James Hewitt’s Post

People would like to avoid >30% of the meeting invites they receive. But they don’t. Why? We spend a huge amount of our time in meetings. We’d often like to click ‘decline’ when those invitations arrive. However, ‘organizational norms’ make us more likely to accept. No wonder 64% of people struggle to find time and energy to get their work done. It might be time for a 'meeting purge'. Two global technology companies did an experiment. They streamlined their meeting calendars by following four steps: 1️⃣ ASSESS: Identify low-value recurring meetings. 2️⃣ ELIMINATE: Remove low-value meetings. 3️⃣ REDUCE: Move weekly meetings to fortnightly or monthly. 4️⃣ SHORTEN: Convert 30-minute meetings to 15 minutes. 💡This simple process saved 11 hours per employee per month. Who knows, perhaps we could invest that saved time in improving our wellbeing? What’s more, it’s estimated that the annual cost savings from cutting unproductive meetings could be worth USD$100 million annually for organisations with 5000 employees. ❓Have you got any top tips for reducing time in meetings? #wellbeing #performance #leadership ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

How accurately can a wearable device measure sleep stages? During sleep, we cycle through two phases: rapid eye movement (REM) & nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM is further divided into N1, N2, & N3, with each stage leading to progressively deeper sleep. Each sleep phase & stage features variations in muscle tone, brain wave patterns, & eye movements. Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for assessing time spent in these stages, as it can measure these variations. Many wearable devices also include features which try to estimate time in sleep stages. But how accurate are they? A recent study aimed to answer this question by reviewing 35 studies featuring 62 devices (PMID: 38499793). On average, the devices could measure whether the user was asleep or awake with ~87% accuracy. But the performance was much worse for sleep staging: • Average accuracy for 3-stage classification (Awake/NREM/REM) was 70% • For 4-stage classification (Awake/Light/Deep/REM), this dropped to 65%. Also, 80% of companies did not reveal how sleep stages were estimated. The application? I would be cautious about making decisions or evaluating changes based on wearable sleep staging data. ❓Have you noticed any upsides, downsides, or other observations associated with wearable sleep staging? #sleep #wellbeing #performance ------ I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance. Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

What is the best time of day to exercise according to science? The answer might surprise you. Social media is full of gurus telling us about the optimal time for exercise. 5 AM seems to be a particularly popular recommendation. However, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, including 26 studies, offers an alternative perspective (PMID: 37208462). The researchers examined evidence related to the hypothesis that exercising at a particular time of day could offer benefits for: • Performance • Body measurements • Cardiovascular health • Cardiometabolic health Perhaps surprisingly, they found little evidence for or against the hypothesis. More research is required to explore the effect of exercise timing in more detail. For example, most studies investigated healthy young adults. Also, where chronotype was assessed, more than three-quarters of participants were intermediate chronotypes. Consequently, future studies could explore the effects of exercise timing on people with stronger morning or evening preferences. However, based on the available evidence, rather than focusing on timing, the best advice is probably to prioritise the time of day that: a) Is most convenient for you. b) Helps you stay consistent. c) You enjoy. ❓When is your favourite time of day to work out? #health #wellbeing #performance ------ I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance. Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

Do we really need to delay caffeine in the morning?   I’ve seen countless people promote the idea that we should avoid caffeine for the first 90 minutes of the day.   This ‘protocol’ was popularised by a well-known podcaster, based on the notion that it can prevent an afternoon energy ‘crash’.   It was shared with plenty of convincing-sounding physiological and neuroscientific terms.   However, the effect of delaying morning caffeine on this ‘crash’ has not been examined in published research.   A recent review of the existing evidence concerning caffeine sought to clear up common misconceptions (PMID: 38466174).   It specifically examined whether waiting 1.5–2 hours after waking to consume caffeine helps avoid the afternoon “crash.”    The conclusion?   “A fundamental basis for suggesting that delaying caffeine intake in the early waking hours would prevent an afternoon “crash” is completely lacking.”   But what if you’ve experienced benefits?   The placebo effect could account for this.   Also, delaying caffeine means that it will be active and, therefore, boost alertness until later in the day.   In my view, if you want to avoid caffeine for a couple of hours, go for it.   However, don’t let a podcaster stop you enjoying your coffee when you want to drink it.   ❓ Have you noticed any effects from delaying caffeine?   #health #wellbeing #performance ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more?   🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

Resistance training is often associated with healthy ageing and improved sports performance, but the effects are much more wide-ranging. For example, a recent study compared progressive resistance training (PRT) with computerised cognitive training (CCT) for brain health (PMID: 31978826). The findings were striking. Only the resistance training led to significant cognitive improvements and protected critical brain regions vulnerable to Alzheimer's. But have a look at the photo in this post. On the left, you see a muscular, healthy thigh muscle. On the right is a sarcopenic leg. Sarcopenia describes the progressive and generalised loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function with ageing. We’re all at risk (PMID: 30048806). After 30, we can lose 3% to 5% of our muscle per decade. After 50, muscle mass decreases by 1-2% per year. Fortunately, it’s never too late to begin resistance training. Studies have demonstrated that 90-year-olds can improve their muscle strength and power with the appropriate training (PMID: 24030238). ❓Is resistance training part of your routine? #health #wellbeing #performance ------ I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance. Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

