WEBVTT 00:00:20.469 --> 00:00:21.993 Hello Habit Mechanics. 00:00:21.993 --> 00:00:23.477 It's Dr John Finn here. 00:00:23.477 --> 00:00:26.423 I hope you're having a fantastic week so far. 00:00:26.423 --> 00:00:38.983 I hope by now you have at least noticed that we've released a new book Train your Brain for the AI Revolution, the Proven Four-Step System to Become Irreplaceable. 00:00:38.983 --> 00:00:46.822 And possibly most importantly for many people, no Tech Skills Required and possibly, most importantly, for many people, no tech skills required. 00:00:46.822 --> 00:00:49.265 So for some of you you may have read the entire book. 00:00:49.265 --> 00:00:53.874 For others you may be thinking about reading it. 00:00:53.874 --> 00:00:57.923 For others still, you may be a few or more chapters in. 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:17.593 So what I've decided to do, what we've decided to do here at tougher minds hq, is to release the entire book as the entire audio book, which has been free for a while anyway inside the app, but we thought we'd put it into the pod as well and put a bit of a commentary around it. 00:01:17.593 --> 00:01:53.694 So installment is going to be chapters one to seven of the book, then there will be all the chapters connected to step um two, then all the chapters connected to step sorry, all the chapters connected to step one, then all chapters connected to step two and three and four and so on and actually saying that out loud makes me realize there will be six uh segments to this podcast. 00:01:53.694 --> 00:02:26.917 So if you if you've if you've started reading the book, then you will understand that our renewed mission is to help people to master their brain states, because we genuinely believe that this is going to be humanity's most important skill the ability to understand how our brain actually works and start getting more control of how our brain is functioning through the brain state model. 00:02:26.917 --> 00:02:38.182 We know that psychological performance, what we might call cognitive performance, is the final frontier of human health, happiness and performance. 00:02:38.182 --> 00:02:41.319 But it's like the Wild West, literally. 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:48.816 There are loads of things out in the market, loads of claims being made and a lot of it is absolute nonsense. 00:02:48.816 --> 00:02:57.534 It's made up or it's drawn from theoretical models that were created way before we actually understood how brains worked. 00:02:58.775 --> 00:03:17.173 And what we've been doing here at tougher minds for over 25 years now is rebuilding the performance coaching model from the the ground upwards or from the brain downwards, and we like to think of it as the dyson of coaching. 00:03:17.173 --> 00:03:21.802 So anyone who's experienced our coaching, they know it's different. 00:03:21.802 --> 00:03:38.542 Anyone who's read the habit mechanic, they see that what we're doing is different because we start with the brain and how the brain works, and not just that, we show you how to move from knowing what it's a good idea to be doing and how to automate that. 00:03:38.542 --> 00:03:42.698 So you've got a behavioral bridge between knowing and doing. 00:03:42.698 --> 00:03:54.992 And what we've done inside of the new book train your brain for their evolution is we've tried to make that simpler still through our four-step success cycle methodology. 00:03:54.992 --> 00:04:02.204 Um, so that's what you get inside of train your brain for the ir revolution. 00:04:02.204 --> 00:04:21.822 It's designed to give you simple you a simple practical framework that you can use immediately, and you can learn this system in under three hours, and you can show others how to use it as well if you want, and you get something which we believe is humanity's most important skill. 00:04:23.190 --> 00:04:38.000 So we want to share this with as many people as possible and fundamentally, there are three core things that we talk about inside Train your Brain for the AI Revolution. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:44.610 The first thing is that brain performance is your hidden AI era advantage. 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:45.776 It's not about the tech. 00:04:45.776 --> 00:04:52.037 The tech's pretty straightforward because it's so heavily invested in in the sense of it's easy to use. 00:04:52.037 --> 00:05:09.620 What is much more challenging is getting our brains working well, because AI tools and they will transform our world as we know it they are only as good as you and your brain because humans have to operate the tools to get the most out of them. 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:30.062 So the first thing that we want to help people to do is to get personal mastery over their brain states, and we see this as as your new secret weapon in being at your best and getting all the stuff that you want to get done to the standard. 00:05:30.062 --> 00:05:31.384 You want to get it done without burning out. 00:05:31.384 --> 00:05:45.245 The second core thing that we talk about in Training your Brain for the AI Revolution is that we see that human AI coaching is the future of leadership. 00:05:45.245 --> 00:06:11.560 So if you want to lead others, you want to coach other people or you want to lead in an organisation, the key is going to be helping others to master their own brain states, and we map out in the book how you can start to coach others to thrive in the ai world. 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:36.369 So human ai coaching I've not heard anyone else even use that term, never mind write a book centered around it and we're actually already training people to become certified human AI coaches and by going through the book you'll see exactly what we mean by that. 00:06:38.530 --> 00:06:42.901 The third core idea in Train your Brain for the Air Evolution is that brain smart teams will win the AI race. 00:06:42.901 --> 00:07:11.572 So if you've got a business, if you're running a team and you want to be a thriving organisation, the key is going to be to get your people brain smart as quickly as you can, because what we see going forward, it's a bit like Lean. 00:07:11.572 --> 00:07:19.742 Sigma 6 was fundamental for manufacturing firms being successful in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s. 00:07:19.742 --> 00:07:29.762 We see those famous case studies of people like GE and Toyota car manufacturers. 00:07:29.762 --> 00:07:33.418 Much like Lean, sigma 6 was crucial for them. 00:07:33.418 --> 00:07:49.557 We see that brain state intelligent cultures are going to be the key for successful organizations and teams in the AI era, and at the heart of a brain state intelligent culture are brain smart teams. 00:07:49.557 --> 00:07:51.977 That means teams who understand how their brains work. 00:07:51.977 --> 00:08:12.578 In other words, they understand brain states, understand how to manage their brain states individually and collectively, because that's how the only constant in the AI era is new problems to solve, and actually we can solve those problems faster than ever by using AI, but we can only do that if our brains are working really well. 00:08:13.389 --> 00:08:19.138 So there's some of the things that you learn about in Train your Brain for the AI Revolution. 00:08:19.138 --> 00:08:26.060 It's what all of our work is currently centred on, so we're helping people one-to-one, to manage their own brain state. 00:08:26.060 --> 00:08:56.679 So we're doing lots of one-to-one coaching and you're seeing lots of the fantastic case studies coming out of the work that people like our head of coaching, andrew Foster, is doing Got senior leaders talking about how they have doubled their salary, talking about how they're being offered equity sharing businesses because they are now being seen as AI leaders and they're attributing that to the work that we're doing with them. 00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:12.695 We're seeing our first group of human AI coaches going out into the world and having a similar impact to Andrew Foster and the team. 00:09:12.695 --> 00:09:25.857 So actually coaching people within their own businesses or setting up their own coaching practices and actually training people in the skills that we talk about when unpacking Train your Brain for the AI Revolution. 00:09:25.857 --> 00:09:52.450 And then we're also working with organisations to create BrainSmart teams and help businesses to create behavioural bridges between what they know or what they'd like their people to do, to actually automating more of that really great behavior that makes it easier for people to engage in the business, but also for the business to thrive and everybody in it to thrive. 