Productivity & Self-improvement Videos Hacker News Recommends
Productivity & self-improvement videos on HackerTube: the talks, lectures and explainers Hacker News commenters keep sharing, covering productivity systems, habits, focus, time management, learning skills, career advice, motivation, daily routines, deep work, life advice, commencement speeches.
90 videos · ranked by HN recommendations · showing 1–48
Most recommended productivity & self-improvement videos
The ones HN returns to most often when a thread turns to this topic.
lecture#4How to Speak
MIT OpenCourseWare
“drop what you're doing and watch it now”
17 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
talk#48Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005
JoshuaG
“This is no doubt one of the best speech i ever heard.”
13 HN recommenders · 2007–2015
lecture#84Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Carnegie Mellon University
“If you haven't watched this, it will change your life.”
12 HN recommenders · 2008–2023
podcast#115Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction
Andrew Huberman
“I'm obsessed with this podcast by Andrew Huberman (Stanford Neuroscientist) because he's talking about a scientific basis for stuff that has "felt" true to me for a while.”
12 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
explainer#128Music and Life - Alan Watts
seandulac
“You haven't been failing, you've been dancing.”
11 HN recommenders · 2010–2022
lecture#138Hamming, "You and Your Research" (June 6, 1995)
securitylectures
“So much sage advice as compiled over a very long and fruitful career.”
11 HN recommenders · 2012–2023
talk#144Hammock Driven Development - Rich Hickey
ClojureTV
“Both of these talks are in my top 5.”
12 HN recommenders · 2014–2024
lecture#179Marty Lobdell - Study Less Study Smart
Pierce College District WA
“Marty Lobdell did a fantastic talk a while back [1] that changed the way I used to study”
6 HN recommenders · 2015–2024
explainer#181You Need a Theme, Not a Goal
CGP Grey
“CGP Grey has an excellent video on this exact kind of goal setting”
10 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
talk#190Mike Monteiro: F*ck You, Pay Me
CreativeMornings HQ
“I watched this video from Mike Monteiro and I always refer to it since.”
12 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
talk#204Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
“Its almost embarrassing how much that video changed my perception of my decisionmaking.”
11 HN recommenders · 2009–2017
explainer#236Your Brain Thinks Your Whole Home Is One Room
CGP Grey
“i watch it once a week to keep things in perspective.”
17 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
talk#246Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Stanford
“Great speech, very worth watching for those who haven’t seen it.”
9 HN recommenders · 2009–2023
explainer#316The 7 Habits of Highly Miserable People
CGP Grey
“Here's a great video going over the same concepts but in a humorous way.”
11 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
talk#356Ira Glass on Storytelling 3
warphotography
“Ira Glass's take on this is so good and I go back to it often”
7 HN recommenders · 2018–2026
lecture#369NVC Marshall Rosenberg - San Francisco Workshop - FULL ENGLISH SUBTITLES TRANSCRIPTION
Centrum Nadania
“I recommend going directly to the source”
6 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
lecture#412LEADERSHIP LAB: Writing Beyond the Academy 1.23.15
UChicago Social Sciences
“good writing is not about rules, it's about the function of the text, the readers, and what they value.”
4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
explainer#480Why Is It So Hard to Do Something That Should Be Easy? (Wall of Awful pt. 1)
How to ADHD
“It totally changed how I approached my procrastination by simply asking myself "why" I was avoiding a task.”
6 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
interview#497Steve Jobs Secrets of Life
Silicon Valley Historical Association
“the world is something you can change, not merely participate in.”
6 HN recommenders · 2012–2024
talk#5037 Habits For Effective Text Editing 2.0
GoogleTalksArchive
“There is a wonderful presentation called '7 Habits For Effective Text Editing 2.0' [1] explaining this philosophy.”
5 HN recommenders · 2013–2023
talk#536How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk | Will Stephen | TEDxNewYork
TEDx Talks
“spent 6 minutes talking about nothing”
6 HN recommenders · 2015–2024
talk#608Bryan Cranston's Advice to Aspiring Actors
Oscars
“Nobody explains this better than Bryan Cranston (possibly one of the most successful TV actors of recent times)”
5 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
talk#617The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU
TEDx Talks
“the threshold for acquiring new skills for personal or professional use is somewhere around 20 hours.”
5 HN recommenders · 2014–2024
tutorial#638You Suck at Excel - Joel Spolsky (Reupload)
Cool Bug Facts
“will turn you into a more proficient user of Excel.”
