces damage to his bags
- 8:50—Darren shares his laminated packing checklist - travel nerd alert!
- 10:35—How do different type of trips affect what you pack?
- 12:30—The big debate! Fold, roll or bundle???
- 14:20—Should you use vacuum bags?
- 17:00—The miracle that is Glad Press n Seal
- 20:00—Why your sunglasses case should be full of delicate items
- 21:45—March's patented wrinkle fix formula

Mentions
- 🎒 Darren's favorite luggage: https://www.briggs-riley.com/
- 🧳 I ❤️ Baggage Handlers luggage tags
- ⚖️ Luggage scale
- 📺 Bundle packing for wrinkle free clothes
- 🙌 Reusable vacuum storage bags
- 🙌 Glad Press'n Seal
- 🙌 10 Uses for Glad Press 'N Seal Plastic Wrap

Show Notes

• 2:20— How empathy relates to emotional intelligence and the role of curiosity in developing empathy.
• 5:55— The difference between extreme empathy and practical empathy.
• 9:40— What is active listening and how to use active listening to build your empathy for others.
• 14:20— We discuss a tactic to teach empathy to children by giving them responsibility for caring for a plant.
• 18:52— Ian challenges March to model both the good and bad versions of active listening.
• 24:57— Why going into “problem solving mode” when engaging with your significant other is not an empathetic response.
• 30:29— March offers a tip for challenging oneself as a way to build empathy for others.
• 32:22— We explore what it means to manage emotions in others and why that isn’t always a manipulative behavior.
• 34:24— Tactics for learning how to manage others’ emotions including noticing others’ behavior and being mindful of the way you phrase questions.
• 39:02— Ian and Darren share their experiences from a time when they each had to use emotional management tactics to calm down someone who was extremely upset.
• 42:55— How Scott Pelly from 60 minutes uses the phrase “I wonder” to open up his interview candidates.
• 46:40— What is “non-violent communication” and where can it be useful.
• 51:12— March shares a tip from the Gottman Institute called a “love map” to understand more about what they care about.
• 52:25— Ian decides to work on avoiding going into “problem solving mode” in his conversations with his fiancee.
• 53:46— As part of helping test a training course for non-violent communication, Darren is going through the exercise of caring for a plant to increase empathetic awareness.

Mentions

• 📰 Article: How to Become an Effective CEO: Chief Emotions Officer (Tim Ferriss Blog)
• 📰 Article: Daniel Goleman (who popularized the idea of EQ) piece on emotional intelligence
• 📺 Documentary: Won't You Be My Neighbor
• 💻 Website: Center for Non-violent Communication
• 📰 Article: Caring for Living Things Helps Kids Build Empathy
• 📖 Book: Books from The Gottman Institute
• 📖 Book: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

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Show Notes

• 1:01— What is meant by the term “E.Q.” or one’s emotional intelligence quotient?
• 2:51— Why is it important to develop a strong emotional intelligence and how can it help you in your personal and professional life.
• 12:05— The evolutionary root of our emotions and the different roles emotional responses played in early human society versus modern day society.
• 16:48— Research about the benefits of developing a strong emotional intelligence, including lower instance of violent behavior and better academic performance.
• 17:40— What is SEL and why schools worldwide are beginning to implement SEL lessons into their regular curricula.
• 19:41— March shares an early reference to “emotional intelligence” in a psychology paper written in 1969.
• 24:24— Ian gives a big shout out and a recommendation for the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, the story behind Fred Rogers and the origin of the TV show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.
• 26:44— How many of the characters on Sesame Street were models of different emotions.
• 29:24— March shares his experience in getting introduced to the idea of emotional intelligence and shares a book recommendation, The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris.
• 29:35— What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and how does it work.
• 36:11— Ian shares how empathy is a powerful skill for product managers.
• 40:32— Tips for developing more self-awareness and the color wheel of emotions and feelings.
• 44:08— The importance of giving yourself time to reflect on how you are feeling and the effectiveness of incorporating this into your morning routine.
• 45:01— Tactics to identify an emotion in the moment and creating space for yourself before instinctively acting upon it.
• 54:32— The effectiveness of journaling in developing awareness of oneself.
• 55:09— March shares an inspiring quote from Victor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
• 58:44— Using exercise to diffuse powerful emotions.
• 1:00:24— The affect of sleep on our emotions and our ability to regulate them.
• 1:04:15— Using humor to disarm intense emotions.

