Sir John Hargrave (@SirJohnHargrave) is the CEO of Media Shower, a content marketing and media company. Following a background as a high profile internet prankster, he has examined the conditions and obstacles that modern professionals face — many of which are mental. His upcoming book Mind Hacking discusses techniques for training a stronger mind and overcoming these obstacles.
Our conversation discusses the symptoms that affect creative pros and how we can hack our mind with simple, daily techniques and habits.
More information about the book is available at MindHacki.ng. The book isn’t published until 2016, but previews and digital versions are available on the site.
Show Notes & Links

Sir John Hargrave is a renowned Internet prankster




Boston, Lincolnshire
John is the CEO of Media Shower, a content media company
“Sir” John received his knighthood by way of a name-change at the local county courthouse
Queen Elizabeth II and her many, many titles
The requirements to receive a knighthood (or a MBE, OBE, CBE, etc.)
Mind-hacking came about from John’s work with clients and employees, many of whom are creative and seeking peak productivity
Hacking, in the sense of tinkering, not infiltrating
The brain is not the mind
Most of our problems are based in the mind
Classic creative problem: procrastination


“[Mind-Hacking] is a bit like training a disobedient dog.”
—Sir John Hargrave
 Tweet This


New Age Vibe


“We need to de-mistify meditation. It’s strength training for the mind.”
—Sir John Hargrave
 Tweet This


Creatives can be precious, and it stops us from making decisions
The January Joiners
“Install” a habit (again, the computer metaphor)
A university study of quality over quantity, life drawing — two groups, who improved more
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg On Amazon and On Audible
An experiment revealed that Professors who wrote a little each day reached tenure faster
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin On Amazon and On Audible
Ben Franklin’s Schedule
“Address powerful goodness” -Ben Franklin
3MIT — Three Most Important Things
“Eat That Frog” methodology, introduced by Mark Twain


Eisenhower Methodology for Urgent vs. Important
Limbic System, a component of our “Lizard Brain”
El Coquí (Eleutherodactylus coqui), a tiny frog native to Puerto Rico

El Coquí


Research shows that multitasking is less effective
Multitasking is usually “Rapid Switching”


“When you split an atom, energy escapes. When you switch tasks, focus escapes.”
—Prescott Perez-Fox
 Tweet This


Programmers get in the zone (hence the headphones)
It can take 15-20 minutes or more to get back in the zone after a distraction
Psychic Exhaustion, when you feel mentally depleted
Manager’s Time vs. Maker’s Time, by Paul Graham
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber On Amazon and On Audible
Entrepreneurs have to make the thing, manage the business, and build the business
Mind Hacking is expected to drop July 2016, but previews are available now
Mind Hacking is available as ePub, PDF, and Kindle format
 Sir John Hargrave on Twitter
 Sir John Hargrave on Facebook
 Sir John Hargrave on YouTube

Tools

Post-Its
Coach.me, an exercise app with goals, etc.
Mind-Hacking program on Coach.me includes a 21-day plan

Techniques

Learn to detach from your mind, to observe moments where we stray and get distracted
Concentration Training aka Mindfulness aka Meditation
Treat Concentration Training like a video game. Award yourself “awareness points” whenever you bring your mind back from distraction
Replace “All or Nothing” thinking with “Habit Formation” thinking
Set up a queue and a reward for each [desired] habit
Keeps rewards positive and healthy (smoothies, relaxing with a book)
“Eat a frog” early in the day
Reduce Multitasking, Increase Focus
Mental Decluttering: look for alerts and distractions you can shut off

Habits

Produce something everyday; eventually your quality will improve as well as quantity
Make list of “Positive Loops”, small goals which help you