7 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
talk#693Emacs Org-mode - a system for note-taking and project planning
Google TechTalks
“The best advertisement for org-mode I've seen is this long Google Tech Talk”
5 HN recommenders · 2009–2024
lecture#696Randy Pausch Lecture: Time Management
Carnegie Mellon University
“So much so that I rewatch it about once a year”
4 HN recommenders · 2009–2021
comedy#726Do Nothing- a message of motivation from Self-help Singh- (un) motivational speaker and life coach
Masood Boomgaard
“While it's meant to be funny, it actually touches some deeper philosophical truths.”
4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
talk#758Keep your goals to yourself | Derek Sivers
TED
“I did not really put two and two together until I saw this talk[0] many years ago and it clicked.”
2 HN recommenders · 2010–2023
talk#788Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED
TED
“absolutely legendary TedX talk that humanizes procrastination”
5 HN recommenders · 2016–2023
interview#807Jeff Bezos - Regret Minimization Framework
Micky Thompson
“Hearing Bezos's regret minimization framework was one of the things that helped to make an easier decision”
5 HN recommenders · 2010–2024
demo#864E-Ink for Productivity: An Introduction
Technology Connextras
“Technology Connections on youtube tried to use an eink display and thoroughly described his experiences.”
4 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
talk#882Emacs For Writers
thoughtbot
“My favourite talk on this topic is "Emacs for writers”
3 HN recommenders · 2016–2024
talk#905This Is Water by David Foster Wallace Full Speech
Joe Mita
“I highly recommend a 23 minute investment in David Foster Wallace's”
5 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
lecture#94031 Hamming, Learning to Learn: You and Your Research, 6 June 1995
Hamming on Hamming: Learning to Learn
“It's the last lecture in a wonderful 31-lecture course”
3 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
lecture#1022Hamming, Intro to The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn (March 28, 1995)
securitylectures
“I highly recommend Richard Hamming's wonderful course The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn [1]”
3 HN recommenders · 2016–2020
talk#1155The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach
TEDx Talks
“I've found this TED talk the best explanation of growth vs. fixed mindset”
3 HN recommenders · 2014–2020
talk#1181Practical Creativity
GDC Festival of Gaming
“I recommend his 2014 GDC talk, "Practical Creativity" [1], even to developers who are not interested in game development.”
3 HN recommenders · 2018–2026
talk#1260Learning from dirty jobs | Mike Rowe
TED
“This guy is a big proponent of more down to earth careers and I agree with everything he says”
4 HN recommenders · 2012–2018
demo#1293Tabs Outliner Overview
omnray
“Tabs Outliner puts every tab as a leaf in a tree, and you can nest leaves”
3 HN recommenders · 2014–2015
music#1424Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen
steffyweffy777
“A lot of wisdom in a 5min song”
3 HN recommenders · 2011–2026
talk#1433The Energy Project | Tony Schwartz | Talks at Google
Talks at Google
“It's worth watching this talk from the Leading @ Google series -”
3 HN recommenders · 2010–2016
interview#1456Steve Jobs on Failure
Silicon Valley Historical Association
“Whenever I feel fear of failure, I watch this video, and it might help you too.”
4 HN recommenders · 2012–2021
podcast#1516Joe Rogan Experience #1080 - David Goggins
PowerfulJRE
“do yourself a favor”
3 HN recommenders · 2019–2021
talk#1586Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (with intro by President John Hennessy)
Stanford
“I try to watch it once a year, especially with grad students and postdocs. Gets better each time.”
2 HN recommenders · 2011–2023
explainer#1610Here's What's Preventing You From Finishing Projects
Zack Freedman
“the rubric he uses is sound for programmer-y stuff too”
3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
commentary#1626Avoid These Words (And Not Just at Work)
Adam Savage’s Tested
“Adam Savage has a most excellent rant about the outrageous arrogance of the phrase, "Why don't you just..." I highly recommend it”
3 HN recommenders · 2024
tutorial#1644Obsidian for Beginners: Start HERE — How to Use the Obsidian App for Notes
Linking Your Thinking with Nick Milo
“This 6-part video series by Nick Milo is a great way for newbies to get introduced to Obsidian and go up the learning curve rapidly”
3 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
talk#16545 steps to designing the life you want | Bill Burnett | TEDxStanford
TEDx Talks
“Highly recommend their book!”
2 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
Channels HN cites most for productivity & self-improvement
Each channel page lists every video of theirs that HN recommends.
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