If You Have Decision Fatigue, Then Try This
“It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time, then it is to hold to them 98% of the time.” — Clayton Christensen
In this episode, I go into detail about how I overcome burnout in my creative endeavors. I call it the 2:2 Method, inspired by Kobe Bryant's insane work ethic.
CREDITS:
Podcast Creator: Jordan Taylor
Kobe Bryant Ted Talk (14:03-15:16)
Dr. Benjamin Hardy's book Personality Isn't Permanent.
TRANSCRIPT:
My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then Podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we’re trying new things, for example if I want to play basketball, then I need to learn to shoot. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code.
“It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time, then it is to hold to them 98% of the time.” — Clayton Christensen
When I was thinking of creating a podcast, I had no time. It was everything I could do to keep up with everything else in my life already: 2 Youtube channels, house renovations, a free range chicken farm, friends and family. Everything was already falling apart as it was, and adding another full time obsession I would inevitably burnout on was, in a sick way, hilarious. How could I write even MORE if then statements in a day when my brain was already burning up from the complicated programs I was currently running. But I felt like I had a good idea for a podcast, and I just had to try to balance everything. I had to find a way.
See, even though I always felt busy, like I was working all the time, I never felt like I worked enough, cause I was eternally behind, and so I never felt I deserved to take a true break. The weird thing though and honestly the problem, was that I wastaking breaks, lots of them—hundreds of micro breaks a day with every app opened, every notification clicked, oh that’s a funny reel, ehh…what’s this next one? Time just kept ticking, and projects just kept piling on and on. Now I would get everything done……. mostly, I mean I was playing the Dope Game from episode 2 after all, so I was getting pretty good at focusing doing projects at random times, but I had no structure to my work life and so I would inevitably be on my phone when I knew I should probably be working *notification sound* Oh, by the way I got the Wordle in 3 today, I wonder how people on Twitter faired. I needed to plan my day somehow with the reality that I’m a human being in the 21st century and I’m going to look at my phone 3 hours per day one way or the other.
Months ago, during one of these micro breaks, a video popped up. It was of Kobe Bryant giving a TED Talk in Shanghai, talking about his absurd work schedule. He sucked the air out of the room when he said the insane:
{Kobe Bryant clip https://youtu.be/9_tYXFbgjZk?t=841 14:03-15:16}
Quote “So if your job is to try to be the best basketball player you can be, to do that you have to practice, you have to train, right? You want to train as much as you can, as often as you can. So if you get up at 10 in the morning. Train at 11. 12? Say 12? Train at 12. Train for 2 hours—12 to 2. You have to let your body recover, so you eat, recover, whatever. You get back out. You start training at 6. Train from 6 to 8, right? And now you go home; you shower; you eat dinner; you go to bed; you wake up; you do it again, right? Those are two sessions. Now imagine you wake up at 3:00 you train at 4:00. So 4 to 6. Come home. Breakfast, relax, da da da. Now you’re back at it again. 9 to 11. right? Relax and now you’re back at it again 2 to 4. Now you’re back at it again. 7 to 9. Look how much more training I have done by simply starting at 4? So it makes sense to get up and start your day early because you can get more work in.” Unquote
I felt I already woke up pretty early, between 5 and 6, but I definitely didn’t start work until later than that. But 4? Like, come on. Initially, I was just intrigued by his idea of how to split a day up between focused work and focused recovery. When I was thinking of starting my podcast, adding another obsession to my plate, his plan for life came back to mind, and this time maybe starting work earlier was what I needed to make this podcast thing work. Maybe that was the key. Maybe 4:00 wasdoable, at least for weeks I had a heavy work load. I knew my phone use was a weakness of mine, though. So I didn’t want to just start work at 4 without a proper plan going in. If, realistically, 3 hours of screen time was inevitable, could I use that to my advantage somehow? I asked myself a question that changed everything:
Which is better, deciding to 100% commit to mindlessly scrolling on my phone for an exact 3 hour slot of time and then the rest of the day 100% commit to projects while fasting from my phone, OR an entire day only 2% committed to scrolling on my phone, while always 98% committed to projects—the same 3 hours of screen time is spent but, this time, interspersed throughout the day? In Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book, “Personality Isn’t Permanent,” he answered my question by saying quote “When you’re only 98% committed to something, then you haven’t truly decided. As a result, you’re required to continue making decisions in every future situation you’re in. Weighing, in every instance, whether this particular situation falls into the 2% of exceptions you’ve allowed yourself. In every situation you’re in, you’re not actually sure what the outcome will be in terms of your behavior and decision making. This lack of decision leads to identity confusion and a lack of success. Becoming 100% committed to what you want is how you succeed. Making serious and sometimes hard decisions rather than deferring them for bad situations leads to enhanced confidence and progress.” Unquote 5:35 In other words, a life 98% committed leads to what he calls “decision fatigue,” and maybe this was my problem the entire time.
I thought about it, and if I’m only 98% committed to work like I had been, the computer of my brain will bog down quickly with decisions. Every piece of laundry folded, could lead to a decision. Now is it ok to find a new YouTube video to watch? This video seems cool. Wait, what’s this other one? Every single time I feel the need for a dopamine hit, another decision needs to be made. Does this time fall into the 2% of exceptions? Is this time ok to get on Instagram? By not deciding to 100% commit to phone time or 100% to work time, I’m leaving my brain having to decide literally every minute if this is the time it’s ok to watch some reels.
It was like my brain was hacked with windows constantly popping up.
