WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.000 It's the power of buckets. 2 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.000 This allows you to get work done at work, 3 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:07.000 and it's based on neuroscience 4 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:11.000 that aligns with three different types of work. 5 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:15.000 And for today, my pro tip with the power of buckets, 6 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.000 what I have found in using buckets 7 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.000 is that they maximize my productivity 8 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.000 and they lower switching costs. 9 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.000 We talked about that a little bit, 10 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.000 switching costs from going from one task to another 11 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.000 that are not related. 12 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:32.000 It also allows me to get the most important work done first 13 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000 and limits distractions, 14 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.000 even self-imposed distractions. 15 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.000 Any of you guys do self-imposed distractions? 16 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:44.000 I think I've got to go change the water cooler water first. 17 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.000 And it eliminates multitasking, 18 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:52.000 and you're going to hear from Dion 19 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:54.000 why that's so important in just a little bit. 20 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:58.000 But for me, the QBook along with buckets, 21 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.000 you guys, that's a power couple right there. 22 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:05.000 That just empowers you in your work and your tasks. 23 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:08.000 And when we first started with buckets, for me, 24 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.000 it really helped me give order to everything that I was doing 25 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.000 and to prioritize the very most important things 26 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.000 that would move the business forward 27 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:20.000 and to not get distracted with little things that can arise 28 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.000 that are important, but they are distractions, 29 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.000 and they can all be... 30 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:28.000 The thing that comes to my mind is a saying, 31 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:29.000 everything has a place, 32 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.000 and it really does put everything in its proper place 33 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:36.000 to benefit you and your work. 34 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.000 And so I think it would be fun if right now, 35 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:40.000 because we at Brilliant, 36 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.000 we've been utilizing buckets for, what is it now? 37 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:47.000 Almost three years, two and a half to three years, 38 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:48.000 we've been practicing this, 39 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.000 and it was definitely not an overnight success. 40 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:54.000 It took repetition, it took practice, 41 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:57.000 and it took intentionality on the part of our team. 42 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.000 We actually kept reminding each other about buckets. 43 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:02.000 Did you use your buckets? 44 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:03.000 What bucket does that go in? 45 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.000 So I thought it would be fun for you all to hear 46 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.000 that after two and a half years of practicing, 47 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:14.000 a new member, Jalen, who came into our company culture 48 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.000 where this was already established, 49 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:18.000 what that was like for her, 50 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.000 what that experience was like for her. 51 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.000 Jalen, you want to go ahead and share? 52 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:26.000 Oh, you're muted. 53 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:35.000 Jalen is muted. 54 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:37.000 Can you unmute? 55 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.000 Nope, you're not unmuting. 56 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.000 Well, I'm gonna, while you're working on that, 57 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.000 I think, is Danielle on the call? 58 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.000 Danielle, can you share a bit 59 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.000 about how buckets worked for you? 60 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.000 I'm here, I can share. 