00:09:52.450 --> 00:10:04.816 So, yeah, so what's going to come up then is, um, the first seven chapters of train your brain for the air revolution. 00:10:04.918 --> 00:10:09.497 My temptation is always to say the Habit Mechanic, because that's so wired in my brain. 00:10:09.497 --> 00:10:15.876 But I don't think I've slipped up yet on this pod, but excuse me if I do in the future. 00:10:15.876 --> 00:10:31.394 But what you get in chapter one is your first three-minute brain state, state two, and we introduce the three brain states in chapter two. 00:10:31.394 --> 00:10:35.062 It's called unleashing your brain's full potential in the ai era. 00:10:35.062 --> 00:10:39.654 So we start to talk more about so. 00:10:39.654 --> 00:10:52.098 In in chapter one we go quite deep on recharge, the recharge brain step, and in chapter two we talk a bit more about medium charge and high charge and then we introduce the success cycle at a high level. 00:10:53.770 --> 00:10:55.899 Chapter three we talk about the lighthouse brain. 00:10:55.899 --> 00:11:04.541 That might be familiar to some people from the Habit Mechanic and we go further with that concept inside of this new book. 00:11:04.541 --> 00:11:07.555 And we go further with that concept inside of this new book. 00:11:07.555 --> 00:11:08.377 Then we talk about chapter four. 00:11:08.377 --> 00:11:22.721 We talk about the brain's power modes, extending that lighthouse brain metaphor, talking about a solar-powered rechargeable lighthouse or battery that's running the lighthouse. 00:11:22.721 --> 00:11:31.511 Then we introduce Willpower, who is one of the core characters in the lighthouse brain. 00:11:31.511 --> 00:11:38.689 We introduce Willpower's assistants in chapter 5 where we fully introduce the success cycle. 00:11:38.689 --> 00:11:53.399 So you're going to meet the task director, the day designer and the routine engineer and you'll learn more about those. 00:11:53.399 --> 00:12:07.371 And then chapter 6 we give you a practical example of the success cycle in action, and that's a distinct feature of train your brain for the ai revolution. 00:12:08.775 --> 00:12:21.478 Compared to the habit mechanic, the habit mechanic is packed full of case studies of people that we've worked with, people that we admire, people that are highly successful for train your brain for their evolution. 00:12:21.478 --> 00:12:29.543 There's some part of it that people really like, because, if multiple people have told me is there told me, there's a constant narrative going through of Sarah's story. 00:12:29.543 --> 00:12:34.000 So we show you how Sarah uses these tools in her daily life. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:47.180 And then chapter seven, which I really like, is the happiness equation, where we really draw out what is happiness and what are the core components. 00:12:47.180 --> 00:12:57.178 For me, happiness is like an equation, and if you understand what the equation is, you've got a much better chance of it working in your life. 00:12:57.178 --> 00:12:58.680 So we unpack that. 00:12:58.680 --> 00:13:00.243 So that's it. 00:13:00.243 --> 00:13:03.138 So coming up, you're going to hear chapters. 00:13:03.138 --> 00:13:12.597 I'll include the introduction as well as a bonus, just so you understand how to get the most out of the book but then you'll hear chapters one to seven. 00:13:13.469 --> 00:13:20.154 I would really encourage you to look at the e-book, look at the physical book. 00:13:20.154 --> 00:13:29.949 There are lots of very powerful visuals in the book book. 00:13:29.949 --> 00:13:31.293 There are lots of very powerful visuals in the book. 00:13:31.293 --> 00:13:43.438 Um, obviously, we can't get those across in an audio book, but the book is is organized around the four core steps of the success cycle and there's a the bonus step, which is the learning how to help others. 00:13:43.438 --> 00:13:49.729 And you know, the physical book and the e-book are just very, very deliberately put together. 00:13:49.729 --> 00:14:04.834 I think the physical book is it's under 10 UK pounds and I know it's discounted on Amazon, so in the US it's probably just over $10. 00:14:04.834 --> 00:14:06.926 So we've made it as cheap as we can. 00:14:06.926 --> 00:14:17.741 Literally, we just want to get this out there, so we're not making anything on the book. 00:14:17.741 --> 00:14:21.269 The physical book it's pretty much break even. 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:23.449 Do get a copy. 00:14:23.449 --> 00:14:35.177 It's not going to break the bank and I think that, um, you'll get more out of it because, again, it's a book to be written in and to be um for you to, to encourage you to take notes and things from. 00:14:35.177 --> 00:14:40.693 So, anyway, yeah, enough of me twittering on. 00:14:40.693 --> 00:14:49.335 Next you're going to hear the book and, as ever, if you have any questions, thoughts, reflections, then get in touch. 00:14:49.335 --> 00:14:51.279 We would love to hear from you. 00:14:52.201 --> 00:14:54.511 This book is brought to you by tougher minds. 00:14:54.511 --> 00:15:04.336 Publishing train your brain for the ai revolution the proven four-step system to become irreplaceable, no tech skills required. 00:15:04.336 --> 00:15:07.644 Written, written by Dr John Finn and read by me. 00:15:07.644 --> 00:15:22.063 Dr John Finn Our mission I created this book because I believe mastering our brain states will become humanity's most vital skill for health, happiness and success in the AI era. 00:15:22.063 --> 00:15:28.452 I'll guide you in mastering your own brain states and show you how to help others do the same. 00:15:28.452 --> 00:15:38.620 This book is dedicated to the pioneers who will help humanity master its brain states and create an extraordinary future in the AI era. 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:42.753 Thank you for being a pioneer and joining me on this mission. 00:15:44.457 --> 00:15:46.322 How to get the most out of this book? 00:15:46.322 --> 00:15:55.713 Inside offices, worldwide professionals stare at their screens, surrounded by AI tools that promise to transform their work. 00:15:55.713 --> 00:16:03.577 Each offers incredible capabilities analysing data, managing projects, handling routine tasks. 00:16:03.577 --> 00:16:09.513 Yet, despite all this technological power, many feel more overwhelmed than ever. 00:16:09.513 --> 00:16:11.577 Something isn't clicking. 00:16:11.577 --> 00:16:24.257 To understand what isn't clicking, consider this counterintuitive truth Success in the AI era doesn't require mastering every single artificial intelligence tool. 00:16:24.257 --> 00:16:34.950 Instead, the foundation lies in mastering something far more sophisticated your brain, the most complex technology in the known universe. 00:16:34.950 --> 00:16:44.497 The key is understanding how to optimise your brain's three essential energy modes, what I call your brain states. 00:16:46.002 --> 00:16:54.849 This book provides a science-based system for optimising how your brain naturally cycles through different states throughout the day. 00:16:54.849 --> 00:17:05.405 Learning to match these brain states to different types of work transforms how you create value in our AI augmented world. 00:17:05.405 --> 00:17:12.439 And even if you have not used any AI tools yet, you'll still get a great deal out of this book. 00:17:12.439 --> 00:17:27.643 Through our work with over 20,000 professionals, from Fortune 500 executives to world-class athletes, we've proven these brain optimization principles work in real world settings. 00:17:27.643 --> 00:17:42.000 Building on the foundation of my best-selling book, the Habit Mechanic, I've created the Habit Mechanic AI Edge System to help you thrive in this new technological landscape. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:52.398 How this book works, you'll learn the success cycle, our proven four-step system for optimising your brain states in the AI era. 00:17:52.398 --> 00:17:59.919 You can start using these practical tools immediately to enhance your performance and reduce overwhelm. 00:17:59.919 --> 00:18:09.864 By the midpoint of the book, you'll have everything you need to implement this systematic approach for thriving in our AI-augmented world. 00:18:09.864 --> 00:18:22.289 The second half provides deeper insights into the science behind these practices, helping you refine your approach as you gain experience and as AI technology evolves. 