I think there are huge placebo effects at work here. For example, I often feel a bit of a [short-lived] burst of energy after reading one of the self-help books
Even placebo can be measured. And if the placebo works even when you know it is a placebo… then why not use it?
Suggested experiment: Does reading the same self-help book again increase your productivity again? How much? Are the results different if you read it gain after one week, after one month, after one year?
If the book effect is repeatable, then just buy a sequence of books and make a habit to read them one hour each week, or whatever the experiment shows is the amount that brings the best “productivity increase : time spent reading” ratio. Problem basically solved; now you only improve details like which books work best, what is the best time of day for reading them, comparing reading a paper book with listening to audio version, etc.
The practical use of placebos is an interesting subject in itself; although research suggests the effect is not very strong (see e.g. Is the Placebo Powerless? , as cited in the wikipedia entry.
Anyway, I’m getting off-topic :)
The original poster of the article seems to be interested in comparing various techniques—and to do a good comparison, one should really try to avoid placebo noise from the comparison.
Even placebo can be measured. And if the placebo works even when you know it is a placebo… then why not use it?
Suggested experiment: Does reading the same self-help book again increase your productivity again? How much? Are the results different if you read it gain after one week, after one month, after one year?
If the book effect is repeatable, then just buy a sequence of books and make a habit to read them one hour each week, or whatever the experiment shows is the amount that brings the best “productivity increase : time spent reading” ratio. Problem basically solved; now you only improve details like which books work best, what is the best time of day for reading them, comparing reading a paper book with listening to audio version, etc.
The practical use of placebos is an interesting subject in itself; although research suggests the effect is not very strong (see e.g. Is the Placebo Powerless? , as cited in the wikipedia entry.
Anyway, I’m getting off-topic :)
The original poster of the article seems to be interested in comparing various techniques—and to do a good comparison, one should really try to avoid placebo noise from the comparison.