TED Talks for Productivity Worth Your 15 Minutes

Key takeaways

• Watch one talk, take one idea, and try it for a week. A playlist of ten changes nothing.
• Several of these talks are about protecting attention more than managing time.
• Talks simplify research; follow up on the sources before you build a system on a single talk.

There are thousands of talks about getting more done, and watching them can become its own form of procrastination. Here are eight that hold up, with the one idea from each that's worth trying. Every title, speaker and event below is listed on ted.com.

Which talks are worth watching?

These eight cover procrastination, focus, motivation, time and conversation, and each runs under about 20 minutes.

What's the one idea from each?

Each talk has a single practical takeaway; here they are in plain terms.

Tim Urban describes procrastination as a struggle between the part of you that plans and the part that wants instant fun, with deadlines as the only thing that wakes up the "panic monster". The practical idea: tasks with no deadline, such as health, relationships or a side project, are the ones procrastination quietly ruins. Give them a date.

Jason Fried argues that offices are full of interruptions, especially meetings and managers, and people go elsewhere to get real work done. The idea: protect long, unbroken stretches. He suggests an afternoon a month where nobody in the office talks to each other.

Laura Vanderkam points out that a week has 168 hours, and that we make time for what matters to us. The idea: plan your week on Friday afternoon, listing priorities for career, relationships and yourself, and put them in the calendar first.

Dan Pink discusses research suggesting that for creative tasks, rewards and punishments can work worse than autonomy, mastery and purpose. The idea: if you lead people, give them more control over how they do their work.

Matt Cutts tried a new habit for 30 days at a time. The idea: 30 days is short enough to commit to and long enough to know if a habit sticks. Small habits last better than big ones.

Shawn Achor argues that being in a positive frame of mind tends to improve performance at work, rather than success being what makes us happy. The idea he suggests: write down three new things you're grateful for each day for three weeks.

Adam Grant found that many original thinkers start early but finish late, letting ideas sit. The idea: a little procrastination on creative work, after you've started, can help.

Celeste Headlee lists ways to be a better conversationalist. The idea that matters for meetings and calls: be present, and don't treat every conversation as a chance to make your own point.

How do you get value from talks instead of just watching?

Watch one, write down the one idea, and try it for a week before watching another.

Talks feel productive because they're inspiring. The value only arrives when you change something. Pick the talk that matches your biggest problem right now, take its idea, and put it in your calendar. If you share talks with your followers, add which idea you tried and how it went; that line is worth more than the link. The Content Mix Planner can hold a weekly slot for that kind of post.

Questions

Are TED talks a reliable source of research?

They're a good introduction, not a substitute for the research itself. Speakers simplify, and some findings presented in talks have been questioned later. Treat a talk as a starting point.

Where can I watch these talks?

All of them are free on ted.com and on TED's YouTube channels. Search the speaker's name and the title.

Which one should I watch first?

If you procrastinate, Tim Urban's. If meetings and interruptions eat your day, Jason Fried's. If you feel you never have time, Laura Vanderkam's.

Sources

• TED: Tim Urban, Inside the mind of a master procrastinator
• TED: Jason Fried, Why work doesn't happen at work
• TED: Laura Vanderkam, How to gain control of your free time
• TED: Celeste Headlee, 10 ways to have a better conversation