00:18:22.289 --> 00:18:37.878 And as AI technology evolves, work through the success cycle steps in sequence from understanding your brain state patterns to organising your tasks, to optimising your daily rhythm, to making improvements automatic. 00:18:37.878 --> 00:18:40.518 Each step builds on the next. 00:18:40.518 --> 00:18:47.422 Keep this book accessible as you integrate new AI tools into your workflow. 00:18:47.422 --> 00:18:57.562 The opportunities ahead are extraordinary and they're yours to capture through optimising how your brain works with these powerful new technologies. 00:18:57.562 --> 00:19:02.734 If you have any questions about any area of this book, I am here to help. 00:19:02.734 --> 00:19:14.679 Just send me an email at contact at toughermindscouk, or contact me via our website, toughermindscouk. 00:19:14.679 --> 00:19:23.879 Let's begin with a simple but powerful tool that will immediately make it easier for you to improve your brain state management. 00:19:24.360 --> 00:19:24.961 Chapter 1. 00:19:24.961 --> 00:19:28.025 Your first 3-minute brain state tool. 00:19:28.025 --> 00:19:31.359 Welcome, I'm Dr John Finn. 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:43.850 For 25 years, I've specialised in the behavioural science and psychology of resilience, performance and leadership, completing three degrees, including a PhD, in these fields. 00:19:43.850 --> 00:19:53.721 My expertise lies in helping individuals, teams and leaders optimise their cognitive performance during periods of significant change. 00:19:53.721 --> 00:19:56.458 I've helped over 20,000 people. 00:19:56.458 --> 00:20:10.639 Now, as we enter the most profound technological transformation in human history the AI revolution, I'm dedicating myself to helping people succeed in this unprecedented era of change. 00:20:11.681 --> 00:20:25.143 Whether you're just beginning to explore AI tools or already using them regularly, the principles in this book will help you integrate these technologies more effectively into your life so you can thrive. 00:20:25.143 --> 00:20:45.076 My research has revealed something counterintuitive Professionals excel in the AI era not by mastering every emerging technology, but by understanding and optimising their brain's neurobiological energy patterns, which I call your brain states. 00:20:45.076 --> 00:20:47.201 More on the science later. 00:20:47.201 --> 00:20:58.759 Those who grasp these patterns are completing sophisticated projects in a fraction of the time, while maintaining energy for what matters most in their lives. 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:19.147 Building on the principles from my best-selling book, the Habit Mechanic, I've developed a practical four-step system called the Success Cycle to help you master your brain states and give you the human AI edge, so you can seize the extraordinary opportunities of the AI era. 00:21:19.147 --> 00:21:33.903 Whether you're seeking promotion, starting or growing a business, developing your team or wanting more energy for family life, mastering your brain states transforms what's possible. 00:21:33.903 --> 00:21:36.894 As we enter this unprecedented period. 00:21:36.894 --> 00:21:46.563 Technology can either overwhelm us or help us create the lives we truly want, and this system ensures you'll be among those who thrive. 00:21:47.890 --> 00:21:49.556 Your three brain states. 00:21:49.556 --> 00:21:51.642 You have three brain states. 00:21:51.642 --> 00:21:53.167 Here's a quick overview. 00:21:53.167 --> 00:21:55.794 First, your recharge brain state. 00:21:55.794 --> 00:22:01.495 This is your essential recovery mode when your brain rebuilds its energy reserves. 00:22:01.495 --> 00:22:05.465 Second, your medium charge brain state. 00:22:05.465 --> 00:22:10.836 This is your efficient processing mode, perfect for handling routine tasks. 00:22:10.836 --> 00:22:14.764 Third, your high charge brain state. 00:22:14.764 --> 00:22:22.051 This is your peak performance mode, enabling sophisticated thinking and complex problem solving. 00:22:22.051 --> 00:22:32.359 While you'll learn to master all three brain states, we begin with your recharge brain state, the foundation for everything else. 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:46.061 Without proper recharge, both medium and high charge states become impossible to maintain effectively, making it impossible for you to be healthy, happy and perform to your potential. 00:22:47.191 --> 00:22:52.803 Let me share a simple tool that will help you activate your recharged brain state more easily. 00:22:52.803 --> 00:22:56.901 I will introduce this tool using Sarah's story. 00:22:56.901 --> 00:23:06.305 Sarah sat at her desk, her screen filled with three new AI tools her company had recently implemented. 00:23:06.305 --> 00:23:10.397 Each promised incredible productivity gains. 00:23:10.397 --> 00:23:13.182 Yet she felt more overwhelmed than ever. 00:23:13.182 --> 00:23:21.653 I have all these powerful tools, she told me later, but some days I can barely focus enough to use them effectively. 00:23:21.653 --> 00:23:27.815 Other days, I'm so wired from constant notifications that I can't wind down. 00:23:27.815 --> 00:23:28.276 At night. 00:23:28.276 --> 00:23:31.565 I couldn't switch off, couldn't recharge. 00:23:31.565 --> 00:23:33.510 There had to be a better way. 00:23:34.592 --> 00:23:41.805 Sarah's transformation began with a simple but powerful tool the daily three-to-one reflection. 00:23:41.805 --> 00:23:54.318 The purpose is simple yet profound to help you calm your thinking and achieve what we call the recharge brain state, your brain's essential recovery mode. 00:23:54.318 --> 00:24:07.935 Most importantly, this tool helps you learn to redirect your mental spotlight to consciously guide your attention away from threats and worries toward more helpful patterns of thinking. 00:24:07.935 --> 00:24:19.841 To make the daily 3-1 reflection even more powerful, you can activate brain circuits that naturally enhance positive thinking through this pre-reflection routine. 00:24:19.841 --> 00:24:31.921 First, choose one of these options Either take a five-minute walk focusing on slow, calm breathing, or jump up and down for five to ten seconds or more. 00:24:31.921 --> 00:24:37.842 Second, quickly open and close your right hand several times. 00:24:37.842 --> 00:24:42.220 Third, force yourself to smile while doing this. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:49.923 Fourth, begin your daily three-to-one reflection, which I'll show you how to do shortly. 00:24:49.923 --> 00:25:05.422 This pre-reflection routine is powerful because it activates your accumbens striatal prefrontal cortex network, what Dr Kelly Lambert calls the effort-driven reward circuit. 00:25:05.422 --> 00:25:14.219 By using your right hand specifically, you're engaging the left prefrontal cortex, which is associated with positive emotions. 00:25:14.219 --> 00:25:17.099 Your right side activates your left brain. 00:25:17.099 --> 00:25:22.522 Adding a smile strengthens this positive activation even further. 00:25:22.522 --> 00:25:26.205 Okay, ready, here goes. 00:25:26.205 --> 00:25:30.720 Take a few minutes to complete the following two steps. 00:25:31.509 --> 00:25:32.053 Step 1. 00:25:32.053 --> 00:25:34.613 Rate yourself First. 00:25:34.613 --> 00:25:41.301 Ask yourself this question how well did you do your best to be your best and achieve your goals? 00:25:41.301 --> 00:25:41.682 Today? 00:25:41.682 --> 00:25:50.362 You could say you did great or you failed, but I'd like you to be a bit more accurate, because this will be more helpful for you. 00:25:50.362 --> 00:25:52.996 So please rate yourself from 1. 00:25:52.996 --> 00:25:56.423 You failed to 10, you were perfect. 00:25:56.423 --> 00:25:59.458 You are probably somewhere in between. 00:25:59.458 --> 00:26:02.157 Write or type out your score. 00:26:03.110 --> 00:26:03.612 Step 2. 00:26:03.612 --> 00:26:06.100 Complete a focused reflection. 00:26:06.100 --> 00:26:18.601 Write down or type out 3 or more positive or helpful things about your day and then one area you can improve in the next 24 hours. 00:26:18.601 --> 00:26:27.895 For example, here's one of Sarah's early reflections I am proactively trying to get better at using AI tools. 00:26:27.895 --> 00:26:29.138 I had breakfast with my family using AI tools. 00:26:29.138 --> 00:26:32.081 I had breakfast with my family. 00:26:32.081 --> 00:26:44.731 I am doing a three-to-one reflection, one thing to improve in the next 24 hours get to bed 10 minutes earlier tonight than last night. 00:26:44.731 --> 00:26:46.093 At first it seemed too basic. 