Chris Bailey is a leading voice on productivity, attention, and intentional work. Across four bestselling books, four TEDx Talks, and more than a decade of research, he’s found that performance — whether personal or organizational — has less to do with managing our time than with managing our attention, energy, and what we value. Bailey brings these findings to life on stage, combining his infectious enthusiasm with science-backed strategies to transform how audiences focus, sustain motivation, and find purpose in their work.
Bailey first made a name for himself by doing what most people only talk about. After graduating from Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, he turned down two full-time job offers to spend a year running productivity experiments on himself — from working 90-hour weeks to using his phone an hour a day and meditating for 35 hours, from gaining 10 pounds of muscle to living in total isolation. He documented the whole process publicly, and it caught fire.
Bailey’s four books have sold nearly one million copies and been published in more than 40 languages. The Productivity Project documents his original yearlong experiment, while Hyperfocus deep dives into the science of paying attention. How to Calm Your Mind looks at burnout and overstimulation and Intentional, published in 2026, explores the fascinating science of our values and how they drive us to finish what we start.
On stage, Bailey is known for his fun, deeply customized keynotes that are grounded in science without feeling dry or academic. He works directly with clients to discover what will uniquely serve their audience, tailoring his talks with specific research-backed tactics and stories to shift how they think about productivity and performance and leave them with strategies they can implement immediately. His keynotes and workshops have been delivered to audiences around the world, with his TEDx Talk on focus viewed more than 20 million times and his latest TEDx Talk on values and motivation chosen as a TED Editor’s Pick. His work has also been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, the BBC, and many others.
Bailey is also the co-host of Intentional AI, a podcast about using AI in practical, human-centered ways. When he’s not researching, writing, recording, or on stage, he’s probably running an experiment on himself — he hasn’t been able to stop since that first year.
