The Productivityist Podcast: Ideas And Tools For Personal Productivity | Time Management | Goals | Habits | Working Better

I welcome Mamie Kanfer Stewart to the show on this episode. She is CEO and founder of Meeteor, a venture that helps teams build their capabilities for effective collaboration and productive meetings. Mamie is driven to help others optimize their time and cultivate their team to achieve results. On this episode we talk about meeting strategies and pitfalls to avoid, such as how to avoid back-to-back meetings, going into a meeting with not enough information, dealing with late meetings attendees, and whether or not status meetings are useful when done right (or useless no matter what). If you want to get more out of your meetings – whether you love them or don't – then this episode is for you. Relevant Links: Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings Meeteor Why a 'No-Meeting Day' Doesn't Get at the Real Problem How Do I Get My Team to Prepare for a Meeting Mamie Kanfer Stewart | Website Mamie Kanfer Stewart | Twitter Meeteor | Twitter Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show

On this episode of the show, I speak with Rob Jacobs. Rob is a leader in the walking for health movement and the co-founder of Unsit - a company that created the first ever treadmill you can use under your standing desk at work. We talk about why standing simply works when it comes to boosting personal productivity, why sitting too long has similar effects as smoking, why walking is a great way to problem solve, and more. As someone who works standing up a good deal of time (I actually record most of my podcast interviews while standing), I really enjoyed diving deeper into this topic. I hope you'll enjoy it as well. Relevant Links: Unsit Get Up: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What to Do About It Dr. Michael Breus | The Productivityist Podcast Rob Jacobs | LinkedIn Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode. Until next time remember to stop guessing… Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my readi

On this episode of the podcast, I welcome Gregg Krech to the program. Gregg is one of the leading experts on Japanese Psychology in the U.S. He is the author of 5 books including The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology, which has become an Amazon bestseller and offer practical strategies for integrating ideas from Eastern philosophy with contemporary Western living. Gregg and I spend time discussing how he got into Japanese psychology, why Eastern ways are appealing to Western cultures, perfectionism and being obsessed with the unfinished, and even look deeper into Kaizen. I had an incredible time chatting with Gregg and I trust you'll find this to be a rather compelling conversation. Relevant Links The ToDo Institute Facing the Demons of Inaction: Morita Therapy as a Resource for Moving Forward Jon Acuff episode of The Productivityist Podcast Art of Taking Action ToDo Institute Courses ToDo Institute | Facebook Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show don’t forget to subscrib

Peter Shankman joins me on this episode of the podcast. Peter is the founder of Help A Reporter Out and the author of the new book Faster Than Normal. During our conversation, we dive into why he considers ADHD to be a gift, how he leverages dopamine to boost his productivity, and what people without ADHD can do to tap into some of the productivity benefits they have at their disposal. Relevant Links Faster Than Normal Bill Burr | The Tim Ferriss Show Rich Roll OmmWriter The Mode That Helps Your Productivity Take Flight | Productivityist Peter Shankman | Website Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode. Until next time remember to stop guessing…and start going! Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our

On this episode of the podcast I speak with my good friend, productivity expert, and creator of The Focus Course, Shawn Blanc. We dive into the idea of getting out of our own way, as well as discuss our takeaways from Jeff Goins’s Tribe Conference and why showing up every day matters so much. Relevant Links Tribe Conference Ryan Holiday | Website Anthony Ongaro | Website Overlap with Sean McCabe | The Productivityist Podcast YesYesMarsha.com Getting Results the Agile Way by J.D. Meier Finish with Jon Acuff | The Productivityist Podcast Grant Snider | Perfect Benjamin Hardy | Medium Tsh Oxenreider | Website Leo Babauta | Website Jeff Goins | Website The Focus Course As always, I had a great time chatting with Shawn. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thanks for listening! Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. A

My guest this week is Jon Acuff - a New York Times bestselling author of six books with his most recent, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done. Jon helps some of the world's biggest brands tell their story and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Good Day LA, and other major media outlets. We discussed a sampling of the topics in his latest book which includes planning, prioritizing and reaching the state of finished no matter what you're working on. Relevant Links: Jon Acuff | Website Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done | Amazon Jon Acuff | Twitter Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode. Until next time remember to stop guessing…and start going! Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors p

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Sean McCabe of the Seanwes.com. Sean is an entrepreneur, a hand lettering artist, and the guy behind the Seanwes community which connects hundreds of like-minded creatives all over the world. We talked about starting a business and scaling it up while working a full-time job. Some of the things we discussed include how to find your passion, develop your skills as a creative, get out of the scarcity mindset and create a thriving business among many others. Relevant Links: Seanwes Seanwes Community Overlap Book Sean McCabe | Twitter Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode. Until next time remember to stop guessing… Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our pod

