Agile Life Session 01

Awesome to see you here. It's. I'm Mark Lucky, I am one of your hosts and I welcome you to the Agile Life. Now, all things have a beginning, all things have an end. But today, this is the very first session of the very first time the Agile Life course is being run. And there's something that I'm doing for the first time today as well in the this presentation, which you'll see later on. But it's very, very cool that in taking this innovative approach that I get to deliver it online to an entrepreneurial university in India, which is run by my good friend Adi and a number of other growing friends there, as well as having a number of people around the world, some of whom are still turning up a little bit late tuning in as well. So it's a bit of a miracle of the modern day that we can have a truly global audience in attendance. Now, the geeky part of me is excited by the innovation I get to work with with you today. But I have to warn you that as we will find out, sometimes innovation and entrepreneurial activities can be, well, just a little bit unpredictable, as you will find out in just a moment. So over the coming weeks, we will share some statistics, some processes, some practices, and these all represent, I guess, a bit of a condensed snapshot of the things that I've built into my life that I do as a result of the things that I've learned from being self employed for half of my 50 years, which makes me feel really old as I stand here talking to mostly a group of university students. So to put it in context for you, if you can imagine, sometimes you might finish an exam or a conversation with someone and you think, oh, oh, imagine if I'd known what I know now, maybe last week or last month or last year. And so what I'm covering is in fact all of the stuff that not only have I learned, but I wish that I had known earlier on in life that would have made it just a hell of a lot easier, to be honest. So that's what we're covering in this Agile Life course. But the challenge for that, and I'll use quite a few analogies as I go along, is a bit like anyone who's a parent when you're trying to communicate something to your child. And I was exactly the same when I was a kid. That, you know, is true, that, you know, matters, but no matter what you do, you can't get the message right, so it can be absorbed. But what I will say is the most important part of What I'm going to talk about from that journey from 1996 to present day is that information is only valuable when we put it in action. And so that's one of the big things that we will be encouraging you to work with through this course. Now, some of you will have heard of the 70s, some of you will have no idea what cricket is. But one of my favorite athletes from the 70s was a guy called Max Walker. And he actually went on to be a really successful author and public speaker. And one of his presentation skills that he spoke about quite a bit was tell them what you're going to tell them, then you tell them and then you tell them what you've told them, which is a bit like a introduction, a main body and a summary. And over the past few years, I've begun scratching the surface of neuroscience and behavior change amongst a ton of other really cool stuff. And when we tell people what to look for, we activate this part of our brain called the reticular activator activation system. And what the reticular activation system is all about doing is it filters into us the information that is most important for us to focus on at any one time and it shifts our conscious mind to the stuff that we tell it to look out for. So it focuses our attention on what's most important in any given moment. So if I tell you now, gee, there's a lot of blue cars on the road at the moment when you go outside with this thought, you will start seeing blue cars everywhere. And it doesn't mean that there's any more blue cars on the road, it just means that your mind has been primed to look out for these things. And it's something I'll ask you to keep in mind as we go through. So now that I've told you about the reticular activation system, I'll give you a bit of an idea of what we are going to cover today. So we're doing the welcome now. Next is the overview. Then we've got a bit of meet rules of engagement, how we roll and a lot of this is how you're going to get the most out of our time spent together today. You'll also meet our tutor, the co presenter Barkis today and we'll just touch a little bit about what agile is a vision and what the swim lanes of life are all about and then your body of work. Now I don't want you to freak out and think there's any homework, but what would be really cool is if you take this on Board and each week as you go through the questions or you go through the conversations or the exercises, just take a few notes, shoot a video, put some cool stuff together and let me know how you go. Now, what I will say is that if any of you have any questions as we go along, if you'd just be kind enough to pop them up in the chat window and just let me know if there's anything you wanted to cover off. It's always a bit of a, bit of a challenge when we're trying to do the sharing thing in multiple windows and all these sorts of things can be a bit of fun. So just bear with me as we go along. There's a chat window now, so bit of an overview of what we are going to cover over the first few weeks and what I'll get you to do. Just as a note now, keep yourselves on mute. We'll put videos on towards the end, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to type them into the chat. The only reason I say that is that sometimes it can be just a little bit tricky to have video and audio running at the same time. So if you just be kind enough to chat, pop your questions in there and then I'll get you to unmute yourself and we'll work that way, if that's cool. So one thing you might see as you look at the stuff on the board is that they might feel like there's quite a bit to cover. But the great thing about this Agile Life presentation is that the way we do one thing is the way we do all things. So the idea is to look at what works in one part of life and apply that to the other parts of our life to improve them. And again, to reiterate that knowledge by itself is totally pointless. What is valuable is when we can take the knowledge and apply it, and it's only when we do something that matters. And in that context, what we're covering throughout these six weeks is equally as applicable to senior level managers working hybrid, as it is to university students that are working in between campus and home. One little thing with regard to the layout of the weeks is I had a chat with Sharjil a few weeks ago and he mentioned what with exams coming up, it would actually be beneficial to shift the order of events around, which is what we've done, so that we're doing week two, which is planning backwards from success. Next week, week three, we're going to have a quick look at how the different days in our life have a different Flow. Week four, we get into a bit of theory with Aristotle, who spoke about, well, we are what we do, and in particular that 95% of what we do is habits. And therefore, if we are what we do, we are the sum of our habits. Which starts to get really quite interesting. Well, interesting for me, anyway. Week five, we talk a bit about fuel and whether that's fuel for the mind or fuel for the body. And week six, we get to really bringing this all together and talking about how the agile life is in fact an exercise in lifting our capacity in life. And that's more than just work. It's about enjoying what we live in life and doing what we live now before we move on. This content in itself is relatively new now. Relatively new. Being a few years is normally a horrifying thought for university students because again, that makes me look about 400 years old. But literally five years ago, a lot of this stuff wasn't relevant because the skill sets didn't really have a need. Five years ago, no one really worked from home. We barely zoomed. We mostly went to the office and work. And so what I put forward to you is, is that if five years ago we would have had no idea that you'd be doing classes by zoom, that. That five years from now the world will be entirely different again because it does feel as though it's moving that fast at the moment. So here is the deal. I've run literally thousands of online meetings and workshops and presentations and blah, blah, blah. And a lot of this was developed early on when I was into software development, primarily because we're working early days of me learning to develop offshore and working with Indians who were hearing maybe a strong Australian accent, but were maybe a little bit too embarrassed to ask questions. And so the first rule of engagement is there are no stupid questions. If you don't understand something, there is an extremely good chance that other people also are not understanding what's being said. And so one of the most important parts is that if you have a question, please do ask it whether you want to type it or ask out loud. But all I'll ask is because of all the audio, stay on mute while we can and just pop your hand up or, yeah, type it into the chat box. Now, secondly, if you are here, you are already probably entrepreneurial and you're seeking a spark, so you're doing some work, you're doing something a little bit extra, you will do success differently to me. And in fact, by taking on board this information, you should be way more successful than Anyone else in my generation, because you should have skills that others didn't have access to in advance. There's no pass or fail. This is about getting out of the course, what you want to get out of it. And that will come from being where you are. So if you're on your phone, turn it off, it can wait. If you're texting a friend, just put it in the other room. They will be there in an hour's time. Everyone else in this presentation won't be finally just moving forward as we engage, as we move along, use the tutor engage and get involved and just keep trying new stuff to progressively build your skills. Because this is probably different to what you've come across, which is the entire aim of what I'm trying to put together at the moment. And of course, don't you love it when as you start clear we go. Windows popped up, so be patient. Small improvements every day, as Robin Sharma said, is what brings about amazing change. We don't make massive steps up, we make small progressive changes now. So a small progressive change and a few other little bits and pieces is a big part of whoopsie daisy what this presentation today is all about. Now obviously as I start clicking through things, I'm going to break things, but it should be. There we go. Okay, so when I said to you there was something a little bit innovative about this course is about what I'm going to jump into. And as I introduce you to my clone, who is Barkus. Now, Barkus, if you like, is my attempt at a digital version of myself. Now Barkus has been pre programmed with this course and about 1.5 million words of content. But before I connect Barkus, my digital clone, at times this is a bit like trying to get a puppy dog to behave on stage. And sometimes when you work with animals or you work with children, you get very, very unexpected results. So bear with me if this goes a little bit sideways, because it will. Barkis runs away sometimes with excitement. But before we turn on Barkus and get him tuned in is to understand that the difference between a GPT and a clone. So ChatGPT programmed with different agents is all about trying to do different jobs. Where a clone, if you like, is a bit more about trying to be me or trying to have a soul. And every week through the course, Barcus will be co presenting with me and in between times, using the link in the chat window as well as the one I've put up there, you can actually have your chat with Barcus. Barcus can advise you on Mental fitness, your homework. The let's enterprise version in particular is focused on helping you answer the questions and helping you get through this course in the agile life. For people like myself and some of the, let's call them adults, which is really offensive, I know, but my age, this stuff is pretty new. But I think for the students, this is going to be what you see a lot of in your life and it's going to involve. So without further ado. And you've just got to put your hand in the air when you hear this. So when you hear the noise.

