WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:03.920 So there's a thought that I've been toying with lately. And, 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:04.960 honestly, 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:09.920 the more that I think about it, the more that I think most people 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:11.840 have this completely backwards. 00:00:11.920 --> 00:00:12.880 The thought is 00:00:13.285 --> 00:00:18.405 when someone feels stuck, and I'm in a very unique position, I see this a lot as a physician, 00:00:18.565 --> 00:00:21.445 when they feel like they're super behind 00:00:21.445 --> 00:00:23.285 or not making progress, 00:00:24.245 --> 00:00:27.880 the first thing that people do is add something, 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:30.600 a new habit, a new system, 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:37.000 something new that they read about, some new goals or structure that they saw in a video on YouTube, 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:39.640 more hyperoptimization. 00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:45.975 I can't tell you how often I see this, and it seems like the best thought. 00:00:46.215 --> 00:00:48.055 I get it. That 00:00:48.295 --> 00:00:49.015 feels 00:00:49.575 --> 00:01:05.100 like you're doing it the right way, like you're being much more serious about moving forward. But, again, here's what I keep seeing, and I see this with patients. I see this with the people that I work with as clients. I have lived this myself. Trust me. I'm not trying to be a hypocrite here. I've been there many times. 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:06.140 The people 00:01:06.715 --> 00:01:11.435 who actually progress and move forward over time, like, 00:01:11.915 --> 00:01:13.515 genuinely succeed 00:01:13.515 --> 00:01:15.035 year after year, 00:01:15.675 --> 00:01:18.235 have less going on, not more. 00:01:18.395 --> 00:01:21.035 They have fewer commitments. They have fewer 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:24.610 active goals at the same time, and we're gonna get into that in a minute, 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:32.290 yet somehow they get significantly more done. Because I used to be over here in that group that just had 00:01:32.450 --> 00:01:42.325 the biggest plate of all time, and I thought that adding was the only move to be more successful because you see people, oh, just outwork the others. Just do this. Do that. 00:01:42.885 --> 00:01:47.205 I wanted to understand it because it was bothering me that I didn't. 00:01:48.005 --> 00:01:59.670 And now I'm gonna walk you through what I figured out. You are really gonna wanna stay for this because what I'm about to cover is what's actually happening in your brain when you have way too many things happening at once, 00:01:59.990 --> 00:02:03.030 why adding more almost always backfires, 00:02:03.635 --> 00:02:08.115 and then what you can actually do about it. I'm going to move through this efficiently 00:02:08.115 --> 00:02:13.395 because I respect your time. This doesn't have to be a thirty minute video. I may talk fast at times, 00:02:13.715 --> 00:02:30.870 but just rewatch it if you need to or slow it down. Stay with me because the practical part at the end is going to be incredibly useful in your life. So let's start simply. Let's start by kinda putting it into more computer terms because that'll make sense for people. Your brain is running background processes constantly. 00:02:31.745 --> 00:02:37.825 I mean that literally. Okay? Every unfinished commitment, every goal you've set that you haven't touched, 00:02:38.145 --> 00:02:41.905 everything on your to do list that you're going to get to, 00:02:42.145 --> 00:02:44.785 been there. Those are all just 00:02:45.020 --> 00:02:47.180 open background apps running, 00:02:47.580 --> 00:03:02.465 and they don't just sit there not taking any cognitive load waiting for you to open them again. They're running in the background all the time. They're taking up cognitive space, burning through your mental energy whether you're aware of that or not. 00:03:02.785 --> 00:03:09.505 And there's good research on this. Unresolved decisions actually drain more cognitive energy than unfinished task, 00:03:09.825 --> 00:03:11.745 meaning that the things you keep pushing off, 00:03:12.410 --> 00:03:29.205 that goal that you haven't really started, but that habit you've told yourself you're gonna do, that is costing you a lot more mental bandwidth than if you just decided to not do it at all. The point is is you just decided not to do it at all, you would have at least closed that background task. Does that make sense? 00:03:29.445 --> 00:03:32.965 When you have 15 things that you're technically working on, 00:03:33.365 --> 00:03:38.885 your brain isn't just carrying 15 things when you sit down to focus and work. 00:03:39.205 --> 00:03:41.045 It's carrying 15 things all the time. 00:03:41.880 --> 00:03:43.400 That cognitive 00:03:43.720 --> 00:03:45.400 tax and load 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:46.760 is constant, 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:52.120 and what you end up with is a constant low grade exhaustion. 