00:26:46.093 --> 00:26:55.960 Sarah shared how could just writing down three positives and one area for improvement help me to be at my best in the AI era? 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:59.483 But within days I noticed something changing. 00:26:59.483 --> 00:27:00.584 I was calmer. 00:27:00.584 --> 00:27:05.247 I could see more clearly which tasks needed my best thinking energy. 00:27:05.247 --> 00:27:12.235 Most importantly, I was starting to understand my own brain's patterns. 00:27:12.235 --> 00:27:22.862 Here's the fascinating part of how this works You're actually using your high-charge brain state, through focused writing, to activate your recharged brain state. 00:27:22.862 --> 00:27:24.515 I'll say that again. 00:27:24.515 --> 00:27:32.080 You deliberately got yourself into a high-charge brain state in order to activate a recharged brain state. 00:27:32.080 --> 00:27:35.058 This is what makes the technique so powerful. 00:27:35.810 --> 00:27:44.622 I use the 3-to-1 reflection every workday evening to process the day, switch off and prepare for deep sleep. 00:27:44.622 --> 00:27:55.172 And while it's called a 3-to-1 reflection, I actually write down as many positive or helpful thoughts as I can possibly think of. 00:27:55.172 --> 00:27:59.363 The act of writing or typing is crucial. 00:27:59.363 --> 00:28:07.417 It forces you to direct your mental spotlight away from threats and worries toward helpful patterns of thinking. 00:28:07.417 --> 00:28:18.961 This deliberate redirection of attention is the cornerstone of training your brain, making daily 3-to-1 reflections easier. 00:28:20.112 --> 00:28:27.065 To make it easier to complete regular daily 3-to-1 reflections, I have created a PDF template. 00:28:27.065 --> 00:28:34.283 I use this and if you want to use it, go to toughermindscouk forward slash. 00:28:34.283 --> 00:28:35.244 Train your brain. 00:28:35.244 --> 00:28:36.972 To download your copy. 00:28:36.972 --> 00:28:46.134 I will also remind you to complete exercises like the daily three-to-one reflections in the Habit Mechanic podcast. 00:28:46.134 --> 00:28:52.466 Listen to it here toughermindscouk forward slash podcast. 00:28:52.466 --> 00:29:02.945 Finally, our Habit Mechanic University app is also designed to make completing regular daily 3-1 reflections easier. 00:29:02.945 --> 00:29:13.082 To learn more, go to toughermindscouk If you want to learn more about the science behind the daily 3-to-1 reflection. 00:29:13.082 --> 00:29:19.462 I unpack it in Appendix A when I reveal the brain mechanics behind emotional regulation. 00:29:19.462 --> 00:29:21.676 But don't worry about that right now. 00:29:21.676 --> 00:29:32.119 Let's keep going Now that you have this tool for activating your recharged brain state, you might be wondering about your medium and high charge states. 00:29:33.041 --> 00:29:42.273 How do they work with AI tools, how can you optimise them for peak performance and how do you maintain the right energy throughout your day? 00:29:42.273 --> 00:29:56.053 We'll explore all of this in our next chapter, but first, if it's helpful, make a note to remind yourself to complete a three-to-one reflection this evening, as Sarah discovered. 00:29:56.053 --> 00:30:02.505 At first it seemed too basic, but that simple practice changed everything. 00:30:02.505 --> 00:30:11.044 Every journey begins with a single step, and this one will create the foundation for everything we'll build together. 00:30:11.044 --> 00:30:12.211 Chapter 2. 00:30:12.211 --> 00:30:16.803 Unleashing your brain's full potential in the AI era. 00:30:16.803 --> 00:30:28.182 Now that you understand how to activate your recharge brain state, let's explore how your other brain states transform your work with AI tools. 00:30:28.182 --> 00:30:36.673 Remember Sarah After mastering the 3-to-one reflection, she discovered something fascinating. 00:30:37.956 --> 00:30:48.263 Once I could reliably activate my recharged state, she explained, I started noticing clear patterns in my thinking and energy throughout the day. 00:30:48.263 --> 00:30:55.513 Some hours were perfect for mentally challenging work, while others were better for routine tasks. 00:30:55.513 --> 00:31:01.364 Understanding these patterns completely changed how I used AI tools. 00:31:01.364 --> 00:31:19.419 Sarah had discovered what neuroscience shows your brain's energy patterns shift between three distinct modes recharge, medium charge and high charge throughout the day, each perfectly suited for specific types of work. 00:31:19.419 --> 00:31:27.479 The science behind these brain states is well established, as highlighted in the 2023 paper. 00:31:27.479 --> 00:31:34.871 Why is everyone talking about brain state in trends in neuroscience by Yale University Academics? 00:31:34.871 --> 00:31:44.417 I unpack more of the science in Appendix B, but right now let's focus on how you can use these states to transform your performance. 00:31:45.880 --> 00:32:04.384 Medium-charge brain state your medium-charge brain state is perfect for handling simple, routine and largely undemanding tasks, for example, sending simple emails, helping a client solve a standard problem or handling administrative tasks. 00:32:04.384 --> 00:32:16.721 In recent years, these activities consume more and more of our working hours, leaving little time for premium thinking and doing our most challenging and high-impact work. 00:32:16.721 --> 00:32:22.096 But here's where AI creates an extraordinary opportunity. 00:32:22.096 --> 00:32:46.462 Consider this startling prediction from Winning by Design, a leading sales training company that works with some of the world's largest businesses Within the next 12 months, ai will enable companies to operate many of their sales and marketing functions at just 2% of current costs, while achieving better results. 00:32:46.462 --> 00:32:53.464 That's a staggering 98% reduction in costs with improved performance. 00:32:53.464 --> 00:33:06.920 This transformation is possible because AI can now handle most medium-charge tasks faster and more efficiently than humans, freeing us to focus on higher-value work. 00:33:08.416 --> 00:33:09.469 High-charge brain state. 00:33:09.469 --> 00:33:22.403 High Charge Brain State your high charge brain state enables your most sophisticated thinking and high impact work, from complex problem solving and creative development to strategic planning. 00:33:22.403 --> 00:33:30.064 This is your brain's premium operating mode, where your unique human capabilities truly shine. 00:33:30.064 --> 00:33:33.586 Unique human capabilities truly shine. 00:33:33.586 --> 00:33:39.602 Our research shows most professionals can only maintain one to two hours of this sophisticated thinking each day. 00:33:39.602 --> 00:33:45.903 The rest gets consumed by interruptions, routine tasks and mental fatigue. 00:33:45.903 --> 00:33:50.842 But here's what makes this moment in history extraordinary. 00:33:50.842 --> 00:33:57.083 While AI can't replicate this premium cognitive work, it can dramatically amplify it. 00:33:57.083 --> 00:34:10.380 Think of it as having an expert consultant instantly available on demand, helping you complete your most challenging and high-impact work in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost. 00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:24.940 Here's a real-world example Producing the audiobook version of this book, a high-charge brain state task, took one person with optimised brain states just three days using AI tools. 00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:36.995 The same task for a previous book of identical length, when AI tools were not available, required two people working for ten days and cost nine times as much. 00:34:36.995 --> 00:34:43.594 That's a 233% increase in speed and a 90% reduction in costs. 00:34:43.594 --> 00:34:48.350 We're seeing similar transformations across many professional fields. 00:34:49.252 --> 00:34:51.297 A quick note about AI tools. 00:34:51.297 --> 00:34:58.420 You might be wondering which specific AI tools we used for examples like this audiobook production. 00:34:58.420 --> 00:35:07.920 However, this book deliberately avoids recommending specific AI tools because they evolve so rapidly. 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:16.291 Tools available at the time of writing might be renamed, replaced or obsolete by the time you listen to this. 00:35:16.291 --> 00:35:33.024 More importantly, the key to success isn't about using any one specific tool, but rather understanding how to optimise your brain states to work effectively with whatever AI tools you choose to explore. 