Podcast Summary: "Your year for doing less and achieving more"

The Psychology of your 20s, Ep. 370
Host: Gemma Sbeg | Date: January 1, 2026

Episode Overview

Gemma Sbeg kicks off 2026 with a solo episode focused on a powerful theme: making this "your year for doing less and achieving more." Gemma explores why intentionally focusing your efforts, rather than spreading yourself thin, leads to greater quality, fulfillment, and actual progress—especially during the pressure-packed decade of your 20s. She grounds the conversation in psychology research, personal anecdotes, and practical strategies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of a Yearly Theme (03:16–07:50)

• Gemma shares her tradition of setting a yearly theme instead of (or alongside) specific resolutions or goals.
• Research-backed: She references a 2021 psychology study on "living a good life," highlighting how people with a guiding philosophy experience better motivation and psychological health.
  • “People who articulated a grounding belief system and had a strong personal philosophy for their lives and for their year, were more motivated, they were happier, they experienced greater psychological health and they made more progress towards their goals.” (05:10)
• Emphasizes the value of intrinsic (internal) motivation over external expectations.

2. Introducing the 2026 Theme: "Doing Less and Achieving More" (07:51–13:50)

• Contrasts last year’s theme ("trusting yourself") with the new one.
• "Doing less and achieving more" means:
  • Prioritizing a few key ambitions
  • Making your time and energy “expensive and exclusive”
  • Resisting the pressure to be everything to everyone
  • Cultivating depth rather than breadth in your pursuits
• Gemma shares a candid look back at her own overloaded year in 2025, listing achievements but also the exhaustion and missed opportunities for genuine engagement.
  • “I really just left the year craving, like, devotion to something… I ended the year being like, I'm exhausted. And the gratitude, therefore, is harder.” (12:30)

3. Why “Less is More” Works: Psychological and Practical Evidence (13:50–20:29)

• Gemma draws lessons from:
  • Stephen King, Einstein, Warren Buffett, and Angela Duckworth about focused effort.
  • Buffett’s "top 5 goals" exercise: List 20 goals, focus on only the top 5, ignore the rest until they're done.
    • “That is how he says he has become the success that he is—doing less, achieving more.” (17:15)
  • Angela Duckworth’s pyramid of goals: Identify a pinnacle goal—organize smaller goals around it.
• Cognitive Load Theory: Too many simultaneous goals dilute focus and result in poorer outcomes.
  • “Our minds have limited available resources...having too many priorities or too many goals does the same thing and often means that you're going to do all of them worse and not really achieve any of them.” (18:50)
• Introduces the concept of “attention residue”—when our brain stays stuck on previous tasks, making it harder to fully focus.

4. Practical Strategies for the Year Ahead (23:43–32:40)

• Gemma shares her own evolution from a “goal bingo card” with 12+ goals to a more streamlined approach.
  • Recommends limiting yourself to 2–3 main goals for the year.
  • Or, as an alternative: segment your year into three "seasons", each with its own sole focus.
    • “Break down your 2026 into three seasons… Each four months, each season you have a separate theme or a separate goal… exclusive concentrated effort.” (26:30)
• “You have to be okay with saying no to things that may really excite you… doing less means sacrifices and betting on the idea that it’s worth it.” (28:24)

Daily & Weekly Focus:

• Use "Must Do / Should Do / Could Do" lists to distinguish actual priorities from busywork.
  • “Our focus is on working smarter, not harder, not fatiguing our mind, not fatiguing our cognitive resources with stuff that is not essential or important.” (31:10)
• Warns against “glorified procrastination”—doing things that signal busyness but don’t move you forward.

5. The Science of Rest and Creativity (33:10–36:30)

• Shares research by the NIH showing that taking breaks actually leads to better skill development and learning.
  • “There is a restorative science to doing nothing. It’s a real tortoise and the hare scenario.” (34:38)
• Insights from Scientific American: All great creatives schedule time off as part of their process.
  • “It’s not talent, it’s not passion—it’s time off, sabbaticals, naps, long lunches, weekend adventures… woven into the fabric of being a creative person.” (35:24)
• Gemma’s personal commitment: Planning rest as a non-negotiable part of her schedule.

6. The Quiet Path: Not Announcing Your Goals (36:35–37:50)

• Challenges the conventional wisdom that public accountability always helps.
• Recent research shows that telling others about your goals can create a premature sense of accomplishment and reduce real motivation.
  • “Saying the thing that you plan to do is number two because it indicates to people socially like, ‘oh, this is part of my identity’… Whether I do it or not actually doesn't matter because I've already indicated that it’s a desire for me.” (37:15)
• This year, Gemma will “work in silence” and let results, not announcements, speak.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Alignment over exhaustion, intentionality over intensity.” — Gemma Sbeg (16:35)
• “Doing less means sacrifices and betting on the idea that it’s worth it.” (28:24)
• “Sometimes the best thing you can do to optimize your time is actually not use it and just enjoy it. Just rest. Just switch off.” (34:10)
• “Goal monogamy is more meaningful to me this year.” (36:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:10 — Show introduction and reflection on New Year
• 05:10 — Research: the psychology of living a good life and having a guiding philosophy
• 07:51 — Definition and rationale behind “Doing Less and Achieving More”
• 12:30 — Gemma’s personal 2025 journey: burnout vs. achievement
• 17:15 — Warren Buffett’s Top 5 Goals exercise
• 18:50 — Cognitive Load Theory explained
• 23:43 — Goal setting: shifting from many to a few
• 26:30 — Three-season approach to yearly planning
• 31:10 — How to triage your daily and weekly "to-dos"
• 34:10 — The importance of rest, according to science
• 37:15 — Why Gemma is not sharing her goals this year

Episode Tone & Language

Warm, motivating, gently humorous, and honest. Gemma is vulnerable about her own struggles with overcommitment and is encouraging yet grounded in behavioral science and lived experience. She speaks like a caring friend and mentor, making the science approachable.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is both a personal narrative and a practical guide for redefining achievement in your 20s. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by wanting to accomplish everything, Gemma argues that narrowing your focus and giving yourself permission to rest will lead to richer experiences, measurable success, and greater fulfillment. With her blend of research, real life, and reflective advice, you'll finish the episode with permission—and concrete steps—to make 2026 more intentional, joyful, and truly productive.