I welcome Joanne Ling and Tracey Fry from Sister Mixin' to the show this time around. I met these two sisters at Chris Drucker's Tropical Think Tank in March 2017 and we had a great time learning and spending time with a ton of like-minded people over the course of the event. We discussed a variety of topics during this episode including decision-making, delegation, planning, elimination of tasks and things that aren't working for you, and what it's like for two siblings to run a business together across the miles. Relevant Links: Sister Mixin Listen to my appearance on the Sister Mixin' podcast! Anne Vardy on The Whole Circle podcast The Art and Science of Trusting Your Gut | Inc Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday | Amazon Youpreneur Summit Additive Free Made Easy Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating a

On this episode of the podcast, I speak with Gary Szenderski. Gary is the author of the book Szen Zone: Reaching a State of Positive Change and I wanted to dive into the idea of what “Szen” is why he is so fascinated with change. Other areas we explored during our conversation include his thoughts on getting stuck and how to escape a state of “stuckness,” the idea of negative change and how it can affect us in the short and long term, tapping into awareness, and – one of my favorite discussion points – boundaries. Related Links Szen Book | The Szen Zone Szen.US: Marketing Solutions for a Changing World Gary Szenderski (@GarySzenderski) | Twitter I had a great time chatting with Gary. Thanks for listening! Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. I

On this episode of the podcast, I speak with Amanda Steinberg. Amanda launched DailyWorth in 2009 to bring a fresh voice and an outsider’s perspective to personal finance and the Daily Worth website has made Forbes’ 100 Best Websites for Women three years running. Amanda has appeared on Good Morning America, Today, CNN, and MSNBC, among others. Forbes named her one of the twenty-one New American Money Masters, Oprah Winfrey chose Steinberg for her inaugural SuperSoul 100 list, and Fast Company calls Steinberg one of 2017's "Most Creative People in Business.” We not only dive into the correlation between time and money but also discuss the relationship that people can have with the finances – particularly the relationships that women can have with money. In fact, that idea is explored in her book, Worth It: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms. Automation and delegation come into the conversation as well, how to teach kids about the value of money early on, and other great tactics and tips that you can use to imp

On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, I welcome guest Angela Copeland. Angela is a career coach and CEO at her firm, Copeland Coaching. She is the host of the Copeland Coaching Podcast, columnist for the Career Corner newspaper column, and author of career book Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job. Angela’s personal career background gives her the breadth to help job seekers with a variety of different needs, including finding the right job, interviewing, and offer negotiation. The primary goal of the conversation was to dive into how to make career changes as productive as possible. The whole process is something we touch on (the search for the new career, the frequency you should look for new career opportunities) and how to go about breaking the rules along the way. Relevant Links: Copeland Coaching Breaking The Rules and Getting The Job | Amazon Angela Copeland | Twitter Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. Want to discover some of the books m

Joe Buhlig and I sit down this week to talk about an app that he uses extensively: OmniFocus. But we don't stop there. We talk about a ton of other things, including: Paper-based productivity and where it fits into his workflow The new version of Things by Cultured Code Why you should consider paying for task management apps Joe's a productivity powerhouse (as you would have noticed if you listened to his earlier appearance on one of the show's bonus episodes – search back through the archives and you'll find that episode) and I really enjoyed diving deeper into the technical and app-oriented stuff this time around. I hope you did too. Relevant Links OmniFocus Working with OmniFocus Things | Cultured Code Joe Buhlig | Twitter Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened t

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by James Eder, the founder of a new social app called Causr. James shares insights about connecting with others and the role social interaction plays in our lives. Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: We're social beings. If we can give people context and understand who is nearby, connection--and even community--can form. The importance of face-to-face conversations--especially at conferences. There's an energy in real-life interaction; that’s why people still attend conferences. You could probably access all the information online, but interacting in-person takes relationships to a deeper level. Make use of your travel time. Between 30% to 60% of your time traveling is actually used for work and the rest is downtime. Instead of interacting only online, you can use time in an airport to connect with others around you. The idea of net giving versus networking. Ask "How can I help other people?" instead of “What’s in this for me?” when attendin