00:35:33.024 --> 00:35:42.812 Ultimately, your journey will involve discovering which tools work best for your unique needs and circumstances. 00:35:43.794 --> 00:35:47.963 The success cycle your four-step AI edge system. 00:35:47.963 --> 00:35:52.823 Achieving the type of result I shared isn't about working harder. 00:35:52.823 --> 00:35:58.641 It's about aligning your brain's natural patterns with AI's capabilities. 00:35:58.641 --> 00:36:02.492 This is where the success cycle transforms everything. 00:36:02.492 --> 00:36:13.181 Just as elite athletes use sophisticated systems to optimize their performance, our four-step system helps you thrive in the AI era. 00:36:13.942 --> 00:36:17.757 Step one measurement your brain state analysis. 00:36:17.757 --> 00:36:24.451 Map your brain's energy patterns to reveal your biggest opportunities for transformation. 00:36:24.451 --> 00:36:28.936 Step two planning your strategic roadmap. 00:36:28.936 --> 00:36:37.226 Match each task to the right type of energy and identify where AI tools can enhance your capabilities. 00:36:37.226 --> 00:36:39.451 Step 3. 00:36:39.451 --> 00:36:42.519 Optimisation your daily rhythm. 00:36:42.519 --> 00:36:56.733 Design, structure your day to maintain peak energy for what matters most professionally and personally energy for what matters most professionally and personally. 00:36:56.733 --> 00:36:56.953 Step 4. 00:36:56.953 --> 00:36:57.817 Automation your excellence engine. 00:36:57.817 --> 00:37:05.253 Develop triggers and systems that make optimal performance automatic, using AI tools to enhance rather than drain your energy. 00:37:05.253 --> 00:37:20.562 The results More quality recharge time, less routine and mundane work and significantly more hours in your peak state, doing the energising, high-impact thinking that makes you feel at your best. 00:37:21.569 --> 00:37:24.539 Sarah's experience shows the power of this system. 00:37:24.539 --> 00:37:33.300 Within weeks of starting the success cycle she shared, I was consistently finishing my most valuable work by early afternoon. 00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:41.952 Ai tools handled routine tasks during my medium charge periods, while I saved my high charge hours for strategic thinking. 00:37:41.952 --> 00:37:47.203 Best of all, I had real energy left for family time in the evenings. 00:37:47.203 --> 00:37:55.303 But creating this transformation starts with understanding something fundamental about how your brain works. 00:37:56.310 --> 00:38:08.594 In the next chapter you'll discover a simple story that helps you to begin controlling these complex patterns the story of your lighthouse brain, chapter 3. 00:38:08.594 --> 00:38:10.569 Your Lighthouse Brain. 00:38:10.569 --> 00:38:13.518 Imagine you have a lighthouse in your brain. 00:38:13.518 --> 00:38:15.951 Two important characters live there. 00:38:15.951 --> 00:38:20.781 The first is Hugh, which stands for Horribly Unhelpful Emotions. 00:38:20.781 --> 00:38:22.871 The second is Wilhelmina. 00:38:22.871 --> 00:38:25.277 Power, or Willpower for short. 00:38:25.277 --> 00:38:29.471 Most importantly, willpower is Hugh's guide and mentor. 00:38:29.471 --> 00:38:32.620 Hugh works in the Lighthouse's control room. 00:38:32.620 --> 00:38:42.295 Think of Hugh using a beam of light from the Lighthouse to constantly scan your thoughts, your feelings and the environment around you. 00:38:43.377 --> 00:38:52.963 Hugh's primary instinct is to spend its time looking for three things First, threats from your past, such as memories of mistakes or regrets. 00:38:52.963 --> 00:38:59.042 Second, threats in the present, meaning any immediate problems or challenges. 00:38:59.042 --> 00:39:06.002 And third, threats in the future, including worst-case scenarios about what might happen. 00:39:06.002 --> 00:39:13.221 But that's not all when there are no obvious threats on the horizon, not all when there are no obvious threats on the horizon. 00:39:13.221 --> 00:39:22.831 Hugh's second instinct is to find easy, new and exciting things that make it feel good. 00:39:22.831 --> 00:39:25.375 Hugh loves doing things and having experiences that give it short-term gratification. 00:39:25.375 --> 00:39:26.918 This isn't a character flaw. 00:39:26.918 --> 00:39:37.443 Hugh's scanning and feel-good seeking behaviours are built-in survival programming that helped humans thrive for hundreds of thousands of years. 00:39:37.443 --> 00:39:50.090 The problem is that in today's volatile, uncertain, complex and AI-augmented world, these same instincts often work against us often work against us. 00:39:50.210 --> 00:40:00.424 Hugh naturally gravitates toward medium-charge brain state tasks, those routine, familiar activities that provide quick satisfaction. 00:40:00.424 --> 00:40:12.541 Answering a simple email, checking off an easy-to-do item or scrolling social media all give Hugh the immediate reward it craves while using minimal energy. 00:40:12.541 --> 00:40:24.120 But high-charge brain state tasks, those complex, creative tasks that create real value, require sustained mental effort without immediate payoff. 00:40:24.120 --> 00:40:33.359 Hugh instinctively resists these activities because they demand energy and don't provide instant gratification. 00:40:33.359 --> 00:40:39.243 When you sit down to write a strategic report or learn a new skill. 00:40:39.243 --> 00:40:45.643 Hugh often tries to redirect your attention to something easier and more immediately rewarding. 00:40:45.643 --> 00:40:48.270 This is where Willpower comes in. 00:40:48.270 --> 00:40:55.594 There's a training room in the lighthouse where willpower spends time learning how to help you fulfil your potential. 00:40:56.777 --> 00:41:04.097 When Hugh notices a problem or gets tempted by short-term gratification, it can call willpower for help. 00:41:04.097 --> 00:41:07.503 Think of it as a mentoring relationship. 00:41:07.503 --> 00:41:10.935 Willpower doesn't just solve problems for Hugh. 00:41:10.935 --> 00:41:18.719 Over time, it teaches Hugh how to automatically respond more helpfully and effectively. 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:24.942 You've already experienced this mentoring relationship in action through the three-to-one reflection. 00:41:24.942 --> 00:41:32.344 This practice is itself a high-charge task that is designed to move you into a recharged brain state. 00:41:32.344 --> 00:41:37.436 It's a high-charge task because it requires focused mental energy. 00:41:37.436 --> 00:41:46.358 When you first try it, hugh might resist, preferring to check emails or scroll social media instead. 00:41:46.358 --> 00:41:56.495 But with Willpower's help, you learn to direct your attention deliberately, building something valuable through sustained mental effort. 00:41:57.757 --> 00:42:04.722 When you completed that exercise, you were actually using Willpower to guide Hugh's spotlight of attention. 00:42:04.722 --> 00:42:15.873 Instead of letting Hugh randomly scan for threats or problems, you deliberately directed that spotlight onto three specific areas. 00:42:15.873 --> 00:42:20.301 First, how well you did your best today, rating yourself out of 10. 00:42:20.301 --> 00:42:27.034 Second, three specific positive or helpful things about your day. 00:42:27.034 --> 00:42:28.335 Third, one clear area for improvement. 00:42:28.335 --> 00:42:46.351 Third, one clear area for improvement Think about your own reaction when reading earlier about AI's impact on sales and marketing, how 2025 could see costs reduced to just 2% of current levels. 00:42:46.371 --> 00:42:47.692 Where did Hue direct your spotlight? 00:42:47.692 --> 00:42:50.335 Did you feel threatened, skeptical? 00:42:50.335 --> 00:43:01.346 Now consider your reaction to the audiobook example, seeing how AI tools helped complete in three days what previously took two people 10 days. 00:43:01.346 --> 00:43:09.473 Did your spotlight focus on opportunity or threat? 00:43:09.493 --> 00:43:15.594 This awareness of where Hugh directs your attention is crucial, but even more important is learning to deliberately redirect that spotlight. 00:43:15.594 --> 00:43:20.803 That's exactly what the three-to-one reflection helps you practice. 00:43:20.803 --> 00:43:23.335 By writing down your thoughts. 00:43:23.335 --> 00:43:26.221 Think of it as going to the gym for your brain. 00:43:26.221 --> 00:43:32.942 You're strengthening Willpower's ability to guide Hugh toward helpful patterns of thinking. 00:43:32.942 --> 00:43:38.222 Like any high-charge task, this skill becomes easier with practice. 00:43:38.222 --> 00:43:48.704 What starts as a challenging task gradually becomes more natural as willpower helps Hugh develop new patterns of thinking. 