61 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.000 Sorry about that, Jalen, upstaging you. 62 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.000 I guess what I would say about buckets 63 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:11.000 is it's the most efficient way I've found, 64 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.000 and I'm a serial multitasker too, 65 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.000 still working on complete reform from this habit, 66 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.000 but I think it's the best way that I've found 67 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:24.000 that anyone's suggested to me 68 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.000 to really focus on what you need to focus on, 69 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:30.000 especially with deep work. 70 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:31.000 Deep work is revolutionary. 71 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.000 I can't wait for Dionne to tell you about it. 72 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.000 Without it, before, I was just sort of like 73 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:39.000 scratching the surface on everything 74 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:41.000 and kind of forgetting where I was 75 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.000 and starting something and then getting distracted 76 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.000 and putting a pin in it for months 77 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.000 and then coming back and being like, 78 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.000 what was I even doing and happy to start fresh? 79 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:52.000 Tons of wasted work. 80 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.000 That's the danger of multitasking, 81 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:58.000 as I'm sure you're all well aware, 82 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:00.000 so I can't wait for Dionne to tell you more about deep work. 83 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.000 That's completely revolutionary, 84 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:08.000 and then you can still do your multitasking 85 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:11.000 during your general work sessions 86 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:15.000 and still scratch that itch if you have to have it. 87 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.000 Thank you. 88 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:19.000 That was really good. 89 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:21.000 Was that helpful to you guys to hear that? 90 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:24.000 Does that make you even more excited for today's teaching? 91 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Because I've already been through it, 92 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.000 and the way that Danielle just explained it, 93 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.000 I want to go through it again. 94 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.000 So thank you, Danielle, for sharing that. 95 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:35.000 All right. 96 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:37.000 Well, is everyone ready to dive in 97 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:42.000 and to learn about buckets, the power of buckets? 98 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:43.000 Yes. 99 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:44.000 Give us a thumbs up. 100 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:46.000 All right. 101 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Dionne, we're going to go ahead and hand that over to you. 102 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:51.000 Everyone, would you give Dionne a warm welcome in the chat? 103 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:52.000 Thank you. 104 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:53.000 Thank you, guys. 105 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:54.000 Really appreciate it. 106 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.000 I'm really enjoying going through this with you. 107 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:00.000 I've also been connecting with your leaders. 108 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.920 and seeing how it's going for you as team. 109 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.560 So appreciate the feedback. 110 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.080 So I think we wanna get straight to this whole problem 111 00:05:08.080 --> 00:05:13.080 of what researchers refer to as cognitive control. 112 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:17.240 That's you can, cognitive meaning the mind 113 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.840 and control feeling in charge of the work 114 00:05:19.840 --> 00:05:22.320 as it's flowing through your mind. 115 00:05:22.320 --> 00:05:24.320 And here's the fascinating thing 116 00:05:24.320 --> 00:05:27.960 is anybody can learn cognitive control. 117 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.920 So research shows that when you're trying to complete 118 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:37.120 a difficult task, it's all about cognitive control, 119 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:41.480 how you can manage that whole process. 120 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:43.480 And typically where people, 121 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:46.720 the three big areas people struggle with 122 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:49.320 when they have to do bigger tasks. 123 00:05:49.320 --> 00:05:53.120 So we're going to be talking for the next three weeks 124 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.000 about this particular topic because it's a big one. 125 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:59.000 And next week, we're gonna formally introduce 126 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:01.400 the concept of deep work. 127 00:06:01.400 --> 00:06:06.400 And when you look at what really hinders people, 128 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:11.320 why do they struggle so much with managing difficult? 129 00:06:11.320 --> 00:06:14.400 Or so think about if you're writing an article 130 00:06:14.400 --> 00:06:17.880 or you need several hours, excuse me, 131 00:06:17.880 --> 00:06:22.360 to do a more complex task that has multiple steps to it, 132 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:23.960 requires some deep thinking. 