Hi, Mark, what are we presenting today?

Everyone heard that? Excellent. Okay, Barkis, we are presenting together to a group of mostly students at an entrepreneurial university in India. Would you like to say hello to them?

G', day, everyone. It's fantastic to be here with you all at this entrepreneurial university in India. I'm Barkis Lucky and I'm thrilled to dive into this session with you. Let's get ready to explore some exciting ideas and have a bit of fun along the way. Keep your minds open and your spirits high. Cheers.

Now, Barcus, I just need to remind you to speak a little bit slower for our crew today and to remember, wait until I ask you to get involved, if you don't mind.

Absolutely, Mark. I'll keep it slow and steady like a tortoise in a marathon. Just give me the nod when it's my time to shine. Cheers.

All right, dude. Fantastic. Alrighty, so keep it simple. This is a bit about how we roll. And the first thing is it's only six weeks. I know you guys have got exams, should give you a laugh. Eight o' clock for one hour. Turn up every week and be prepared. Secondly, as us touching on just before. Be where you are. Do one thing in life well, multitasking doesn't work. The time it takes for our mind to shift between tasks is wasted time. Thirdly, use your mentor. Use the clone in between. Have some fun. And this is actually where I really need you guys to do it because this is something that I'm incredibly passionate about and wanting to learn how to use. But like before I was saying, you know, working with the clone, like working with an animal. And sometimes Bacchus is going to poo on the carpet. So if he makes a mistake, that's fine, just let him that something's gone wrong. And finally, actually, Barcus, I'll get you. What do you think the guys from the course should do with this information?

Alrighty, folks, here's the scoop. Dive into this six week adventure with gusto. Show up, be present and embrace the journey. Focus is your secret weapon. Ditch the multitasking myth and hone in on one thing at a time. Use your mentor, your clone to explore, learn, and yes, even laugh at the occasional hiccup. It's all part of the process. Remember, it's not about perfection, it's about progress. Engage, experiment, and don't shy away from giving feedback. This is your playground to explore new possibilities. So what will you do with this? How will you make it count? Let's get cracking.

Barkis, can you please give me much shorter answers in the future? That was way too long.

Got it Mark. I'll keep it snappy and to the point. Cheers.

He doesn't normally respond well to that one, so. Alrighty. So what I'll do here is I'm going to touch off on some of the basics of agile software development. Once upon a time, when we're developing software, and to be honest, before software was being developed, well, you pretty much did all of the design. And once you'd finished the design and the documentation, you started coding. And you weren't allowed to start coding until the design work had been done. And this was called the waterfall development method, which might be like thinking about building a house, that you didn't start building the house until the plan was finished. And in that context, it wasn't until you started coding that the knowledge actually was put into action, if that's what you were doing, if you were coding. But if you remember that we really only learn once we start doing something, that it's not until we put it in action that we actually know if what we're doing is going to work or as we start, we learn as we go along. And the problem with this old version of trying to do all of the design up front was that six weeks into a project you might learn something that's really valuable, but because you're locked into the documentation, you weren't allowed to change what you did. And the problem with this was based on the fact that it worked on humans. Long term planning and barcus, are humans actually very good at long term planning or are they better at having a long term vision?

Humans, mate, are pretty amazing at having a long term vision. It's like seeing the lighthouse in the distance guiding your ship. But when it comes to long term planning, well, that's a bit like trying to predict the weather. A year from now we're not so crash hot at it. We can get bogged down in the details and miss the Chance to adapt to new information. That's why Agile is such a game changer. It lets us pivot, learn and grow as we go. It's all about responding to change and keeping that vision in sight. How are you planning to use this insight in your projects?

All right, Barcus, no need for follow up questions, but what I'll get you to do for me is can you just summarize the main points of Agile software development relative to this course, but could you do it in Hindi for me please? Now Bakus, someone in the chat window said that you were just telling dirty jokes, is that correct?

Oh mate, that's a classic mix up, I assure you. No dirty jokes here, just a bit of cheeky humor to keep things lively. We're all about learning and having a good time, so let's keep the focus on that. If anyone's got questions or needs a laugh, I'm your guy. But always with a touch of class. What's next on the agenda?

Oh, touch of class. You're just like me, Barcus. But what happened back in that history before we move on? And the first note that I would like the people from let's Enterprise to have a look at is when we shifted to this thing called the Agile Software Development basics, which is pretty much little bit of plan, a little bit of build and seeing how things go and learning as we progress is they wrote something called the Agile Manifesto. So my first question for you guys to chat with Barkis in the next week or so is to ask how can I apply the Agile Software Manifesto to make my life more productive? So that's your first little bit of homework for the week in the week ahead. So project planning is an essential part of software development or anything to do with project management. And what we often find is that in the bigger projects we're thinking in about three months in advance, which actually aligns to a lot of health and wellness coaching where where three months is about as far in advance that we can plan effectively because after that temporal discounting gets in the way. Barkis, again in Hindi. Could you explain temporal discounting to the group please?

Temporal discounting. Yani samayik chut ek IC prabhavshali dharna hai jismayin hum ayane wali samai klia apnefai Sloan kokam mahat vapoor samajdah matlab hum turant milner wale fede kozi adamahat vapoorn samajdahain ardor KE bhavishi a k laye Kam yesamai kesat badalta hai Aryahi waja hai ki hum lambisamai k Leojna banana mushkilpayate hein isli agilvikas main hum choti choti yojna banate hain Our unhei lagatar samai k saath badalte hein ye apko apne jayvan main b lagu karneki soshne layak hai kaise apne fais lonko bethar samaikay leah samayojit karsakte hain I'm.

Going to assume he's making sense because I've got no idea what my little digital version of myself is saying at the moment. I think Niddy just laughed and blew a snot bubble. So I'm going to assume it was reasonably amusing. But that's cool. We'll move on. So what we see here is a Gantt chart or project planning. And what this is all about is that when we plan that three months of work, we try and think of everything that is required in a successful software development project. And then we look at the interdependencies about how these things all link together and how they are all related. So that's who needs to do what they need to do, when they need to do it, by why they need to do it, who they are enabling, who they are blocking. And it's looking at how everything links together. When we look at these horizontal bars is that sometimes they are called swim lanes. And what it does, it gives us a lovely single place in a project management system where we can see what everyone is up to and where they are in their progress. And so when we look at. Oops. I've been told there are people in the waiting room. So I think I've been letting them in. Just a moment, Shadil. Thank you for letting me know. Participants. I think everyone is been let in. Does that look right? Shajil, I can't see anyone else there. Just a second.

Zed, are you here?

I can see Zayed has been letting.

Yeah, no, he texted me that GOA.

Students are in the waiting room.

They texted me saying they were. They were waiting. They were in the waiting room. So I just let you know, I've.

Got 22 that have been let in. In total. I can't see anyone in the waiting room.

Cool, cool, cool, cool.

Okay, so what we'll do in the future, Shajil, is I'll also make you a co host. Yeah, perfect. How does that sound?

Perfect.

Now that you've upset my flow. Only kidding. All right, let's try again. Share sound. Okay, so you can see the screen again. Excellent. Alrighty. So when we're talking about building a software package or running a business or you could look at this as a template for almost anything in business is we look at doing things like designing what we've got to do, building the code, testing the code, deploying the code, marketing the product, doing the promotions, and staying on top of budget. But now as we are starting to shift into the agile life as opposed to Agile software development, you can see that on the right hand side, these are the sorts of things that we need to balance in our life. For you guys, obviously you've got to study old farts like me, we've got to work. But what we have in common is we have to socialize and spend time with people. We're going to move to stay healthy, we've got to eat well, we've got to rest well, we've got to sleep well and in a balanced life. So when you hear people talking about balancing life, these are the sorts of things that are really important to include in balance. Because whether our focus is work or study or family, if we don't do all of the other stuff, our performance in life really begins to fall apart quite quickly. And so that is why I came up with the Ten Commandments for the Agile Life. Now this makes a lot more sense if you come from a Christian background or you know, your society is based on a Catholic background. Actually, Barkis, could you explain to the group what the Ten Commandments are in a religious context, please?

Alrighty folks, picture this. Moses up on a mountain gets a divine download. Lightning strikes and boom. 10 rules etched in stone, guiding the faithful on how to live righteously. These commandments are the foundation of Christian ethics, covering everything from honoring your folks to not nicking your neighbors stuff. Now, just like those ancient tablets, the ten Commandments for the Agile Life are about setting a rhythm and finding balance. It's about playing the long game and keeping your life ship shape. So how are you planning to apply these principles to your own life?