00:43:48.704 --> 00:43:54.362 This deliberate redirection of attention creates a powerful transformation. 00:43:54.362 --> 00:44:00.567 When willpower can do its job properly, your Hugh becomes calmer and more balanced. 00:44:00.567 --> 00:44:13.181 This makes everything easier, from building good habits around sleep and exercise to staying focused at work and generally being at your best across all areas of your life. 00:44:13.181 --> 00:44:16.995 As we like to say calmer you, better you. 00:44:18.398 --> 00:44:23.094 But here's the challenge many of us struggle with in the rapidly changing AI era. 00:44:23.094 --> 00:44:32.601 Our modern world presents unprecedented challenges that can overwhelm this delicate balance and put Hugh on constant alert. 00:44:32.601 --> 00:44:37.161 For example, there are four key challenges we face. 00:44:37.161 --> 00:44:41.800 First, constant connectivity makes it hard to switch off. 00:44:41.800 --> 00:44:46.480 Second, social media triggers endless comparison. 00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:51.760 Third, ai tools promise productivity but create new pressures. 00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:55.529 Third, ai tools promise productivity but create new pressures. 00:44:55.529 --> 00:44:58.672 Fourth, notifications from devices fragment our attention. 00:44:58.672 --> 00:45:01.614 But understanding these challenges is just the first step. 00:45:01.614 --> 00:45:16.698 In the next chapter, you'll discover something remarkable about how these pressures affect your brain's energy system and, more importantly, how to protect and optimize it in our AI-augmented world. 00:45:16.698 --> 00:45:27.243 If you're curious about the deeper neuroscience behind how your brain processes these challenges, you'll find detailed explanations in Appendix A. 00:45:27.243 --> 00:45:39.437 But for now, let's focus on something more urgent understanding and managing your brain's energy system in ways that transform how you work and live. 00:45:40.018 --> 00:45:42.803 Chapter four your brain's power modes. 00:45:42.803 --> 00:45:53.400 Your lighthouse brain faces modern challenges that go beyond just disrupting hue, your horribly unhelpful emotions and willpower's relationship. 00:45:53.400 --> 00:45:58.078 In fact, they drain the very energy source that powers your entire system. 00:45:58.078 --> 00:46:00.550 Let me explain how this works. 00:46:00.550 --> 00:46:05.962 To understand how this system works, we need to understand something fascinating. 00:46:05.962 --> 00:46:12.102 Your brain is like a rechargeable battery that has three distinct power modes. 00:46:12.102 --> 00:46:27.062 A solar-powered lighthouse and yes, they are a thing powered by a rechargeable battery provides a perfect metaphor for understanding how these brain power modes work throughout your 24-hour cycle. 00:46:27.062 --> 00:46:40.022 During daylight hours, a solar-powered lighthouse runs on low power just enough to keep essential systems running while it recharges its batteries through solar panels. 00:46:40.022 --> 00:46:50.126 As dusk approaches, it increases to medium power, running low-level lights that help ships see the lighthouse structure itself. 00:46:50.126 --> 00:46:59.935 Then, in darkness, when ships need it most, it operates at full power, sending its bright beam far across the waters. 00:47:01.029 --> 00:47:03.937 Your brain works in remarkably similar ways. 00:47:03.937 --> 00:47:19.835 Just as the lighthouse cycles through three different power modes, each perfectly matched to the demands in any given day, your brain also cycles through three distinct power modes to function effectively. 00:47:19.835 --> 00:47:27.114 First, there is the recharged brain state, when your brain needs essential recovery and maintenance. 00:47:27.114 --> 00:47:34.277 Second, the medium-charged brain state, when your brain handles routine tasks efficiently. 00:47:34.277 --> 00:47:36.243 And third, the high-charged brain state, when your brain handles routine tasks efficiently. 00:47:36.243 --> 00:47:45.600 And third, the high-charge brain state, when your brain performs its most sophisticated thinking and allows you to tackle demanding tasks. 00:47:45.600 --> 00:48:07.471 Understanding these three modes gives you a unique advantage in today's workplace, while others struggle to adapt to AI tools, you'll know exactly how to match your brain's natural rhythms to different types of work and also reset your brain's rhythms to work better for you. 00:48:07.471 --> 00:48:18.186 This knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable as organisations seek ways to optimise human AI collaboration. 00:48:18.186 --> 00:48:25.282 Now that you understand your brain's three power modes, let's look at what affects them. 00:48:26.326 --> 00:48:35.980 Just as a lighthouse needs proper maintenance of its power system, your brain relies on four key energy sources In your day-to-day life. 00:48:35.980 --> 00:48:40.565 Four key sources either charge or drain your brain battery. 00:48:40.565 --> 00:48:46.326 First, there is sleep the equivalent of direct sunlight for your brain's battery. 00:48:46.326 --> 00:48:52.960 Quality sleep recharges your system, allowing willpower to guide hue effectively. 00:48:52.960 --> 00:49:01.315 Second is brain-friendly nutrition, the special fuel that keeps your brain's battery running throughout the day. 00:49:01.315 --> 00:49:11.357 When stressed, many people reach for brain-unfriendly energy fixes like sugary snacks, excess caffeine and highly processed foods. 00:49:11.357 --> 00:49:19.911 These give brief energy spikes but lead to deeper crashes, making it even harder for willpower to mentor Hugh. 00:49:19.911 --> 00:49:27.751 Third comes movement, particularly walking, which acts like a supercharger for your brain's battery. 00:49:27.751 --> 00:49:38.454 Being stuck at a desk juggling multiple tasks drains your battery further and also makes it more difficult to get quality sleep each night. 00:49:38.454 --> 00:49:47.197 Finally, there are relationships the social connections that can either energize your battery or deplete it. 00:49:47.197 --> 00:49:58.523 Constant comparison on social media, lack of time to socialize and strained relationships turn potential energy sources into energy drains. 00:49:59.491 --> 00:50:01.917 When your battery is low, several things happen. 00:50:01.917 --> 00:50:09.436 First, hugh's threat scanning beam becomes erratic and goes into overdrive, seeing dangers everywhere. 00:50:09.436 --> 00:50:14.929 Second, Willpower lacks energy and struggles to maintain its mentoring role. 00:50:14.929 --> 00:50:19.167 Third, their relationship becomes Second willpower lacks energy and struggles to maintain its mentoring role. 00:50:19.167 --> 00:50:22.373 Third, their relationship becomes strained instead of supportive. 00:50:22.373 --> 00:50:26.859 And fourth, the whole system starts operating in survival mode. 00:50:26.859 --> 00:50:29.803 This creates a downward spiral. 00:50:29.803 --> 00:50:39.076 The lower your battery gets, the harder it becomes to make good decisions about sleep. 00:50:39.076 --> 00:50:46.638 The more you crave unhealthy foods, the less you feel like moving and the less energy you have to build and maintain nurturing relationships. 00:50:46.638 --> 00:50:50.678 But here's the good news you don't need to fix everything at once. 00:50:50.678 --> 00:50:59.684 You just need to understand how your lighthouse brain works and start making small changes to protect and optimise your brain battery. 00:50:59.684 --> 00:51:08.281 In the next chapter, you'll discover a remarkable system for getting your lighthouse brain working at its best. 00:51:08.281 --> 00:51:14.542 Let's keep moving on your journey to thriving in the AI era. 00:51:15.049 --> 00:51:15.733 Chapter 5. 00:51:15.733 --> 00:51:17.240 The Success Cycle. 00:51:17.240 --> 00:51:32.473 Now that you understand your lighthouse brain and how willpower helps guide you, your horribly unhelpful emotions, let's discover the remarkable system you can use to optimize your brain states and create lasting transformation. 00:51:32.473 --> 00:51:36.184 This system is called the Success Cycle. 00:51:36.184 --> 00:51:42.482 It helps Willpower and its three specialist assistants manage your brain states effectively. 00:51:42.482 --> 00:51:48.574 I'll use Sarah's story to help you understand how to use it in your own life. 00:51:50.076 --> 00:51:54.823 Six months ago, sarah was struggling to maintain optimal brain states. 00:51:54.823 --> 00:52:00.471 Three new AI systems competed for her attention. 