A Productive Conversation

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Karim Bishay helps companies become insanely efficient. His purpose at Living Orgs is to empower organizations towards a clear, agile structure and stronger purpose. He is an industry leading consultant in the areas of Holacracy and building Adaptive Organizations. During this episode we talk about why he started Living Orgs, what drew him to Holacracy, how he works with organizations to make them more adaptive, and how he deals with the challenges that aligning teams can bring when change is needed. It’s always great when I can chat with someone who is well-steeped in the world of productivity, so this episode is filled with plenty of personal productivity goodness. Relevant Links: Living Orgs Making Teamwork Work with Sebastian Klein of Blinklist | The Productivityist Podcast Meetings and Momentum with Mamie Kanfer Stewart | The Productivityist Podcast Crafting Coaches with Tony Stubblebine | The Productivityist Podcast Holacracy 101 Do Better with Asana 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 page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.On this episode of the show, I am delighted to have two guests join me. First up is thought leader and podcast host Dexter Guff, host of Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You (And You Can Be Too) and following his appearance I speak with his alter ego, comedic performer Peter Oldring. While Dexter and I discuss a lot of the usual lifehackery stuff, Peter and I dive deeper into what makes Dexter tick. We talk about how he and his colleagues Pat Kelly and Chris Kelly (no relation) came up with the idea of doing Dexter’s reaction the show has received so far, how the show is crafted every week, and where the show is headed. This is a different kind of episode – and a little longer than usual – but it’s a fun one. Relevant Links: Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You (And You Can Be Too) by Panopaly | iTunes Peter Oldring on his podcast Dexter is Smarter Than You The Truth About Fake News | Peter Oldring | TEDxYYC | Youtube This is That with Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring | CBC Radio Dexter Guff | Twitter Peter Oldring | Twitter Peter Oldring | Wikipedia 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 page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Moe Carrick. She is the founder of Moementum Inc., and she loves to help leaders transform themselves and their companies. Her book, Fit Matters: How to Love Your Job, with Maven House Press, was released May 2017. During our discussion we touched on what she calls The Six Elements of Work Fit, what “flexing” is and how it can help you with getting the right fit in your work, workforce trends that impact fit (and dive into the ones I’ve struggled with myself), what to do when not all of the elements align at work, and more. If you’re trying to figure out whether or not your work is suitable for you, then this episode is going to be a great…fit. Relevant Links: Moementum Fitmatters.biz So Good They Can’t Ignore You | Cal Newport Amy Wrzesniewski | Yale School of Management Moe Carrick | 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 podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 improve your relationship with money. Relevant Links Daily Worth Worth It: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms Your Money Type Online Assessment Money Clarity Amanda Steinberg | Facebook @AmandaSteinberg | Twitter After taking the Money Type assessment I found I was an Epicure with my finances. I’m not surprised. But now I have a means to be more productive with my money thanks to some of what Amanda shared in this episode. I encourage you to take the test and see where you land in the spectrum. 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 podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 attending networking events. Relevant Links Causr - Connect with people near you now Q&A with Causr founder and CEO James Eder | SmartBrief James Eder | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 (@Wagonheim) | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 importance of play. It comes naturally for children but as adults, we have to be told to exercise. Following the right role models and learning. Students who studied Thomas Edison and Helen Keller were more likely to ask for help and to find a tutor. Framing things into perspective. If you play a short game for20 minutes, winning and losing is really like a micro-second. Would you rather have a great time for 20 minutes or hate the whole game if you lose once? The five components of happiness with the acronym PERMA. P stands for Positive emotions, E is for Engagement, the R is for Relationships, the M is for Meaning, and the A is for Achievement. What makes up willpower? Sleep can be a very important component. Relevant Links: How to Succeed in College (and Life) Science Of Happiness Professor Dr. Alan Schlechter On Getting By Speaker, Author, & Consultant - Daniel Lerner Dan Lerner: The Science of Happiness, Performance, and Well Being 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 Stevenson The Power of When with Dr. Michael Breus | The Productivityist Podcast The Model Health Show Shawn Stevenson | Twitter Shawn Stevenson | Instagram 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.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 | GoinsWriter.com Why You Need to Take Personal Productivity Personally | Productivityist @JeffGoins | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.For this episode, I went out and pursued hard so I can chat with Sketchnote creator, Mike Rohde. Mike is a sketchnoter, designer, illustrator, self-professed techy, author and speaker who is fond of simple yet impactful design solutions. A sample of such is the Daily Plan Bar which he created to make task management more manageable. Our discussion involves the origins of the Daily Plan Bar, how he came up with it and the other systems he uses to manage his work tasks and his home life. Specific points we’ve chatted about are: How his intention to get the most of his day, avoid distractions and just get away from the computer prompted him to maximize analog tools and create the Daily Plan bar. Whose systems influenced and were integrated to create Mike’s Daily Plan Bar. How he incorporates digital with analog, with his outlook calendar playing the master role from which he extracts the details of his daily plan bar. Dealing with too many tasks, prioritizing which ones to do in the day, how Mike reminds himself of what needs to be done or focus on. How to make a Weekly Plan Bar that integrated with the Daily Plan Bar, and how this allowed him to prioritize his tasks and see the week at a glance. Situations when a weekly plan may not be as helpful nor practical to maintain. How Bruce Lee’s principles based on martial arts may be applied to productivity and life. The length of testing Mike has done before he released the Daily Plan Bar for public consumption. What products Mike uses and how he recommends to do and utilize the Daily Plan Bar effectively. Mike’s simpler task-management and journaling practices for home and personal purposes. His stand on the analog-digital debate, the apps he uses, and how he prefers to do his task management. The World Sketchnote Day and how to be a part of it. Relevant Links The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde | Amazon The Sketchnote Workbook by Mike Rohde | Amazon Everyday Sketchnoting with Mike Rohde | The Mikes on Mic The Daily Plan Bar by Rohdesign | Medium Planner Hack The Dash/Plus System | Patrick Rhone The Best Kind of Paper Pushing | The Productivityist Podcast The Staying Power of Sketchnotes with Deborah LeFrank |The Productivityist Podcast Weekly Plan Bars | Matthew Lang Tools for Thinkers | Baron Fig Hobonichi Techo 2017 Mike Rohde's Books on Sketchnoting | Designer Mike Rohde Mike Rohde (@rohdesign) | Twitter Mike Rohde (@rohdesign) | Instagram A Showcase of Sketchnotes | Sketchnote Army 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.It was a real treat chatting with this episode's guest Toku McCree. Toku is a coach, teacher