Doing the thing - a short sharp masterclass on creating focus
There are a million ways to waste time.
We don't need a million and one ways to be productive.
We just need to - Do The Thing
It's easy to overcomplicate productivity:
Over analysing your habits
Over examing your past
Over sharing your strategies.
These are all effective ways to not be productive.
In this episode, we cut through the fluff and focus on the pure, simple truths.
Workshop - Building certainty in an uncertain world
😱 The world is spinning faster and increasingly feels unhinged
✊ Use Psychology to build strong core foundations and make long-term decisions
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Get in Touch
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Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
🛜 Website - Growth Mindset
Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement
Episode: Doing the thing - a short sharp masterclass on creating focus
Chapters:
00:00 The many ways to tackle productivity
01:35 Essay - "Doing the thing"
03:08 Busy vs productive
04:47 Productivity for a podcaster
07:00 False productivity - Hiking
08:43 Psychology of productivity
09:27 Procrastination - Temporal Motivation Theory
10:49 Planning Fallacy
11:26 Zegarknik effect - Just start
13:19 Adverts
13:25 Questions and answers
13:34 When should I do the thing?
13:44 What if I don't have time?
13:58 How do you make time?
14:59 What if it's hard?
15:48 What if I am not ready to do the thing?
18:45 What if I don't know how to do the thing?
20:01 What if I fail?
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29:45
Overthinking: The psychology of catastrophizing and how to stop assuming the worst
We don’t see the future. We predict it — and sometimes we predict disaster before it’s even possible.
Catastrophizing is a mental reflex. It’s your mind, desperate for control, drawing monsters where none exist yet.
In this episode, we explore the quiet space between stimulus and story — the moment you could choose curiosity over certainty.
Relationships, careers, self-worth: all suffer when we confuse our imagined outcomes with inevitable truths. But if we learn to watch the story unfold without believing it, something remarkable happens. We reclaim possibility.
You’ll leave with:
Understanding of how the brain creates fear to protect itself
Tools for building awareness instead of reaction
A framework for making peace with uncertainty — and using it to grow
The psychology that makes false fears feel real
Stop letting your brain run disaster drills for things that haven’t happened. Tune in.
Workshop - Building certainty in an uncertain world
😱 The world is spinning faster and increasingly feels unhinged
✊ Use Psychology to build strong core foundations and make long-term decisions
🎟️ Join us - https://workshop.growthmindsetpodcast.com
Sponsors
🌱 Cozy Earth - Luxury bedding and loungewear
35% off - https//CozyEarth.com - code GROWTH
Upgrade to Premium:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
💬 Community Discord
GrowthMindset.Supercast.com
Get in Touch
👋 Free Call - Schedule Link - https://cal.com/samwebster/mindset
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
🛜 Website - Growth Mindset
Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement
Episode: Overthinking: The psychology of catastrophizing and how to stop assuming the worst
Chapters:
00:00 Why this topic is popular
01:45 What is catastrophising
04:18 Build awareness
07:10 Magnifying and minimising
08:32 More details feels more real.
10:16 The human tendency to just invent stories
13:22 ADHD
15:31 Catastrophizing and being diagnosed with ADHD
16:17 Balancing worst and best scenarios
17:23 Social anxiety example
19:09 Write a journal
20:31 Alex Hormozi selling gym subscriptions
21:09 Want and don't want chair
23:26 4 stages of intrusive thoughts
28:50 4 step method for mitigating catastrophization
28:50 Step 1 - Awareness
29:57 Step 2 - Challenging the thought
30:40 Step 3 - Imagine the best
31:11 Step 4 - Accept uncertainty
32:55 Catastrophizing is the opposite of Growth mindset
33:14 Episode summary
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40:51
Bad Habits: The Psychology of Behavioural Debt—and How to Pay It Off
What if the person you think you are is an outdated idea?
In this episode, we explore how habits form—not from logic, but from history. From childhood rules to adult rituals, your behaviours aren’t just choices. They’re echoes.
We look at behavioural debt: how the past continues to extract payments from your present and what you can do about it.
We look expansively at different ways we pick up all these habits and identities, and then use 5 ideas from psychology and philosophy to fix them.
