Most people who make New Year's resolutions fail before February. But what if we told you that success isn't about willpower or motivation—it's about understanding how habits actually form?

In this episode, Alex and Moah break down (and argue about) the science behind New Year's resolutions, from ancient Babylonian festivals to modern Stanford research. Discover why Benjamin Franklin's centuries-old method still works, why"it takes 21 days to build a habit” myth is dead wrong, and the five-step framework that converts good intentions into lasting change.

Links from the show!

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: https://tinyhabits.com/

How to Change by Katy Milkman https://www.katymilkman.com/book

Habits take 66 days, not 21 days https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674

Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7725288/

What are Americans’ New Year’s resolutions for 2025? https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/51144-what-are-americans-new-years-resolutions-for-2025

Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com

Is AI capable of revolutionizing your workflow? This episode examines what the technology is capable of doing and what still feels frustrating. From radically faster resume screening and meeting prep automation, to saving hours on research and making sense of dense docs, Alex and Moah reveal some “easy win” strategies that can start saving you time today. They also explore the jagged edges where AI still stumbles, helping you avoid some frustration.

Discover how built-in tools like Gemini and Copilot can instantly boost your team’s efficiency without any technical integrations. Hear candid talk on what automation can (and can’t) replace, differences in payoffs for seasoned vs. new employees, and practical prompts to ensure quality results. AI has improved significantly since ChatGPT was first introduced, so if you were let down by it before, now is a great time to give it another shot.

Links from the show!

MIT Productivity Study with ChatGPT https://economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Noy_Zhang_1.pdf

AI usage experiment with Customer Support https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658

Jagged Frontier Experiment by Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/24-013_d9b45b68-9e74-42d6-a1c6-c72fb70c7282.pdf

Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com

Which world famous masterpiece took its creator 16 years and still wasn’t finished? Yet it’s the one painting everyone has heard of. What’s worse, the painter died before the public ever saw his most famous piece. He was a perfectionist, and in this episode, Alex and Moah will explore the challenge so many face, from artists to authors to even themselves: completing a project you’ve started.

You’ll discover the three major barriers to calling a project “done,” why perfectionism is so hard to beat, how to harness the power of deadlines and accountability, and clever strategies to make the tedious “last 10%” manageable (and maybe even fun). Alex and Moah also attack the all-too-common problem of scope creep with practical tips you can implement with your team or on your own.

Tune in to transform your unfinished projects into completed victories, and finally experience the sweet satisfaction of “done.” Tune in to pick up powerful tools, principles rooted in psychology, and that final push you’ve been looking for.

Links from the show!

Small area hypothesis https://ideas.repec.org/a/oup/jconrs/doi10.1086-663827.html

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/how-to-turn-the-bureaucratic-grind-of-life-into-a-party-7205f690

Study of how NASA scientists stay motivated when mission times are forever https://news.virginia.edu/content/research-reveals-keys-sustaining-long-term-motivation

How to run a forcing party, from Tyler Alterman https://x.com/TylerAlterman/status/1947291319774159251

Admin Night - Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/how-to-turn-the-bureaucratic-grind-of-life-into-a-party-7205f690

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com

Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com