ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Time is the one thing none of us have enough of — and yet it doesn't technically exist. So how do you use it well?
In this episode, NLP Master Trainer and Ericksonian coach Doug O'Brien explores the fascinating psychology of time — from astronauts orbiting the moon to a coal miner with a watch that changed everything — and lands on one of the most practical productivity insights he's ever shared: there is nothing as inspirational as a deadline.
You'll hear the story of the day a young Doug O'Brien sat in the front row of a composers' conference and asked Aaron Copland what inspired Appalachian Spring. The answer had nothing to do with nature walks or artistic reverie — and everything to do with Martha Graham, 200 dollars, and next Thursday.
You'll also go inside Henrik Ibsen's writing room in Oslo — with its grandfather clock, its mahogany desk, and a six-foot portrait of his mortal enemy hanging on the wall — and discover how one of history's greatest playwrights used resentment, routine, and a very deliberate stopping point to produce masterwork after masterwork.
0:00 It's about time we talked about time0:36 Why time seems to speed up as we age 1:06 Einstein, Erickson, and the relativity of a minute 1:36 Death as an advisor — Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan 2:32 What the Artemis astronauts taught us about time 3:02 Time is a measurement of change 3:31 Sundials, sand timers, and how we invented the clock 5:41 The coal mine story: time perception and survival 6:48 How time zones were invented by a random clerk in St. Louis 10:43 Using time wisely — the real goal 11:13 Aaron Copland and the phone call that changed everything 13:07 The question I asked Copland in the front row 14:37 "Nothing is as inspirational as a deadline" 15:51 Tax day and the scramble it creates every year 16:49 The kitchen timer: Doug's simplest productivity tool 18:47 How a student with 10 minutes invented a system 19:46 Setting the timer: one task, no distractions 21:12 Moving toward vs. moving away — what motivates you? 22:12 The propulsion system: using both at once 22:41 Henrik Ibsen's writing room in Oslo 24:00 Why Ibsen kept a portrait of his enemy at his desk 25:29 Ibsen's daily routine: 9am sharp, pen down at 11:30 26:38 Stopping mid-sentence — the trick that kept him going 27:09 Hemingway's bridge to the writing room 28:20 Where the EASE Method comes from
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