From Guild Secrets to Modern Work: Process Thinking is the Key to your Productivity - DBR 085
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Release Date: 06/20/2025
Why Self-Improvement Should Be a Group Activity - DBR 100
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Change is hard because we are habitual creatures. This episode explores how to leverage our powerful social nature to overcome the difficulty of self-improvement and achieve mastery. Getting better allows us to experience greater joy, agency, and efficiency, leading to less stress. Learn how to overcome cultural hurdles and utilize group dynamics for strong accountability, effective feedback, and deliberate practice. Overcoming Cultural Hurdles The Cultural Fallacy: Our culture often worships "talent" and creates an illogical fallacy that admitting the need for improvement means admitting...
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Cognitive Ergonomics for the Pain of Productivity Anxiety - DBR 099
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Are you struggling with productivity anxiety—that feeling of drowning or running on a treadmill? You are not alone; 80% of workers report this struggle. This episode shifts the rhetoric away from self-blame, analyzing the underlying causes and symptoms of this pervasive problem. The solution is not treatment, but technique: a concept called Cognitive Ergonomics, which builds systems to support your attention and strengthen your cognition. The Pervasive Problem: Productivity Anxiety Symptoms and Impact: Productivity anxiety often feels like drowning, being on a hamster wheel, or a...
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The Art and Science of Focus for Knowledge Workers - DBR 098
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
In a world of constant distractions, our ability to focus is a skill under threat. This episode explores why mastering focus is not just about productivity but about doing our best work and leading a more thoughtful life. We'll delve into the modern crisis of attention, understand why our brains resist deep work, and learn actionable strategies to train your focus like a muscle. The Foundational Importance of Mental Clarity Half the battle in focusing is clearing your mind. This involves getting information out of your head and into a system where you can manage it. A practical tactic is...
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Fables of Work: Hard Work #2 - Beyond the "Brute Force" Model - DBR 097
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
"Work hard" is common advice, but what does it really mean? This episode challenges the one-dimensional view of success and "hustle culture." It explores the limitations of the "brute force method" and deconstructs "hard work" into four distinct "flavors." By understanding these different kinds of challenges, you can critically evaluate your own career path, define your version of success, and choose the "pain" you are best suited to deal with. Challenging the "Brute Force" Model of Success We often see narratives of seemingly successful people who advocate for the "brute force method,"...
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What is Attention Compass and how will it help me? (Classic Episode) - DBR 096
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
What is Attention Compass and How will it help me? (Classic Episode) This is one of a series of posts that are going to discuss Attention Compass in detail. Attention Compass is my proprietary tool and workflow to put you in control of your information and attention - making you a better more confident knowledge worker and reducing your stress over your productivity. I think many people are struggling with the problem(s) that Attention Compass solves – overwhelm, associated stress, and fear that things are falling through the cracks. If that’s you, I want to serve you as best I can....
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From Sirens to Tags: Categorizing Information for Executive Function - DBR 095
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
We are constantly bombarded with information, and the challenge is to make that flow work for us, not against us. This episode explores how our brains instinctively make meaning and categorize information. It defines an organizational scheme that supports your attention, not interrupts it, by fostering an emergent, personal approach to managing information. Discover how to develop a system that feels natural and fluid, making it easier to maintain focus. The Instinctive Process of Meaning-Making Our brains make an immediate and "blindingly quick" decision about incoming information: "keep it...
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The Hidden Personal Secret to Group Information Management - DBR 094
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Is your team's knowledge siloed and difficult to find? We often focus on personal organization, but effective group information management is the key to a cohesive and successful team. This episode challenges traditional, top-down approaches and presents a more effective, individual-centric solution. Discover how empowering every team member to manage their own information can transform your group's ability to share knowledge, find what they need, and collaborate more effectively. The Problem with Traditional Approaches The "Best Practice" Trap: Many teams use shared document repositories...
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The Strategic "No" - the Master Skill of Attention Management - DBR 093
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Your attention is your most valuable asset, but it's constantly under assault from an "infinite" number of tasks and requests. This episode provides the understanding and practical tactics to confidently say "no," reclaim your productive potential, reduce overwhelm, and intentionally direct your life and work. Learn to master this crucial skill and manage the things you're not doing. Key Takeaways: The Challenge of Saying "No" We tend to be people-pleasers and our default is to say "yes," even when we don't want to. However, every time you say "yes" to something, you are inherently...
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The Enduring Principles of AI for Knowledge Workers - DBR 092
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
AI is changing at a breathtaking pace, but its foundational principles and impacts on knowledge work are likely to persist. This episode dives into these enduring truths, moving beyond specific features to explore how AI is transforming our productivity. We'll discuss its inherent design for engagement, the pitfalls of its chat interface, and its real-world performance on common tasks like research, brainstorming, and writing. You'll learn to approach AI with mindful engagement to harness its power without falling prey to its limitations - with greater confidence and ease. Key Takeaways: A...
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Architecting Your Digital Sanctuary - an application of 'monk mode' - DBR 091
Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast
Episode 91: Architecting Your Digital Sanctuary Feeling overwhelmed by distractions and struggling to find focus in your work? This episode explores the concept of "monk mode" transformed into a practical, regular practice: architecting your digital sanctuary. Learn how creating a focused work environment can dramatically increase your efficiency, improve work quality, speed up completion, and surprisingly, lower your stress. Discover easy, actionable strategies to "close your digital office door" and consistently achieve deep work. ; Key Takeaways: Understanding the "Digital...
info_outline- Purpose: understand that Knowledge Work Productivity is not a solved problem while recognizing good directions to go to solve it.
- Value for you #1: understand where we are in this work, so you'll know where to go next.
- Value for you #2: recognizing that knowledge work management represents a competitive advantage in the market for talent. You'll be 1) more productive, 2) less burned-out, 3) a faster learner, and 4) better at your job as you develop these skills.
- Knowledge worker productivity is not a solved problem, and individuals should avoid being complacent with existing tools or solutions.
- Historically, manual work processes were often guarded secrets within guilds, creating a "mystery" around how tasks were performed and hindering process improvement thinking.
- In the early 20th century, Taylor introduced time and motion studies to break down work into discrete steps and identify improvements.
- A scientific management analysis of knowledge work has not yet been performed.
- Individuals often believe their knowledge work is uniquely different and cannot benefit from generalized process improvements.
- Productivity tools are often not designed for users' personal effectiveness but rather to sell better.
- Software development is expensive, leading companies to avoid costly new features without clear justification, which contributes to software being "relatively static".
- Users may experience "learned helplessness" with computer tools, leading to complacency where they assume existing tools are the best available and avoid the effort of seeking or implementing changes.
- We need a scientific management approach to knowledge work, particularly focusing on personal information management, which is crucial for managing attention.
- This approach involves analyzing sequential steps, breaking down sub-processes, and identifying areas of waste.
- For knowledge workers, "attention" is the primary productive asset to optimize, not just time.
- Focus first on eliminating waste, especially waste of attention based in task switching.
- Then (and only then) break down processes and improve sub-components.
- Avoid constantly switching tools, the learning curve and difficulty of effective experimentation make it too expensive and often unproductive.
- Instead, engage with your own processes, understand your system, and develop repeatable processes for your work.