The Human Flourishing Project

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Hi, I'm Alex Epstein. I started the Human Flourishing project to tackle the problem I care about most: human beings lack reliable access to the knowledge we need to flourish.

Alex Epstein


    • Jul 6, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 28m AVG DURATION
    • 99 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Human Flourishing Project

    Episode 98: How to not be tired

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2021 16:05


    Alex Epstein discusses how he is able to work long hours while rarely feeling tired or fatigued. He identifies four ways others can have the same experience: 1. Develop deep nighttime empathy with “morning guy” 2. Discover and liberally utilize “inevitable rejuvenation practices” 3. Separate proactive and reactive time 4. Cultivate a love of working energized and a hatred of working while tired

    Episode 97: The Wisdom of Effortless

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2021 21:01


    Alex Epstein discusses Greg McKeown's new book Effortless, how Alex had benefited from the chapters on Rest and Pace, and how separating proactive and reactive time can make the principles of Effortless even more effortless.

    Episode 96: How lucky we are to be alive right now

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 20:42


    Alex Epstein discusses how to appreciate the many great things that exist today that didn't exist even in the recent past.

    Episode 95: The joy of security

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2021 21:43


    Alex Epstein discusses his equation for "time security"--expected resources outstrip current commitments + expected threats--and how keeping this equation positive has an enormous impact on happiness.

    Best-of: The three ingredients of relaxed productivity (with bonus content)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 26:35


    On this best-of-HFP, Alex Epstein discusses the three ingredients of relaxed productivity—inevitably productive processes, high-altitude planning, and real rejuvenation—along with one poison: focus-destroyers. This version features a new introduction in which Alex talks more about his recent experience with inevitably productive processes.

    Episode 94: Dynamic, handwritten journaling

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 19:04


    Alex Epstein discusses how the handwriting experience of the modern iPad makes possible an unprecedented form of journaling that can make your reflections on life far more effective.

    Episode 93: How to identify your best practices and bad practices

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2021 25:24


    Alex Epstein discusses several ways to identify easy-to-implement best practices that will improve our lives, and easy-to-eliminate bad practices that are unnecessarily undercutting our lives.

    Episode 92: Vision and persistence

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2021 17:02


    Alex Epstein discusses, using Richard Hamming's allegory about a drunken sailor, why vision and persistence are the two most powerful elements of productivity within our direct control.

    Episode 91: Overcoming the Problems of Today's Social Media -- with Brian Amerige

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2021 58:11


    Alex brings on Brian Amerige, with whom he cofounded Thoughtful, to discuss the problems of social media today and how to overcome them. They discuss: - Is there any role for government in the content policies of social media platforms? - What content policy would make Facebook or Twitter a better "marketplace of ideas"--or is that even possible given the purpose of these platforms? - What it takes to create a real alternative to mainstream platforms, and where Parler and Gab have struggled. - The purpose and evolution of Thoughtful, Brian and Alex's platform that is "the one place on the Internet that's exclusively for thoughtful content." - How to get on the waiting list for Thoughtful.

    Episode 90: Mindsets for overcoming adverse circumstances

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2021 22:31


    Alex Epstein discusses two mindsets that can advance one's career even when one is starting from the most adverse circumstances: "customer obsession" and "100% responsibility."

    Episode 89: Productive role models for 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2021 14:31


    Alex Epstein discusses several characteristics that unite his productive role models for 2021, including focus, optimizing for value creation over advertising, and having very little need for short-term feedback.

    Episode 88: Lessons from work fortnights

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 13:59


    Alex Epstein discusses some lessons that his experimentation with "work fortnights"--11 days on, 3 days off--has reinforced.

    Episode 87: 6 kinds of focus

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2020 34:33


    Alex Epstein discusses 6 kinds of focus that make individuals more productive and fulfilled: 1) focusing on a high-value and meaningful market 2) focusing on an area of comparative advantage 3) focusing on the most valuable few projects 4) focusing on performing your core work 5) focusing on inevitably productive processes 6) focusing on your progress

    Episode 86: "Performance time" vs. "feedback time"

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020 26:27


    Alex Epstein discusses one of his biggest productive breakthroughs to date: maximum separation of "performance time" and "feedback time."

    Episode 85: How to spend time

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2020 40:15


    Alex Epstein discusses one of life's basic questions--"How do I spend the very limited time I have on Earth?"--and shares three techniques for answering it: life-blocking, ranked lists, and calendar comprehensiveness.

    Episode 84: The wisdom of Cal Newport

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2020 26:49


    Alex Epstein discusses the work and new podcast of Cal Newport, his favorite thinker on productivity.

    Episode 83: The danger of moral safety

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2020 30:27


    Alex Epstein discusses why he is suspicious of any “morally safe” activity—any easy way to be seen by oneself or others as a good person. Doing the “morally safe” thing, he argues, often involves 1) a lack of critical thinking, 2) wasting time, and 3) acting on unhealthy motives.

    Episode 82: The three ingredients of relaxed productivity

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2020 24:09


    Alex Epstein discusses the three ingredients of relaxed productivity—inevitably productive processes, high-altitude planning, and real rejuvenation—along with one poison: focus-destroyers.

    Episode 81: Learning from master practitioner-teachers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2020 16:38


    Alex Epstein discusses why we should seek out the rare phenomenon of the master practitioner-teacher wherever we can find it, using Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' new business book as an example.

    Episode 80: Avoiding overwhelm (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 19:41


    Alex Epstein discusses how to avoid overwhelm when one feels totally overcommitted for the upcoming week. The key is "calendar comprehensiveness," which Alex shares a quick process for achieving.

    Episode 79: Avoiding overwhelm

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2020 25:39


    Alex Epstein discusses three interrelated ways to avoid the pervasive problem of “overwhelm”: time blocking, choosing projects carefully, and scoping projects carefully.

