Life Hacks 201 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 187
Chris Williamson (host), Jonny (guest), Yusef (guest), Jonny (guest), Narrator, Narrator, Narrator, Narrator
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Jonny, Life Hacks 201 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 187 explores productivity, Fitness, and Tech Hacks to Upgrade Everyday Modern Life Chris Williamson, Jonny, and Yusuf share a rapid-fire collection of practical 'life hacks' covering productivity systems, fitness gear, diet adherence, tech tools, and daily routines. They discuss using dead time, building better to‑do systems, optimizing coffee and audio setups, and improving training with the right shoes and habits. The conversation mixes specific app and product recommendations with underlying principles like reducing friction, batching tasks, and designing environments that support your goals. Throughout, they emphasize small, repeatable tweaks that compound over time rather than dramatic overhauls.
Productivity, Fitness, and Tech Hacks to Upgrade Everyday Modern Life
Chris Williamson, Jonny, and Yusuf share a rapid-fire collection of practical 'life hacks' covering productivity systems, fitness gear, diet adherence, tech tools, and daily routines. They discuss using dead time, building better to‑do systems, optimizing coffee and audio setups, and improving training with the right shoes and habits. The conversation mixes specific app and product recommendations with underlying principles like reducing friction, batching tasks, and designing environments that support your goals. Throughout, they emphasize small, repeatable tweaks that compound over time rather than dramatic overhauls.
Key Takeaways
Exploit 'dead time' by pairing chores with existing routines.
Doing kitchen chores or prep while food cooks, or setting multiple 'processes' running (like filling water bottles, emptying the dishwasher) turns passive waiting into productive micro-bursts, so future-you finds a clean, organized environment without extra perceived effort.
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Use environment design and friction to make desired behaviors easier and bad habits harder.
Examples include cleaning your teeth immediately after your last meal to discourage late-night snacking, going to bed earlier to avoid diet slip-ups, and forcing yourself to pay cash for impulsive food purchases so the pain of handing over notes raises your 'dickhead factor' and curbs behavior.
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Invest in the right tools where you get daily compound returns (audio, coffee, shoes, planners).
AirPods Pro with noise-canceling, a temperature-controlled kettle and brew method, stable training shoes like Reebok Nano X or Romaleos, and a focused planner or GTD app all remove friction from high-frequency activities, making it easier to focus, train safely, and execute consistently.
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Constrain your daily focus with tight to‑do systems and regular reviews.
Using OmniFocus with proper GTD-style reviews, or a paper Productivity Planner/Full Focus Planner that limits you to five key tasks, forces prioritization and makes you feel okay about what you're not doing today, instead of drowning in endless lists and fake due dates you learn to ignore.
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Upgrade your training and posture with simple structural choices, not just more volume.
Starting unilateral exercises with your weaker side and matching reps, using proper lifting or stable shoes rather than squishy runners, and incorporating routines like the Foundation Series or McGill Big Three can reduce back pain, improve posture, and make lifts safer and more effective.
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Use tech deliberately to boost focus instead of fragmenting it.
Brain. ...
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Outsource taste and reduce decision fatigue in style and media.
Let a trusted friend overhaul your wardrobe for an objective style reset, and maintain a running queue of films/series ranked by recommender trust so you never default to mediocre algorithm suggestions when you finally sit down to watch something.
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Notable Quotes
“Future Jonny will thank past Jonny that he hasn’t even remembered.”
— Chris Williamson
“One of the best places to get yourself to is feeling okay with all the things you’re not doing today.”
— Jonny
“If you could bottle the placebo effect, you’d have a panacea.”
— Yusuf
“If you’re going to the gym, stop wearing Nike Huaraches. They’re not even shoes, let alone training shoes.”
— Chris Williamson
“The thing you consistently achieve is your minimum acceptable standard.”
— Jonny (paraphrasing Sam Ovens)
Questions Answered in This Episode
Which one or two of these hacks would yield the biggest improvement for someone who feels constantly overwhelmed and time-poor?
Chris Williamson, Jonny, and Yusuf share a rapid-fire collection of practical 'life hacks' covering productivity systems, fitness gear, diet adherence, tech tools, and daily routines. ...
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How can listeners decide when it’s worth paying for a premium tool (like AirPods Pro, Brain.fm, or OmniFocus) versus sticking with a cheaper or free alternative?
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For someone new to GTD-style systems, what’s the simplest starting setup that captures most of the benefits without a big learning curve?
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How should average gym-goers prioritize between buying lifting shoes, a belt, coaching, or more training time if they’re on a limited budget?
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What signals should someone look for to know they need an external style or lifestyle 'intervention' from a friend instead of trying to optimize alone?
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Transcript Preview
It is Life Hacks. This is kind of like the second season.
I really hope there's somebody listening to this episode who's not got any of the weird references so far-
Oh, don't, absolutely.
... and just thinks we've all got Tourette's.
Have you seen the Alan Partridge thing where he's talking about how to wash your hands in a train toilet without touching anything? So he's like, "Elbow, elbow, soap, soap, tissue, tissue, down, kick the door, open, done, out."
(laughs)
It's like that, (laughs) that's how my morning feels.
Yusuf, why have you put Kermit the Frog behind you on your...?
He's, he's back again. Can you, can you just tell me when he goes away?
I cannot, I cannot believe- It is Life Hacks time with Jonny and Yusuf from propanefitness.com. How are you doing, gentlemen?
Good.
All very good.
Good.
Are you doing the Macarena?
I don't think it's like that, is it? It's that.
That looked more like a mime artist pretending there was a glass wall.
Yeah.
Pretending to do the Macarena? (laughs)
I'm, I'm not very up to date with my like '90s dance.
(laughs) '90s dance moves, yeah. If it-
Vengaboys.
Yeah, if it was anything after-
That's, yeah.
... Vengaboys or Craig David's debut single, that's, that's your most current music, isn't it?
(laughs)
(laughs)
It's like how Yusuf has like-
Really good.
... a se- one series and one film to talk about when someone's like, "Do you watch any Netflix?" He's like-
Within each decade, yeah.
Yeah, I've, I've seen Breaking Bad, all of Breaking Bad-
(laughs)
... and I've seen Fight Club.
(laughs) There's-
Do you mean either of those?
(laughs) That's, it's-
So as to maintain semblance of being up to date with-
Is it like Fight Club? Is it like Fight Club? So look-
Because I, I actually know pop culture very well.
Oh, this is pop culture. Um, it is Life Hacks. We only done one new Life Hacks episode, proper Life Hacks episode, in 2020. So we should have tons, I know I've got loads, I know you guys have got loads as well. Also before we started-
Oh, yes.
... I wanted to say thank you to everyone that's downloaded the Ultimate Life Hacks Guide. If you haven't got yours, chriswillx.com/lifehacks. Over 200 ways that you can upgrade your life and it covers everything we've done up to now. So this is kind of like the second season.
Mm-hmm.
Second season of Life Hacks.
Life Hacks, a new beginning.
A new frontier. Uh, so hot potato. Jonny, you are up. What have you got for us first?
So mine are split between physical and digital. (laughs)
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