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.I catch up with the very thoughtful 13-year-old novelist Kristina Naydonova to learn how to carve out our own paths. Kristina Naydonova is hands down the youngest guest I’ve had on the show. Aged 13, she’s already published a novel, The Black Sisterhood Files, and writes for Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. She’s also a Sunday Times bestselling mystery author, regular podcast speaker, and occasional contributor for Buzzfeed-Books – all while she’s at middle school. I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing from a young age, so it was great to connect with this kindred spirit and fellow night owl. Join our conversation as we explore bullet journaling, handling peer pressure, and how she’s achieved so much success from such a young age. Talking Points Setting time aside to write whilst still being a kid Handling peer pressure Simple ways to practice mindfulness Navigating social media and leveraging its strengths Mastering TikTok Kristina’s daily routines that balance her education and writing Kristina’s long-term to-do lists Her favorite book genres Seeking inspiration from the likes of Stephen King and Greta Thunberg Quote “Take time to experiment and figure out what you really want in life.” Helpful Links Thrive Global ‘The Black Sisterhood Files’ by Kristina Naydonova 5 Easy Ways to Implement Mindfulness Into Your Daily Life Kristina’s Twitter Kristina’s Instagram #bookstagram Episode 213: The Bullet Journal Method with Ryder Carroll Kristina.co 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.When you run a business, you can’t do it alone. The Productivityist’s Chief of Staff, Vanessa Tharp, jumps on to explain how she supports my journey. Vanessa Tharp has over 15 years of education, leadership, community building and event planning. She collaborates with people to help create epic events, conferences, retreats, business strategies and product launches. And I would know – she works with me. As Chief of Staff, she’s assisted the growth of The Productivityist in numerous ways, including the BIG Ready. I found this interview really energizing as we uncovered how to build actionable roadmaps and why she’s not one to niche down. Join us as we discuss being a multipotentialite, leveraging relationships, how she plays an integral part in the business – as well as cupcakes and quicksand training. Talking Points Vanessa’s involvement with the development of The Productivityist How to scale without getting stuck Vanessa’s approach to taking action with big business tasks How to leverage relationships Why we need to be more ourselves and embrace the ugly parts Quote “Through your failures you get data points to work from.” Helpful Links Episode 250: 5 Days with John Poelstra Efficient Writing with Jim Woods The BIG Ready The West Wing Express VPN The Two Day Soirée ‘Ego Is The Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday Episode 354: How To Decide with Annie Duke ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins ‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey VanessaTharp.com Vanessa’s Facebook Vanessa’s Instagram 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Cal Newport is back on the show to uncover his magnum opus on why we work the way we work today, and why we need to change our relationship with email. Email simply doesn’t scale – its back and forth nature is what drove Cal Newport down the rabbit hole of finding a better way to work. This includes all methods of communication, be it Slack, WhatsApp, or Facebook DMs and so on. These tools should just be used as shorthand, and not become your work. In his latest book, A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload, I had to unpick my good friend’s insights. Join us today as we uncover why we need to change our relationship with email. In this brave new world, we touch on how email came about accidentally, finding solutions as a team, context switching, and the fascinating research path that led Cal to writing the book. Talking Points The main elements of email that we need to move away from Why email has taken over our work On Merlin Mann and Inbox Zero The Attention Capital Principle Changing our view on email in all parts of the business, from managerial to admin and customer support How you can stop relying on email today Quote “Don’t explain to people what you’re doing, just do it.” Helpful Links ‘A World Without Email’ by Cal Newport Episode 73 with Cal Newport Episode 229: Exploring Digital Minimalism with Cal Newport ‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport The New Yorker articles by Cal Newport The New Yorker: The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done by Cal Newport Episode 203: The Evolution of Getting Things Done with David Allen Woven Deep Questions Podcast CalNewport.