There’s a monk shedding illusions, a writer who redefined his identity, and a cycling team that changed everything with 1% improvements. These aren’t just stories. They’re invitations—to become intentional, to design rituals that serve who you want to be, not who you used to be.
Takeaways:
Reframe your identity as something you craft, not inherit
Use “identity microshifts” to pay off your behavioural debt
Hack your own Fresh Start Effect—even on a random Tuesday
Learn how to become yourself through subtraction instead of adding more things
If you’ve ever felt like your habits were someone else’s or like your current actions no longer serve who you are, this episode will make a lot of sense to you.
The real work isn’t in learning more—it’s in unlearning what no longer fits.
Workshop - Building certainty in an uncertain world
😱 The world is spinning faster and increasingly feels unhinged
✊ Use Psychology to build strong core foundations and make long-term decisions
🎟️ Join us - https://workshop.growthmindsetpodcast.com
Sponsors
🌱 Cozy Earth - Luxury bedding and loungewear
35% off - https//CozyEarth.com - code GROWTH
Upgrade to Premium:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
💬 Community Discord
GrowthMindset.Supercast.com
Get in Touch
👋 Free Call - Schedule Link - https://cal.com/samwebster/mindset
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
🛜 Website - Growth Mindset
Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement
Episode: Bad Habits: The Psychology of Behavioural Debt—and How to Pay It Off
Chapters:
00:00 What makes you, you?
02:52 Memory and the self
04:20 British Accents and lessons of children
05:58 Attachment and behaviour
07:58 Small Actions Compound
09:36 Advert - Magic Mind
09:38 Opening our minds
11:01 Every story has a villain
14:24 Path Dependence: The Continuity Trap
16:21 Self Schema Theory: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
17:52 Neuroplasticity - Hebb's Law and rewiring brain connections
19:56 Friedrich Nietzsche and becoming who you are
21:27 Psychological Rebirth: The Fresh Start Effect
23:20 Conclusion - Paying of behavioural debt
24:36 Feedback
25:07 Send Off
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32:42
Eat, Pray, Set Boundaries: The psychology of getting your needs met
How often do you say no?
In this episode, I unpack the beautiful mess that is boundary-setting—with stories, psychology, and a touch of Brexit. This episode dives deep into what it really means to assert your needs.
Boundaries aren’t about building walls—they’re more like installing a front door with a lock you actually use. We explore why people-pleasing kills self-respect, how resentment creeps in when you’re too “nice,” and why your future depends on the limits you’re willing to draw today.
What you’ll take away:
10 signs of poor boundaries
How to spot a weak boundary before it drains your energy
Why saying no can be the kindest thing you do
You teach people how to treat you by what you tolerate
How to identify emotional manipulation in everyday relationships
A quadrant model that makes difficult conversations easier
Listen now if you’re ready to stop being agreeable and start being respected.
Workshop - Building certainty in an uncertain world
😱 The world is spinning faster and increasingly feels unhinged
✊ Use Psychology to build strong core foundations and make long-term decisions
🎟️ Join us - https://workshop.growthmindsetpodcast.com
Sponsors
🌱 Cozy Earth - Luxury bedding and loungewear
35% off - https//CozyEarth.com - code GROWTH
Upgrade to Premium:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
💬 Community Discord
GrowthMindset.Supercast.com
Get in Touch
👋 Free Call - Schedule Link - https://cal.com/samwebster/mindset
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
🛜 Website - Growth Mindset
Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement
Episode: Eat, Pray, Set Boundaries: The psychology of getting your needs met
Chapters:
00:00 Setting boundaries for how you want to be treated
02:58 Boundaires in life Example
05:10 Why boundaries need balance
07:19 10 signs of poor boundaries
07:35 Difficulty making decisions
07:58 Feeling selfish for saying no
08:18 Frequent apologizing
08:49 Uncertainty about what to share
09:13 Passive aggressiveness
09:49 Losing sense of self
10:10 Need for external validation
10:26 Resentment
10:43 Constant sense of fatigue
11:02 Dramatic relationships
11:34 Abusive situations
15:03 Identifying crap boundaries
15:14 Floppy boundary
17:22 Rigid boundary
19:10 Why we struggle with boundaries
23:09 Creating healthy boundaries
23:39 Personal boundaries
24:07 Social boundaries
25:24 Value-based boundaries
26:43 Communicating boundaries
28:25 Traffic light framework
31:58 The importance of independence
34:41 Book suggestions
35:22 Send off
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41:26
Science of Mental Toughness: Assess yourself using the 4 quadrants of resilience
What separates those who break from those who bend? A shift—not in strength, but in perspective.