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:53.720 I'm sure that resonated. 00:03:54.235 --> 00:03:59.435 This is also really hard for people to trace back to the cause. And, honestly, 00:03:59.835 --> 00:04:01.115 this is something that 00:04:01.355 --> 00:04:05.755 I can kind of feel out in the room with patients sometimes when I'm talking to them. 00:04:06.075 --> 00:04:09.480 But in a doctor patient setting, it's oftentimes 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:13.880 I find it difficult at least to trace that back to the root cause as well. 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:19.480 This is really something that I'm making a video about because I think it's something that's best that you work through yourself. 00:04:20.085 --> 00:04:29.125 But a good way, I think, to describe this feeling is like you sit down to do one thing, but you already feel worn out before you've even started. 00:04:29.525 --> 00:04:37.050 Or maybe you get worn out within a few minutes. A lot of people think that this feeling of burnout that they feel is because they're lazy, but oftentimes, 00:04:37.050 --> 00:04:38.730 I don't really think that's the case. 00:04:39.210 --> 00:04:44.890 You just have way too much going on. You've been running way too many things at the same time for too long, 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:54.635 and it feels like nothing's moving. So here's the part that really surprised me the more I looked into this. The research on goals is pretty clear that having multiple competing goals, 00:04:55.195 --> 00:05:01.595 things that require the same limited resources, your time, attention, your mental energy, this actually reduces performance. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:06.560 When people are given quantity goals and quality goals at the same time, 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.120 more often than not, they sacrifice 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:10.960 quality for quantity. 00:05:11.280 --> 00:05:16.355 People gravitate towards whatever feels completable rather than whatever actually matters. 00:05:16.435 --> 00:05:24.995 And I see this a lot. I've made videos on how to set up a to do list, not just putting a million things on there to hit that dopamine hit every time. It's this similar concept. 00:05:25.235 --> 00:05:39.820 People will hunt for easy wins, and the important stuff just gets pushed back and deferred. This is why I say that not everything on your list needs to be a priority. There's also some interesting research across organizations showing that companies with fewer strategic priorities 00:05:39.820 --> 00:05:43.900 significantly outperformed those with a bunch of them. And listen. 00:05:44.425 --> 00:05:46.025 I know you're not a growing company, 00:05:46.345 --> 00:06:06.470 but I feel like the same dynamic plays out individually in most people every single day. When you're trying to run 10 things at the same time, you pretty much make process on everything but finish nothing or at least not the things that you should. So I know what you're probably thinking. I've heard the do less advice before, 00:06:07.030 --> 00:06:08.310 particularly from this channel, 00:06:08.630 --> 00:06:10.310 and it always feels 00:06:10.895 --> 00:06:18.495 like they're telling me to be lazy. So let's address that directly because that is not what I'm saying at all. I wanna make sure I can articulate this correctly, 00:06:18.975 --> 00:06:19.535 but 00:06:19.935 --> 00:06:20.975 adding things 00:06:21.535 --> 00:06:22.335 feels 00:06:22.415 --> 00:06:26.080 like the effort. It feels like you're taking the problem seriously. 00:06:26.400 --> 00:06:28.000 Subtracting something 00:06:28.400 --> 00:06:29.920 gives you no feedback. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:40.995 There's no moment of satisfaction when you remove a goal from your list. And if you spend any time on social media, which ironically is the context which most people are consuming self improvement content, 00:06:41.075 --> 00:06:42.115 including this one, 00:06:42.595 --> 00:06:43.875 the culture 00:06:44.115 --> 00:06:44.835 there 00:06:45.315 --> 00:06:46.435 rewards 00:06:46.435 --> 00:06:48.595 this very visible effort. 00:06:48.995 --> 00:06:50.435 The perfect morning routine, 00:06:50.940 --> 00:07:07.325 reading a book a day or, like, five. I literally saw a video about someone who's like, I read seven books a day. No. You don't. But it rewards a growing list of things that you're working on. But you have to keep in mind, so many of the people saying that actually have a pretty small to do list themselves. 00:07:07.725 --> 00:07:09.165 They are being rewarded 00:07:09.405 --> 00:07:13.565 for looking good by telling you they're reading seven books a day. 00:07:15.005 --> 00:07:21.085 That's, like, their one thing. The problem is doing less 00:07:19.950 --> 00:07:22.030 doesn't look very ambitious 00:07:22.350 --> 00:07:32.590 when it's usually the much more ambitious move because it's going to get you a lot further. The people that I have watched execute well over long stretches of time, and I mean really 00:07:32.590 --> 00:07:36.965 freaking execute. Okay? Not just talk about it or post about it. 00:07:37.285 --> 00:07:38.565 They protect 00:07:39.125 --> 00:07:42.405 few things with significant intensity. 