The Greatest Minds #2: Interview with Chris BaileY

Chris Bailey, author of “The Productivity Project”

Interview with Chris Bailey

Filipa Canelas: I’m a huge fan of morning rituals because they changed my life. Do you have any type of ritual to begin a new day? If so, please describe it.

Chris Bailey: In the mornings, I love to write. I'm in the middle of writing my second book, and my favorite local coffee shop fills up by 8:30. Most mornings I'm up and out the door by 8, where I write for a few hours. Most of the things I do in the morning—showering and eating breakfast included—are just inconveniences for me to get out of the way as soon as possible! When I'm hungry in the mornings, I'll usually prepare myself a massive chicken caesar salad to start the day, because it gives me the most lasting energy and fills me up for the longest!

Filipa Canelas: How would your schedule look like if tomorrow you had 100% of focus + 100% of energy + 100% of time (24 hours). Basically, what would you do on a perfect day?

Chris Bailey: I'd get my work done in the first few hours and then, for the rest of the time, I'd write some more, read some more, and spend time with the people I love. I think the purpose of productivity is to lets us accomplish everything we have to get done in a shorter amount of time—so we can carve out more time, attention, and energy for what's important and meaningful to us. The weird part about the work I do is that what I do for work today used to be what I did for fun. So my ideal day would look pretty much the same—albeit more efficient!

Filipa Canelas: What is the most precious advice you can give me to increase my ability to focus?

Chris Bailey: Eliminate as many distractions as you possibly can. I can't overstate this point enough. Distractions are infinitely easier to deal with before they come up, rather than after. Figure out which distractions you can control—including digital ones, by downloading an app like Freedom or Self Control or Cold Turkey—and eliminate as many as you possibly can. We fall victim to distractions because, at the moment, they're more enticing than what we ought to be doing. Making these decisions in advance helps us more than anything else. This is especially essential today when we do work that requires heavy mental lifting, and a lot of brain power. The more time, attention, and energy we invest in our work, the more productive we become.

Quick Questions: 

The Last Book you Read:
The Undoing Project (great book!)

Favourite Quote:

"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
— Steve Jobs

25$ life-changing item:
Meditation Cushion