133 00:06:23.960 --> 00:06:27.120 Usually the number one problem is getting started. 134 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:29.680 The second big problem is getting interrupted. 135 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:33.760 And then once having interrupt, go back and restarting. 136 00:06:33.760 --> 00:06:36.600 We're gonna share for a moment about why 137 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:40.880 that is such an exhausting process. 138 00:06:40.880 --> 00:06:43.320 And so we're gonna talk through how you can get 139 00:06:43.320 --> 00:06:48.320 to the end of your day and feel not so mentally fatigued. 140 00:06:49.280 --> 00:06:52.480 And so, as we go through these different techniques 141 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.520 and solutions, we've tried to simplify all the neuroscience 142 00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:58.480 and stuff to make it really practical and useful. 143 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:02.160 And so keep throwing your questions there in the chat, 144 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:03.960 that's really helpful. 145 00:07:03.960 --> 00:07:06.400 So the first thing that we do in starting 146 00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:10.600 to develop cognitive control is we divide our week 147 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:14.920 into 10 buckets, so 10 four-hour buckets. 148 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:16.720 So unless you work at Brilliant, 149 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:18.640 we don't work on Fridays anymore. 150 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:22.040 They now do this Monday through Thursday. 151 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.440 But you have 10 buckets of four hours each. 152 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:27.480 So think of a morning and afternoon session. 153 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:29.480 They don't necessarily have to be morning and afternoon. 154 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:31.800 Some of you may work different hours 155 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.040 or you may not actually work a full 40 hours, 156 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:37.320 whatever your allocated work time is. 157 00:07:37.320 --> 00:07:40.640 So if you have allocated work time of 32 hours, 158 00:07:40.640 --> 00:07:43.120 the idea is to create four-hour buckets. 159 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:44.720 Why four hours? 160 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:46.560 Because as we'll get into next week, 161 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:49.840 what it takes for your brain to get 162 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:53.800 into those deeper levels of thought and creativity, 163 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:55.920 and it takes time. 164 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.360 But to introduce the idea of putting you 165 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:02.320 in control of your own cognitive process 166 00:08:02.320 --> 00:08:05.200 and giving you cognitive control, 167 00:08:05.200 --> 00:08:07.400 what that, let's first define that. 168 00:08:07.400 --> 00:08:11.360 So cognitive control is the mental function 169 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:15.280 that allows you to connect your planning with your actions. 170 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:17.160 How many of you have planned something 171 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:19.200 and then didn't do that at all? 172 00:08:19.400 --> 00:08:20.680 It's like when you were at college, 173 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.160 how many of you made study programs? 174 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:24.400 Okay, I got a study program 175 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:26.440 and then didn't do the study program. 176 00:08:26.440 --> 00:08:29.320 And so you've spent a lot of time making study programs, 177 00:08:29.320 --> 00:08:31.760 not necessarily doing the study programs 178 00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:34.000 or doing part of it and then writing a new one 179 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:34.840 and a new one. 180 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:37.760 And there's a reason that process is occurring. 181 00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:40.679 So it's about getting the important things done first, 182 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:44.240 getting the big rocks in first. 183 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:46.960 And there are a couple of techniques 184 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:48.040 that we're gonna talk about 185 00:08:48.040 --> 00:08:51.560 and how to achieve this mental function, 186 00:08:51.560 --> 00:08:53.200 this cognitive control. 187 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:54.960 And when you do it, 188 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.920 so what's the big deal if you pull this off? 189 00:08:57.920 --> 00:08:59.440 Well, what you'll find is three things. 190 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.560 Number one is that you'll get the things 191 00:09:02.560 --> 00:09:07.560 that really matter to you to get to the top of your list. 192 00:09:07.800 --> 00:09:10.440 And you'll be giving your prime energy 193 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:12.600 to the prime things in your life. 194 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:14.440 That's really number one, right? 195 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:16.920 And that, by the way, includes family, kids, marriage, 196 00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:19.280 all that, so just build it all in. 197 00:09:19.280 --> 00:09:20.200 So that's the first thing. 