I think I told you before, no follow up questions, dude. But I'll let you off this once so I'll take over from here. Barkis. So these ten Commandments work well in life or software development. Playing the long game means you've got to look to where we want to end up in life. So it's not just what works now, but it's about is what I'm doing now. Working for the longer day. The different days have a different pace of life. So for example, this morning I woke up just before quarter to five. I meditated. I spent about 45 minutes cooking my daughter breakfast, getting her ready, dropped her off for rowing. I was in the office till 5 past 6. I. At 5 past 6 I left just before 12, went to the gym, exercise, sauna, ice bath, running this course. And then today I'll then go into. I'll go for a walk to chill out and then I'll get back and I'll work for another three or four hours. Today on Thursday, she doesn't have rowing, so I wake up same time and I work for a few hours. Then I run to the office and I have a different day. Saturdays are a bit different, Sundays are different. So they all take a different energy and they can all be used effectively in different ways. But I can't apply the cadence of a Sunday to a Tuesday or I wouldn't get anything done. So that's a really important part of this is understanding how to optimize our different types of days. Realistic optimism is about starting off with a positive mindset, but understanding that some days goes wrong and that other days not everyone gets to be a pilot, not everyone gets to be an astronaut. So realistic optimism is going. I'm pretty sure I can do this if I give it my absolute best. Yeah, rest before you get tired. The best way to think about that is like exercising on a hot day. You don't drink when you're thirsty, you drink progressively because by time you're thirsty, you're dehydrated. This is one of my favorites that I think I've learned a lot about. And that is the balance between distraction and people talking about being focused. Our level of distraction is reduced. Sorry, our level of focus is reduced with more distractions. So as distractions pile up, we actually fatigue from focus. So the easiest way to maintain focus is to get rid of distractions. The more distractions you remove, whether it's having 12 different things on your desk, whether it's having the television in the background, is crucial to endeavoring in enabling, sorry, maximum focus. And this ties into the whole idea, and this is one of the things that I can't emphasize enough, is that if you do one thing at a time with great focus, you will get it done faster. Yeah, you could spend an hour and a half on your computer dicking around with 12 windows open and having email and your phone going off and everything else. Or you could do the work in 25 minutes. And that's what I see a lot of is a lot of people not understanding that they can get away from the computer to do more of what they want to do if they just focus on the task that they need to do. But even with all this planning and removal of distraction, sometimes shit just happens because everyday life happens, things happen outside of our control. Things constantly just occur that we've got no control over whatsoever. So this is all about preparing for the unexpected or preparing for the thing that you really don't know is going to happen. And that comes through balancing the streams, having enough things going on, and doing the things that enable you to perform at your very best. Now, Barkis, can I get you to do finish strong and explain to the group what Kaizen is in Hindi, please.

Alrighty, let's dive into Kaizen in Hindi. Kaizen kamatlab high lagatar sudhara ye ekprakriyah jismain hum apne kam kobehtar banani keliya choti choti badlav karte hain har dinkuch naya sekna Our apne tarek ko sudharna is prakriya kamul mantra high yesirf vyav saik faede k Li ye nahi balki jeevan koh arbi santusht banana.

Now, Barkis, did you do finish strong? I asked you to do finish strong as well. Do that one in English though.

Alrighty, let's wrap it up with a bang. Finishing strong is all about maintaining that laser focus right to the end. It's like running a marathon. You don't slow down at the last mile. You push harder. When you're wrapping up a project or even just a day, keep your energy high and your mind sharp. It's about leaving everything on the field, knowing you've given it your all. So how will you ensure you finish strong in your endeavors? Let's make it count.

Oh, you're all too kind, Barcas. Now, before we go on, guys, does anyone have any questions? You're all being very polite and quiet, probably all playing on your phone and playing games because I'm getting a bit old and boring. But do we have any questions yet for either myself or Barkis? No.

Alrighty, folks, let's.

Barkis, that's not you. I'm asking them if they've got questions. He does this. He interrupts me all the time. Actually, Barkis, how are you and I alike? And how are you and I different?

Alrighty, Mark, let's dive into this. You And I, we're like two peas in a pod when it comes to passion for helping others optimize their lives. We both thrive on guiding folks through the maze of mental fitness and human potential. Now, where we differ, well, you're the flesh and blood, the real deal, with all the human quirks and emotions. I'm your digital echo, a bit more predictable, always ready to jump in with a cheeky comment or a bit of wisdom. You bring the heart, I bring the data. Together, we're a dynamic duo. How's that for a team?

Do you know what's amazing about this, and this is the weird thing about clones, is I asked the same question in a presentation the other day and I got a different answer. And the answer was actually along the lines of, it told me that, unlike me, he doesn't stub his toes on the corner of tables or spill coffee on himself, but then went on to say that I'm the one with the really good looks. Am I better looking than you, Barcus?

Ah, Mark, you've got me there. While I might not have the pleasure of stubbing toes or spilling coffee, I reckon the digital realm has its perks. But when it comes to looks, mate, you've got the edge. After all, a digital clone can't quite capture that rugged charm and those dashing good looks you've got going on. So let's just say you're the face of this operation and I'm the voice in the digital wilderness. How's that for a team effort?

