If you’ve enjoyed my previous in-between episodes, then this might be your favorite episode ever. It’s one of the most actionable, information-packed interviews I’ve ever done.

This time, it’s Joel Stein (@TheJoelStein) asking the questions. Joel is one of the funniest writers I have ever read, and he’s great at leading an interview.

Here’s how it all happened: I have many different conversations with journalists. It can be painful when I have a 1-2 hour conversation, and then it’s cut to a single sentence as a quote in a piece. And it’s often a misquote. So how do you fix that? Well, you record it yourself, which is how this episode was created. (With the interviewer’s approval, of course.) This way, you don’t “lose” the content, and you cover your ass with media and journalists.

Joel wanted me to help him figure out 5 areas he could upgrade in his own life for a series on self-improvement. In this episode, we discuss a wide variety of topics, including:

How I choose what to improve from infinite options

How you can subtract your way to success

The genius of Ben Franklin

Why self-improvement doesn’t mean self-centered

How I say no to time-consuming lunches, coffees, and other meetings

How I tackle cold introductions

How I surmounted Lyme Disease

My 100% complete break from start-ups (read this for more)

My podcast process

Tools and tactics for reversing email overwhelm

If you want help reducing anxiety and don’t have time for the entire episode, listen to this short segment.

Enjoy!

#144: How to 10X Your Results, One Tiny Tweak at a Time https://rss.art19.com/episodes/be6dd519-cc9a-4682-8332-d433907da14b.mp3 Download

Listen to it on iTunes.

Stream by clicking here.

Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast packed full of actionable tips that I use in my own life? — Listen to this short episode on the magic of mindfulness. In this episode, I discuss how to complain less, appreciate more, and live a better life (stream below or right-click here to download):

#122: The Magic of Mindfulness: Complain Less, Appreciate More, and Live a Better Life https://rss.art19.com/episodes/97488ccb-10b9-43d5-aab7-106e14021fac.mp3 Download

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: Based on my idea of subtraction, what could you remove from your life that would make you happier and/or more productive? Please share in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Measure your ketone levels with a Precision Xtra Blood Glucose and Ketone Monitoring System

Project Management Tools:

Asana | Basecamp | Trello

Slack for eliminating email

Screenflow to record videos to describe my process for doing important things. I upload these videos to a Dropbox folder. When I need someone to execute that process for me, I send them the Dropbox link. That saves me the time of training a new person on each task.

Try out If This Then That automation software

Connect with Joel Stein:

Joel Stein | Twitter

Show Notes

How do you get started in self-improvement? [8:18]

Strategies for saying ‘no’ to time-intensive meetings and/or coffee dates [9:59]

The crux of self-improvement: What gets measured gets managed [12:39]

A technical example of measuring self-improvement [13:45]

A fascinating example of measuring social self-improvement in categories like father, husband, provider, and lover [15:57]

Can self-improvement be selfish? [18:25]

What modern people tend to most focus on improving [21:09]

Money and sex: ideas for measuring and improving [22:06]

Ideas for cutting down on email [22:46]

A framework for decreasing anxiety and tackling psychological issues [25:41]

On doing away with email forever [28:36]

Getting specific on various implementation methods of the 80/20 analysis [31:44]

What I’m working on at the time of this recording: podcast production [33:26]

On the counter-productive nature of amassed tools and real progress [35:40]

On developing assertiveness [36:36]

People Mentioned

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The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 500 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.