A few years ago, I interviewed Formula 1 driver Mika Häkkinen while writing a book about sustainable high performance. I was intrigued to learn more about how he performed under pressure. Mika recounted an experience before a particularly wet edition of the Adelaide GP. He recalled looking out his hotel window on the morning of the race, watching sheets of rain lashing the buildings outside. Many drivers would have been discouraged, but Mika had a different mindset: “I told myself & the team, ‘I’m so happy it’s raining; this is fantastic!” Our conversation sparked my interest in the idea that we can change our ‘stress mindset’. Rather than reducing stress, research indicates that changing our beliefs about stress could improve wellbeing & performance (PMID: 23437923). Believing stress is performance-enhancing is associated with: • Lower cortisol reactivity. • Greater likelihood of seeking detailed feedback, enhancing learning and performance. Obviously, there are limits and conditions where stress is harmful. However, finding ways to perceive stress as a challenge rather than a threat is more likely to result in responses that enhance performance & cause less physical damage. ❓Has adopting a positive mindset towards stress helped you enhance your performance & wellbeing? #wellbeing #performance #leadership ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

Many employees spend over 33% of their working hours in meetings and would love to reduce this, but where do you begin? I really enjoy meeting people. However, before I started my own business, I had many more meetings on my calendar, and they were not all so enjoyable. I’ve lost count of the number of meetings I’ve been part of that could have been replaced with a single, well-worded email. It turns out that I’m not alone. For example, people report wanting to decline 31% of meetings.   However, due to ‘organisational norms’, they only decline 14%. We need to challenge the status quo.   The flowchart included in this post can clarify whether a meeting is needed at all.   The effects aren’t just only about rescuing time.   Seventy-six companies experimented by reducing the number of meetings by 20%. This initiative lowered stress by 26% and increased productivity by 35%. ❓Do you have any top tips for reducing unnecessary meetings and overcoming our inclination to click ‘accept’?   #wellbeing #performance #leadership   ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more?   🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

Could better sleep lead to less drinking? I’ve often written about how alcohol can interfere with sleep.   For instance, even relatively low doses of alcohol, equivalent to a glass of wine for a male of average weight, can reduce recovery during sleep by more than 9% (PMID: 29549064).   However, some recent research indicates that the relationship could be bi-directional. Sleep duration could influence how much alcohol people drink the following day (Reichenberger et al. 2022).   ❌ Participants who tended to go to bed later drank 24% more.   ✅ In contrast, every hour of extra sleep was associated with a 14% decrease in the number of drinks the next day.   There are some potential confounders in this observation.   For example, perhaps people who go to bed later have more time to drink.   However, the findings suggest that promoting better sleep health may help reduce alcohol consumption.   This may be particularly relevant to people who work long hours in stressful jobs.   Research indicates that these employees are more likely to experience disrupted sleep (PMID: 31200573) and drink the most (PMID: 25587065).   ❓Have you noticed any relationship between your sleep and alcohol consumption?   #health #wellbeing #performance   ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more?   🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

Problem-solving is one of the most valuable skills for knowledge workers, but did you know caffeine could enhance this ability? The impact of caffeine on alertness, mood, and concentration is well known. I’ve certainly felt the benefits and seriously considered adding caffeine to the acknowledgements in my PhD thesis… But have you ever thought about caffeine’s influence on problem-solving? A recent study explored this question (PMID: 32086187). Researchers compared the effects of 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to a tall-size coffee) on creative problem-solving and idea generation relative to placebo. The results revealed that caffeine significantly enhanced problem-solving abilities. These findings held even after controlling for participants' expectations about caffeine’s performance-enhancing benefits. The study had some limitations, though. The most significant issue, in my view, was that the study did not control for the participant’s recent sleep. Consequently, it’s not possible to tell whether the change in performance was an actual improvement or merely a restoration in the face of inadequate sleep. Nonetheless, the enhancement could be a valuable outcome for some people. 💡 Have you noticed the effect of caffeine on your problem-solving skills? #wellbeing #performance #leadership ------ I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance. Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)

A new series of studies has revealed that mental decline as we age may not be as inevitable as we thought. I’m a strong advocate for lifelong learning, and I have many people to take inspiration from. For example, my 89-year-old grandma recently asked me to help her set up a ChatGPT account. She wanted to research vacation ideas! Recent research also supports this approach. For instance, learning how to complete new tasks can lead to long-term improvements in cognition in older adults (PMID: 37059695). Even better, the benefits persist one year after completing the learning. Surprisingly, the more time passed, the higher the performance grew, increasing by at least two to three times. In the end, the performance of the older people was similar to that of undergraduate students who were being evaluated on the tasks for the first time. It also appears that learning several tasks at once in a supportive environment is crucial for triggering this effect. For example, some kind of learning club or class may facilitate this. Overall, this research challenges the notion that cognitive decline in older adulthood is inevitable. It also highlights the importance of lifelong learning. What new skills are you eager to learn? #health #wellbeing #performance ------   I'm James, a speaker & scientist who equips knowledge workers with science-based tools to improve their wellbeing & performance.   Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile 🔝 Connect with me 📰 💥 Subscribe to my newsletter (link in profile)