The OptimalWork Podcast
OptimalWork
Hosted by Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes, co-founders of OptimalWork, The OptimalWork Podcast will help you learn to challenge yourself in each hour of work according to your highest ideals. We discuss all aspects of Dr. Majeres's approach to work, which he developed in his private practice and teaches at Harvard Medical School, and show how it applies to everyday situations like professional work, study, sleep, and relationships.
For personalized plans to help you put the ideas into practice, visit www.OptimalWork.com.
Please send questions for discussion to team@optimalwork.com.
For personalized plans to help you put the ideas into practice, visit www.OptimalWork.com.
Please send questions for discussion to team@optimalwork.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 24, 2022 • 28min
114. Helping Others Become Givers Instead of Takers
#114: Last episode, we discussed the framework of givers and takers developed by Adam Grant. Surprisingly, givers tend to cluster at the bottom and the top of organizations, while takers occupy the middle. In this episode, we discuss how to be a successful giver: through flexibility and bringing out the best in others. A successful giver helps those around him or her become givers too.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
10 snips
Oct 17, 2022 • 28min
113. How to Be a Generous Giver and Still Thrive
#113: We often emphasize generosity as a crowning ideal: a key character quality to strive for. But this raises some questions. Should you just give everything to everyone? What are the limits? What if people start to take advantage of your generosity? In this episode, we discuss how to set boundaries that will help you maximize your generosity by making it sustainable.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
Oct 10, 2022 • 27min
112. Discover the Deepest Source of Optimism
#112: Optimism is a belief that things will improve in the future. Sometimes it doesn’t always seem that way. As we struggle to improve, we may get discouraged and think that things will always be difficult. However, the science of habits and habituation teaches us that as we challenge ourselves, things do in fact get easier and more enjoyable as our body adjusts to the new behaviors.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
Oct 3, 2022 • 25min
111. Why You Should Aim for Silver Instead of Gold
#111: You may have a goal of achieving a high level of performance with no difficulty, no inner turmoil whatsoever. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss approaching challenges in a different way: not aiming for effortless success, but rather for acceptance of difficulty and perseverance — what Dr. Majeres calls aiming for silver, rather than gold.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
Sep 26, 2022 • 28min
110. How to Work Intensely without Stressing Yourself Out
#110: Many people think that they and others work best under extreme external pressure: impending deadlines, demanding bosses, etc. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss better ways to achieve intensity.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
Sep 19, 2022 • 25min
109. Loving Yourself in Order to Love Others
#109: Is self-love always selfish? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Rashad Badr discuss why true self-love is actually a necessary step for being able to love others.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
Sep 12, 2022 • 30min
108. What You Can Do about Narcissism
#108: Join Dr. Kevin Majeres and Rashad Badr for a discussion on narcissism, an attachment to one's self-image, and how to attain true self-knowledge through humility.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
May 30, 2022 • 30min
107. A Summer to Remember
#107: Do you think you have a bad memory? Do you think summer goes by too fast? It turns out, there’s one solution for both problems. In this episode, we discuss strategies that can both improve your memory and enrich your experiences, which can apply to making your summer more fruitful and making it seem longer.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
May 23, 2022 • 29min
106. Challenging Anxiety
#106: Do you have any anxiety that you feel might be holding you back? In fact, anxiety is like a forge that you can use to shape yourself according to your highest ideals. In this episode, we show you how to find the challenge at the root of your anxiety and engage it as a unique opportunity.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
May 16, 2022 • 29min
105. Choose Flow, Not Hyperfocus
#105: Have you ever worked with great intensity and lost track of time, only to realize later that it was all a waste? You had fallen for the trap of hyperfocus. In this episode, we’ll distinguish between hyperfocus and true flow, and show you how to always attain the latter.
Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.