Mentions

• 📖 Book: Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
• 📖 Book: The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
• 📱 App: Mood Notes
• 📰 Blog post: How to Become an Effective CEO: Chief Emotions Officer (Tim Ferriss Blog)
• 📰 Article: Daniel Goleman (who popularized the idea of EQ) piece on emotional intelligence
• 📺 Documentary: Won't You Be My Neighbor
• 📖 Research: Atlas of Emotions

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Show Notes

• 2:50— How to begin tracking your cash flow using both analog and digital methods.
• 6:20— How specific should one get when tracking spending.
• 7:55— Darren’s experience with Quicken and how tracking too many categories created too much overhead for him.
• 10:25— Ian’s preferred method of budgeting using pen and paper.
• 13:55— We explore some methods for making saving automatic.
• 15:05— Ian compares managing personal cashflow to managing email.
• 18:55— We discuss the pros and cons of debit and credit cards.
• 24:06— We discuss on of the pioneer services for online budgeting, Mint.
• 29:01— Ian shares his experience with Betterment.
• 30:20— Paying attention to monthly subscriptions and the services that help you monitor recurring expenses.
• 37:37— Darren’s experience with Wealthfront.
• 39:15— March introduces a service named “You Need A Budget” and “Mvelopes”.
• 41:35— Ian shares his experience with the virtual bank, Simple.
• 46:22— Tips for improving the way you spend your money to maximize happiness.
• 53:40— Tailoring a successful mindset for budgeting.
• 55:08— March, Ian, and Darren share a list of things that they are going to try for getting better at budgeting and managing cashflow.

Mentions

• 📰 Book: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
• 💻 Blog: The Life Values Quiz
• 💻 Blog: ClarkHoward.com
• 👍 Product: Kiva.org
• 👍 Product: Betterment
• 👍 Product: Wealthfront
• 👍 Product: You Need A Budget
• 👍 Product: Mvelopes
• 📱 App: Simple
• 📱 App: PocketGuard
• 📱 App: Mint
• 📱 App: Truebill
• 📱 App:Trim

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Show Notes

• 2:27— Why does the microbiome matter?
• 11:56— Examples of the impact of the microbiome
• 21:38— The HMP
• 24:41—The 10:1 myth
• 27:50—Measuring the microbiome
• 43:07— Fermented foods and the power of diversity in the microbiome
• 47:22— Tips & tricks for improving your microbiome
• 1:05:10— Babies and microbiomes
• 1:08:02— Watch this space, we're at the infancy of our microbiome understanding
• 1:09:02— Future microbiome technology
• 1:18:52— Better Next Step and our experiments we'll try & report back on in a future episode

Mentions

• Rhonda Patrick on breastfeeding: Dr Rhonda Patrick on the Amazing Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Show Notes

• 2:01 - March breaks down the topic of budgeting into three parts: setting your goals, making a plan, and executing your plan
• 2:39 - Ian, Darren, and March share where they are in terms of setting financial goals.
• 7:25 - March shares a pro-tip for how his relocation to Ireland has saved him a lot of money on his kid's college tuition.
• 9:59 - Darren compares high-interest debt to running on a treadmill.
• 11:02 - We discuss how paying off high-interest debt (like credit card debt) is one of the first goals to set for yourself.
• 11: 28 - Darren shares a book recommendation: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason and introduces the concept of "pay yourself first."
• 16:53 - Different ways to think about your retirement goals: the "bounce your last check" method or the lump sum method.
• 19:54 - Ian shares that one of his near-term goals is to buy a home and we discuss the different perspectives on home ownership versus renting.
• 25:14 - The cultural aspect of home ownership, the utilitarian aspect of home ownership, and the financial aspect of home ownership.
• 33:20 - Trading hours for dollars and how to define financial freedom.
• 37:09 - How to think about budgeting using some practical budgeting models.
• 40: 21 - The 50/20/30 budgeting rule.
• 43:19 - March offers a tip for making saving easier by using the "boil the frog" method.
• 50:50 - Different financial vehicles for saving money including Traditional and ROTH IRSs.
• 59:45 - How to use positive goal setting techniques to make it easier to save money.
• 1:06:10 - After realizing how rich this topic is (no pun intended) we decide that it deserves a part 3 where we can dedicate more time on tips for executing a budget plan.
• 1:07:00 - The role of debt in your financial picture and how to tell the difference between "good debt" and "bad debt."
• 1:14:35 - The different types of insurance you can purchase and how insurance works.
• 1:17:40 - Why people buy insurance if the odds are against ever collecting it.
  1:22:50 - Darren offers to sell Ian volcano insurance.

