Which world famous masterpiece took its creator 16 years and still wasn’t finished? Yet it’s the one painting everyone has heard of. What’s worse, the painter died before the public ever saw his most famous piece. He was a perfectionist, and in this episode, Alex and Moah will explore the challenge so many face, from artists to authors to even themselves: completing a project you’ve started.

You’ll discover the three major barriers to calling a project “done,” why perfectionism is so hard to beat, how to harness the power of deadlines and accountability, and clever strategies to make the tedious “last 10%” manageable (and maybe even fun). Alex and Moah also attack the all-too-common problem of scope creep with practical tips you can implement with your team or on your own.

Tune in to transform your unfinished projects into completed victories, and finally experience the sweet satisfaction of “done.” Tune in to pick up powerful tools, principles rooted in psychology, and that final push you’ve been looking for.

Links from the show!

Small area hypothesis https://ideas.repec.org/a/oup/jconrs/doi10.1086-663827.html

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/how-to-turn-the-bureaucratic-grind-of-life-into-a-party-7205f690

Study of how NASA scientists stay motivated when mission times are forever https://news.virginia.edu/content/research-reveals-keys-sustaining-long-term-motivation

How to run a forcing party, from Tyler Alterman https://x.com/TylerAlterman/status/1947291319774159251

Admin Night - Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/how-to-turn-the-bureaucratic-grind-of-life-into-a-party-7205f690

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What makes a company offsite productive and not just another expensive mini-vacation with name tags? In this episode of Less Busy Lab, Moah and Alex pull back the curtain on more than a decade of running offsites and hackathons for their now remote team.

From a castle in Mill Valley with more Greco-Roman statues than employees to a bioluminescent kayaking adventure, they share real stories of what went right, what went wrong, and the research-backed reasons offsites make teams more creative, connected, and collaborative.

You’ll hear why brainstorming after lunch is scientifically smarter, how silly icebreakers (like “Your plane crash-landed on a desert island. What would you pack?”) build psychological safety, and how offsites can increase collaboration by over 20%. Plus, learn their practical hacks for planning a great retreat, like why natural light matters and how to verify Airbnb Wi-Fi before you arrive.

Whether you’re organizing your first team retreat or wondering if you should attend an optional off-site, this episode will leave you with fresh ideas, science-based takeaways, and at least make it something you don’t dread.

Links from the show!

Babson/Dartmouth study: attendees received ~23.5% more new incoming collaboration ties after an offsite than non‑attendees https://faculty.tuck.dartmouth.edu/images/uploads/faculty/adam-kleinbaum/RewiringTheOrgNetwork.pdf

Microsoft’s 61,000‑employee study on collaboration time https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-effects-of-remote-work-on-collaboration-among-information-workers/

Organizations now average 2.6 offsite events annually: Emburse https://www.emburse.com/resources/the-state-of-corporate-offsites-2025

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What does email apnea, Slack culture, and flow state protection have in common? They’re all part of how our digital communication habits have shifted since the pandemic—and how those shifts are reshaping productivity.

In this episode, Moah and Alex unpack what’s changed about email, chat, and meetings in the past five years. From the days of “batching email twice a day” to today’s blurred boundaries of hybrid work, they dig into surprising research on responsiveness, burnout, and the hidden costs of interruptions.

You’ll hear stories from their own remote team and insights from studies out of Microsoft and the University of Mannheim. Along the way, they explore how to balance synchronicity with deep work, why self-interruptions might be less harmful than external ones, and practical ways to protect your off-hours while staying connected to your team.

Tune in for practical tips, surprising science, and the kind of candid conversation that will help you get more done while feeling less busy.

Links from the show!

Media Synchronicity Theory — Multilingual Virtual Teams https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331209896_Language_Proficiency_and_Media_Synchronicity_Theory_The_Impact_of_Media_Capabilities_on_Satisfaction_and_Inclusion_in_Multilingual_Virtual_Teams

Email apnea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_apnea

Positive feelings when we're more responsive https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.2239

Email patterns and self-interruption https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2858036.2858262

Microsoft research on interruptions at work https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Modeling-Opportune-Moments-for-Transitions-and-Breaks-at-Work.pdf

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