00:07:42.405 --> 00:07:44.965 And I've adopted this in my life over the past year, 00:07:45.285 --> 00:07:48.085 and my goodness has my life improved 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:50.020 astronomically. 00:07:50.260 --> 00:07:53.780 They're not doing less because they're less serious than others. 00:07:54.020 --> 00:07:58.500 They're doing it because putting a focused effort 00:07:59.380 --> 00:08:00.340 compiles 00:08:00.580 --> 00:08:07.685 way more over a longer period of time than this scattered fizzling out effort that's much more performative. 00:08:07.925 --> 00:08:12.885 One thing done and then the next after the other consistently 00:08:13.765 --> 00:08:18.245 at a nice depth. I wanna add that part. I mean, you really do need to commit. 00:08:18.805 --> 00:08:25.880 This drastically changes things. 10 things done at a very surface level that don't move the needle forward 00:08:26.520 --> 00:08:27.480 indefinitely 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:28.520 if you want 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:30.200 will just 00:08:30.280 --> 00:08:36.075 make you feel busy and really not get you where you wanna be. We have turned ourselves 00:08:36.075 --> 00:08:36.875 into 00:08:37.435 --> 00:08:38.315 robots 00:08:38.315 --> 00:08:41.355 that are just getting through tasks. 00:08:41.835 --> 00:08:46.795 That is not what you were put on this earth to do. I don't have the answer to that probably, 00:08:47.355 --> 00:08:53.490 but it's not that. I can confidently say that. Invest in things passionately in your life, 00:08:53.890 --> 00:08:56.930 and your enjoyment will go up astronomically. 00:08:57.090 --> 00:09:07.955 I actually just released a video on this about four things that I think are very important if you do want a goal, a target to aim for. It might be worth watching. I'll make sure it's at the end of this video. 00:09:08.355 --> 00:09:12.995 You might really, really find a target here based on this conversation. 00:09:13.155 --> 00:09:19.560 Alright. So let's get to the practical piece, and thank you for still being with me here. Your attention span is better than about 99% 00:09:19.560 --> 00:09:26.920 of the population at this point, so drop a comment if you're still here. I'm really curious. Okay. So I actually do want you to try this, though. Okay? This is gonna be a really good exercise. 00:09:27.560 --> 00:09:40.315 Write down everything that you're currently doing, every habit, every goal, every system, commitment that you've made to yourself. Don't filter it out. Just get it out on paper or a notes list or something. Then I want you to ask yourself, 00:09:40.555 --> 00:09:42.235 in the last thirty days, 00:09:42.555 --> 00:09:45.275 which of these have I done consistently? 00:09:45.595 --> 00:09:49.160 Circle those or put a star next to Then ask, 00:09:49.400 --> 00:09:51.400 of the things that I have actually done, 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:55.160 which ones have produced something real? 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:56.920 Better energy, 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:58.280 better output, 00:09:58.440 --> 00:09:59.640 more happiness, 00:10:00.045 --> 00:10:01.245 better health, 00:10:01.645 --> 00:10:02.685 something 00:10:02.685 --> 00:10:04.605 you can actually point to. 00:10:05.005 --> 00:10:10.205 Circle those or put a star next to it. What's left after that second filter there? 00:10:11.085 --> 00:10:15.085 That is probably what you should pay attention to and put some extra focus on. 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:17.160 Everything else, 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:26.280 you are paying a cognitive tax without any return. I went through a stretch during training in medical school and part of residency 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:27.320 where 00:10:27.965 --> 00:10:32.045 I was trying to optimize everything at once. Look. You were around 00:10:32.285 --> 00:10:33.165 superhumans. 00:10:33.165 --> 00:10:37.085 We are in this field. Okay? Some of these people are absolutely 00:10:37.085 --> 00:10:38.045 amazing. 00:10:38.285 --> 00:10:39.405 They're just 00:10:39.805 --> 00:10:46.710 leaps and bounds in productivity productivity above what you think a human is even capable of. And you're like, oh my gosh. I've gotta match that. 00:10:47.430 --> 00:10:57.775 But priorities are different for different people. Okay? I was sleep tracking, nutrition logging, reading goals out loud. I was doing two workout protocols, 00:10:57.855 --> 00:10:58.735 meditation, 00:10:58.735 --> 00:10:59.615 journaling, 00:10:59.615 --> 00:11:02.255 social media, and optimizing that to a t, 00:11:02.575 --> 00:11:06.655 so much more. And I was doing all of it at 00:11:06.895 --> 00:11:07.375 maybe, 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:10.580 at best, 40%. 