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thanks Ryan.

and so glad you are a big fan of Ken like me. I keep saying he is one of the most underrated scientists in psychology.

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I love this framework, Todd. Thanks for highlighting this research. I think I’ve been doing this - but rather randomly and without too much intentionality.

Now I can’t wait to see what using it intentionally will bring!

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Thanks Eric. I'm glad that you said that because when I first read this work I had a similar response to you. I already do this, it's not new. But I think you are onto something about moving from instinct to intent.

I stopped listening to podcasts when I workout long before I knew this work so that I could get that mindful attention to the exact muscles targeted and deactivate secondary muscles that want to join in.

So I'm with you. Thanks.

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On a good day I'll hit them gym first thing in the morning, but perhaps after reading this, I should try doing it around midday/mid-afternoon after a concentrated burst of writing or research. Very cool framework.

Kennon Sheldon just wrote a cool paper on a similar process. He argued that asking yourself explicit questions regarding the decision or problem you want your unconscious mind to attend to, before shifting in to the distraction/incubation phase, can lead to better insights.

See: Sheldon, Goffredi & Titova (2023) The Goal breakthrough model of goal reorientation: Explicit questions drive implicit processes.

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