and the guy behind Unexecutive.com and Samurai Coaching Dojo. His background working with rock stars and living in a Zen monastery certainly gives off a vibe that he’s less traditional than the usual, and he uses these experience to teach entrepreneurs and leaders an out-of-the-box mindset to redefine success not as the destination but as a part of the journey to an amazing life. Our conversation focused on the the idea that obsessing over tactics could actually be ruining your business, and even your life. Some of the points Toku and I covered in our discussion includes: An obsession with productivity and strategy that he's noticed working with entrepreneurs, leaders, and CEOs. The point in an individual's growth when the focus shifts from what you’re doing to what you’re being, and how this can change everything in your life, thus creating a kind of efficiency with less friction. How he had 30 jobs before he was 30 years old, and how a cycle of getting hired, learning, getting bored and leaving a job led to a realization that he remains dissatisfied. Meeting someone in a party which eventually led him to live in a monastery for two and a half years, where he learned about happiness and fulfillment. Questions to ask yourself to enable you to run your business, or life, with greater efficiency, and without being tied to a rigid process, system, tactic or tool. How vulnerability is actually a strength than can create possibilities, and enable one to be more effective in dealing with relationships, teams, and business. Why is it important for a successful person who may be so used to relating to the world in a place of strength to show and experience vulnerability. How putting tactics in place with perfection as the goal is likened to running a tank with no weaknesses, and why this is not an ideal mentality. The significance of practicing presence by stepping back and relaxing to generate insights towards improving your business and life. Relevant Links: Unexective.com Samurai Coaching Dojo | An accelerator to practice the art of deep coaching. Picking role models that matter | Toku McCree | TEDxZurichWomen - YouTube Toku McCree (@unexecutive) | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest on this episode is fellow Canadian Corey Poirier. Corey is a keynote speaker, sales professional, entrepreneur, and the host of Conversations with Passion Radio Show where he has interviewed over 4,000 "super-achievers." A passionate speaker who wants to share with people his craft, Corey is behind the Passion Cure and The Speaking Program. It is through these avenues that he reaches out to people, coach those who are interested in developing their communication skills, and feature those who have been successful in their life’s passions. Corey and I had a similar path in our lives that took us to what we’re doing now, and that is just one of the things we chatted about in this episode. Other areas we touched on are: His journey starting with a career in sales, then shifting to stand-up comedy before finally transitioning into his passion for public speaking. Our similar background in performance arts, and things that we didn’t enjoy as much in that field. How people’s feedback propelled him into diving into passion as a speaker. What people fear when it comes to communicating and public speaking, and how to get comfortable on stage. The importance of tackling tasks and goals in small chunks that are easily achievable – whether in public speaking or productivity – until you’re ready to take on the big one. How having a buddy to practice whatever it is that you’re passionate about or want to conquer gives you higher chances of success. The structure of The Speaking Program. Questions to ask oneself to help find your true passion, and how to take that first ‘baby step’ towards living that passion. A productivity reminder to ensure that pursuing your passion is not interrupted – and becomes successful. Relevant Links: That Speaker Guy | Corey Poirier ‎Corey Poirier How People Crush Fears and Expand Comfort Zones | Corey Poirier | TEDxCanmore - YouTube Toastmasters International The Speaking Program The Passion Cure brings you the Conversations With PASSION! Radio Show Corey Poirier (@thatspeakerguy) | Twitter Weeding Your Life with Corey Poirier | Productivityist 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Do you want to live in an apartment with a jacuzzi in Manhattan – for free? Jen Mazer did that for 10 years (and so much more) – all through the power of manifestation. Jen Mazer (a.k.a. the Queen of Manifestation) is a transformational speaker and coach, teaching people how to manifest their dreams and goals while making an impact on the world. She is the creator of the board game Sparked, and is also the author of the book Manifesting Made Easy: How to Harness the Law of Attraction to Get What You Really Want. Manifesting gave Jen the chance to experience some of the most outrageous adventures – like attending a cocktail party hosted by Martin Scorsese, getting published in the New York Times, and even paying off debt. Jen's the guest on this episode and she’ll share the power of manifestation in her life and how it can do the same for you. We chatted about her background, the law of attraction, resistance, and even touched a bit on quantum physics. Here’s a rundown of what we covered during our conversation: How she started in this niche and how her friends came up with the moniker "Queen of Manifestation". The skepticism and misconception that manifesting is solely about visualization and meditation, how productivity and action factors in, and why she isn’t a proponent of working too hard. Her metaphor on how placing an order of the food you want in a restaurant is what manifesting is like to your life. The importance of trusting your dreams as it could be foreshadowing what the universe wants for you, despite the limitations like not having time, experience, money. The idea of seeing resistance as proof of movement and change, and obstacles as opportunities to experience new things. The law of polarity, fostering awareness through what you want and don’t want, and reframing your intentions by positioning them so that they are positive and open to possibilities. Reframing task management from “have to”, to “need to” to “get to” to make each task more impactful. How her book breaks down manifesting concepts and techniques allowing anyone employ them, and the power of positivity and feeling positive inside before it even manifests. What sparked the creation of the board game she co-created with her friend and how it is able to promote happiness, gratitude, inspiration and love Simple and easy ways to start manifesting, and a story of how an affirmation she wrote years ago manifested in her life. Relevant Links Queen of Manifestation Manifesting Made Easy Strategies for Getting Clear on Your Vision | Queen of Manifestation How to Deal with Resistance | Queen of Manifestation Manifesting Made Easy by Jane Mazer | Amazon Sparked: The game with inspiration, heart & hilarity Queen of Manifestation | Facebook Jen Mazer (@JenMazer) | Twitter Jen Mazer (@jenmazer) | Instagram 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Despite the two of us being based in Victoria, and within the same circle, I have only been able to touch base with Adam Quiney pretty recently. He is the kind of guy that I can talk to for hours, no beer needed. In his words, he is an “obsessive perfectionist and high performer” who used to work as a project manager and lawyer. He is currently working as an executive coach where he teaches people how to live a life without compromise while creating the impact they want to. On this episode, we talked about the problem with productivity, fostering relationships, books, among others. Some of the areas we also touched on includes: How personal transformations involve self-awareness, feelings of disconnection or a pain point as the trigger. The idea of the noble sacrifice brought about by caring too much or wanting to make a difference which can create disappointment, anxiety or heartbreak. The 'narrative' we were made to believe that building relationships take time contradicting the concept of efficiency, and