“There’s a quote from Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman that says ‘what you see is all there is.’ His point being that when people think they’re being creative or thinking ‘outside the box,’ in reality, your box is defined by what you’ve heard about,” he says. Claiming you need to “learn more” or “get your ducks in a row” is just a crutch that prevents you from starting. Instead, most of us simply fall into the trap of doing good things when we could be doing great ones. Yet according to James, it’s not simply goofing off or watching cat videos that leads to procrastination.

More than just an annoyance, however, putting off our work can lead to serious amounts of stress and even burnout syndrome if left unchecked. In fact, studies say procrastination affects 95% of the US population (and I’m betting the other 5% probably just put off answering the survey). There’s no denying that procrastination is one of the biggest issues we all face. James Clear: The worst distractions are the ones we love Read the full interview transcript, including bonus material such as the most important habit James has built in his own life.

The only 7–8 minutes a day you need to master to be truly productive.

Using our body’s natural energy to lock in motivation.

Why you should “reduce the scope but stick to the schedule”.

The 2 secrets to focusing on the right work.

How to use your identity to unlock motivation.

Why the worst distractions are the ones we love.

In this interview, we asked James to apply his unique blend of academic research and personal anecdote to the biggest issues facing the modern worker. James’ writing runs the gamut from how to get the most of your sleep to setting goals, building your focus, and creating better habits. Now, a few years later, close to half a million people receive his weekly newsletter.

These are issues that we all face and can feel like were written directly for us. Why do we do the things we do, even if we know they’re bad for us?.What are the building blocks of healthy habits?.How do we commit to life-changing goals?.But what started as a basic project quickly became a more introspective journey.Īs he read more about personal change, he started to ask deeper questions, like: When author, photographer, and weightlifter James Clear first started his blog he had a simple goal: write twice a week, every week, without fail.

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