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Show Notes

• 2:06— What exactly is money and why is it important to understand how to manage money.
• 4:03— Ian channels his inner Biggie Smalls. 😀
• 4:39— The effect that money (or worrying about money) can have on one’s health and well-being.
• 8:02— The difference between guilt and shame and how that difference matters when it comes to money.
• 24:30— March and Darren talk about the peace of mind that comes with putting one’s finances on auto-pilot.
• 24:54— Darren shares story about how he was introduced to the concept of time value of money and how that has helped him understand how money works and how to better manage his own finances.
• 28:57— The Life Values Quiz as a tool to discover your own relationship with money.
• 41:15— Methods for beginning to budget including “the envelope system” and the 50/20/30 budget rule.
• 46:48— Some technology solutions for helping gain visibility on one’s finances including Mint, PocketGuard, and a simple Excel spreadsheet.

Mentions

• 📰 Article: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
• 💻 Blog: The Life Values Quiz
• 💻 Blog: ClarkHoward.com
• 💻 Blog: SmartAboutMoney.org
• 👍 Product: Kiva.org
• 📱 App: PocketGuard

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Show Notes

• 1:20 - 💂‍♀️ Where does the word "brunch" come from? (Featuring March's ridiculous British accent)
• 3:50 - 😍 Ian tells us how he fell in love with brunch
• 6:00 - 👩‍🍳 Darren shares his perspective on brunch as part of the slow food movement
• 8:25 - 💏 Ian introduces us to the concept of a 'brunch bunch' - the perfect way to knit friend groups together
• 10:50 - 🤯 March admits he's never heard of chicken and waffles
• 12:20 - 🤑 Ian hatches a plan to open his own brunch place called 'The Brunch Boss'
• 13:10 - 💯 Ian outlines how to create your own brunch bunch
• 17:55 - 🥓 Ian tests the guys to find out if they know the correct way to cook bacon (hint Darren isn't invited to join the brunch bunch)
• 24:30 - 🏡 March suggests the idea of a potluck home based brunch
• 26:40 - 💂‍♀️March & Ian roll out their awful British accents again to close out the show

Mentions

• The Unexpected Charm of Eating Chicken and Waffles in
  Paris

• Eater --- Restaurant
  recommendations

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Show Notes

• 3:11— March shares examples of some notable personalities that are early risers and reflects on the conventional wisdom about the benefits of getting up early.
• 5:47— Darren notes that the trend of preferring to start one’s day early has more to do with productivity than it does with health. 
• 10:32— Ian reflects on some valuable advice from an older gentlemen he met years ago. 
• 12:44 —Some of the mistakes that people make when they start adopting an early morning routine.
• 16:50— What is a person’s chronotype.
• 23:08 —The differences between men and women when it comes to sleep and the relationship between personality type and chronotype.
• 26:07— How to figure out what sleep cycle works best for you.
• 29:54— How Ian figured out what his natural sleep cycle is and what he learned from the experiment.
• 32:11— Darren’s experience in figuring out his individual sleep patterns. 
• 38:43— Tips for how to start finding your own sleep rhythm and maintaining your quality of sleep.

Mentions

• 💻 Ryan Carson 4:45am Club
• 📰 Cool infographic on morning or evening people

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Show Notes

• 1:59— We welcome our first guest on The Better Show, Ryan Carson, CEO of Treehouse.
• 3:12— “I think learning is the largest single determining factor of your success in life.” — Ryan Carson
• 4:50— We learn a little bit about Treehouse, what it does and why Ryan started it. 
• 7:39— Ryan discusses the huge gap between the number of new jobs requiring coding skills and the number of traditional Computer Science graduates.
• 10:36— Ryan compares how learning a skill like coding is similar to learning a skill like carpentry or other trades.
• 12:36— We talk about the changing environment for learning and how today it is possible to get a degree from Harvard for free online.
• 15:06— Ryan describes the changes that are happening in the workforce that are motivating companies to invest in trade skill-style training.
• 19:50— Ryan shares how he has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs to introduce Treehouse’s learning opportunities to under-served communities.
• 24:30— We discuss the importance of mentorship in the learning process.
• 27:41— We discuss how to initiate a request for mentorship and how to be a good mentee.
• 30:35— March asks Ryan what he looks for when deciding whether or not a mentorship request will be a good fit. 
• 31:28— Ryan shares a tip about the value of sharing experiences versus trying to give advice.
• 35:17— Darren shares a tactic that his mom used to keep him constantly creating with Lego.
• 36:35— We discuss the role of artificial intelligence and how it will affect the types of things we need learn in the future.
• 42:07— We do some rapid-fire Q&A with Ryan on topics ranging from the craziest experiment Ryan ever tried on himself to areas he’s currently working to improve.
• 47:01— Darren, March, and Ian each adopt one thing from the conversation that they will experiment with going forward.
• 51:11— We wrap up the show with a reflection on our conversation with Ryan, what we learned from the discussion, and give a quick shout to our moms for all that they do to help us learn throughout our lives.