(Typing)
Every time I would start to get into a rhythm of work—“click here to accept your prize!”
Hhh… close. (click) Alright, where was I?
(typing)
“Don’t miss out on your prize!”
Grr… close. (click)
(typing)
“This is your last chance for the prize!”
How could I ever get anything done when half my time was spent closing these annoying pop ups? And then…what happens if I decide to accept the “prize.” What happens then? Welcome to the age of the smart phone.
By Kobe Bryant 100% committing to focused work for 2 hours, 4 times a day. And then, 4 times a day, 100% committing to relaxation and recovery, mindlessly scrolling if he wanted to, he became one of the best basketball players in history. We both might be spending the same amount of hours on our phones, but the time’s he’s not on his, he’s 100% focused on the job at hand, and that makes all the difference.
So I decided to try it. After all, it seemed kind of fun to be able to guilt-free scroll through my phone for 3 hours if I wanted after working hard. But instead of waking at 3 though, I would wake up between 3:30 to 3:45, and hyper-focus on my podcast for 2 hours starting at 4am and then instead of taking a 3 hour break between sessions like Kobe, I would take a 2 hour break because I wasn’t doing anything physically demanding. If I did happen to go over 2 hours though because I was in the middle of something with family, that was allowed. But I would stay on my 2 hour work schedule after that.
What I realized is, 2 hours of intensely focused work, with no distractions, pushes you juuuust to the edge of frying your brain without actually ever hitting that point. Anything after 2 hours, however, and that’s just plain risky. Your brain starts to short circuit. Things get amplified after that. Small problems you face start to feel like a potential nuclear war—threatening to blow up your entire mental state. Why did I even start this dumb podcast in the first place? Nothing is going to work like I want. I’m terrible at this. Why is it so hard for me?
Even right now, writing this script, I have to walk away cause my brain is about to fry as I’m hitting 2 hours. Give me a little bit. Hang on.
(Stand up, deep breathing)
It’s amazing what a strategic 2 hour break can do for a brain. It’s the same feeling as when you go to sleep on a problem, and then after waking, you somehow have the solution at the forefront of your mind. Your brain figured it out for you by just resting—like a computer updating to the latest version while in sleep mode. But instead of one time, you’re getting that phenomenon 4 times a day. 4 updates fixing bugs. That rest time is critical. You feel it. You’re using it to your advantage and there’s no guilt at all. Work and rest: it’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship. Both equally important, both impossible without the other.
I call this work schedule the 2:2 Method, and the cool thing I’ve realized now, after following it for a few weeks, is that instead of wanting to mindlessly scroll every rest time, I find myself often inspired to actually do things in those 2 hours that I had been putting off, that I felt I had no time for. I found myself painting the trim in the downstairs bedroom I’ve been meaning to finish, I was prioritizing my family more by going with them to the mall. I took my wife Sara out on a date, and even folded a bunch of laundry. That didn’t take as much time as I thought.
And one of the biggest things I noticed was that I wasn’t burning out on my new passion for podcasting, like I was worried would happen. By forcing myself to slow down and rest, I found I could manage my effort better—instead of passionately sprinting with inspiration as my fuel until I quit from physical and mental exhaustion, I was walking freely, and even resting when I needed in order to make the long journey. And that’s why I broke up If Then into seasons, to further manage my effort by resting. I wouldn’t suggest waking at 3:30AM and only getting 6 hours of sleep as a longterm lifestyle choice. In my experience, that should be done only when necessary, but when implemented, it works. Season 1 has been the story of me getting uncomfortable and learning how to podcast—next week being the final episode. Season 2, date pending, will be its own complete story, just like this one, and the 2:2 Method will be, again, what makes it possible.
In following the 2:2 Method, by 6:00PM I’ve worked extremely focused for 8 hours without feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion because I had also rested strategically for 6 hours as well. By 6 o’clock I can relax completely with my wife Sara, resting in the fact that I have accomplished so much. By 9PM I’m asleep, and I do it all over again the next day.
Like Kobe Bryant, by committing to either 100% focused work or 100% rest, I’m finding I’m able to get more done with peace and ease than I could have ever imagined, and I’m curious how much more I can put on my plate and feel this exact same way. Time, in a way, almost feels limitless instead of limiting.
So I’ll leave you with this: “It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time, then it is to hold to them 98% of the time.” — Clayton Christensen
Thank you so much for listening to the third episode of the If Then Podcast. If you have feedback you want to give me or if you have anything you want to say, email me at contact@ifthenpodcast.com. And if you would, leave me a 5 star review if you found this podcast valuable. It really helps the podcast to get seen by other people like yourself. We reached #26 for Education on all of Spotify, and I have you to thank for that. We’re almost at 200 reviews on Apple Podcasts and 350 on Spotify. And as an extra bonus, for those of you who help me spread the word, I’ve been giving away 2 free 1 month Audible gift cards every week this May. Last week, Seth and Tabitha won a free credit for an audiobook of their choice + access to their Plus catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. And if you win this week, don’t worry the gift card is available to you even if you already have an Audible account. All you have to do to enter to win is take a screenshot of this podcast and share it on your Instagram while tagging the account @ifthenpodcast in the post or story. If you shared any of the last episodes, you can also share this one too to be entered to win again. And, also, be sure to follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram to find out if you’re the winner this week. If we get 100 shares by the end of the month, each of you will be entered to win a pair of AirPods. We’re 3/4 of the way there, VERY close, so keep sharing! Thank you so much for listening, my name is Jordan Taylor, and what if/then will you write today?