how to practice deepening intimacy congruent to productivity. How the pursuit of productivity becomes a hindrance to our lives through too much dependence, and an anecdote on how this fixation can even ruin our relationships. Steps on fixing this challenge by slowing down, gaining awareness on what efficiency is costing us, and facing the fear of what will happen if we’re not efficient. A story highlighting the importance of taking ownership, and the role the ego plays in this conundrum. His top picks when it comes to books which helped him understand human nature, and in turn help others. The importance of balancing one’s boundaries and why he likened traversing life to riding a bike. His insights on the work-life balance vs. work-life integration debacle, and what he thinks is a more plausible concept to aim for. Relevant Links: Evergrowth Coaching Adam Quiney (@evergrowthadam) | Twitter Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday | Amazon Shambala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida | Amazon Books by Neal Stephenson | Amazon Books by Michael Singer | Amazon 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.This episode’s guest is an amazing woman that I've been "pursuing" to get into the podcast for a while. She’s the host and producer of The Pursuit, a talk show and podcast where she interviews influencers and the who’s who of business. Kelsey Humphreys is a media entrepreneur, success coach and consultant, a motivational journalist who’s written for Entrepreneur Magazine and The Huffington Post (among others), and the author of the book Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love. After finding that the content available on success and entrepreneurship was not very "beginner-friendly", she made it her mission to break it down for those still doing the grind, helping people not to give up in the crucial first few years of their pursuits. (Kelsey also has a background in performance arts which could be another reason I gravitated toward her content.) Our conversation revolved around what happens on her show and her plans for it. Some of the things we talked about include: The behind-the-scenes action in producing her show, the technical issues, choosing between production quality and valuable content, and learning that perfection can hold one back from productivity. Her vision of hosting a traveling talk show and how she planned to set it apart from other podcasts and YouTube shows. The show’s humble beginnings - shooting with an action cam, getting help from volunteers, family, and friends, investing on equipment, and building Kelsey’s team. What Kelsey perceives as the "value-added experience" by interviewing people live, and why she prefers to go to the where the guests are. Her interesting experience interviewing Kathy Griffin. Pre-game rituals, her staple questions, why she prefers not to bring her notes with her during the interview, and self-reminders to keep her in control of the interviews and provide quality content for her audience. Giving up on college dreams, ticking off goals one by one, and her vision to become the “Ellen of entrepreneurship and success”. Wanting to offer something new to the audience in the area of success and entrepreneurship through the book she’s currently writing. The surreal experiences of landing interviews with Tony Robbins and Larry King. The advice Kelsey imparts for people who have been pushing down their hopes and dreams. Relevant Links: Kelsey Humphreys | Kelsey Humphreys | Success for the Rest of Us! Full Episodes Archive | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love by Kelsey Humphreys | Amazon Donald Miller | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys Jeremy Cowart | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys I’m Possible. | Jeremy Cowart Kathy Griffin | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys Tony Robbins | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys Kelsey Humphreys | Facebook Kelsey Humphreys (@KelseyHumphreys) | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest this week is Justin Jackson. He is a dad, husband, entrepreneur, coach, the founder of Megamaker, author of Jolt, the creator of Marketing for Developers and Tiny Marketing Wins, and overall serial maker. He aims to help people through the things they create. On this episode, we discussed the processes of making and/or modifying. We delved on his systems and approaches in the different initiatives and creations he is currently working on. Other areas we touched on includes: The story of how we met, a brief background of how he has always been involved in businesses and how he transitioned from non-profit, to consultancy, and finally – going solo with his independent projects. How getting married, having children and experiencing failure, affected his plans and initiatives. The process of starting up independently, which includes conceptualizing, case studies, exploring and being a serial maker – getting involved in different things which include his podcast, softwares, plugins, e-books, courses, and even merch. How and why he decided to zero-in on writing Jolt and finishing it in the span of a month. The concept of mind gremlins, how being less self-serving enabled him get rid of these, and other takeaways that people have from his two top products – Jolt and Marketing for Developers. Conducting a survey and how its findings gave him insights when he created Tiny Marketing Wins. His process when things must be put on the backburner or let go, and how he did this with his podcast. His hybrid approach when it comes to making, modifying and refreshing the systems, tricks, and hacks supported by continuous research and learning. A sample hack he shared in writing effective landing page copy and generating leads. Relevant Links: Justin Jackson | Make some stuff MegaMaker What has Justin made? | by @mijustin Jolt | Sell more by standing out Marketing for Developers | A guide to marketing your software, apps, and digital products Tiny Marketing Wins | Weekly marketing tactics for online businesses Watch for mind gremlins | by @mijustin Focus on your own shit | by @mijustin Learning with Justin Jackson | Productivityist We all want progress | by @mijustin Justin Jackson | YouTube Justin Jackson (@mijustin) | Twitter Thanks for listening, 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.For this episode, my guest is Stacy Tuschl of She’s Building Her Empire. Stacy is a business owner, philanthropist, in-demand speaker and business coach, author, wife, and mother. Her book Is Your Business Worth Saving? is a #1 International Bestseller which helps entrepreneurs to move towards success and do so without sacrificing time away from family. She started her first business at age 18 in her parents’ backyard and was able to grow it into a 7-figure business. As an entrepreneur herself, she understands what her clients experience and struggle with – her hands-on experience and realistic approach ensures that women achieve their business goals. Rescuing businesses and building empires are just some of what we’ve discussed. Other topics we’ve chatted about are: How her journey as an entrepreneur started, how coaches and mentors helped her in her business early on and how she realized her niche in the business. How meeting people with the same mentor yet in different phases and success levels of their businesses motivated her to write her book. Her reason to niche down and focus on women entrepreneurs with She’s Building Her Empire. Lessons learned, challenges her team faced and the groundwork involved with rebranding and shifting focus. The diverse stories of the guests in her show and why she decided despite being a female-oriented brand to have male guests on her podcast. Family and parenthood’s impact on her business, how her calendar, chunking, and theming the days enables her to accomplish more, and similar productivity systems I practice. How people can start to emulate Stacy’s systems through proactive and reactive work scheduling, and having a top 3 in the to-do list. The Mompreneur money map, how it works by simplifying things and implementing ideas, and how to get a free copy of it. Her advice to