Mindset
About this category
Content whose primary subject is how an individual manages their own psychology, focus, habits, or relationship with work. The unit of change is the *person themselves*, not their business or team.
Showing 2363 articles for Mindset.
Identity & self-belief
Podcast
Twelve Stoic questions to redirect your focus and values
The Daily Stoic
October 17, 2021
Identity & self-belief
10
Goal setting
8
Deep work & focus
6
The right question changes your life more than any answer
Most energy goes to things outside your control — stop it
Live time vs dead time: every moment is a choice
Productivity & habits
YouTube
Walking out of a Tony Robbins event and building your own instead
Noah Kagan
October 15, 2021
Productivity & habits
8
Resilience & grit
5
Superficial 15-second fixes don't resolve deep-seated personal problems
Design your own personal development day for $0 instead
The answers are inside you — magic solutions don't exist
Deep work & focus
Podcast
How Cal Newport reads five or more books a month — and answers listener questions
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
October 14, 2021
Deep work & focus
9
Productivity & habits
8
Processes & SOPs
5
One hour of reading daily — replacing phone time — gets you five books a month.
Weekly plan drift is fixed by splitting the week and rebuilding the plan at midpoint.
Every inbox glance costs 20 minutes of cognitive capacity; batch everything instead.
Deep work & focus
Podcast
Why Cal Newport is uncomfortable with the Facebook backlash
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
October 11, 2021
Deep work & focus
9
Productivity & habits
7
Critics loudest about Facebook are also most dependent on it
Tribal backlash aims to control platforms, not reduce social media use
Digital minimalism means tech serves your life goals, not the reverse
Work-life balance
Podcast
Making your home office work: aesthetics and rituals with Lucy Feagins
How I Work
October 11, 2021
Work-life balance
8
Productivity & habits
7
A daily setup ritual is the fastest way to separate work from home life.
Your Zoom backdrop is now part of your professional presentation — curate it.
Layered lamp light beats harsh overheads for mood and natural-feeling ambience.
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Stephen King on writing: craft, struggle, and showing up every day
Founders
October 10, 2021
Productivity & habits
8
Resilience & grit
7
Identity & self-belief
6
Self-doubt never goes away — even after 350 million books sold.
Writing is a daily job, not a waiting game for inspiration.
From maggot-infested laundry to a $200k payday: the years before Carrie.
Resilience & grit
Podcast
Managing client communication, burnout recovery, and slow productivity
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
October 7, 2021
Resilience & grit
8
Productivity & habits
8
Processes & SOPs
6
Clarity of process beats fast replies for managing client email overload.
Burnout has two causes: physical overload and extrinsic career control.
Dropping one task daily improves wellbeing without hurting long-term output.
Deep work & focus
Podcast
Practical productivity: screen time, planning, and building a deep life
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
October 4, 2021
Deep work & focus
9
Productivity & habits
8
Management
5
Doing 20% too much is why obvious health habits feel impossible.
One email chain costs up to 100 context shifts; office hours costs 40 seconds.
Build creative taste first — output quality follows from refined judgment.
Replacing "have to" with "get to" to shift motivation
How I Work
October 4, 2021
Motivation
8
Identity & self-belief
5
One word swap turns obligation into genuine motivation
"Have to" kills intrinsic drive; "get to" restores it
Works for chores, exercise, and high-stakes professional moments
Deep work & focus
Podcast
Returning to deep work and the deep life after the pandemic
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
September 30, 2021
Deep work & focus
10
Productivity & habits
7
Processes & SOPs
5
Gradual reentry beats trying to make up for lost time.
A radical physical change — like a shed office — resets your mindset.
Phone use destroys reading focus; make it a non-default activity.
Deep work & focus
Podcast
How to reduce distraction, read more, and work without constant messaging
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
September 27, 2021
Deep work & focus
9
Processes & SOPs
7
The urge to produce things is biological, not a capitalist invention.
Four simple workflow upgrades can eliminate most unscheduled workplace messaging.
Time block planning with built-in breaks is the practical fix for distraction.
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Nir Eyal: why distraction is a pain problem, not a willpower problem
Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life
September 23, 2021
Productivity & habits
9
Time management
8
All distraction is driven by the desire to escape discomfort — not weakness
Time management is pain management; productivity hacks fail without this insight
The 10-minute rule lets urges dissolve without willpower or strict abstinence
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Managing non-work tasks and personal productivity systems
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
September 23, 2021
Productivity & habits
9
Processes & SOPs
6
Optimising non-work hours is counterproductive — keep your head above water.
Structured teams can survive chaotic organisations with light-touch interfaces.
Weekly planning is the glue that makes every other productivity system work.
Resilience & grit
YouTube
How Noah Kagan dealt with depression after being fired from Facebook
Noah Kagan
September 22, 2021
Resilience & grit
9
Identity & self-belief
7
Founder interviews
6
A decade of depression while watching Facebook teammates become billionaires
Small controlled wins — gym, blogging, helping one person — rebuild self-worth fast
Use the chip on your shoulder as fuel, then find a better motivator
Resilience & grit
YouTube
7 challenges to overcome fear and start a business this weekend
Noah Kagan
September 20, 2021
Resilience & grit
9
Prospecting & outreach
6
Fear of rejection — not ideas — stops most people from starting
Ask for 10% off your coffee; do it where regulars know you
Getting your first dollar from a friend unlocks real self-belief