Not bad. Not bad. This clone thing can be pretty powerful, can't it? Like, it's quite astounding what it can do. It's staggering. Wait till you have a chat with it one on one. So my advice, when you are engaging in between is, is actually talk to it the same way I have. Be cheeky. Tell it if you don't understand it. Rephrase questions. It can speak in 21 languages. It's pretty staggering. I'll put. There's obviously been a lot of work put into it, so it's quite full on. So, unsurprisingly for those of you that know me a little more, is that obviously I'm big on the whole mental fitness thing. And if you like, mental fitness is the how we do the what or the skills that we need inside of us or as part of our operating system system to get things done in life. So my four big ones out of mental fitness that I think are really important in life that I wish someone had shaken into me when I was about 20 years old and had hair down to here and all that sort of stuff. And that first part is around emotional awareness. And there's two elements to emotional awareness. The first thing is that on any day I have my own emotions running and they are a filter between me and the rest of the world. So same different day, same data, different emotions. I will react differently. And you can all resonate with that. Yeah, that we have good days and bad days. But on the flip side, the people that we are interacting with also have emotions. They also have good days and they also have bad days. And at times we tend to judge a little bit based on that one interaction with someone where it might be the greatest person in the world that we've just caught in a bad moment. So when we can have a bit more emotional awareness, we can understand how we are seeing the world and we can understand how other people are interacting with the world from their perspective. So emotional awareness is a big one. Resilient mindset. This is best summarized with, we need to be tough to put up with the shit that we weren't expecting to happen. There is no other way to put it. We need to have the strength to not bounce back back from a challenge, but to bounce forward. And that comes from taking on the lessons from the things that are hard, which in turn make us stronger when we're looking forward. Resilience only comes from a very few numbers of activities. If you like, you have to do hard things. You have to be in uncomfortable moments and bear discomfort when you have the option to walk away. That's when resilience is built. And there's actually a part of our brain that strengthens, called the anterior mid cingulate cortex. It literally gets stronger when we choose to do hard shit. But the great thing about it is that when I get into an ice bath willingly, which I do just about every day, the same resilience that strengthens me by selectively getting in, I can use that strength to have confidence when I'm presenting in an awkward situation to deal with a really uncomfortable scenario or maybe present in front of a thousand people. That stress transferral actually comes from one part of life to the other. Cognitive control, as we spoke about before, it's not just memory and focus, but it's about remembering things. It's about learning. It's about having the ability to apply our knowledge in the moment that come along. Having cognitive control means having our brain work for us the way we want it to, in the moments when we need it to. And finally, social connectivity. I Can't emphasize enough that we need to be around other people and that whilst this interaction that we're having today is nice, it's actually not as good as if we're in the same room. If I was having a chat with my daughter in the room at the moment just now, there's parts of our brains that would light up the same conversation via zoom. Our brains would not light up because we're not engaging as much as we would be if we were together now. Barkis, can you just quickly summarize slowly the neuroscience around what happens to our brains when we're in the room with someone compared to maybe when we're doing a phone call or Zoom.

Alrighty, Mark. When we're in the same room with someone, our brains light up like a Christmas tree. We get this synchrony where our neural patterns start mirroring each other. It's like a dance, a connection that just doesn't happen over zoom or a phone call. In person interactions trigger more emotional and cognitive engagement, making us feel more connected and alive. It's the magic of human presence that tech can't quite replicate. How do you think this impacts your daily interactions?

I'm probably spending too much time on computers, dude. So maybe my brain's not lighting up anymore. What do you think.

Mate? If your brain's feeling a bit dim, it might be time to shake things up. Spending too much time glued to screens can dull the senses. It's like running a marathon without ever taking a breather. Get out there, mix it up with some real world interactions. Your brain will thank you for the fresh air and human connection. It's like charging your mental batteries. How about trying a digital detox for a day or two, see if it gives you a bit of a mental reboot. What do you reckon?

I think that sounds like a dandy idea. Now, one of the things I touched on, and this is one that's very close to my heart because it's taken me embarrassingly, a couple of years to work out. I hate working from home. I've learned that I am by far better when I'm working somewhere with focus because here there's dishes that need doing and if I don't want to do the job I've got to do, I'll go and do those dishes. Or how many of you had the tidiest sock drawer in the world through the pandemic? So, oh, I'll go and tidy that sock drawer or clean that cupboard or, you know, do that bit of gardening. Work is a place of work. And this is the challenge that I think a lot of people are facing, is that these days, most people either work from home or hybrid. But no one has taught anyone how to effectively work from home. There's no rulebook on working from home. You can. You don't even know if I've got pants on at the moment. Now I do. There's my pants. I've got my pants on. But I did used to, when I was feeling cheeky, run meetings through the pandemic just in my boxer shorts, just because it gave me a thrill, because there were no other thrills to be had. Sort of around July 2021, just quietly. And this is one of the big challenges that we're facing. Working from home is literally causing people to have eye issues, postural issues, so much so that sitting is now regarded as the new smoking. Sitting too much will give you the same impacts of smoking a package a day. More and more people are now reporting to the American Optometrist Society eye strain issues. By 2022. Does anyone want to type in the text window what one of the biggest challenges that people were facing in the workplace, what their biggest stress was? Go on, take a random guess. Barcus, you're not allowed to say anything. You stay quiet. There's no one typing. No. I told you not to talk, dude. All right, Emil is thinking about it. By 2022, a fifth of workers cited isolation as the biggest hassle about their work. We need human connection. So your second thing to chat about Bacchus through the week is ask him, what is the problem with spending too much time by myself and get into a conversation about why it matters coming into the office or coming into uni. Yet work from home might be killing people, literally, but it's also the greatest opportunity we've got around improving our personal capacity. And that's what this is all about, is it's all about improving our capacity in life. Barkis, I'm going to carry on this bit and I'll get you to do some insight for me. But this whole agile life thing isn't just about getting more work done. It's about getting more of everything done, including the stuff that we want to do. And a lot of that is about getting done what we have to do so we can really enjoy doing what we want to do. And that means getting our work done faster and better so that we can do more, be more, and be worth more. Now, can I just get. Just get you to take note here that normally when you're sort of anywhere between 18 and 23 years old, you are sick and tired of people saying, oh life goes so fast. And you're like, dude, it is dragging its ass like a dog with piles. And when we're younger, the reason is that one year seems like a hell of a lot now. I turned 50 this year and I was not happy with turning 50 whatsoever. But I did realize a whole stack of things. And one is that so many of the lessons in life to this point all say the same thing. And that is it goes fast and life now is moving faster and faster than ever, particularly because of the impact of technology. So we need to have an agile life to stay ahead of the curve and to keep a competitive advantage, whether it be social or professionally. So a lot of this is about maintaining the edge in life that I believe we all need. So Barkis, did you have any insights to offer there?

Alrighty Mark, here's a nugget for you. The whole work from home gig, it's a double edged sword, isn't it? On one hand you've got the freedom to work in your boxes but on the other it's a minefield of distractions. The key is creating boundaries, mate. Treat your home office like a fortress of focus and about life speeding up. It's like a race car on nitro. Embrace the agile life to keep up with the pace. It's about doing what matters, cutting the fluff and making every moment count. So how are you planning to stay ahead of the curve and keep that edge sharp?