198 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.640 It's gonna help you get the things that matter most to you 199 00:09:23.640 --> 00:09:24.640 to the top of your list. 200 00:09:24.640 --> 00:09:26.200 The second thing it's gonna do 201 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:28.800 is it's gonna help you organize 202 00:09:28.800 --> 00:09:32.800 and batch like-minded projects together 203 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:35.480 and tasks together that are similar. 204 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:36.680 And the third thing 205 00:09:36.680 --> 00:09:39.360 is you're gonna lower your mental fatigue. 206 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:41.520 I don't know if you've ever had a day 207 00:09:41.520 --> 00:09:43.080 where you get to the end of the day 208 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:45.560 and you can't really think about everything you did that day 209 00:09:45.560 --> 00:09:47.080 but man, you feel tired. 210 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.200 Anybody had that experience often, right? 211 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.960 Yeah, so what that is is it's a concept 212 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:57.560 of that you were switching between so many tasks 213 00:09:57.560 --> 00:09:59.920 and what you put your brain through 214 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.480 was quite a stressful process, 215 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:04.840 and we'll explain in a second. 216 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:09.680 So what Buckets do, this idea of creating blocks of time, 217 00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:12.760 what it does is it allows us to start 218 00:10:12.760 --> 00:10:15.840 to group together similar projects. 219 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.440 So I wanna just lay down a little bit of language 220 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:21.000 so that we're all on the same page. 221 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:25.320 So when I talk about a task or a task set, 222 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:27.120 I'm referring to when you're trying 223 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:28.920 to solve a more difficult problem. 224 00:10:28.920 --> 00:10:31.480 So it's not just like quickly returning an email 225 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:33.720 or doing what we would call general work, 226 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:38.880 stuff that happens quickly, write a check, 227 00:10:38.880 --> 00:10:40.320 pay the rent or whatever. 228 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.040 I'm not talking about, I'm talking when you're trying 229 00:10:42.040 --> 00:10:44.760 to do a more difficult, substantive task 230 00:10:44.760 --> 00:10:48.000 in which you really need to access 231 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.680 the very best your mind can produce. 232 00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:52.600 So that's the kind of difficult tasks 233 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.640 that when I talk about tasks, that's what I'm referring to. 234 00:10:55.640 --> 00:10:59.760 And so that normally involves sort of mentally sifting 235 00:10:59.760 --> 00:11:04.600 through a variety of data and knowledge and various options. 236 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:07.960 And so that altogether in neuroscience terms 237 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.080 is called a task set. 238 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:12.400 So when you're trying to achieve a task set, 239 00:11:12.400 --> 00:11:15.000 you're trying to get this big goal to move forward. 240 00:11:16.920 --> 00:11:19.040 We know that one of the toughest issues 241 00:11:19.040 --> 00:11:21.280 around that is interruptions, right? 242 00:11:21.280 --> 00:11:23.560 It's getting started and then interruptions. 243 00:11:23.560 --> 00:11:27.760 Now, interruptions are things that get you, 244 00:11:27.760 --> 00:11:31.680 just as your task set is starting to build in your mind, 245 00:11:31.680 --> 00:11:34.800 somebody interrupts it and it seems to collapse. 246 00:11:34.800 --> 00:11:37.160 Back to the Jenga block analogy. 247 00:11:37.160 --> 00:11:38.840 So think about building Jenga blocks 248 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:40.040 and it's very complex. 249 00:11:40.040 --> 00:11:42.560 People who write software or coding, 250 00:11:42.560 --> 00:11:45.920 or if you're writing work or you're writing a book, 251 00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:49.160 you're like deep into it and you get interrupted. 252 00:11:49.160 --> 00:11:50.800 It's like the Jenga blocks fell down 253 00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:52.040 and then you come back to your work 254 00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:54.960 and it's almost like you have to restructure them 255 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:56.040 in your mind again. 256 00:11:56.040 --> 00:11:57.640 Do you know what I'm referring to? 257 00:11:57.640 --> 00:12:01.920 So that interruption is what causes that fatigue. 258 00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:04.240 And we refer to that interruption 259 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:07.120 and that cost as switching cost. 260 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.440 There is a switching cost every single time 261 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:14.040 you change your focus from one thing to another. 262 00:12:14.040 --> 00:12:16.520 And I'm talking, so it's like you've hit a reset 263 00:12:16.520 --> 00:12:19.680 or the Jenga blocks have fallen down. 264 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:23.280 And so the task requires significant mental energy 265 00:12:23.280 --> 00:12:24.800 to build the Jenga blocks up 266 00:12:24.800 --> 00:12:27.080 so that you can start working again. 267 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:29.480 It's that, as Danielle was saying earlier, 268 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.520 it's like you come back to it and go, where was I again? 269 00:12:32.520 --> 00:12:34.920 Because the Jenga blocks are all on the table, 270 00:12:34.920 --> 00:12:38.240 so you have to reconstruct again what you were doing. 