people waiting to launch their business ideas but lacks the confidence to do so. Relevant Links: She’s Building Her Empire | Stacy Tuschl Is Your Business Worth Saving by Stacy Tuschl Episode 140: How to Know When It’s Time to Rebrand | Stacy Tuschl Mompreneurs Money Map She's Building Her Empire | Facebook The Power of Chunking | Tony Robbins She’s Building Her Empire Live Meet Stacy | Stacy Tuschl Stacy Tuschl (@StacyTuschl) | Twitter Thanks for listening, 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.A landscape architect, entrepreneur, graphic journalist and memory collector, Deborah LeFrank uses pens and paper to capture stories from daily life by creating sketch notes or visual stories which help her remember things and memories. I've known her for quite some time and I'm a big fan of her work, and she's my guest for this episode. She uses bullet journaling and incorporates visuals to it as a key tool for productivity in all aspects of her life. Her company Visual Life Stories helps people to collect their memories through visual stories. There's so much that Deborah shared, some of the things discussed are: How we met at Social Media Camp and the story behind the business cards she handed that really impressed me. The scope of her work that allows for remarkable presentations and excellent ways to recall and capture the essence of the presentations for the audience. People's innate attraction to visual learning and story-telling, and her technique to do the process of note-taking and sketching effectively. How she started interest in her craft, honing it through practice as needed in her career, and finding out about the concept of sketch-notes. Integrating analog and digital methods in sketch-noting to create projects and serve clients. How bullet journaling allows her to combine artistry and productivity, and how its convenience and flexibility helps her greatly. Features she’s added into the newest version of her bullet journal like habit tracking template, daily theming and focus words. Relevant Links: Visual Life Stories | Deborah LeFrank Mike Rohde’s Books on Sketchnoting | Designer Mike Rohde Eva-Lotta Lamm | User Experience Designer My 3 Words for 2017 | Chris Brogan 3words | C.C. Chapman Graphic Recording and Meeting Facilitation with Sunni Brown Deborah LeFrank (@DeborahLeFrank) | Twitter Visual Life Stories (@visuallifestory) | Twitter Visual Life Stories | Facebook Thanks for listening, 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest for this episode is Kourosh Dini - a psychiatrist, writer, musician, and author. Some of his works include Zen & The Art of Work, Creating Flow with OmniFocus, and Workflow Mastery. I’ve met Kourosh a couple of years ago when we worked together for the OmniFocus set-up. I love his work and have always seen him as a thoughtful productivity strategist who knows his stuff. Some of the things we talked about this week are: How meditation shifts our mindset which ultimately makes us more mindful and productive. The importance of pausing and practical tips on how to apply it in your life. Personalization and why it's important in your daily interactions. Why play time is a necessary ingredient in performance, productivity, and happiness at work. How music can boost your productivity, creativity, and overall sense of well-being. Kourosh's thoughts on ambient sound apps and how he uses them in his own workflow. The five elements of good health, according to Kourosh. Kourosh's take on meditation and his recommendations for those who want to start meditating. Relevant Links: Kourosh Dini | Mind, Music, and Technology Zen & the Art of Work | Find Calm in Work and Play OmniFocus | Task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone Review: Zen and The art of Work | Productivityist Productivity & Play with Dr. Kirsten Milliken | Productivityist Focus at Will | Get 4x increase in productivity with this concentration music for working smarter. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport| Amazon How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery by Lawrence LeShan| Amazon What’s the Best Music to Listen to While Working? | The Atlantic Kourosh Dini (@kouroshdini) | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest this week is Alan Brown – a productivity coach, best-selling author of the book Zen and the Art of Productivity, and the host of Crusher TV. Alan helps people get more things done in less time and with less stress through smart productivity and brain hacks. We chatted about his experience in overcoming a learning disability and addiction, how he catapulted himself from an average ad executive to a successful entrepreneur, and how brain hacks played an important part in all these. This week, he shares some techniques to get you from planning to execution. Join us as we discuss: Alan's interesting background which involved dealing with ADHD and turning it into an advantage that accelerated his career. What motivated him to create the ADD Crusher and eventually the Crusher TV community. What a brain hack is according to Alan and his thoughts about it. Alan's thoughts on different coaching approaches and what works. What an inner game is and the role it plays in one's own productivity. Alan's views on setting boundaries, awareness, deep work, and how these all affect one's inner game. The importance of well-being to fuel the body and brain. Alan’s low-bandwidth but high-impact sampling of brain hacks that will help you maximize your productivity. Relevant Links: Crusher TV The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey | Amazon The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Pocketbook Guide to Fulfilling Your by Deepak Chopra | Amazon Mind Hacking: How to Change Your Mind for Good in 21 Days Hardcover by John Hargrave | Amazon Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Hardcover by Cal Newport | Amazon Crusher TV (@realcrusherTV) | 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.In this week's episode, my guest is Allison Schaaf - a food, nutrition and culinary expert, and founder of meal-planning website PrepDish. It offers gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo meal plans to help people save time preparing healthy, homecooked meals. Allison was a guest on a previous bonus episode where we chatted about her approach in productivity which got its roots from the kitchen. She’s back this week and talked about something that's off the beaten path for me: cooking! If you’re interested in having a more productive kitchen, I highly suggest paying attention to this episode as we discussed: Her background in culinary arts and nutrition, her stint as a personal chef, and a personal pain point that led her to create a meal plan system which is now known as Prep Dish. The importance of nourishment and well-being, and why people should invest time planning their meals instead of going for the convenience of fast, commerically-prepared food. How to create meal plans that cater to people with different diet preferences and restrictions. How the PrepDish meal plan works – what's in it, how tos, and the strategies that will help you master food preparation and healthy cooking. Allison’s food preparation hacks like prioritization, doing double-duty tasks, grouping and batching, and how it's parallel to my own productivity system. How learning the PrepDish system can help you enjoy the reward of healthy cooking in your family. Allison’s kitchen essentials and why you shouldn't skimp on the right tools. Allison's advice that will make a difference in your life. Relevant Links: PrepDish.com Three Must Have Knives for Your Kitchen | PrepDish.com Three Essential Cutting Boards You Need in Your Kitchen | PrepDish.com Prepping Ahead & Storing | PrepDish.com Food Processor vs. Blender? My Recommendation. | PrepDish.com Prep Dish (@PrepDish) | Twitter Anova Culinary PCB-120US-K1 Bluetooth Precision Cooker | Amazon Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker | Amazon Thanks for listening! 