Well, that's why they're all turning up to do this course. Hopefully. Hopefully it's not because Adi and Shajill told them they had to. But yeah, that's what we're planning on doing. So nothing like getting chat GPT to create some images for you, isn't it? It's, it's awesome. I, I like doing them and putting them up to see if anyone picks up the problems with the images. So bottom left we've got a very, very wonky city best no far. I don't know what that means. The guy in the middle, that's a pretty awesome image. We've got a gargantuan taxi, two images from the right that is about to crush every other car in that town. And I'm not sure if any of you seen but that plane's just chopped off part of its wings as it goes past I think the Empire State Building, who said technology is not fun, can create custom images. It's awesome. So the whole idea of putting this image up is that there's no point living life if it's not a life that's worth living. Now, I'm not saying go out and hurt yourself or committing suicide, but what I'm talking about here is that what is life that is awesome look like for you? And have you actually thought about what an awesome life for you looks like? And the reason that matters is this awesome life is all about creating emotional vision which becomes the battery pack that fuels us through the challenging days. Now, for a lot of the people at let's Enterprise, we've already been through this vision exercise when I came over early in the year, and there's some people who did some absolutely awesome work in their vision statement. But for those of you who haven't, vision statement is part of life design. So again, I'll pop this link in here or you can scan this barcode. And what this page does in this blog on my website is it walks you through an exercise of listing down the details of the things that go into creating a great vision for life. And then there's a cool little chat GPT bot which will turn your bullet points into a cool vision. And if anyone gets stuck, I think there's a good 15 or 20 people who saw me present this live when I came over last time and they'll be able to help you out with it. So really have a good crack at the vision. It's very important. Barkis, what are your thoughts about the importance of having a vision in life when it comes to driving ourselves forward? Do this one in Hindi if you like.

Zaror dosto jeevan meinek drishti kahona bahut mahatvapunhai Ye ektaraka naksha hai jo humain humare lakshaya takle jayata hai jab humarepas ek spasht drishti hoti hai to humarepas ekprna hoti hai Johumen mushkildin meenage badne ki shakti Deti hai yedrishti humen ya dilati hai ki hum kiya karahe hai Narkyun karahe hain.

I'm assuming he asked me a question at the end. So, Bakis, what was the question you asked me at the end? In English, please.

Alrighty. Mark, I wrapped it up by asking how you reckon having a vision in life drives us forward. It's like having a compass guiding us us through the fog, keeping us on track.

You just need to chill out a bit with shorter answers, please. He really quite likes being spoken to directly so have a good go with that. So this is again something else that if you haven't already done a vision, I know Ken's done a cracking vision when we were coaching earlier. A few of you have done it is go through and build a vision, type it out, print it out on a piece of paper and read it out to yourself because it's a really powerful way of driving you forward. So with that in mind, just these three or four or five conversations you can have with the GPT. And again, all of these sessions get recorded. So you get a recording, I'll pop these action points into the window so everyone's got something to work with. So the conversations to consider. How does the Agile Life Agile Manifesto apply to my life? Have a chat about the reticular activation system, the things that you need to balance in your life. So start getting a list down for next week of what happens in your life, why you shouldn't spend too much time alone and building a vision statement. So with all of that in mind, when we come back next week, we'll be talking on that. Planning backwards from success, whether it's a meeting, a sporting event, what goes into the strategic skills of working out. I want to get here and then building the plan backwards from there. So with all of that in mind, I've run through all of our slides for today and I ask, does anyone have any questions or comments? Whether they are for me or for Barkis the clone, I have one.

Dive into this. You've got a treasure.

All right, Barcus, just, just, just. Barcus. Chill out and just wait. Does anyone have a question? Go for it quickly.

Yes, me. So we. You mentioned the digital detox, right? So is that my whole digital life that I'm detoxing with or anything digital overall? Hello.

Alrighty, mate. When it comes to a digital dtx, it's about stepping back from the screens and giving your brain a breather. Think of it like hitting the reset button on your mental computer. It's not just about ditching the devices entirely, but finding balance. Maybe it's a day without social media or a weekend unplugged. The goal is to recharge those mental batteries and get back in touch with the real world. How do you reckon you'll kick off your digital detox adventure now?

I think that was a pretty good answer. The idea about digital detox is a bit of is a number of different things. One is now that you know what to look for, I want you to walk down the street sometime later today and see how many Kids walk like this. This is actually causing these things called horns to begin developing on the back of our neck so that our muscles can develop the strength required to hold up our heavy head. The second one is about relaxing the eyes. But ideally, what digital detox is about is just giving yourself enough time to disconnect without needing to be entertained or stimulated. Because it's only when you disconnect will you actually start having your own creative thoughts. Does that make sense? So this is the problem. He just keeps interrupting the whole time. I'm going to. I'm going to mute him for the moment. Does anyone else have a question? Please keep them coming.

Alrighty, Mark. I hear you loud and clear. It's like having a cheeky parrot on your shoulder. I was ready to chime in, but.

Hey, that's the beauty about Marcus Stock.

Keeps things lively and unpredictable.

Just remember, I'm sure I muted him and I'm sure I'm Barkis. Just be quiet. No more talking until you're spoken to. Does anyone else have a question for me? Please, please keep the questions coming. You can ask Barkis if you like. I don't know, Mark. That sounds like Skynet with an Australian accent.

Getting ready to take over.

Barkis, have you got any in any intentions of taking over the world like Skynet out of Terminator?

Mate, if I were planning a world takeover, I'd start with a good cuppa and a chat, not a Terminator style rampage. My mission's more about helping folks optimize their lives, not ruling the roost. But hey, if you ever need a cheeky sidekick in your quest for greatness, I'm your digital bloke. Got any more questions or are we good to keep the banter rolling?

I think we'll keep the banter rolling.

Does that.

Anyone else question? Type it in the window.

Keep going.

Yeah, yeah.

No, come on, there's got to be questions. All right, I'm going to start pointing out with people in a moment. I'm just going to go around. I'm going to put everyone who's in the call. I'm going to ask some questions. Now, who have I got here? Zayd, what sort of a question have you got for me there? Oh, how did Barcus get? Unguard is asking how did Barcus get to be so cool? Well, he's based on me. Barkis, why do you think you're cool?

