661: Why structure is good for your brain | journalist David Epstein

"I think structure is more liberating than it is stifling, and it often takes people losing it to sort of realize that,” says David Epstein. Epstein is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Range and the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and as an investigative reporter for ProPublica. He lives in Washington, DC. His newest book, Inside The Box, is out now. 00:00 - Why constraints drive creativity 06:35 - How mnemonics help you memorize 10:31 - The power of low-stakes practice 12:25 - The problem with youth sports 18:56 - The constraints-led approach in elite sports 22:25 - Good vs bad constraints 25:39 - Constraints at NASA & Pixar 31:07 - Why we always add instead of subtract 35:02 - The dizziness of freedom 41:29 - Experimentation as a practice 45:19 - The importance of self-reflection 49:02 - How to fix your fractured attention Referenced in the episode: Read The Athletic’s article about the constraints-led approach: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6665943/2025/09/29/sports-training-cla-coaching-wembanyana-ohtani For more about David Epstein, visit his website: https://davidepstein.com/ Buy Inside The Box here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNDSKWMY/?/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20 Buy Range here: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214506/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices