If You Want to Go Fast, You Need Great Brakes, with Christian Poensgen

Christian Poensgen earned his PhD studying stress and performance. Then he started a company right out of school and came close to burning out anyway. He was working 80-hour weeks and sleeping seven or eight hours a night, and he still woke up exhausted. Every morning, the day already felt lost. This episode is a little different. It's about your own performance, and it applies to the people you lead too. Brandon and Christian get into pseudo-productive busyness. That's the pattern of spending all day in meetings, email, and chat while the important work slides to evenings and weekends. Christian explains why the first five to ten minutes of focused work always feel terrible. He covers why a full night of sleep can still be junk sleep, and why checking your sleep score first thing in the morning can make your day worse. He also answers the objection he hears from nine out of ten executives he coaches: I don't control my calendar. You'll walk away with three small changes to your video calls, drawn from Stanford researcher Jeremy Bailenson's work on Zoom fatigue, that you can try in your next meeting. About our guest Dr. Christian Poensgen is a scientist turned entrepreneur, writer, and executive coach. He earned his PhD on the relationship between stress and performance. He has served as senior fellow of the Future of Work think tank in the German federal parliament and as co-founder and director of the European Center for Digital Competitiveness at ESCP Business School. He has also been an agenda contributor at the World Economic Forum. With his co-author, Eric Partaker, he coaches executives on focus, sleep, and stress. Their new book, Ultraproductive: The 90-Minute Method to Optimize Focus, Sleep, and Stress, is out now from Portfolio. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:05 What the "ultra" in Ultraproductive means 04:50 How a stress researcher came close to burnout 06:50 Why every morning felt like the day was already lost 09:15 What Christian would tell his younger self 10:45 Why a full night of sleep can still be junk sleep 13:00 What pseudo-productive busyness looks like at work 14:10 Why so many interruptions are self-inflicted 16:40 How burnout and a heart attack shaped the book 19:55 Why going fast takes great brakes 23:20 Why raw sleep data beats your sleep score 26:15 Why checking your sleep data first thing can backfire 29:05 Why the first ten minutes of focus always feel terrible 32:55 What to do when you don't control your calendar 35:50 How to plan focus time around your chronotype 39:30 How to cut Zoom fatigue, starting with hiding self-view 44:10 Where to find Christian and the book A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR Host: Brandon Laws In Brandon's own words: "The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders." About Xenium HR Xenium HR is on a mission to transform workplaces by providing expert outsourced HR and payroll services for small and medium-sized businesses. With a people-first approach, Xenium helps organizations create thriving work environments where employees feel valued and supported. From navigating compliance to enhancing workplace culture, Xenium offers tailored solutions that empower growth and simplify HR. Whether managing employee relations, payroll processing, or implementing impactful training programs, Xenium is the trusted partner businesses rely on to elevate their workplace experience. Discover how Xenium can transform your workplace: Learn more Connect with Christian Poensgen: Website LinkedIn Connect with Brandon Laws: LinkedIn Instagram About Connect with Xenium HR: Website LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

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