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.In this week's podcast episode, my guest is Joshua Latimer – the man behind Send Jim and Automate Grow Sell, which help small businesses tap the power of relationship marketing. A few years back, Joshua left his job as a banker at JP Morgan Chase and decided to open a cleaning business in Michigan, which he eventually sold in 2015. He is now based with his family in Costa Rica managing a company that creates more freedom for businesses through automation and systems. Joshua and I chatted about planning, systemizing, theming, and automation among many others. Topics we’ve discussed are: Joshua’s business background, the different business models that inspired him, his motivation to create Send Jim, and it’s 4-year run as a business. The importance of relationship marketing in businesses and how Send Jim can help entrepreneurs harness its power. How he applies theming in his personal life and even created themed days for each of his family member. Joshua’s task management approach to the multiple projects he is running. His fascination with different beliefs, points of view, and economic and business principles across cultures. Books that captivated his interest and shaped the core paradigms he is currently applying in his business and life. Why he turned down an offer to co-author a book and a lesson about saying no. This resonated with me a lot. Other methods he has put into place like breaking his days into sprints, delegating, and turning things off. What Send Jim does, its market, and why it's called Send Jim instead of Send Josh. Relevant Links: Features | Sendjim.io Send Jim | App Store Automate Grow Sell | Joshua Latimer Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber | Productivityist Automate Grow Sell | Joshua Latimer Productivity Planner: Get More Done and Beat Procrastination by Intelligent Change | Kickstarter The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan | Amazon Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown | Amazon Thanks for listening! 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest on this episode is one of my good friends, David Knapp-Fisher. We met at the World Domination Summit where we found out that we live 4 blocks apart, and have been constantly connecting ever since. David is a father, speaker, and writer who loves connecting with people – especially the passionate and inspiring ones who lead remarkable lives. He describes himself as a guy who bumbled through school but always knew that he was smart outside of the standard school setting. He worked as a chef for some time until he realized that his passion is connecting with people. We chatted (with David right in my home office) about keeping connections alive, his routine, and the power of saying hello. Some specific topics we talked about are: How we met and first said hello to each other at the World Domination Summit. The importance of having the right knowledge to be productive. And in cases when you don’t how you can tap into gaining more knowledge by finding and saying hello to someone who does have it. David’s method to foster and maintain authentic connections through priority, productivity, and doing the right things, and a morning coffee-and-email-routine he’s been doing to ensure that this aspect is covered in the first hour of his day. Why it is important to always ask ‘How can I help you?’ which according to him may even be more important than saying hello. My takeaway on his point of view translated into productivity practice - such as going into his email app with missions rather than questions, and being deliberate in maintaining connections. The idea that by going into "self-serving mode" that we can wind up serving others. On that note, David shared the story of how merely introducing two people served a larger purpose. People’s tendency to perceive arrogance due to systems we put in place. An example of which is illustrated in my story involving scheduling podcast interviews via Acuity, and David’s experience managing Inspired Victoria and how he was able to resolve this through fairness and honesty. The process he uses if he wants to reach out to people or include people more closely in his life. An interesting rule he enforces in the Inspired Victoria community so people get to connect based on their passions, and a related story during my theater days about connecting through passions, and how we often miss opportunities like these when we only see things at face value. A story of saying hello that took so long to happen – maybe brought by fear of rejection – that ultimately led to a friendship. David's take on processing rejection, and his final words of advice. Relevant Links: Inspiration for Awesome Lifestyles | David Knapp-Fisher Discipline or Regret - A Father's Decision | David Knapp-Fisher | TEDxStanleyPark | YouTube Inspired Victoria World Domination Summit Acuity Scheduling Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang | Amazon The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz | Amazon This episode was definitely special because we were actually sitting face-to-face, and our conversation was more insightful as we fed off each other's energy. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.This episode's guest is Claire Tompkins (a.k.a. the Clutter Coach). Claire works with clients to organize and declutter their homes and offices, to manage their time, and get things done better. She works with artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and more as a professional organizer by creating simple, practical systems for real people. If you’ve been following the podcast and my other work, you’d know how big a fan of simple I am. That's something that Claire also promotes. Claire and I chatted on this episode about clutter - from physical to digital, workflows, apps, clients, books, and influencers. Some of the specific areas we discussed were: Her perception of what clutter is – from the physical ones occupying our spaces, those hidden behind drawers and cupboards, to the ones that occupy our minds and our devices. An epiphany that motivated her to start decluttering her. How she starts the process of decluttering, and dealing with clients who identify and define clutter very differently. One of the methods she uses in task management – to make your tasks into a card game. Books she is interested in that deal with resistance, willpower, habit-creation, and procrastination. The process of she uses when working with her clients, including identifying pain points and urgency, sorting clutter and items, and dealing with resistance and the return of clutter. Getting people to step back and recognize the need to re-organize and declutter, and a very interesting story of how one client did not recognize their own living space immediately after taking a photo of it. Her preference for paper to-do lists, and the influencers that have inspired her to fit her to-do list within the larger context of how she intends her life to be. How she observes her clients’ productivity and organization techniques, asking them the logic behind their habits and practices to help them personalize their workflow so they can create a sense of ownership and accountability. The reason for her shift from productivity to zero in on clutter, the lack of women working in productivity and why she thinks that is the case. We also discussed how we want to introduce workflows so it becomes easier for people to absorb the importance of productivity practices, the problems we’ve experienced with systems and clients, and the integration of online and offline task management. Relevant Links Clutter Coach | Less Overwhelm = More Joy Podcast 029: Make your tasks into a card game | Clutter Coach The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield | Amazon The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It by Kelly McGonigal | Amazon The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg | Amazon It's About Time!: The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them by Linda Sapadin and Jack Maguire | Amazon 43 Folders zen habits Getting Things Done with David Allen | The Productivityist Podcast The Ivy Lee Method: The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity | James Clear The Emergent Task Planner™ | Dave Seah 52 Simple Ways to Get Organized (download) | Clutter Coach Clutter Coach Claire Tompkins (@ClaireTompkins) | Twitter Clutter Coach Claire | Facebook Thank you for joining me today- and 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest for this episode is Philip McKernan. He is an inspirational speaker, philosopher, writer, and filmmaker who works with entrepreneurs and leaders to live a life that benefits all aspects of their lives. This is one of the most impactful episodes I’ve ever had. We had a very refreshing conversation that covered so much it can get you to see things in a different light. He talked about letting go, alignment, consumption of information, and authenticity. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Some highlights of this episode are: The mindset that puts money on a pedestal, the freedom people think it provides, and how that doesn’t equate to peace of mind, sense of fulfillment and purpose. How long it took him to realize that what he was chasing was out of alignment with who he really was. How "busy-ness" and chaos indicates an underlying pain, how staying busy is just a rationalization of the feeling of disconnection, and how society evolved such that busy became socially acceptable. Indicators and manifestations of a life that is not aligned. The problem with people consuming so many how-to-guides and information instead of trusting their internal wisdom, gut, and intuition. His insights on retreats and conferences, and finding those that actually resonate with an individual in a way that can serve them emotionally and intellectually. The film he put together titled Give & Grow, his definition of what gifts are vs. talents, what drove him to create a film, and why he used this specific medium. The two core things human beings want to do. Strategies to let go on an emotional level and what things that we carry deep down end up sabotaging ourselves. How being aligned is a human possibility that creates fluency making things easier, instead of thinking that life must be hard and hard work is necessary. His thoughts on minimalism as not merely letting go of material things but is deeply rooted in alignment and emotions. The overwhelming expectation for perfection, productivity, and success people are subjected upon – which may not necessarily be their personal truth but a reflection of their family’s, friend’s, or society’s expectations. His thoughts on consumption of information – whether online or offline and how to move from mere information to knowledge, wisdom, and awareness. How he spent a huge chunk of his life suppressing his real self. His advice on how everyone should deal with life. Relevant Links Philip McKernan (@PhilipMcKernan) | Twitter PhilipMcKernan.com | Are you destined for more? Uncover Your Gift | GIVE & GROW A 5 Minute Plea to Do by Gary Vaynerchuck - YouTube Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss Stoic Optimism: Ryan Holiday at TEDxUChicago 2014 Thanks for listening. See you next time! 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.It’s been 5 YEARS since my very first podcast recording with Michael Schechter. I thought it would be fitting to bring him back this week. We caught up on what has happened since we stopped recording podcasts together roughly 2 years ago. This episode at its core is just the two of us being nostalgic. I even injected in some clips of our podcasts together. Here’s what we did talk about on this episode: We reminisced during a very "professional" segment we did on Mikes on Mics called "What Are You Drinking?" I caught up with what he has been up to lately, and how his work on A Better Mess and in the productivity scene is being applied to what he is doing now. We discussed what motivated us to get into productivity, the backstory of our podcast’s Episode 0, and what the trajectory of his career and life has looked like since then. He specified habits and things rooted from his productivity days that he still finds helpful to this day, some things he's missed, and memories that stuck with us. He also recalled the things that he doesn’t quite miss, his tendency to be a bad friend, and my suggestion on how he can improve in this area. Relevant Links Workflowing/Mikes on Mics | Podcast Chart Workflowing/Mikes on Mics Thanks for listening. This was a fun one. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Joining me this week as my guest is Mridu Parikh, the woman behind Life is Organized. She is a productivity coach, business strategist, speaker and trainer. She made it her goal to help individuals get clear on their priorities through effective time management, efficient processes, systems and life-changing habits – to do more in less time. A big fan of simplicity, we talked about introducing and learning productivity processes and systems, the methods she employs to make sure that these become habits, and how doing these alleviate stress and results in clarity and growth for individuals and teams. Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn about in this episode: How she reveres simplicity as the easiest way to introduce a process, and the importance of writing things down. Working with other people, how to get them motivated to do a task or enforce a process into their life and be consistent about it. The concept of the learning curve, and how to speed up this often-tedious phase through research and by reaching out to people. Her insights on alignment as a product of goals, action plans and prioritization, how to make these happen through the concept of ‘two-week sprints’, and samples to explain how it works. The importance of improving communication and technology, and intertwining the two to enhance processes for an individual and/or a team. The tool that she’s been using which allows for transparency and easy collaboration, and the how and why she chose this specific tool. We also delved into a blog post she’s written that made her look at limitations and excuses from a different angle and reframe these into motivation to maximize potential. Relevant Links Home - Life Is Organized Do This and Get Results - Life Is Organized How to Avoid the Dreaded Learning Curve (Of Anything New!) - Life Is Organized What Got Me From "Amateur" To "Pro" - Life Is Organized How to Write the Perfect To-Do List - Life Is Organized Why Thinking Like Legos Will Change Your Business - Life Is Organized Mridu Parikh (@LifeIsOrganized) | Twitter Productivity Freebie - The Productivityist - Life Is Organized The Productivityist Podcast: Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber The Productivityist Podcast: A Closer Look at Automation with Wade Foster Use Asana to track your team’s work & manage projects | Asana Thanks for spending time with me this week. Enjoy the show! 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.The guest on this episode of The Productivityist Podcast is my good friend Chris Ducker, whom I will be joining at the Tropical Think Tank event happening this coming March. Chris is a Virtual CEO, as he manages a BPO Call Center company and a Virtual Assistance business. But it hadn’t always been this way for Chris, who has also gone through long days and nights working IN his business before realizing that it wasn’t the way to live a truly productive life. In this episode we’ll discuss his life and business principles, Youpreneur and his other businesses, and the upcoming Tropical Think Tank. Here are some subjects we talked about: Chris discussed the evolution and intentional changes in his businesses. Why people prefer to work with people instead of businesses or big brands, and Chris's insights on how to set up businesses around the P2P philosophy. How Chris decided on making his name his own brand, and his mantra when it comes to marketing your brand. We also discussed how productivity isn’t always about speed, an anecdote on what made him decide to slow down, start delegating and making an intention to flip the switch, get away from work and just have fun. We talked about deleting certain tasks and projects that are no longer serving him, and why saying no to certain things, opportunities and engagements free him up to intentionally do things that he really wants to do. Chris dives into how to be everywhere, the behind-the-scenes process to do this, and choosing which platforms - based on your brand and personality to create a regular presence in. He also provided update on the Youpreneur community and what it currently offers to its members. Relevant Links ChrisDucker.com - Helping Entrepreneurs Become More Productive & Profitable Why You Need to Slow Down to Achieve More Fun with Joel Comm by Joel Comm on iTunes Why Focusing On ‘Being Everywhere’ is STILL Important, with Pat Flynn Youpreneur.com – The Entrepreneurial Community Where Nobody Gets Left Behind Chris Ducker (@ChrisDucker) | Twitter Tropical Think Tank - Where Business IS Pleasure! 