271 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.720 This switching costs takes 20 to 40 minutes 272 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.400 to switch between one significant project and another. 273 00:12:46.400 --> 00:12:47.560 20 to 40 minutes. 274 00:12:47.560 --> 00:12:50.560 Now you may physically be doing the next thing, 275 00:12:50.560 --> 00:12:53.520 but your brain hasn't caught up with your actions yet. 276 00:12:53.520 --> 00:12:55.160 You're kind of going through the motions 277 00:12:55.160 --> 00:12:57.880 and then you find yourself making simple mistakes 278 00:12:57.880 --> 00:13:01.240 and so on because you haven't given time 279 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.200 for the switching cost. 280 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:06.160 So obviously you can't take a 20 minute break between tasks 281 00:13:06.160 --> 00:13:08.520 because that would be a lot of breaks. 282 00:13:08.520 --> 00:13:10.880 So how do we resolve that problem? 283 00:13:10.880 --> 00:13:15.880 Buckets resolve this because we group together similar tasks 284 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:19.920 that don't require switching costs. 285 00:13:19.920 --> 00:13:23.960 Switching costs is when we move from a category of thought 286 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:25.800 to another category of thought. 287 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:31.880 And so for instance, if I'm doing something financial 288 00:13:31.880 --> 00:13:35.200 for the company and I'm busy doing modeling, 289 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.800 if I switch from that to accounting, 290 00:13:37.800 --> 00:13:40.440 going into QuickBooks, paying bills, 291 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:43.360 building reports, writing a financial report, 292 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:44.600 those are all different tasks, 293 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.280 but they're part of the same sort of task set. 294 00:13:48.280 --> 00:13:49.680 They're very similar. 295 00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:53.400 They are not of that same set of Jenga blocks. 296 00:13:53.400 --> 00:13:55.560 I'm doing a lot of different tasks. 297 00:13:55.560 --> 00:13:57.520 I don't have to rebuild again. 298 00:13:57.520 --> 00:14:01.880 But if I switch from that to, for instance, doing a talk 299 00:14:01.880 --> 00:14:06.720 or switch from that to taking out my QBook 300 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:08.640 and planning my week, 301 00:14:08.640 --> 00:14:11.800 anything that switches to a new task set, 302 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.120 to a different set of thought structures, 303 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.760 that is where the switching costs. 304 00:14:16.760 --> 00:14:20.840 And actually your fatigue is based on how many times 305 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:23.040 you switched throughout the day. 306 00:14:23.040 --> 00:14:24.600 So if you're switching, switching, switching, 307 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:26.200 switching, switching by the end of the day, 308 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:28.560 and that's why multitasking doesn't just make you dumb, 309 00:14:28.560 --> 00:14:30.440 it makes you tired. 310 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.880 So we're gonna talk about that in a second. 311 00:14:32.880 --> 00:14:37.880 So buckets solve this problem by giving your brain 312 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:41.320 time to work in a more restful way. 313 00:14:42.400 --> 00:14:46.080 Because it can kind of get into the details. 314 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:47.920 It's a little bit like sleep. 315 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:53.200 If we're doing a sleep study, 316 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:54.400 and you were sitting in the lab, 317 00:14:54.400 --> 00:14:56.040 we set you up with a bed, 318 00:14:56.040 --> 00:14:58.320 and then I came in every half an hour, 319 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:00.120 and I woke you up, and I said, 320 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.540 that, you know, hey, Paul, how's your sleep going? And you're 321 00:15:03.540 --> 00:15:07.140 like, yeah, yeah, okay. And then half an hour later, hey, Paul, 322 00:15:07.140 --> 00:15:09.100 how's your sleep going? How's your sleep going? How's your 323 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.300 sleep going? How's your sleep? And by the morning, you're like 324 00:15:11.300 --> 00:15:14.040 a wreck. Can you imagine what you're like by the end of the 325 00:15:14.040 --> 00:15:17.340 week, if I keep that up throughout the whole period of 326 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:19.920 time, by the end of the week, you're a complete wreck, right? 327 00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:23.020 You might need psychiatric treatment, actually. Because at 328 00:15:23.020 --> 00:15:27.300 that point, you'd be your brain is so confused. But we do this 329 00:15:27.300 --> 00:15:34.120 to ourselves. And managers do this to us. Right? How's your 330 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:37.520 work going? Is it done yet? Are we there yet? You know, that 331 00:15:37.520 --> 00:15:41.440 type of thing is what creates switching costs. So we have to 332 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:45.000 come to an agreement that the power of buckets isn't just what 333 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:50.280 you personally understand. It's how we as a team agree as an 334 00:15:50.280 --> 00:15:55.520 organization. This is how we're going to work together. And 335 00:15:55.820 --> 00:16:00.860 when I am in a certain mode, I cannot be interrupted. And so 336 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:03.980 we just have a very simple system. When I'm in that mode, 337 00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:06.540 when any one of our team members are in that mode, and we 338 00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:10.180 absolutely have to get hold of you, we'll send you two texts in 339 00:16:10.180 --> 00:16:15.440 a row, or we'll call twice in a row. And that's the sign of