    Episode 78: Best-case, worst-case thinking

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 23:31


    Alex Epstein discusses how thinking through best-case and worst-case scenarios can dramatically improve anything from the planning of your week to a hiring decision to a new project.

    Episode 77: Working easier through strategic discipline

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 26:20


    Alex Epstein discusses the main resolution he made upon turning 40: being more disciplined about setting the right conditions for work--so that the work itself is far easier, more relaxed, and more enjoyable.

    Episode 76: When it’s difficult to get started

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2020 29:33


    Alex Epstein discusses what to do when you’re having trouble getting started on a valuable activity, from a workout to a challenging project.

    Episode 75: Being proactive about health

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2020 20:26


    Alex epstein discusses why the mainstream approach tends to be reactive, and how to take a more proactive approach to health--including nutrition, breathing, and stress management.

    Episode 74: Focus and opportunity cost

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 29:37


    Alex Epstein discusses the value of focus and the “opportunity cost” of dividing focus by doing multiple projects at once.

    Episode 73: How to think constructively about public injustices

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2020 28:06


    Alex Epstein discusses how to think about the recent death of George Floyd and other public injustices. He shares four useful questions to ask: 1) What actually happened? 2) What, if any, mistakes in policy caused this to happen? 3) What changes in policy are being proposed? 4) What are the likely positive and negative consequences of the proposed policies?

    Episode 72: Mining the past

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2020 25:53


    Alex Epstein discusses how to mine the past for things we used that worked well—but that for some reason we stopped doing.

    Episode 71: An organism-based understanding of the new Coronavirus

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 70:18


    Alex Epstein interviews Katherine Epstein, MD, on how to understand the new Coronavirus and other infectious diseases from an “organism-based” perspective.

    Episode 70: Triumphing Over Distraction

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2020 23:28


    Alex Epstein shares concepts and tactics he has developed to avoid destructive distractions.

    Episode 69: The disruption playlist

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2020 26:42


    Alex Epstein shares a “playlist” of Human Flourishing Project episodes with helpful tactics for dealing with disruption. He also answers a listener question about how to productively deal with fear.

    Episode 68: Triumphing over disruption (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2020 40:18


    In the second Human Flourishing Project live workshop Alex Epstein guides participants through an updated version of the “Triumphing Over Disruption” exercise.

    Episode 67: Triumphing over disruption (part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2020 61:09


    In the first ever Human Flourishing Project live workshop Alex Epstein guides participants through the “Triumphing Over Disruption” exercise.

    Episode 66: Flourishing during a massive disruption (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2020 26:47


    Alex Epstein discusses a powerful question for coming up with creative ways to improve life during a massive disruption.

    Episode 65: Flourishing during a massive disruption (part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2020 28:20


    Alex Epstein discusses strategies for transforming the massive disruption of our lives into the basis for significant personal growth.

    Episode 64: Flourishing during a pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2020 18:53


    Alex Epstein discusses some tactics for overcoming the mental and emotional challenges of the current pandemic + recession.

    Episode 63: Insights on fasting and food frequency

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2020 43:21


    Alex Epstein is joined again by nutrition expert Ray Cronise, who shares insights on Alex’s experiments with fasting and gives Alex a new fasting goal.

    Episode 62: An Invitation to Thoughtful

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2020 28:24


    Alex discusses his new app, Thoughtful, with cocreator Brian Amerige, and shares an exclusive invitation for Human Flourishing Project listeners.

    Episode 61: Lessons From Fasting

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2020 18:27


    Alex Epstein discusses what he’s learned in the attempt to incorporate more fasting into his life.

    Episode 60: The value of meditation, revisited

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2020 21:15


    Alex Epstein discusses the new insights about meditation he gained from the Flow Meditation online course by James Brown.

    james brown alex epstein flow meditation
    Episode 59: The Wisdom of Terry Hayes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2020 27:21


    Alex Epstein discusses the wisdom and inspiration he gained from reading the thriller I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.

    Episode 58: An Exploration of Expectations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2020 14:40


    Alex Epstein discusses some challenges he have faced in setting healthy expectations for his work, and asks listeners for ideas or recommended reading on the subject.

    Episode 57: The most important New Year’s resolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2019 37:14


    Alex Epstein discusses three exercises to make the most out of your time in 2020.

    Episode 56: Optimizing nutrition for healthspan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2019 48:42


    Alex Epstein interviews Ray Cronise, a nutrition researcher who optimizes for “healthspan,” about his new book “The Healthspan Solution.”

    Episode 55: Choosing the right thinking medium

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2019 15:14


    Alex Epstein discusses how choosing the right medium for different kinds of thinking tasks—editing, planning, brainstorming—can make an enormous positive difference.

    Episode 54: When to work “too hard”

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2019 16:05


    Alex Epstein discusses his recent choice to work “too hard” for 20 days straight—and how to avoid making this level of intensity a habit.

    Episode 53: How to guarantee progress

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2019 16:32


    Alex Epstein discusses what he has learned over the last year about how to guarantee progress on long, difficult project.

    Episode 52: Mastering 80%

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2019 28:23


    Alex Epstein discusses what he has learned about the “80% strategy” during a particularly intense two months of work.

    Episode 51: The wisdom of Flow (part 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2019 24:28


    Alex Epstein discusses how he has been applying the concepts of Flow to architect his own “flow zones” for different productive activities.

    Episode 50: The value of a clear operating standard

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2019 22:26


    Alex Epstein discusses what he learned from a major achievement in the martial arts world about the value of having a clear “operating standard.”

    Episode 49: The wisdom of Flow (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2019 17:59


    Alex Epstein continues his exploration of how the insights of the book Flow can dramatically improve the quality of our leisure time.

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