Everyday Systems Podcast

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Simple, commonsense self-improvement systems

Reinhard Engels


    • Apr 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 15m AVG DURATION
    • 95 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Everyday Systems Podcast is a hidden gem that covers a wide range of personal productivity systems, including diet, exercise, technology, and more. Hosted by Reinhard Engels, the podcast offers practical advice without being preachy or overwhelming. Engels applies reason to life and provides simple yet effective systems and ideas that can truly change lives. This podcast deserves more recognition for the valuable content it provides.

    One of the best aspects of The Everyday Systems Podcast is its ability to tackle various topics related to personal productivity. Whether it's discussing the No S Diet, mindful bagful, or glass ceiling, Engels covers a diverse range of systems that are simple, thought through, and effective. His advice is practical and can be easily implemented into one's daily routine. Additionally, the podcast does not rely on trendy or expensive solutions but instead focuses on realistic strategies that anyone can adopt.

    While The Everyday Systems Podcast offers incredible value, one downside is its lack of regular episode releases. Listeners express their desire for more frequent episodes to continue benefiting from Engels' wisdom and insights. However, despite this drawback, the existing episodes are still available for repeated listening and provide ample information on various topics.

    In conclusion, The Everyday Systems Podcast is an incredibly insightful resource for improving personal productivity in various areas of life. Reinhard Engels' pragmatic approach and authentic voice make his advice relatable and applicable to real-life situations. Although the podcast could benefit from more frequent updates, its existing content has already positively impacted many listeners' lives. Overall, this podcast is highly recommended for those seeking practical strategies to enhance their everyday routines.



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    Latest episodes from Everyday Systems Podcast

    Everyday Systems #95: Allocation Mind

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 20:42


    When "growth mindset" hits its limits, it's time for another approach.

    Everyday Systems #94: G-Ray Vision

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 22:51


    A mock superpower for not looking at porn

    Everyday Systems #93: Weekend Luddite 2025: The Rules, The Persona

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025 25:53


    Specific rules and a general approach for managing your relationship with technology -- battle hardened by over 20 years of practice. 

    Everyday Systems #92: The Wisdom of Games

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 21:43


    Game mechanics as life hacks (also some game recommendations).

    Everyday Systems #91: State of the Systems 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2024 24:47


    6th annual review of the Everyday Systems and how they are doing for me personally

    Everyday Systems #90: Zeno's Paradox Exercise Progress Plan -or- How to Philosophize with a Sledgehammer

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2024 28:09


    Bounce back from injuries and setbacks by recasting progress as a reward

    Everyday Systems #89: Proactive Procrastination (ProPro)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2024 10:15


    How to stop permasnacking on news. Use techniques inspired by the No S Diet and read it like a meal.

    Everyday Systems #88: The Metaphysics of Todo Listing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2024 13:49


    Todo Lists Are Your Salvation / Todo Lists Are Your Damnation

    Everyday Systems #87: Variable-Height Glass Ceiling

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2024 32:53


    A more nuanced approach to systematically moderating alcohol (and other substances)

    Everyday Systems #86: Motive Mixologist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2024 19:05


    When you don't like what you want

    Everyday Systems #85: Urban Ranger 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2024 40:22


    Urban Ranger, from scratch, as if I'd never spoken or written about it before. Draft chapter for the upcoming Everyday Systems Compendium, and hopefully interesting and useful in its own right.

    Everyday Systems #84: The Hygiene Hypothesis as the Explanation for Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024 20:13


    Cure all your ailments with dirt, pain and danger

    Everyday Systems #83: The No S Diet 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 42:05


    The No S Diet, from scratch, as if I'd never spoken or written about it before. Draft chapter for the upcoming Everyday Systems Compendium, and hopefully interesting and useful in its own right.

    Everyday Systems #82: The Clock & Calendar, Your Sword & Shield

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2024 24:51


    Build habits by leaning on the clock and calendar rather than fighting against them. Beyond N and S days. Powerfully silly times. Calendar-First Tasking.

    Everyday Systems #81: State of the Systems 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2023 25:21


    Annual update on all the Everyday Systems and how they are doing for me personally 

    Everyday Systems #80: Antimantras & Repetitive Thought Injuries

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2023 29:10


    I think I mix about 14 metaphors in this episode:  We've got a goose-stepping white bear baseball player with devil horns doing jiu jitsu on the death star. A ridiculous Chimera, if you put it all together. But maybe just the guardian-gargoyle image you need to keep the antimantras at bay.

    Everyday Systems #79: My Pet Demon

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2023 13:47


    Self-saboteur? Time to stop playing with your pet demons (maybe).

    Everyday Systems #78: Spider Hunter, a CBT for Anxiety Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 19:45


    Anxious? Here's a fun technique for getting over it. It's halfway between gamified mindfulness and exposure therapy.

    Everyday Systems #77: Aristotelian Self-Portrait

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 19:45


    Aristotle: "You are what you repeatedly do." Well, what do you repeatedly do? In this episode, an exercise for finding out.

    Everyday Systems #76: My Friend, ChatGPT

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2023 33:24


    Practice being human with AI

    Everyday Systems #75: Apps for Mentats

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 12:13


    Everyday Systems as Apps for Human Minds.

    Everyday Systems #74: Tidiness for Demihumans

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2023 10:35


    Four catchphrases for tidier habits

    Everyday Systems #73: Demihuman

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 15:59


    A lighthearted approach to imposter syndrome.

    Everyday Systems #72: State of the Systems 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2023 19:59


    A little later and much shorter than last year.

