What Are Some of Your Favorite Productivity Hacks?
15 Dec 2025 · 7 min
This is a podcast episode hosted by JJ Virgin (four-time NYT bestselling author) centered on listener questions about productivity. The episode mixes editorial content (a guest interview with Jonathan Levy discussing eliminating distractions and flow) with multiple sponsor advertisements (Wayfair, Earth Breeze, Pacifico, Monarch, Dick's) and brief promotional plugs. JJ also discusses environmental toxins in laundry products and holiday/home prep. The tone alternates between promotional (ads) and advisory (productivity and health tips).
Questions this episode answers
November 19, 2020
Jonathan Levy
Chapters
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Some of your favorite productivity hacks? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times best selling author, celebrity nutrition expert, and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions, and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Pauline from Twitter asks, what are some of your favorite productivity hacks? Hey, it's JJ And I've asked author, podcast host and keynote speaker Jonathan Levy, who is an expert in accelerated learning.
And memory, to answer this question.
Stay tuned.
Hey, J.J. virgin here. Okay, Real Talk.
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So this is a really, really great question. I think we all want to be more productive. We all want to get more done. We all want to feel that we're moving towards our goals faster and faster. And I'm a productivity geek, as you said, just like so many other people. And what I've discovered is that oftentimes I will sit down to teach a productivity hack and the person will be distracted and there will be chimes, dings, bings and bops that prevent them from actually paying attention and even learning the productivity hack. So I've taken it back to square one and now when people ask me for the most impactful productivity hack that I can give, it is eliminating distractions. And it's silly to me that we've gotten to a point as a society that this is the biggest productivity hack. But when I say eliminating distractions, I don't just mean closing the door to your office because so many people will try to get their work done and they'll have the slack window open. Or maybe if you don't have all the notifications on your phone but you still keep your phone next to you, I take it a couple steps further. If I want to get productive work done, I'll put my phone in airplane mode. If you don't have the willpower, I recommend a product called KSafe, which is a safe with a timer on it. You can put your phone in there and then try to Unless you're a parent or an expectant father, try to eliminate all unnecessary notifications. Because unless you are able to get into the flow state, any productivity tip that I could teach you is not going to help if you cannot get into that flow state. And we know that every time you're interrupted, it takes 15 minutes to get back into your optimal focus and flow. Foreign.
This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.
Hello listeners, this is Anne Bogle, author, blogger, and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I take all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their Next Read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading. Next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years, and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And, of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change, or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything, you'll learn something about yourself as a reader, and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast, and visit our website what Should I read next podcast.com to find out more.
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