we 340 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.340 know we're interrupting you, we have to interrupt you, it's 341 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:21.220 really serious, please answer the phone, right? Other than 342 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:25.460 that, and especially for us as leaders, it takes a little more 343 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:29.840 humility, when one of your team members says don't call me, I'm 344 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.600 in, I'm in a four hour session, or I'm a deep work session, a 345 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:35.000 two hour session, we're going to get to next week into the 346 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.320 different types of what to do with each of those blocks. So 347 00:16:39.640 --> 00:16:43.200 the key here is teaching your brain or giving your way your 348 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:48.480 brain the privilege of being able to focus on one thing at a 349 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.360 time, it's the kindest thing, not only can you do for your 350 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:57.420 mind, but it is also the most restful way to produce the 351 00:16:57.420 --> 00:17:03.740 deepest quality work. It is the most restful way to produce the 352 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:08.200 deepest quality work. So when you're working on a difficult 353 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:12.819 task, attempting to multitask reduces the amount of working 354 00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:15.520 memory. It's like break the jingle blocks, build a jingle 355 00:17:15.520 --> 00:17:17.740 block, break it down, build them up, build them down. Now I've 356 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:19.660 got all these jingle blocks going and I'm trying to build 357 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:23.920 them all up. Can you see that multitasking does not work at 358 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:29.280 all? It only uses so what happens is your brain starts to 359 00:17:29.280 --> 00:17:34.000 give thin little time slices to each task, no depth, just 360 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:37.920 whatever's the minimum just to kind of keep it all moving. So 361 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.660 in spite of the fact that you might feel like you're working 362 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:44.240 extremely hard, what you're all you're doing is you're just 363 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:48.520 switching hard, you're not actually working hard. And 364 00:17:48.540 --> 00:17:50.900 that's the difference. Switching hard and working hard are not 365 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:53.500 the same thing. They may feel like the same thing, but they 366 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:57.220 are not. So a study done at the University of London found that 367 00:17:57.220 --> 00:18:01.420 constant emailing and text messaging reduces mental 368 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:08.500 capacity by an average of 10 IQ points. What was interesting 369 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:11.980 was five IQ points for women and 15 for men. I'm not even going 370 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:16.500 to go there. It's going to move right along. Right. So all the 371 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:21.160 women are saying I told you this. So this is very, this is 372 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:24.560 very similar when you're doing a lot of multitasking. The 373 00:18:24.560 --> 00:18:28.860 fatigue your mind feels is the same as missing a night's sleep. 374 00:18:28.860 --> 00:18:32.720 Anybody done all nighters? Right? Yeah, my record is nine 375 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:37.140 nights in a row with one hour sleep for each one. I was a 376 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:39.640 student. I thought I was a genius. I was an idiot. No, I 377 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:45.960 was one. Okay. So you know, it is. It's the same effect when 378 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.020 you do a lot of intense multitasking, it's the same 379 00:18:49.020 --> 00:18:56.220 effect they found as, you know, smoking weed, basically, or 380 00:18:56.220 --> 00:18:59.940 being partially drunk, that your brain starts to respond as 381 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:03.620 though, you know, you're intoxicated. So the, the 382 00:19:03.620 --> 00:19:07.980 interesting idea is that while it might sound cool, and every 383 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:11.140 generation tries to point out that there are a whole lot 384 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:14.460 better at multitasking than the previous generation, all that 385 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:17.880 happens is you just become a soundbite person. Because 386 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:21.040 that's about as much as your brain can switch between things. 387 00:19:21.520 --> 00:19:25.520 And so it's not deep work, it's not substantive, it will rob 388 00:19:25.520 --> 00:19:28.960 you of your contribution to the organization, your 389 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:33.040 contribution to your family, your contribution, you know, to 390 00:19:33.040 --> 00:19:36.240 the world. When we teach parenting, you know, Bridget 391 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.520 and I teach parenting, one of the things we talk about is 392 00:19:38.520 --> 00:19:42.440 blocking out uninterrupted protected time with your kids 393 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:47.020 same idea, just lavish time on your kids. Well, I'm just going 394 00:19:47.020 --> 00:19:50.060 to do half an hour of quality time. Yeah, that's the same as 395 00:19:50.060 --> 00:19:53.580 like multitasking, it doesn't have that effect. There's 396 00:19:53.580 --> 00:19:59.220 something special that has to happen that just takes time. So 397 00:19:59.340 --> 00:19:59.940 as the 398 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:06.400 The final University of London said is that multitasking productivity tools can make one 399 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:10.440 as dumb as a stoner, was their conclusion. 