In today’s episode, we look at the 4 quadrants of mental resilience: Control, Commitment, Challenge, and Confidence —using a blend of metaphors, Stoic wisdom, and powerful stories from history.
Think of your mind like a car: control is the steering wheel, commitment is the fuel, challenge is the terrain, and confidence? That’s your engine. From Helen Keller to Joan of Arc, you’ll see how legendary mental strength isn’t born—it’s built. Plus, learn why reacting to criticism like a calm kung-fu master might be your new superpower.
Mental toughness isn’t built in heroic moments; it’s forged in the quiet choice to show up again.
Reflect on where you place your power: inside or out?
Anchor your goals in systems, not wishful thinking.
Let difficulty be your teacher, not your warning sign.
If you’re ready to change how you see resilience, this episode will shift everything.
Workshop - Building certainty in an uncertain world
😱 The world is spinning faster and increasingly feels unhinged
✊ Use Psychology to build strong core foundations and make long-term decisions
🎟️ Join us - https://workshop.growthmindsetpodcast.com
Sponsors
🌱 Cozy Earth - Luxury bedding and loungewear
35% off - https//CozyEarth.com - code GROWTH
Upgrade to Premium:
🏖️ Ad-free listening
🤘 Support the show
🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content
💬 Community Discord
GrowthMindset.Supercast.com
Get in Touch
👋 Free Call - Schedule Link - https://cal.com/samwebster/mindset
📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com
Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
🛜 Website - Growth Mindset
Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement
Episode: Science of Mental Toughness: Assess yourself using the 4 quadrants of resilience
Chapters:
00:00 The meaning in suffering
02:14 The 4 elements of mental toughness
02:47 Quadrant of control
07:13 Quadrant of commitment
10:59 Quadrant of challenge
16:02 Quadrant of confidence
20:56 Building mental toughness requires practice
26:57 Send off
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Über Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
There are a lot of opinions on how to master your mind, but then there’s PSYCHOLOGY.
We’re all stuck with the brain we’re born with, but we aren’t stuck with how we use it.
Learn science-backed answers to make the most of your mind and your life.
CURIOUS?
Growth Mindset Psychology is the "self-help sceptic" podcast for the curious.
Whether you want to improve performance, navigate setbacks, or know who you are.
We find answers to the true science of self-improvement.
So put down the astrology chart and start working with your mind, instead of against it.
With over 8 million downloads and 60,000 monthly listeners, you’re invited to join.
PROCESS
Instead of telling you what to think, we discuss how thinking works.
Armed with a stack of science journals, textbooks and a boatload of curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of the mind.
Why? >>> Success is personal!
You might want to make the most of your neurodiverse strengths, start a business, or simply find more reasons to smile.
Hone your ability for independent thinking and growth with mental models to pursue your definition of success.
HOST
I’m Sam Webster Harris, a lifelong learner with ADHD, a raging curiosity, and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions.
After launching several businesses, travelling the world and nearly dying a few times I concluded that science and Psychology are where it’s at.
What actually makes people happy? What’s the best way to treat a brain? How can I get more done?
Studying the answers we find that changing behaviours requires building mindsets, mental models, and a healthy relationship with failure.
I run the show to help listeners enjoy nutritious content that feeds their minds (and I needed a legitimate excuse to cover for my reading addiction).
PREMIUM
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Support the show and access the AMA features and community Discord.
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ARCHIVE
Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum.
Past series:
— Psychology vs Stoicism
— Time Management for busy mortals
— Independence and knowing yourself
— Cognitive biases and rational thinking
— Psychology of connection
— Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets
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