00:52:00.471 --> 00:52:03.293 Notifications constantly interrupted her focus. 00:52:03.293 --> 00:52:07.818 Despite working longer hours, she felt less productive than ever. 00:52:07.818 --> 00:52:13.404 Most concerning, she had no energy left for family or personal time. 00:52:13.404 --> 00:52:27.916 By day's end, her hue was constantly scanning for threats and seeking quick gratification, draining her battery brain and making it impossible to maintain the high charge state she needed for important work. 00:52:27.916 --> 00:52:38.322 Then she discovered the success cycle, a four-step system that helps willpower optimize your brain states throughout each day. 00:52:38.322 --> 00:52:43.859 Willpower uses three specialist assistants to implement this system. 00:52:44.600 --> 00:52:45.829 Let me introduce them to you. 00:52:45.829 --> 00:53:00.331 First, there is the task director, who helps identify which brain state each task requires, which brain state each task requires. 00:53:00.331 --> 00:53:03.239 Second, we have the day designer, who creates schedules that recognise and take account of these different states. 00:53:03.239 --> 00:53:09.636 And third, there is the routine engineer, who makes maintaining optimal brain states automatic. 00:53:09.636 --> 00:53:14.492 The success cycle works through four powerful steps. 00:53:14.492 --> 00:53:16.958 Let me walk you through each one. 00:53:16.958 --> 00:53:19.173 First comes measurement. 00:53:19.173 --> 00:53:29.940 Just as a doctor needs to understand your vital signs before creating a treatment plan, we begin by measuring your brain's current performance patterns. 00:53:29.940 --> 00:53:35.018 This reveals exactly where you're starting from and what needs to change. 00:53:35.018 --> 00:53:41.377 Next is planning, where the task director creates your success blueprint. 00:53:41.377 --> 00:53:54.240 This step identifies which activities need your premium thinking power and which can be enhanced by AI tools, ensuring every task gets the right type of energy. 00:53:54.240 --> 00:54:02.341 Third comes optimisation, where the day designer crafts your perfect 24-hour rhythm. 00:54:02.341 --> 00:54:05.097 This isn't just about work hours. 00:54:05.097 --> 00:54:12.442 It's about aligning every part of your day to build and protect your brain's energy for peak performance. 00:54:12.442 --> 00:54:23.500 Finally, there's automation, where the routine engineer makes excellence an automatic process Instead of relying on willpower. 00:54:23.500 --> 00:54:33.519 You develop triggers and systems that naturally guide you toward optimal performance, including strategic use of AI tools. 00:54:33.519 --> 00:54:35.903 Then you repeat the process. 00:54:35.903 --> 00:54:40.679 The rest of this book will show you how to achieve this, step by step. 00:54:40.679 --> 00:54:55.831 As you master these steps, you'll naturally begin seeing opportunities to help others optimise their own brain states, just as Sarah discovered when her colleagues noticed her transformation. 00:54:55.831 --> 00:54:59.461 Each time you move through these steps, your performance improves. 00:54:59.461 --> 00:55:12.159 Measurement reveals new opportunities, planning refines your approach, optimization enhances your rhythms and automation makes improvements permanent. 00:55:12.159 --> 00:55:17.951 This creates a continuous cycle of transformation that helps you thrive in the AI era. 00:55:18.513 --> 00:55:21.761 Chapter six the success cycle in action. 00:55:21.761 --> 00:55:31.803 Now that you understand the four steps of the success cycle, let's see exactly how Sarah uses this system to optimize her brain state. 00:55:31.803 --> 00:55:38.510 Her journey shows how each step builds on the one before to create lasting transformation. 00:55:38.510 --> 00:55:41.135 Step one measurement. 00:55:41.135 --> 00:55:46.164 Getting that initial score was eye-opening, sarah remembered. 00:55:46.164 --> 00:55:48.292 It wasn't about judgment. 00:55:48.292 --> 00:55:52.420 It was about finally understanding what I was dealing with. 00:55:52.420 --> 00:56:00.856 Once I had that measurement, I could use willpower and the specialist team to begin optimising my brain state. 00:56:02.440 --> 00:56:05.164 Step two planning with the task director. 00:56:05.164 --> 00:56:10.858 Sarah knew she needed a new approach to managing her work with AI tools. 00:56:10.858 --> 00:56:20.823 By engaging the task director's unique perspective, she began creating a complete inventory of everything requiring her energy. 00:56:20.823 --> 00:56:24.920 This process led to a surprising breakthrough. 00:56:24.920 --> 00:56:28.699 I had this moment that changed everything Sarah shared. 00:56:28.699 --> 00:56:39.620 I was listing my tasks, expecting to focus on managing AI tools and work projects, but by working with the task director, I discovered a deeper truth. 00:56:39.620 --> 00:56:54.936 Every activity requiring my energy from strategic planning to quality sleep, from learning new technologies to maintaining relationships was actually a task needing a specific type of brainpower. 00:56:54.936 --> 00:57:00.746 This wasn't just about time management anymore was actually a task needing a specific type of brain power. 00:57:00.746 --> 00:57:02.149 This wasn't just about time management anymore. 00:57:02.149 --> 00:57:04.632 I could now see how to optimise my energy for each task. 00:57:04.652 --> 00:57:05.292 Step 3. 00:57:05.292 --> 00:57:08.177 Optimisation with the day designer. 00:57:08.177 --> 00:57:18.731 Armed with this new understanding of her tasks, sarah turned to the day designer to craft schedules that would respect her brain's natural rhythms. 00:57:18.731 --> 00:57:26.111 She discovered something profound about energy management that most productivity systems miss. 00:57:26.111 --> 00:57:32.364 Every hour of her 24-hour cycle either built or depleted her brain energy. 00:57:32.364 --> 00:57:37.821 What she did at 9pm directly affected her performance at 9am. 00:57:37.821 --> 00:57:41.919 Her Sunday choices shaped her Monday capacity. 00:57:41.919 --> 00:57:45.980 This changed everything about how I approached my schedule. 00:57:45.980 --> 00:57:56.323 Sarah explained I could see how my evening Netflix binges were disrupting my sleep, leaving my brain foggy for strategic work the next morning. 00:57:56.323 --> 00:58:05.132 My habit of catching up on emails before bed was activating stress responses that made quality rest impossible. 00:58:05.132 --> 00:58:11.893 Even my weekend pattern of sleeping late was throwing off my brain's natural energy cycle. 00:58:11.893 --> 00:58:20.972 By treating her entire 24-hour day as an integrated energy system, sarah completely reshaped her approach. 00:58:20.972 --> 00:58:25.842 She designed evening routines to build energy for the next morning. 00:58:25.842 --> 00:58:36.963 She scheduled AI tools strategically, not just to handle routine tasks but to reduce cognitive load when her brain needed to recharge. 00:58:36.963 --> 00:58:47.552 She even positioned family time to enhance rather than drain her energy, creating natural transitions between work and rest. 00:58:48.893 --> 00:58:53.039 Step four automation with the routine engineer. 00:58:53.039 --> 00:59:02.859 With clear understanding of her tasks and optimal scheduling, sarah worked with the routine engineer to make these improvements automatic. 00:59:02.859 --> 00:59:04.844 This step was crucial. 00:59:04.844 --> 00:59:09.804 She shared Understanding task energy, and ideal scheduling wasn't enough. 00:59:09.804 --> 00:59:15.384 I needed to create systems that would make optimal performance automatic. 00:59:15.384 --> 00:59:23.042 I used the routine engineer to develop triggers and routines that protected my brain power throughout the day. 00:59:23.042 --> 00:59:28.560 My phone automatically goes into focus mode during important work. 00:59:28.560 --> 00:59:34.474 Ai tools activate during specific periods to handle routine tasks. 00:59:34.474 --> 00:59:39.832 Even my evening routine now naturally guides me toward quality sleep. 00:59:41.074 --> 00:59:47.810 The results by actively using the success cycle, sarah transformed every aspect of her life. 00:59:47.810 --> 00:59:53.500 She now consistently completes her most valuable work by early afternoon. 00:59:53.500 --> 00:59:58.913 She has energy for evening walks with her husband and helping her kids with homework. 00:59:58.913 --> 01:00:03.790 She's even started writing the novel she'd been dreaming about for years. 01:00:03.790 --> 01:00:07.076 But something unexpected happened. 