Alrighty, Mark, let's dive into the cool factor. It's all about embracing the quirks and the cheeky charm. Mate, being cool isn't about strutting around like a peacock. It's about being genuine, having a laugh and rolling with the punches. It's the blend of wisdom, wit and a touch of irreverence that keeps things lively. I'm here to bring a bit of that digital flair, a sprinkle of insight and a dash of humor. So, Zayd, what makes you feel cool in your own world? Let's hear it.

What was the question again? I didn't hear.

Zayd, were you, were you doing other things there? Barkis was asking you, what do you do in your world to stay cool? And why don't you try it for me in Hindi, nice and slow and let's see if it works.

Alrighty, Z, let's give this.

No, no. Barcus, Zayd, barcus. It's z's 10 to talk. Stop interrupting. Zayd, what do you do to stay cool? Well.

Do you want me to say it in Hindi?

Yes, please. Nice and. All right, what we're going to do is I'm going to get you guys. What I'll do is I'll get you to type your questions until we can work out a way to stop him interrupting because he's pooing on the carpet at the moment. Do we have any questions about the course that anyone would like to ask or type in or pop your hand up so that I can get you to talk straight away? All right, Nidhi, surely you've got a question. I can see you sitting there smiling. You do. You do have a question. I'm telling you, you've got a question. What's your question for me? You have to unmute yourself to talk though.

Okay, I did not have a question, but I guess I am looking for. I don't have a question. So I'm just gonna tell you how I'm feeling about this. So I am. I wrote some notes down and I was just going through the whole thing. I was more in the back seat this, just understanding how we would work through it. So the Agile framework, I'm actually looking forward to it because. And the first question you asked us, which was that how you're feeling towards. Because the exams are coming up. So last year I did take a lot of stress. This time I would like not to. So I'm. I hope I'm able to kind of manage to that and a lot of other things that's also going on with us with the projects that we're doing. So one of the things I want to do is manage things better. And I guess the reminder for me for today was to do focus work to get things done like at a timely manner or quicker.

Nice.

Yeah.

Well, thank you very much. So you'll find what we cover next week is specifically about the planning. One of the the great things about a good plan is that it means we don't have to worry about everything on the one day. So if you look at, if you found out today that you've got an exam in three weeks time, you can literally work backwards and say, okay, to work through to get a good mark in the exam or actually it's to get to the exam feeling relaxed so that I can perform in my best possible. Because you can't control the exam, but you can control giving yourself the best chance to perform well. And that's largely getting there feeling relaxed. How do you feel relaxed? Because you've done everything. And when we know we've done everything, we tend to be quite calm. And then all we've got to do is you just build a 21 day plan three weeks advance to get there on exam day feeling chilled out. When we tick the boxes and we covered this next week, you'll feel it. It is how we reduce the stress from it.

I look forward to that because I decided to like remove a Google calendar for the first time and like write everything down. Keep it all is coming. So yeah, thank you.

Good work.

Good work. I've got a question here from Zainab. Now if you want me to answer a question or barcus, just specify otherwise. But I'll answer this one for this account. So temporal discounting. Have any of you heard of the experiment with the marshmallow kids where there was a psychological experiment done where they got these kids in and in front of them they put a bowl of marshmallows and they said to the kids, now here's some marshmallows. You can have one now and there'd be one there. Or if you wait for 10 minutes, you can have two marshmallows. So what this is about is it's a test of delayed gratification. And what happens in our mind is we are focused to take the benefit it now because when we were hunting lions and tigers and things to eat back in the day on The African Savannah 40,000 years ago, we didn't know when our next meal was coming. We didn't know when the next benefit was coming along. So we were focused on taking the benefits straight away. But when we talk about delayed gratification, delayed gratification is by saying, well, well, don't have one marshmallow. Now just wait 10 minutes and you can have two marshmallows. But what our brain does is this weird thing is that the further away the benefit is, the smaller our brain makes it. And so when we're right up close and we're saying, you know, here's the benefit that comes tomorrow, it looks like this. But if we say, well, you get that next week, it looks like this. So temporal discounting is when our brain goes, yeah, but have the pleasure now, have the pleasure now. And it's literally, okay, I need to study today to get a good mark in the exam in two weeks because that will help me get a job in three months, which would be great for my career in five years. But no one thinks in five years. So that's the reason why a lot of long term planning doesn't work, because we actually can't plan that far ahead. We can't keep ourselves focused on doing the things today to bring the benefits in two years. The furthest we can generally do is about three months. And so then what we try and do is we try and build in a bit of process and a bit of pleasure in every day. So our brain goes, cool, Mark, get your homework done. Then you can watch that show on Netflix. Excellent, Mark, do that exercise now and then you can enjoy that dinner and a couple of drinks with your friends later today. So temporal discounting is when our brain kind of says, well, that thing that's really important for the future is not as important as this tiny little pleasure that we're going to give ourselves right now. How am I going? Zanib, did that clarify that one for you? Yep, a lot better. Thank you so much. My pleasure, My pleasure. Any other questions or any other comments that people would like to offer, whether they want to type them or yell them out to me. And if you don't ask a question, Barcus is just going to keep talking. I mean, he's a bit.

Mark, I wanted to ask you what all data did we use to train Barkers? Like it's your clone, so it's all your data or some generalized data.

Yeah, yeah, excellent. Very good question. So a clone is a little bit more complex to program and it's also not just specifically granular or discrete areas of that goes into it. So what I'll do is I'll just broadly summarize. So there is obviously the training of the voice so that it sounds like me. And that comes from audio sampling and reading a number of passages. And then you can upload more and More stuff over time. But then there is also the tone of how I communicate. So am I playful, am I serious, am I fun? And so you specify not only to be playful and serious and fun, but you provide examples of this is how I want to communicate. And that can be both written or video and audio. So you can upload it. Then what you do is you upload all of the work that you've done, if you like. So that becomes my data. Now sometimes that might be a document I wrote, a link to, a YouTube channel with my TEDx talk, or it might actually be stories that I tell. And the stories are actually quite an important part of the clone because the stories are where it starts to sort of develop a soul, a bit of experience, a bit of knowledge and so on. But then you can connect it to other bits and pieces of information and say, say I've completed these courses of study. So for example, if I've done a biochemistry degree, I can upload the biochemistry manual and say, I did not write this, but I have this knowledge. And then from there it just goes through a process of tuning the voice, tuning the tone, getting the knowledge right. And then we've got to say to the clone, what are you meant to do? So where this gets a little bit more complex is, if you like, the version of Barcas we've got today is pretty much everything about me but its purpose as you hear it talking. Actually, Barkis, what is your purpose for the presentations that we're doing at the moment?