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Eliot Wagonheim, a lawyer and the author of Fire, Aim...Ready: Management. We talk about partnerships, setting boundaries, and even touch on how improvisation can help you in your business. Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: The four key questions you need to ask before entering into a partnership or agreement. How to make contracts that really work through storytelling. Why saying “no” is extremely valuable, and it is extremely positive for a business to be able to say it. The importance of stepping back. I believe it’s incredibly valuable and sometimes I’ve been guilty of overlooking it, particularly when things get frantic. But I think you have to have a number of devices to do that. Relevant Links: Home - Farsighted Business Farsighted Business Podcast Fire, Aim...Ready: Management: The Start at the End Approach to Crushing Competition, Crafting Culture, and Cementing Relationships by Eliot Wagonheim | Amazon Eliot Wagonheim (@Wago

This week Emmy-award winning TV news producer, speaker, and author of the book Fearless and Free, Wendy Sachs joins me at the Productivityist Podcast. Wendy has also worked as a Capitol Hill press secretary, public relations executive, CNN contributor, content strategist, and editor-in-chief of Care.com. Tune in as we talk about careers, career change and ways you can move forward in your own career. Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: Thoughts on the role fear plays in career change. The importance of finding the right environment for you to thrive. How you can take action and move forward today. Relevant Links Wendy Sachs | Website  Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot--and Relaunch Their Careers by Wendy Sachs | Amazon   How She Really Does It: Secrets of Successful Stay-at-Work Moms by Wendy Sachs | Amazon  Wendy Sachs (@wsachs) | Instagram   Wendy Sachs (@wsachs) | Twitter   Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. Want to d

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter. Daniel Lerner is a clinical instructor at NYU and has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he serves on the teaching staff. He works with musicians, athletes, and executives to improve their performance through developing a healthy psychological state. Alan Schlechter, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Director of the Child Psychiatry Clinic at Bellevue Hospital. He seeks to provide the best possible mental health care to the most vulnerable children and families in NYC. Wherever you are right now, I think this discussion about learning will offer you some helpful advice and practical tips you can use today. Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: Setting a good example for your kids with how you respond to situations. An airport delay can be negative or you can turn it into a chance to have a great time playing a game. The

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Damion Lupo, a financial mentor and co-author of Reinvented Life. Wherever you are right now, I think this discussion will offer you some helpful advice and practical tips you can use today. Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: The importance of triggers The questions to ask to find blind spots How frameworks and structure foster creativity Why we have a need for stillness and simplicity Relevant Links: Total Financial Control Reinvented Life by Damion Lupo Damion Lupo's Website | DamionLupo.com Damion Lupo | Twitter Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave

I met Shawn Stevenson at Tropical Think Tank in February of 2017 and his talk was phenomenal. We had a few exchanges while we were there but I wanted to have him on the show to dive deeper into some of his work. Shawn is the author Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success and if you’ve been listening to my show for a while you know that I’m definitely into the idea of how sleep can affect your personal productivity. Some of the highlights from our conversation include: Why sleep is such a hot topic these days and what goes on during sleep that has such an impact on us The controversy that surrounds some of the newer research surrounding sleep (and health in general) Why getting sun and daylight on your skin is one of the most important things you can do - and why it’s harmful if you’re not taking time to do it I had a great time speaking with Shawn on this episode. I hope you enjoy it as well. RELEVANT LINKS: Sleep Smarter by Shawn Ste

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by engineer by day, aspiring productivity hacker, and co-founder of to-do list app Vista List, Shawn Razek. Here’s the crux of Shawn’s mission: “Time is something we are all trying to make the most of and I want to do my part to help others accomplish that through coaching and creating great tools.” Some of the takeaways from our conversation include: The transition from high school to college (and then to the workforce) is often a big change. Working longer can be a sign that you're not being productive at work. Small 3-minute and 4-minute tasks add up during the course of a day.  Shawn does a short workout every day during his lunch hour. Establish your precedents and boundaries with co-workers. We often overestimate the amount of time left for projects and tasks. Relevant Links Vista List  Vista List (@Vista_List) | Twitter  Shawn Razek | Medium  Shawn Razek | LinkedIn   Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start

Jeff Goins is out to prove that real artists don't have to starve. In fact, he is out to prove that they can thrive in his latest book Real Artists Don't Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age. My wife and I had the chance to spend time with Jeff at Tropical Think Tank in early 2017 and we had some fantastic conversations surrounding artistry, writing, business, family, and more. While I've hung out with Jeff at other events (including Chris Guillebeau's World Domination Summit), getting to know him better in Cebu was one of the highlights of my time there. Some of the things we discussed in this episode include the idea of how he is able to be so prolific and deliver quality at the same time, why stealing can be something an artist can do, why collaboration can be a good thing – or even the best thing – for the thriving artist, what role mindset and money have in the life of an artist, and more. Relevant Links Real Artists Don't Starve | DontStarve.com     Jeff Goins's Website