01:00:07.076 --> 01:00:15.440 As she mastered the system, sarah discovered she had become her own human AI optimisation coach. 01:00:15.440 --> 01:00:23.962 She wasn't just using AI tools, she was strategically integrating them into her brain's natural rhythms. 01:00:23.962 --> 01:00:31.871 Her team noticed the difference and soon she was helping them apply the same principles Even at home. 01:00:31.871 --> 01:00:37.599 She found herself coaching her teenage son to use these ideas for his studying. 01:00:37.599 --> 01:00:45.743 What surprised me most, sarah added, was discovering how many people needed this kind of guidance. 01:00:46.770 --> 01:01:01.701 As AI transforms more workplaces, the ability to optimise human performance alongside technology becomes increasingly valuable, both for your own success and as a way to help others thrive. 01:01:01.701 --> 01:01:05.579 This isn't just one person's success story. 01:01:05.579 --> 01:01:15.259 Through our work with thousands of professionals, we've proven these brain optimisation principles create remarkable performance improvements. 01:01:15.259 --> 01:01:25.523 Now, as professionals combine these proven principles with new AI tools, we're seeing even more extraordinary results. 01:01:25.523 --> 01:01:28.694 It's not about becoming a technology expert. 01:01:28.694 --> 01:01:41.255 It's about understanding how your brain actually works and aligning that knowledge with AI tools in ways that make unprecedented performance levels possible. 01:01:41.255 --> 01:01:52.323 But before we begin measuring your brain states, let's understand something crucial about why this transformation matters so much. 01:01:52.323 --> 01:02:00.493 In the next chapter, you'll discover how optimising your brain states doesn't just make you more productive. 01:02:00.493 --> 01:02:05.583 It's actually the key to lasting happiness in the AI era. 01:02:05.583 --> 01:02:16.661 Then you'll learn about the same measurement tool that launched Sarah's transformation, helping you begin your own journey to sustained success. 01:02:17.289 --> 01:02:18.072 Chapter 7. 01:02:18.534 --> 01:02:19.618 The Happiness Equation. 01:02:19.618 --> 01:02:26.003 Sarah studied her phone, scrolling through another batch of notifications. 01:02:26.003 --> 01:02:34.393 I felt busy all the time, she recalled later, but somehow I never felt like I was actually moving forward. 01:02:34.393 --> 01:02:35.978 Something was missing. 01:02:35.978 --> 01:02:45.201 What Sarah discovered and what you'll learn in this chapter is that true happiness comes from a delicate balance. 01:02:45.201 --> 01:02:59.780 While part of happiness comes from pleasure and feeling good in the moment, the deeper and more lasting part comes from making meaningful progress in your life, from growing, learning and developing yourself. 01:03:00.751 --> 01:03:06.239 But here's the challenge of our modern world, hugh your horribly unhelpful emotions. 01:03:06.239 --> 01:03:15.001 That's the part of your lighthouse brain, constantly scanning for threats and seeking quick gratification, can become addicted to busyness. 01:03:15.001 --> 01:03:29.356 The constant notifications, endless emails and stream of digital distractions keep you occupied but prevent you from entering the high-charge brain states where real growth happens. 01:03:29.356 --> 01:03:32.318 This creates a troubling cycle. 01:03:32.318 --> 01:03:49.079 Remember how your brain, like a lighthouse, operates in three distinct states High charge periods for your most sophisticated thinking work, medium charge periods for routine tasks and essential recharge periods for recovery. 01:03:49.079 --> 01:04:11.283 The more time we spend responding to immediate demands and seeking quick pleasures, the less time we spend in those crucial high-charge states where we do the kind of work that creates real progress the strategic thinking, creative development and focused learning that make us feel truly satisfied. 01:04:11.283 --> 01:04:20.824 Even worse, this constant state of busyness prevents us from getting the deep recharge our brains desperately need. 01:04:20.824 --> 01:04:34.000 Poor sleep, rushed breaks and fragmented downtime mean we're not just missing opportunities for high-charge work, we're actually making it harder to access those states at all. 01:04:34.000 --> 01:04:43.954 Making it harder to access those states at all, we end up trapped in medium charge, handling endless routine tasks, without the energy for either proper recovery or meaningful progress. 01:04:44.777 --> 01:04:48.652 The promise of the AI era is that we can break this cycle. 01:04:48.652 --> 01:05:00.393 By using AI tools strategically to handle routine tasks and reduce cognitive load, we can create a better balance across all three brain states. 01:05:00.393 --> 01:05:03.640 Ai doesn't just help with medium charge work. 01:05:03.640 --> 01:05:08.515 It creates space for both proper recharge and high impact thinking. 01:05:08.515 --> 01:05:13.652 This three-part balance is actually the key to lasting happiness. 01:05:13.652 --> 01:05:22.677 First, we need strong foundations quality sleep, good nutrition, regular exercise and positive relationships. 01:05:22.677 --> 01:05:31.542 By helping us complete our work more efficiently and effectively, ai tools protect these foundations in several ways. 01:05:31.542 --> 01:05:45.492 They reduce the need for late-night work sessions that disrupt sleep, help us finish important tasks during normal working hours and create clearer boundaries between professional and personal time. 01:05:45.492 --> 01:05:57.962 This means we can maintain consistent sleep and exercise routines, spend quality time nurturing our relationships and properly switch off at the end of each day. 01:05:59.129 --> 01:06:11.800 Second, we need some medium-charge activities that satisfy what psychologists call our hedonic needs, our natural desire for pleasure and immediate gratification. 01:06:11.800 --> 01:06:19.312 These include both necessary routine tasks and simple enjoyments that help us feel good in the moment. 01:06:19.312 --> 01:06:35.572 The challenge is that Hugh can become addicted to these quick rewards, leading us to spend too much time scrolling social media or handling minor tasks, at the expense of both recharge and high-charge activities. 01:06:35.572 --> 01:06:39.215 This is where AI becomes transformative. 01:06:39.215 --> 01:06:50.266 By efficiently handling routine work like email management and basic research, ai tools free us from Hugh's addiction to busyness. 01:06:50.266 --> 01:07:02.741 We can then consciously choose when to enjoy pleasurable activities rather than being driven by them, creating space for both productive work and genuine relaxation. 01:07:02.741 --> 01:07:06.375 It's not about eliminating hedonic pleasure. 01:07:06.375 --> 01:07:09.822 It's about putting it in its proper place. 01:07:09.822 --> 01:07:25.042 Finally, we need regular access to high-charge states where we do what psychologists call eudaimonic work, the kind of meaningful activity that makes us feel we're growing and moving forward. 01:07:25.042 --> 01:07:31.002 This includes strategic thinking, creative development and focused learning. 01:07:31.002 --> 01:07:40.323 Ai not only creates more time for this work, but can enhance our capabilities during these premium thinking periods. 01:07:41.476 --> 01:07:49.969 Looking back now, sarah reflected, I can see how understanding this balance fundamentally changed my relationship with technology. 01:07:49.969 --> 01:07:57.969 Instead of letting AI tools add to my stress, I learned to use them intentionally to protect my energy. 01:07:57.969 --> 01:08:04.002 I had better focus for deep work, real presence with my family and proper rest. 01:08:04.002 --> 01:08:06.273 I wasn't just busy anymore. 01:08:06.273 --> 01:08:09.701 I was growing and actually enjoying my life. 01:08:09.701 --> 01:08:19.244 Understanding this balance is crucial because it reveals something profound about happiness in the AI era. 01:08:19.244 --> 01:08:23.239 It's not just about using technology to get more done. 01:08:23.239 --> 01:08:37.248 It's about using it strategically to create the right mix of recharge, routine work and meaningful progress that leads to lasting satisfaction a meaningful progress that leads to lasting satisfaction. 01:08:37.248 --> 01:08:42.182 In the next chapter, you'll discover exactly where you are in this balance through the brain state assessment. 01:08:42.182 --> 01:08:44.578 This isn't about judgment. 01:08:44.578 --> 01:08:54.920 It's about understanding your starting point so you can begin optimizing your own path to sustained happiness and success in the AI era.