    Everyday Systems #71: Last Wordism

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 7:49


    A two-word anti-mantra to snap you and your family out of automatic bickering

    Everyday Systems #70: Surgical Flogging

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 27:35


    Food logging: apparently it works. But it's torture to do long term. I discuss a way you can practice a limited, strategic, surgical form of food logging with the No S Diet (or any other diet) that gives you the benefits of food logging – which are real, potentially at least – without the protracted and probably futile misery.  

    Everyday Systems #69: Shovelglove Recovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2022 31:45


    After 20 years of swinging my sledgehammer injury-free, I discovered that that even Shovelglove can cause or at least be impacted by injury. How Shovelglove principles like "schedulalistically insignificant time "and "maintenance is more important that progress" have been key to my recovery.

    Everyday Systems #68: How to be Ordinary

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2022 17:59


    Be a Mensch, not a rockstar. It's surprisingly hard, even though you probably don't have any alternative.

    Everyday Systems #67: Demogorgon Whack-a-mole

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2022 26:35


    What to do when your appetites keep routing around your rules to contain them

    Everyday Systems #66: Right Relationship with Robots

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 20:20


    Technology for habits, and habits for technology. Also a story about my Roomba.

    Everyday Systems #65: Mindful Bagful

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2022 8:44


    A lighthearted Jedi mind trick for calming yourself down in certain mundane situations

    Everyday Systems #64: State of the Systems 20201 Part 3: (Meta)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 35:30


    Meta Systems are systems for managing other systems: to track and boster them. Personal Punchcards, The Life Log, Mantrafication, and Loose Lips Sink Ships.

    Everyday Systems #63: State of the Systems 2021, Part 2 (Soul)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 28:54


    Soul systems are systems for detaching yourself from the frenzy of everyday life to reflect, for learning, for recovering, for devoting more of your limited time to what's important, for figuring out what's important to begin with. Systems discussed include: Audiodidact. The Study Habit. Demogorgon vs. Asmodeus, Timebox Lord, G-Ray Vision, VC Cat,  Posifactive and Weekend Luddite.

    Everyday Systems #62: State of the Systems 2021, Part 1 (Body & Spirits)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2022 23:43


    2021 was miserable in most respects, but it's been another fantastic opportunity to test the true mettle of Everyday Systems. Part 1 reviews Body and Spirits systems: The No S Diet, Shovelglove, Urban Ranger, Lawful Good Biker, Glass Ceiling, Low Smoking.

    Everyday Systems #61: VC Cat

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 10:08


    An inspiringly ridiculous image to ward off the dreaded "what the hell" effect.

    Everyday Systems #60:The Study Habit, Part 2 (Behavioral)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2021 31:02


    Specific techniques for making study a daily habit

    Everyday Systems #59: The Study Habit

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2021 14:56


    How to go from "study=cramming" to making learning a lifelong habit

    Everyday Systems #58: Loose Lips Sink Ships

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 5:39


    A helpful image from WWII propaganda to keep you from sabotaging your self-improvement efforts with premature talk.

    Everyday Systems #57: Posifactive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 5:53


    All the self-help books ever written distilled into one word, with a note of enlightened self-mockery that makes the whole thing bearable:

    Everyday Systems #56: Good Redundancy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2021 11:45


    Engineer intentional redundancy into your habit systems to make them fault tolerant.

    Everyday Systems #55: The Lifelog

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 21:53


    Habit tracking when apps or magic markers won't cut it

    habit lifelog
    Everyday Systems #54: State of the Systems 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2021 19:48


    How pandemic proof are the Everyday Systems? A quick review of 14 systems and how they are holding up.

    Timebox Lord

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2020 16:04


    A system for balancing "infinite work" with "first things."

    Everyday Systems #52: Demogorgon vs. Asmodeus

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2020 21:24


    How to ingore both of the evil voices in your head and attain comic detachment from your psychomachia.

    Everyday Systems #51: Contract Cards & Mantrafication

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2020 20:08


    Reflect on what is giving you trouble with your self improvement system. Write a contract with yourself on a 4*6 index card. Record yourself speaking it. Listen to this recorded mantra every day.  

    Everydays Systems #50: 2016 State of the Systems Check-In (Spiritual)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2016 22:25


    No S for the soul? 14-Year Jubilee updates on 8 "spiritual" systems: Weekend Luddite, Audiodidact, Chain of Self-command, Low Smoking, G-Ray Vision, Monthly Resolution, Lawful Good Biker and The Study Habit

    Everyday Systems #49: State of the Systems 2016 (Physical)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2016 15:38


    It's been 14 years now since everyday systems first went online in 2002.   And I think that significant anniversary deserves some kind of acknowledgement.   So I think what I'm going to do to observe this is give a kind of "state of the systems" check-in episode, a brief tour of how all the everyday systems are still working for me, -- whether they're still working for me --  how I notice they're working for other people, and any additional insights I might have about them

    Episode 48: The No S Diet Audiobook, Chapter 1 (Rough!)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2016 51:55


    Are my low podcast production values good enough to produce an audiobook? You be the judge! For this episode, an experimental reading of Chapter 1 of the No S Diet book. Let me know if a few tweaks here and there might do the trick, or if I had better rethink this whole project.

    Everyday Systems #47: The Heroics of Tidiness

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2015 15:42


    Habit is powerful. But is it always the answer? Is there room for one-time, decisive actions in the realm of self-improvement? I think there is -- but perhaps not quite where you expect it.

    Everyday Systems #46: S-Days vs. Cheat Days

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2015 6:53


    In which the subtle but crucial difference between S-days and Cheat Days is expounded upon.

    Episode 45: Einstein's Soup

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2015 6:37


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