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.My guest on this episode is Lisa Woodruff, a professional organizer, productivity specialist and author of the book The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. She coaches people to organize their households and their lives through systems she designed specifically for whichever part of your life or house that needs help tidying up and organizing. Lisa and I tackle one of the most popular systems she has created: The Sunday Basket. We also discuss her experience working with people as a professional organizer and how sometimes admitting that we need help is really all that’s needed to be more organized and productive. Here are some of the things we talked about on this episode: The three phases of life, and how her experience working with lots of clients made her efficient in identifying which phase they’re in and systems to put in place for their specific needs and hang-ups. The concept of the Sunday Basket as an organization and productivity tool, not just for women, but for anyone who needs help dealing with mail, paper, tasks, and other projects. How does The Sunday Basket system work in a dynamic household...and how does her family do it. A story that led her to conceptualize The Sunday Basket – which involved an 18-inch paper pile and staying up till midnight. The importance of realism and acknowledging when we need help to juggle work, home, and other facets of life as a step towards organization and productivity. How she advocates going paperless, and how The Sunday Basket is designed to handle more than just paper. The evolution of her business and the vision she has for it in the future. Relevant Links Welcome to Organize 365 | Organize 365 - Resources For Getting Organized | Organize 365 - The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time by Lisa Woodruff | Amazon Productivity | Organize 365 - Organization 101 - Organize 365 - Start Here - Organize365 - Lisa Woodruff (@organize365) | Twitter Thanks for listening. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.This episode's guest is a long-time friend whom I met at the World Domination Summit. He is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a best-selling author, the host of the Creative Giant podcast, and a productivity expert: Charlie Gilkey. Charlie helps creative people to start finishing stuff that matters. This involves weeding out through the noise of various tasks, priorities, and projects through Project Cagematch, and other productivity concepts up his sleeve. Half an hour is never enough for the two of us as we geeked out and chatted on various subjects. In this week’s episode, we discussed: Charlie’s views on starting the year and how (like me) he decides on starting it in a different month than January. What got him – or necessitated him – to get into productivity, and how being a person of multiple interests had him realize the lack of conversation on productivity in the academe. A brief background/history of the productivity movement and resource people, and how the productivity scene is much more competitive and challenging to break into currently. His tips on what people can do to wade through opportunities amidst ongoing projects. How to apply the Project Cagematch (a concept that originated from wrestling) in planning and prioritizing, which starts with self-compassion and how the process reveals our true values and goals. The one word to remove from our mental dialogues. Priorities and aspirations: The difference between the two and our tendency to confuse these ideas. How the starts and finishes of projects are more "hyped" concepts, leaving behind the middle part – and how to deal with messy middles and thrashing. His thoughts on letting go – which involves reviewing stuff periodically, updating awareness, recognizing changes, and the idea of sustainable mediocrity. Relevant Links Productive Flourishing How to Referee Your Project Cagematch (and Unveil Your Values & Priorities) Think Better, Live Better Fat and Lazy by CaseyNeistat | YouTube Twitter | Charley Gilkey Thanks for listening. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Anytime is a good time to establish a "well life", and it just so happened that we’re starting 2017 with a means to help you do just that. On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, my guest is Briana Borten. She is a peace engineer and wellness entrepreneur who owns The Dragontree Spa and co-wrote The Well Life. Backed up with their experiences in alternative healing and a genuine yearning to help their clients to live a more fulfilling life, Briana and her husband Dr. Peter Borten wrote the book The Well Life: How to Use Sweetness, Structure, and Space to Create Balance, Happiness, and Peace, which Briana and I talk about throughout the show. Here's just some of what you'll learn: How Briana and Peter's wellness advocacy started 13 years ago, as they established the Dragontree with their background in acupuncture and Ayurvedic medicine, and what motivated them to write this book. The concept of "sweetness", and how and why it should be constantly present in our lives. The tools, techniques, and habits that they shared in the book that they found to have greatly impacted and improved their lives. How important a healthy foundation is, and how it involves seemingly mundane activities that allow us to nourish our minds and body. The connection between thoughts and feelings as well as intentions, and the body’s reaction to these intentions. The human data stream flowing into our lives all day long, the element of space, and the need to have space where we're not connected to anything or anyone but ourselves. What’s up with the current fascination and attraction of people to nature-based, alternative philosophies and healing? How space plays out vis-à-vis with her concept of scheduling - which ought to give us a greater understanding of our capabilities and limits. Briana’s journaling and meditation habit, and how this integrates into her life. The concept of "The Baggage List" and how accomplishing it can help individuals feel freer. Relevant Links The Well Life The Well Life: How to Use Structure, Sweetness, and Space to Create Balance, Happiness, and Peace: Briana Borten, Dr. Peter Borten | Amazon The Productivityist Podcast: Dr. Michael Breus The Dragontree Briana Borten Thanks for listening. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.This week on The Productivityist Podcast I zero in on Evernote with a guest who knows the ins and outs of the app. Charles Byrd will be talking Evernote with me with the goal of helping anyone get started and familiarize themselves with Evernote. He'll be giving insights, sharing tips, and offering hacks along the way. Charles lives in Northern California and worked in the Silicon Valley for tech companies for a significant time. He is now the founder of Byrd Word and hosts a 3-hour training course on productivity – specifically the uses of Evernote – and how this can save people time and, in effect, impact our lives. We talk about: How long Charles has been using Evernote, his initial reaction to the app, and how it has helped him in his career and, ultimately, his business. Where people should start when trying to adopt Evernote to help them with their productivity practices, and what the three concepts Charles teaches people when they are starting out with Evernote. Charles’s thoughts on the changes made recently by Evernote in its pricing structure, and on paying for the premium versions of apps and software. An anecdote of how useful Evernote has been in Charles’s life and how that story convinced a man to take Charles’s Evernote course. Evernote features that are not as heralded as they should be but have proven to be very useful for Charles. An overview of Charles’s Zero-to-60 with Evernote course to get people to do more in less time, and help them get up and running with the basics of Evernote quickly. Relevant Links Zero-to-60 with Evernote Byrd Word | Website Byrd Word | LinkedIn Charles Byrd | Facebook Charles Byrd | Twitter Thank you for listening. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.On this week’s episode of The Productivityist Podcast, I will be chatting with Wade Foster. Wade is the co-founder and CEO of the automation platform Zapier, which helps people automate their work by allowing connections between various apps. Wade and I will talk about how to get started with automation, and how to work your way through it. Listen up on this episode as we discuss: The correct pronunciation of Zapier, and the mission envisioned by Wade and his co-founder Bryan that pushed them to create Zapier. Instances where automation is more harmful than useful to productivity. How people start with simple tasks when integrating automation into their routines, and whether it starts from the workplace or at home. Keeping your automation efforts aligned amidst trial and errors by revisiting the original intent of doing so, and dealing with noise brought about by automation through Zapier. Wade’s thoughts on automation, or replication and delegation to another individual, to simplify tasks. The process from manual to automation or delegation, and how Wade tracks these to remind himself that it needs checking and paying attention to. How the Zapier team remains on top of updates, changes, and even systems issues with the numerous apps they integrate. Account security and privacy and how the Zapier team communicate these effectively to their clients/users. What people need to think about and do when considering automation. Plus, an XKDC comic that can serve as a good guide. Relevant Links The best apps. Better together. - Zapier - Zapier The Best Type of Automation - Productivityist 3 Lists to Freedom | Chris Ducker Case Study: Paul Jarvis - How to Build Your Email List as an Author | Zapier The Productivityist Podcast 60: Less Doing with Ari Meisel - Productivityist Workflow | Powerful automation made simple. xkcd: Is It Worth the Time? Wade Foster (@wadefoster) | Twitter Thanks for listening. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.We’re "broadcasting happiness" on this episode of The Productivityist Podcast with my guest Michelle Gielan, the bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness. Michelle was a national CBS news anchor turned happiness researcher, founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and has a new special airing on PBS called Inspire Happiness with her husband, fellow happiness researcher Shawn Achor. On this episode she talks with me about how our attitudes affect our lives and productivity, and learn about: What the idea was and what happened for "Happy Week" when she was still working as an anchor in CBS. Her insights on the influence of the news on the brain based on research she conducted with Shawn Achor and Ariana Huffington. Transforming your relationship to email, our brains’ negativity bias, and how emailing positivity can change your day – and even make you see the world differently. The problem with Happy Monday emails. How important it is to focus on behaviour instead of the person and what are the predictors of long-term success. What things you can do to promote change with people you’re interacting with daily. The importance of words to help people get on a positive track and an experiment that shows how words affect people’s behaviour. How to create a more positive relationship with your to-do list by "recrafting" it to fuel your brain. Relevant Links michellegielan.com | Michelle Gielan Broadcasting Happiness | Website PBS Special | Inspire Happiness Broadcasting Happiness | Amazon Shawn Achor | Good Think Inc The Happy Secret to Better Work | TED talk with Shawn Achor Wake Up & Inspire Happiness Video Workshop | Website Michelle Gielan | Twitter Michelle Gielan | Facebook If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Shawn Blanc is back on The Productivityist Podcast and on this episode we dive into the subject of creative focus. A father of three, Shawn has a passion for creative focus and productivity, regularly writing about these topics on his blog since 2007. In this episode, Shawn and I talk about his upcoming summit, the systems and tools he’s employed in both work and life, his core values, and books that he’s bought but might not have necessarily read. Some other specific subjects we tackled in this episode are: The Systems vs Tools Debate and how Shawn uses both to traverse his life. How his work values and practices relate to his family life. The concept of personal integrity and the future self, plus a simple exercise he does on The Focus Course to establish these concepts. The Blanc Media Core Values, the guidance given to him by Barrett Brooks to articulate these values, and how it ties up with his business direction. The concept of traction and how to apply this in real life...and towards reaching your goal. An article he wrote titled Learning Not to Think About It, what it meant for him, and how he does it. His reading practices, how he expounded on this in his article I Buy More Books Than I Read, and one book that has really impacted him in making choices, changes, and spending his time for the coming year. Finally, he talks about the Creative Focus Online Summit, The Focus Course and how these can help us to manage our time and other areas of our lives. Relevant Links shawnblanc.net | Shawn Blanc Blanc Media Core Values | Shawn Blanc Barrett Brooks | Website The Power of a Focused Life | The Focus Course How to Get Time For Your Projects | Shawn Blanc Learning Not to Think About It | Shawn Blanc 2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%) | The Fizzle Show I Buy More Books Than I Read | Shawn Blanc Goodreads | 2016 Reading Challenge The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone | Amazon Shawn Blanc (@shawnblanc) | Twitter If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

This episode is brought to you by Your Clockwise Week—a personalized weekly structure built around your actual life, not an ideal one. If your week feels full but not fitting, you can learn more at mikevardy.com/yourclockwiseweek.Michael E. Gerber, founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies and author of The E-Myth Book Series is my featured guest this week. He discusses the main concepts of his new book, Beyond the E-Myth. Michael is a pillar of business development and coaching going as far back as the 1970s, and his insights on systems, startups and scaling up businesses into enterprises will be central in this episode. You'll hear about decades worth of business acumen and you'll learn about: What is a company of one, and how to build and scale it up? How he started his business, his experience creating the first business development / coaching firm, and how he positioned it. The E-Myth series and its promise to fix broken businesses (which is a difficult thing to do), and how did that play a part on his decision to create Beyond the E-Myth. The concept of Old Co and New Co, the difference and transition between the two. The mindset that Michael wants entrepreneurs to have when conceptualizing their businesses. The definition and the four components of an entrepreneur, and the concept of The Dreaming Room™ to awaken the entrepreneur out of anyone. How to employ a business development program that even novices can operate. Relevant Links: Michael Gerber Companies Beyond the E-Myth Michael E. Gerber on Amazon Michael Gerber on Twitter, and Facebook If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say. 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 a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices If this episode resonated, I’m exploring ideas like these more deeply in my upcoming book, Productiveness. You can follow along as it takes shape at mikevardy.com/productiveness.