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:14.340 My schedule was so intense and so loaded. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:42.850 I hardly had any social life. I acted like I did. But the entire time I was with other people, I was thinking about the next post I was gonna make, how I can optimize this, what I'm doing here, how this is a waste of my time, horrible way to live. I was taking nuggets that I was reading from books every single day and trying to implement them into my life pretty much every day, making the list longer and longer of things to do. This got so bad that I actually passed out in clinic one day from exhaustion. 00:11:42.850 --> 00:11:49.570 Quite a wake up call. I'm trying to stop you before you get there. And I know many of you watching this video aren't near as extreme, 00:11:49.970 --> 00:11:59.315 but I do still think the principles really resonate. Once I cut back to two to three things that actually moved the needle for me, training consistently, 00:11:59.395 --> 00:12:00.835 protecting my sleep, 00:12:01.075 --> 00:12:04.835 not touching my phone in the morning, my output 00:12:04.835 --> 00:12:06.890 went up drastically 00:12:07.050 --> 00:12:09.930 because I stopped spending energy managing systems 00:12:10.170 --> 00:12:19.610 that were way the heck too complex to actually maintain. The goal isn't to build the most impressive looking routine unless you're a social media influencer, 00:12:20.165 --> 00:12:25.925 But the goal is to find the few things that genuinely move your life forward 00:12:26.245 --> 00:12:29.045 and protect those at all cost. 00:12:29.445 --> 00:12:34.165 That is what it actually looks like from the outside when someone is doing well. 00:12:35.420 --> 00:12:36.780 It might be boring, 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:44.620 but it's simple and it works. So before you look for something else to add, and I know the temptation, 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:45.980 believe me, I do, 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:48.460 ask what you can remove first. 00:12:49.125 --> 00:12:54.005 What's on your plate right now that isn't producing anything meaningful? 00:12:54.085 --> 00:12:55.925 What are you holding on to 00:12:56.245 --> 00:12:57.605 out of guilt 00:12:57.845 --> 00:13:00.565 rather than because it's working for you? 00:13:01.045 --> 00:13:04.085 What would actually happen if you just stopped? 00:13:04.710 --> 00:13:24.225 Those questions alone can make more of a difference in your life than almost anything else. Now I did mention a lot of research here. And as always, when I mention research like this, I will post the link to the articles in the description. Check them out if you want. And if you wanna go much further and deeper than this video, because I can only post so much information in a YouTube video at this point, 00:13:24.705 --> 00:13:31.745 if you want the full blueprint, the step by step version of how I stripped things back and rebuilt from the ground up, 00:13:32.270 --> 00:13:33.630 That is in my book. 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:44.350 It took me three years to get this to you. I worked tirelessly on it. It is fully comprehensive across all aspects of your life. It is called from doll to doctor, 00:13:44.835 --> 00:13:49.315 how I rewired my brain and body for success and how you can too. 00:13:49.475 --> 00:13:55.235 This is everything that I wish I had when I was struggling in the thick of it, 00:13:55.875 --> 00:13:57.920 going from tutoring 00:13:58.560 --> 00:14:01.280 seven days a week to try to get through school 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:05.120 and being behind so many of my peers to 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:14.175 a medical doctor with multiple master's degrees, which one of which I got simultaneously while I was in medical school, thriving social media career, relationships, 00:14:14.175 --> 00:14:16.495 and a beautiful life. I say that 00:14:16.815 --> 00:14:20.175 because I deeply wish I had this guide, 00:14:20.735 --> 00:14:33.030 and that is why I wrote it for you. I will link to the top of the description. I truly hope it helps. And I wanna meet people with where they're at. That's why I offer things like this. I do have a free thirty day blueprint that I'll also link in the description. 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:36.070 Truly, I'm trying to make health accessible. 00:14:36.375 --> 00:14:49.335 It's why I do what I do, and I love what I do. Okay. Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, drop a like, comment, all the things. I really wanna know your thoughts. Okay? It the feedback helps me tremendously. 00:14:49.415 --> 00:14:51.815 If this video helped you, if it resonated, 00:14:52.140 --> 00:15:00.940 share this with a loved one or someone that you care about. It's completely free and the least that you can do to help them. And as always, 00:15:01.180 --> 00:15:02.700 I'm doctor Matt Jones. 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:05.500 Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.