Stephen Collar

It sits between boredom and anxiety. Boredom is, hey, there's not enough stimulation here. I don't give a fuck. I can't pay attention. Anxiety, whoa, way too much. I'm paying too much attention. In between is this sweet spot. It's known as the flow channel. If you're a physiologist, this is the Erg-Stopson curve. And we've known about this since, like, 1906. So say the spell of that?

It sits between boredom and anxiety. Boredom is, hey, there's not enough stimulation here. I don't give a fuck. I can't pay attention. Anxiety, whoa, way too much. I'm paying too much attention. In between is this sweet spot. It's known as the flow channel. If you're a physiologist, this is the Erg-Stopson curve. And we've known about this since, like, 1906. So say the spell of that?

Y-E-R-K-E-S hyphen D-O-B-S-O-N. And it basically says no matter what the stimulants is, there's a music. Certain level, it sounds too low. You can't hear it. You can't hear it. You can't hear it. And then there's a sweet spot in the middle where we like it. And then it gets too loud. That's everything, including flow. Same thing. So there's a sweet spot, the flow channel.

Y-E-R-K-E-S hyphen D-O-B-S-O-N. And it basically says no matter what the stimulants is, there's a music. Certain level, it sounds too low. You can't hear it. You can't hear it. You can't hear it. And then there's a sweet spot in the middle where we like it. And then it gets too loud. That's everything, including flow. Same thing. So there's a sweet spot, the flow channel.

anxiety, if there's too much anxiety, you're going to block flow. A little bit focuses attention. This is you using fear as a motivator. This is me using fear as a motivator. You're not using abject terror as a motivator because that'll blow you out, right? Then all you can think about is the thing you're scared of. There's no maneuverability.

anxiety, if there's too much anxiety, you're going to block flow. A little bit focuses attention. This is you using fear as a motivator. This is me using fear as a motivator. You're not using abject terror as a motivator because that'll blow you out, right? Then all you can think about is the thing you're scared of. There's no maneuverability.

So that said, flow requires you to manage your nervous system and manage your energy levels on a regular basis. So at the end of my day to answer your question, Joe, and I'm not sure how it really does this. I will work to wherever I work, work to, I need roughly two and a half hours afterwards. I am going to go. The first thing you want to do is have an active recovery protocol.

So that said, flow requires you to manage your nervous system and manage your energy levels on a regular basis. So at the end of my day to answer your question, Joe, and I'm not sure how it really does this. I will work to wherever I work, work to, I need roughly two and a half hours afterwards. I am going to go. The first thing you want to do is have an active recovery protocol.

Passive recovery is TV and a beer, and both are terrible for performance. alcohol will fuck up REM sleep. So you can have one to maybe two drinks, right? But now once you go over two drinks and if you weigh like I do, which is like 160, it's one drink. With you, it's two drinks. But for me, it's like one drink. Anything beyond that blocks REM sleep. So I've just messed up my sleep, right?

Passive recovery is TV and a beer, and both are terrible for performance. alcohol will fuck up REM sleep. So you can have one to maybe two drinks, right? But now once you go over two drinks and if you weigh like I do, which is like 160, it's one drink. With you, it's two drinks. But for me, it's like one drink. Anything beyond that blocks REM sleep. So I've just messed up my sleep, right?

It's a big one. No alcohol. No alcohol. You know what? I will say I did a thing. It was really funny. Richard Branson and I did a thing. We're both, I think, marijuana advocates. You know, have been marijuana advocates for decades. Various reasons. We did a thing about marijuana together. Somebody asked me in the Q&A question, do you have any business advice? What's your one thing? Smuggle a bowl.

It's a big one. No alcohol. No alcohol. You know what? I will say I did a thing. It was really funny. Richard Branson and I did a thing. We're both, I think, marijuana advocates. You know, have been marijuana advocates for decades. Various reasons. We did a thing about marijuana together. Somebody asked me in the Q&A question, do you have any business advice? What's your one thing? Smuggle a bowl.

No, he said quit drinking. Quit drinking. Quit drinking. He said quit drinking. It's the most important.

No, he said quit drinking. Quit drinking. Quit drinking. He said quit drinking. It's the most important.

So alcohol is a flow blocker. Alcohol is a recovery blocker. TV is a recovery blocker. And most people don't know this, so they don't realize this is about YouTube or TV. And social media, yeah. Social media. Well, social media we know, right? But we don't realize that like TV does it because it's really subtle. So here's the problem.

So alcohol is a flow blocker. Alcohol is a recovery blocker. TV is a recovery blocker. And most people don't know this, so they don't realize this is about YouTube or TV. And social media, yeah. Social media. Well, social media we know, right? But we don't realize that like TV does it because it's really subtle. So here's the problem.

If you want to recover, right, all the active recovery protocols, whether it's a sauna or an Epsom salt bath or breath work, or mindfulness, or a long walk in nature, all these things, what they're doing is they're putting your brain into alpha. Alpha is like a basic, it's the recovery brainwave, it's relaxed, it's daydreaming mode, it's creative.

If you want to recover, right, all the active recovery protocols, whether it's a sauna or an Epsom salt bath or breath work, or mindfulness, or a long walk in nature, all these things, what they're doing is they're putting your brain into alpha. Alpha is like a basic, it's the recovery brainwave, it's relaxed, it's daydreaming mode, it's creative.

And when we watch TV, the brain, that's that couch pit, if you're just watching it. But what you don't realize is every time there's a quick cut on television, at an unconscious level, your brain goes from alpha up to high beta. High beta is essentially at the edge of fight or flight. And the reason is we evolved in an environment where when anything moves quickly, it could be a threat.

And when we watch TV, the brain, that's that couch pit, if you're just watching it. But what you don't realize is every time there's a quick cut on television, at an unconscious level, your brain goes from alpha up to high beta. High beta is essentially at the edge of fight or flight. And the reason is we evolved in an environment where when anything moves quickly, it could be a threat.