Articles

Writing by Chris Sparks on optimizing productivity, making high-stakes decisions, and achieving peak performance.

My Guide to Staying Productive While Working From Home (without going crazy!)

My Guide to Staying Productive While Working From Home (without going crazy!)

All productivity upgrades fall into one of two categories: intentions and constraints. Intentions raise the ceiling for productivity while constraints raise the floor.

Chris SparksApril 20, 2020

The Perils of Over-Optimization

The Perils of Over-Optimization

The perfect system, the perfect tool, and the perfect day do not exist. They are traps which are killing your productivity.

Rather than setting your sights on achieving the unattainable 100%, concentrate on hitting 70%+ consistently.

chris sparks, forcing function, forcing functions, habits, health, lessons, peak performance, personal development, personal growth, productivity, the forcing function, wealthChris SparksMarch 11, 2020

What is "Forcing Function"?

What is "Forcing Function"?

A forcing function is a catalyst that changes your default behavior in the future by realigning your short-term incentives with your long-term goals.

forcing function, chris sparks, forcing functions, lessons, peak performance, personal development, productivity, the forcing function, personal growthChris SparksJanuary 6, 2020

The Best Books I Read This Year

The Best Books I Read This Year

The 15 books that impacted Chris Sparks the most in 2019, with summaries and his biggest takeaways for each.

books, personal development, productivity, forcing functions, best books, readingChris SparksDecember 26, 2019

Experiment Without Limits: Inside the Creative Process

Experiment Without Limits: Inside the Creative Process

A look behind the scenes of how Experiment Without Limits was started.

“After three years of coaching, I had no idea why they hired me. I still thought that entrepreneurs paid me for my expertise…”

lessons, peak performance, personal development, forcing functions, productivity, forcing function, the forcing functionChris SparksAugust 13, 2019

100+ Resources for Optimizing Productivity & Performance

100+ Resources for Optimizing Productivity & Performance

Chris spent over $100,000 purchasing and testing hundreds of products, programs, apps, and services in a quest to optimize health, maximize productivity, and install systems to ensure peak performance. Here are the critical few that actually make a difference.

forcing function, forcing functions, lessons, peak performance, personal development, productivity, the forcing function, sleep, health, officeChris SparksMarch 19, 2019

Best Articles of This Year

Best Articles of This Year

These 16 articles are Chris’s favorites from 2018, with all of his key learnings and takeaways from each.

forcing functions, forcing function, personal development, peak performance, productivity, readingChris SparksFebruary 21, 2019

The Best Books I Read This Year

The Best Books I Read This Year

These are the 18 books that changed the way Chris sees the world, with key learnings and takeaways for each.

forcing function, forcing functions, best books, books, peak performance, personal development, productivity, reading, the forcing function, chris sparksChris SparksFebruary 20, 2019

All The Ways I Failed This Year . . . And Why I Love Them.

All The Ways I Failed This Year . . . And Why I Love Them.

In Chris’s 2018 Annual Review, he celebrates his wins, diagnoses his failures, and shares the most valuable lessons that he learned.

forcing function, forcing functions, chris sparks, health, lessons, peak performance, personal development, productivity, reading, the forcing function, sleep, wealth, annual reviewChris SparksFebruary 19, 2019

There is No Growth Without Goals

There is No Growth Without Goals

A simple breakdown of why goals are critical to success

Chris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Choosing Goals (How to Figure Out What You Want)

Choosing Goals (How to Figure Out What You Want)

Prompts to help you choose which goal to pursue

Chris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Framing Your Goals to Inspire Action

Framing Your Goals to Inspire Action

How to write what you want (so you actually get it!)

Chris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Systems Thinking — The Essential Mental Models Needed for Growth

Systems Thinking — The Essential Mental Models Needed for Growth

Understanding bottlenecks, leverage, and feedback loops

Chris SparksNovember 13, 2018

A Guide to Getting Unstuck

A Guide to Getting Unstuck

Proven ways to get back on the horse and even prevent yourself from falling off the horse altogether.

Chris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Why Habits Are More Important Than We Can Imagine

Why Habits Are More Important Than We Can Imagine

The only way to become effective is to fully internalize how much your habits drive what you do

habitsChris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Triggers — The Key to Building and Breaking Habits

Triggers — The Key to Building and Breaking Habits

A guide to programming in the human biocomputer

habitsChris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Behavior — Making Your Habits Easier

Behavior — Making Your Habits Easier

How to eliminate excuses through design

habitsChris SparksNovember 13, 2018

Rewards — How to Reinforce Your Habits so That They Stick

Rewards — How to Reinforce Your Habits so That They Stick

Rewards — how to reinforce your habits so that they stick

habitsChris SparksNovember 13, 2018