Microsoft's annual Future of Work report is out, and it's packed with surprising findings about how AI is reshaping the way we work. But here's the thing: the report is mostly good news wrapped in some genuinely unsettling data.

In this episode, Alex and Moah dig into the 2025 report and address some uncomfortable questions: Is AI already better than doctors? What happens to your skills when AI does your job? And why are we having more meetings than ever, not fewer?

You'll learn the paradoxes of AI and the situations where a shortcut can become a time suck, why meetings are exploding and the counterintuitive data on pandemic work habits and what's changed, and practical tips for staying sharp so you engage cognitively alongside AI and maintain your edge.

This isn't another "AI will replace your job" panic episode. It's a thoughtful exploration of what the data actually says, where the hype ends, and what you should actually do about it.

Links from the show!

Microsoft’s 2025 New Future of Work Report https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/New-Future-Of-Work-Report-2025.pdf

Procter & Gamble Study: AI-human teaming https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3613904.3642414

AI performed better than doctors https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39466245/

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Today isn’t just any Friday, it’s Quitter’s Friday, the day when more people abandon their New Year's resolutions than any other day of the year. Only 18% of people report success with their resolutions by year-end, but what separates the successful few from everyone else isn't simply willpower.

This episode explores the psychology behind why resolutions fail so frequently and which research-backed methods actually work for building habits. You'll discover the "What the Hell Effect" and learn the pitfalls of all-or-nothing streak-style goals, where most reminder apps fall short, and the surprising role sleep plays in building lasting habits.

Whether you've already fallen off the wagon or you’ve maintained your resolution (for now), this episode arms you with tools to plot your own Quitter’s Comeback. Because day 9 of 365 is too soon to give up for good.

Links from the show!

Quitter's Day research data from Strava https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html

Herman & Mack’s milkshake study (What the Hell Effect) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1975.tb00727.x

How sleep affects habit formation https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10374463/

Reminders should help you remember your trigger, not act as the trigger itself https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/71165330/Investigating_the_Impact_IWC_2019_Final.pdf

Schedule text messages from your Gmail (it seems some carriers have shut these down, your results may vary!) https://blog.boomerangapp.com/2011/06/schedule-text-messages-from-your-gmail/

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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

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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

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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

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What makes a company offsite productive and not just another expensive mini-vacation with name tags? In this episode of Less Busy Lab, Moah and Alex pull back the curtain on more than a decade of running offsites and hackathons for their now remote team.

From a castle in Mill Valley with more Greco-Roman statues than employees to a bioluminescent kayaking adventure, they share real stories of what went right, what went wrong, and the research-backed reasons offsites make teams more creative, connected, and collaborative.

You’ll hear why brainstorming after lunch is scientifically smarter, how silly icebreakers (like “Your plane crash-landed on a desert island. What would you pack?”) build psychological safety, and how offsites can increase collaboration by over 20%. Plus, learn their practical hacks for planning a great retreat, like why natural light matters and how to verify Airbnb Wi-Fi before you arrive.

Whether you’re organizing your first team retreat or wondering if you should attend an optional off-site, this episode will leave you with fresh ideas, science-based takeaways, and at least make it something you don’t dread.

Links from the show!

Babson/Dartmouth study: attendees received ~23.5% more new incoming collaboration ties after an offsite than non‑attendees https://faculty.tuck.dartmouth.edu/images/uploads/faculty/adam-kleinbaum/RewiringTheOrgNetwork.pdf

Microsoft’s 61,000‑employee study on collaboration time https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-effects-of-remote-work-on-collaboration-among-information-workers/

Organizations now average 2.6 offsite events annually: Emburse https://www.emburse.com/resources/the-state-of-corporate-offsites-2025

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What does email apnea, Slack culture, and flow state protection have in common? They’re all part of how our digital communication habits have shifted since the pandemic—and how those shifts are reshaping productivity.

In this episode, Moah and Alex unpack what’s changed about email, chat, and meetings in the past five years. From the days of “batching email twice a day” to today’s blurred boundaries of hybrid work, they dig into surprising research on responsiveness, burnout, and the hidden costs of interruptions.

You’ll hear stories from their own remote team and insights from studies out of Microsoft and the University of Mannheim. Along the way, they explore how to balance synchronicity with deep work, why self-interruptions might be less harmful than external ones, and practical ways to protect your off-hours while staying connected to your team.

Tune in for practical tips, surprising science, and the kind of candid conversation that will help you get more done while feeling less busy.

Links from the show!

Media Synchronicity Theory — Multilingual Virtual Teams https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331209896_Language_Proficiency_and_Media_Synchronicity_Theory_The_Impact_of_Media_Capabilities_on_Satisfaction_and_Inclusion_in_Multilingual_Virtual_Teams

Email apnea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_apnea

Positive feelings when we're more responsive https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.2239

Email patterns and self-interruption https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2858036.2858262

Microsoft research on interruptions at work https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Modeling-Opportune-Moments-for-Transitions-and-Breaks-at-Work.pdf

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Back from vacation and drowning in emails, Slack threads, and jet lag? You’re not alone—87% of people dread re-entry, even though only 12% dislike their jobs.

In this episode, Moah and Alex explain why post-vacation blues hit so hard, from dopamine drops and major context switches to real jet lag, and share their re-entry playbook: pre-trip handoff notes, a tidy desk, staggered Boomerang returns, and AI-powered catch-up. Vacations also reset more than your calendar. They reset your brain, creating temporal landmarks that make it easier to restart good routines, drop bad ones, or launch new habits that actually stick.

From employees refilling their energy to managers preventing burnout and founders shaping vacation policy, you’ll learn why taking time off is one of the most productive choices you can make.

You will be ready to return from your next vacations sharper, steadier, and more effective than before with the tips and tricks learned from this episode.

Links from the show!

Only 12% of people hate their jobs! https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/12/10/job-satisfaction/

Harris Poll for Zapier: https://zapier.com/blog/time-off-report-part-2/

The Fresh Start Effect: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-43171-006

Ernst & Young study: https://www.healthnet.com/portal/home/content/iwc/home/articles/health_benefits_of_vacations.action

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