400 00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:16.520 So I want to relay to rest this idea that multitasking is something to pursue. 401 00:20:16.520 --> 00:20:21.720 Now it doesn't mean that there won't be times you will do multitasking, I mean I think to 402 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:26.920 some degree that's part of modern life, but that can't be the only mode. 403 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:33.600 So we're going to introduce three modes, one can be multitasking, the other two not. 404 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:37.720 So we're going to give you three modes over the next few weeks, but for right now, what 405 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:43.560 we want you to do is practice this week to take one four hour session. 406 00:20:43.560 --> 00:20:47.800 It's a long time, by the way, if you're not used to this, the number one pushback we get 407 00:20:47.800 --> 00:20:53.240 on this on this training is, I can't work on one thing for, you know, for four hours. 408 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:57.960 If that's, if that's, you don't have anything like that, like you don't have a substantial 409 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:02.480 amount of work to do that's so similar, you can do it for four hours, then I would break 410 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.120 it into two, two hour segments and do two different. 411 00:21:05.120 --> 00:21:10.080 So go through one switching cast, take a 20 minute break, so two hours, 20 minute break, 412 00:21:10.080 --> 00:21:17.240 two hours, or just do four hour, do a four hour stint on very similar tasks, get rid 413 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.400 of the switching cast. 414 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:22.920 So this week, your idea is to try to do that once. 415 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:27.160 And in the worksheets we're about to go through, we're going to ask you to create a list of 416 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:31.360 similar tasks that you can group together and give that group a name. 417 00:21:31.360 --> 00:21:35.960 And then we're going to ask you to, you know, to try that. 418 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:43.440 So I want to give you a couple of just quick practical things to help you make that first 419 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:47.300 time you try the four hour thing successful. 420 00:21:47.300 --> 00:21:51.620 So the first thing is what we call a priming ritual. 421 00:21:51.620 --> 00:21:57.020 And I'm sorry about all the neuroscience terms, but basically it means preparing it. 422 00:21:57.020 --> 00:22:01.820 And so what it is, and you know, we gather the tools, we gather the information, we gather 423 00:22:01.820 --> 00:22:05.580 the, we get our workspace set up, you get your coffee, you get your snacks, you get 424 00:22:05.580 --> 00:22:10.380 your stuff, you get it ready for the four hour, almost like going on a trip, right? 425 00:22:10.380 --> 00:22:13.460 You're going on a, you're going to, if you're going on a trip, you make sure the car's full 426 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:15.220 of gas, you know, et cetera, et cetera. 427 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:17.540 You know where you're going, you've got the GPS out. 428 00:22:17.540 --> 00:22:22.580 So that same sort of preparation, the wrong type of priming ritual is when you're like 429 00:22:22.580 --> 00:22:27.060 straightening out your desk and doing a whole lot of other things and, you know, getting 430 00:22:27.060 --> 00:22:30.060 the water cooler again or whatever. 431 00:22:30.060 --> 00:22:31.060 You know what I'm talking about? 432 00:22:31.060 --> 00:22:35.100 The ones that you just distracting yourself, you're not really preparing for anything. 433 00:22:35.100 --> 00:22:37.180 So we don't want the wrong type. 434 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:38.660 We do want you to prepare. 435 00:22:38.660 --> 00:22:44.380 So the most effective is, you know, if you know you're a morning person, then maybe the 436 00:22:44.540 --> 00:22:50.500 night before, go and set everything up, get all, try to get rid of as many distractions 437 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.500 as possible. 438 00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:59.180 Step number two is turn off all possible interruptions, turn off Slack, all the digital things, turn 439 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:02.820 off your phone, get rid of text, get rid of whatever. 440 00:23:02.820 --> 00:23:09.020 And step three is let your supervisor or somebody in the team know I am unavailable from nine 441 00:23:09.020 --> 00:23:12.860 until one or whatever your four hour session is. 442 00:23:12.860 --> 00:23:19.620 And I am doing I'm I'm doing a focused deep work session, right, where I'm going to focus 443 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:22.420 this time and I'm going to do it once. 444 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:27.180 You're going to love this, by the way, once you get into this, because you're going to 445 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:35.300 suddenly find you're so capable of substantial work, because what happens, it's like compounding 446 00:23:35.300 --> 00:23:37.020 interest. 447 00:23:37.020 --> 00:23:42.460 Once your brain gets on a roll and you start solving problems, it goes faster and faster 448 00:23:42.540 --> 00:23:46.580 and gets more and more creative and it feels more fun. 449 00:23:46.580 --> 00:23:51.660 So not only is it a restful way to work, it's a very fulfilling way to work. 450 00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:54.420 And you feel like, man, I really did something today. 451 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:57.540 I really made a contribution. 452 00:23:57.540 --> 00:24:03.700 And so so gather the materials, get rid of the interruptions, let somebody know.