Our obsession with speed and productivity creates unnecessary pressure that quietly fuels burnout and anxiety.

Your inner voice significantly influences your quality of life, and while it can motivate you, psychologist Ethan Kross warns it can also lead to negative thought cycles, or "chatter," but his research offers tools to regain control and foster a positive mindset.

Higher productivity drives increases in wealth, wages, and living standards. AI could be just what we need to solve many of today’s problems — if we manage the gains wisely.

Rubin joins Big Think for a chat about her one-minute rule, why self-knowledge is key to a good life, and more.

Today’s AI is built to respond. The future belongs to proactive systems.

A practical framework for using AI more effectively

Practical guidance for navigating AI’s role in modern learning organizations.

Time blocking is a remarkable technique for ensuring your daily actions are guided forward by your overarching goals and intentions. Here’s how to supercharge it.

One of the many reasons I love my job is that, on any given week, I get to talk with a dozen or so smart, thoughtful L&D leaders to hear […]

“In most instances, ‘good enough’ is good enough.” A time management expert, a cognitive scientist, and a psychologist share their takes on productivity, perfectionism, and the harm of hustle culture.

Everywhere we turn, we’re surrounded by polished images of how life should look, and even though we know perfection isn’t real, this can leave us feeling stuck. In this class, Oliver Burkeman invites us to see through that illusion and embrace our limitations, revealing a more grounded path to productivity that actually works for real, imperfect people.

Why the most enduring organizations stop chasing trends and start designing systems that prioritize people over processes.

Marine Tanguy — author and founder/CEO of MTArt Agency — argues that viewing and creating art has profound benefits.

Barbara Oakley, instructor of a popular MOOC, offers strategies for enhancing learning skills by leveraging insights from neuroscience and cognitive science, addressing the challenges posed by our brain's hardwiring in changing habits and acquiring new skills.

Former NBA player Shane Battier, known for his resilience and team-boosting skills rather than standout statistics, uses his basketball journey to highlight the fundamental principles of effective productivity regimens.

Productivity consultant Carson Tate emphasizes that while you may feel overshadowed by others' natural abilities, there is no universal method for productivity; instead, it's crucial to tailor your approach to maximize your results.

Mindfulness aims to cultivate frequent moments of vivid awareness throughout the day, reconnecting us with our values and priorities, which can enhance productivity, well-being, and career success, as highlighted by Rasmus Hougaard of the Potential Project.

Humans, unlike robots, can't produce identical results consistently, but Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg suggests we can channel our natural curiosity and creativity toward achieving our personal goals and passions.

In a world filled with distractions, success hinges on your ability to connect, making sales skills essential for everyone, as emphasized by author Daniel Pink.

Despite the pitfalls of multitasking leading to burnout, productivity expert Cal Newport advocates for "slow productivity," which emphasizes focused, intentional work that prioritizes long-term output over performative tasks, ultimately enhancing both accomplishment and well-being.

Top Gun, the iconic 1980s film about U.S. Naval Fighter Weapons School, may portray pilots as charismatic and confident, but real-life TOPGUN graduate Guy Snodgrass emphasizes that success requires more than just attitude and athleticism.

Nir Eyal argues that to become "indistractable," one must first address internal triggers rather than external distractions, emphasizing that effective time management is fundamentally about managing emotional pain.

This class explores the link between neurobiology and productivity, teaching participants to optimize willpower and focus through strategies like meta-awareness, the Pomodoro Technique, and the importance of rest, while experts share insights on achieving peak performance amidst modern distractions.

“Because of the efficiency worship that we have developed in our industrial age, we are now seeing procrastination as a character flaw rather than what it is, a signal that is worth listening to.”

“Anxiety is focused on things that are important to you in life. That is the key.”

“By not focusing on the outcome and instead designing a tiny experiment, what you can do is letting go of any definition of success, letting go of that binary results that you're looking for, and instead focusing something that makes you feel curious and that you want to explore.”

From the printing press to the internet, every technological revolution in history has reshaped human thought. Now, with AI accelerating by the day, philosopher Meghan Sullivan asks: Are we ready for the philosophical shift that must follow?

“The very same time that’s making you anxious is actually your most valuable asset. You can always create more energy and more money—but you can never create more time.”

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Unconsidered productivity might leave you moving efficiently in the entirely wrong direction.