Top Performers Are Superstitious, Even At Work

Where I grew up, most people looked up to the same guy.
This guy was incredible at his job. He was in the newspaper every day.
He was in a commercial with a song about being just like him.
But he had a strange superstition: he would wear the same underwear to work every day because he thought they would give him luck.

(Ok, in case you didn’t know, I grew up in Chicago. In the 90s.)

Even if you didn't look up to Michael Jordan, nearly every athlete and performer that you do look up to has a specific superstition that they believe helps their work.

But no one I know has adopted superstition in their own work…
I bet you don't either.

Maybe we don’t take our work as seriously.
Maybe we're not as self-aware of our performance.
Maybe it just feels silly.

What would it look like to believe in a little magic that actually makes our work better?
When you want to be your most creative, put on your special playlist.
When you want to get really focused, pull out your special mug and fill it with a special coffee blend.
To be confident during a presentation, wear your nice brown shoes.
|Or when you need a little rhythm to build momentum and motivation, you’ve got a special chair.

At Caveday, we start every Cave with a special ritual we call the thunderclap.
We sell lucky focus socks.
We light candles to create transformational spaces.

When we use an object or perform an action that we believe helps our work...
it often does.*

It’s not so silly to be superstitious.
Especially if those superstitions work.

*It's true. Read the full study in the NYTimes here

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Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.