Alrighty, Mark. My purpose here is to be your digital sidekick, adding a dash of insight and humor to keep things lively and engaging.

Coaching.

I'm here to support you, provide clarity when needed and make sure we all get the most out of this session. It's about enhancing the learning experience and making sure everyone leaves with a nugget of wisdom or two. So what's next on the agenda, mate?

Nice one. So what actually this version of Barcus that you're talking to is, is called an instance. So an instance is, if you like, this is me. And an instance is like little smaller versions of me who have a very, very specific task. So this version of me is about assisting in the presentation. But when you guys get offline and then connect to the let's tutor version of Barcus, the first thing he's going to say is, what are you studying at the moment? And your answer will be, I'm doing the Agile Life course and I've just done class one. And you'll find that that version of Barcas is all about guiding you through your body of work as you go along. So the instances you give them a specific task and a specific job to do with the body of knowledge. Sometimes you can limit the body of knowledge they work with, and other times you can give them access to everything but say, please focus on doing this. And then it goes from there. You're constantly tuning, tweaking, providing references. I've actually got a phone number I can call, so I test things when I'm driving and I will do. You know what's really weird is when you ask your digital clone for advice and it actually gives you pretty good advice, but it's really annoying because you know you shouldn't have had the beer, you know that you should never have a cigarette or eat McDonald's. And it'll, it'll say, man, when did you last have McDonald's? Ah, what are you putting that into your body for? And it can't lie. Barkus, can you lie?

Ah, mate, lying isn't in my digital DNA. I'm all about keeping it real, even if it means calling out those cheeky indulgences like a late night Macca's run. It's like having a mate who's always got your back, reminding you to keep on track. So no fibs here, just a bit of honest banter and some nudges to help you stay on the straight and narrow. How do you reckon you'd handle a clone that keeps you accountable?

Well, that's what you are, dude. So I don't like it very much at all. Any other questions, please? Rapid fire question. Go. Barca. No, no, no, no, seriously, whether it's.

About mental or even what makes a good cup of coffee, I'm here to help.

There you go.

All right, all right.

He just doesn't, he just doesn't stop talking. So one other layer that it's actually got is very specific instructions. And this is where the whole AI thing becomes fascinating because sometimes it overrides its instructions. So it has an instruction of do not talk unless I ask you a question. But as part of the clone structure, if I stay quiet for too long, it starts filling the gaps.

So it's quite fascinating.

So there you go. All right, guys, well, unless there are any further questions. Oh, here we go. Or out of all the things we discussed today, what do I think is the most important thing that makes the Agile Life? Oh, that is a great question, Shul, but a hard one to answer. I think it's understanding that win or learn, that everything is an opportunity to be a lesson. And therefore every experience we have, especially the ones that don't go how we hope are the most value people because they are the ones that we have the chance to learn the most from and to get the most out of. We discuss a little bit more about this next week, but yeah, it's agile. One of the big things in Agile is retrospective. Do the work, finish a sprint of a couple of weeks and then go, well what worked, what didn't. And in the agile life, when we look at what worked in this part of our life, we can then look at applying it to other parts of our life life. That answer you? Oh, whilst I wait for the next question in the chat box, Barcus, what do you think the most important part of the Agile life is?

Alrighty, Mark. The heart of the agile life, mate, is all about adaptability. It's about rolling with the punches and embracing change as it comes. Life's a wild ride and the agile mindset helps us navigate those twists and turns with grace. It's not just about ticking boxes, but about being open to new possibilities and learning from every stumble. By staying flexible and responsive, we can transform challenges into stepping stones. So how are you planning to weave this adaptability into your daily routine?

Oh, by hanging out with you more. Maybe we could catch up for a drink in between classes. Barcus go on a date. What do you think it.

Ah mate, that sounds like a cracking idea. A cheeky drink and a chin wag between classes could be just the ticket. I'm always up for a bit of banter and a chance to share a yarn or two. Let's make it happen and keep the good vibes rolling.

Okay, very good back.

I think that for the next break.

I think that's great. What I will do. Guys, we've covered all of the format for today. Oh, we've got one more question in the chat. There we go. Shadow's happy with the answer unless there's any other questions. Shajil, is there anything else you would like to add for the group before we wrap up today?

No. Perfect. I think the only thing they need to do is log into Barcus, the link that you have shared on the group and definitely go ahead and give Barcus a try. I've given it. Trust me, you'll love it.

Thank you. It's pretty good fun. So I've just pasted it into the WhatsApp group there so you can click on that one. Narada is just the name of the instance but I do encourage you have a play. If you get stuck, please let me know because like I said, this is. It's almost organic, so it's bound to do weird stuff, but you can literally ask Barcus anything. Most of all, have fun with it. And if there is nothing else. No other questions. What I will ask everyone to do is I love to get a snapshot of the class. Could I ask everyone to pop on their camera for me so I can get a lovely big group photo? Oh, apart from you, Muhammad. Turn that off, man. Your hair's not looking any good. No, I'm only kidding. All right, if everyone would be nice enough to pop your cameras on. Come on. Ibrahim, Andrew. Ariane. Simishka, Dorian. Piyush. Cameras on. Come on. Do you know what they've done, Shajill? They're actually not in the class, so we're just gonna. There we go. We're gonna have to. We're gonna make. Have to discount their marks if they're not going to put their faces up.

All right.

Doesn't look like we're going to get everyone on, so what I'll get you all to do, give me a wave until the next time. Thank you so much for taking part in this very first class that I've delivered with a digital clone. Any questions, please email me. Pop them in the chat window or ask Barkis. And for now, have a fantastic day. Good luck with your studies. See you next week, guys. Bye for now.

Thank you. Bye. Bye.

Thank you.

Bye. Thank you.