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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 candid conversation reveals what John Lee Dumas has learnt throughout his life – which includes interviewing thousands of entrepreneurs on his show – and steps you can take on a common (yet simple) path that can lead to uncommon success. John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of the award-winning podcast, Entrepreneurs on Fire. He’s interviewed thousands of entrepreneurs, including Tony Robbins, Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Barbara Corcoran, Tim Ferriss, and many more. So I’m excited to find out more about what he’s learnt through these interviews. In the run up to the launch of his new book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success: A Roadmap to Financial Freedom and Fulfillment, I wanted to find out what you can do to stay ahead of the game. Listen to find out more about producing a daily podcast, how JLD themes his days, keeping the money you make – and butchering Jim Carrey’s commencement speech. Talking Points How to follow a path without being constrained by it Understanding the difference between simple and easy Implementing practical exercises in JLD’s new book The podcasts that inspired JLD to launch his own show Having a mentor for any area of life JLD’s tactics to help you avoid burnout After Action Reviews and backwards planning The FOCUS acronym Quote “Choose your hard” Helpful Links UncommonSuccessBook.com (GET PRE-ORDER BONUSES NOW!) Episode 343: Consistency Over Authenticity with Seth Godin Jim Carrey’s Commencement Address at the 2014 MUM Graduation Jedidiah Jenkins on the Rich Roll Podcast John Lee Dumas on the Solopreneur Hour Smart Passive Income Podcast Mixergy Rise To The Top Planet Money Freakonomics Episode 351: Eating Frogs with Brian Tracy Episode 264: How to Build Yourself More Time with Jaime Masters Episode 15: Jaime Tardy Episode 289: The Vision Driven Leader with Michael Hyatt Episode 239: Free to Focus with Michael Hyatt 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Chaos is a constant. So what can you do to embrace life’s ebb and flow? Nicola Taggart joins the show to share her latest tips. Nicola Taggart is a life and leadership success strategist, coach, consultant, speaker, and author. Nicola helps people discover a more centered and conscious approach to life that increases their presence both in life and in their career. Through her well-being programs, Calm Your Chaos journal and cards, Nicola helps you take stock of what’s going on in your life. We discuss how we can embrace chaos. From implementing timeless habits, powerful journaling prompts, to visual triggers – this episode will help you beat overwhelm. Talking Points The concept of Calm The Chaos How Nicola structures the journal The role of Calm The Chaos Cards in Nicola’s life Grounding activities Quote “What is the experience you want to feel?” Helpful Links Calm the Chaos Journal Calm the Chaos Cards The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor Episode 265: Bringing Gratitude with Karl Staib Episode 123: Broadcasting Happiness with Michelle Gielan Write It All Down Freewrite NicolaTaggart.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.International expert in the field of body transformations, Angelo Poli shares the practical diet strategy that will give you the results you want. Angelo Poli is the Founder of MetPro, the world’s first algorithm-based weight-loss engine, which is fueled by the data you feed into it every day. He’s worked with the likes of NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, among other elite athletes, celebrities, to physique models, entrepreneurs, and politicians. He’s also a speaker and a serial entrepreneur. When I did MetPro’s program, I got the best results. What really stood out to me was the impact of keeping things simple. Tune in as we discuss how to be consistent, why our metabolism is so misunderstood, letting go of any resistance to exercise, and why I keep an old soda can in my room. Talking Points The psychology behind advanced food preparation Being strategic with your diet and fitness Understanding what’s right for your body The power of having faith in yourself results MetPro’s new methodology to track, analyze and perform Quote “Progress is the greatest human motivator.” Helpful Links Episode 249: The Magic of Metabolic Profiling with Angelo Poli Episode 116: The Power of When with Dr Michael Breus Episode 354: How To Decide with Annie Duke Episode 266: Becoming Indistractable with Nir Eyal MetPro.co/timecrafting 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.With so many moving pieces as a creative freelancer, learn what actor Ian Reed Kesler does to keep focused on his projects. Today’s guest, Ian Reed Kesler, is an actor and director best known for Sydney to the Max, Suits and 500 Days of Summer. From a serendipitous conversation on Twitter, I managed to get Ian on the show so I’m super excited to learn how he stays productive as a creative. What’s clear from this interview is that having a creative mind requires you to be able to turn on and off quickly. And that’s not always easy if you’re on set for 16 hours straight. Join our conversation as we discuss easy wins, systems for lazy people, and keeping organized so you can do more of what you love – as well as my IDMb profile. Whether you’re in the creative field or not, there’s something in this for everyone. Talking Points The role of productivity for actors The two kinds of creative freelancers Running a creative company How productivity is evolving Analogue vs digital for ideas and tasks Ian’s go-to morning and evening routines Quote “Putting everything in its place is what enables me to do what I love.” Helpful Links Literally! With Rob Lowe Todoist The Antidote | Amazon Atomic Habits | Amazon Tiny Habits | Amazon Roam Craft Muse Sydney to the Max 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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 the final bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features a new friend and a fellow scribe, Jenna Britton. Jenna Britton is also one of the speakers for The BIG Ready, joining us for the Communication panel. In this final bonus podcast episode leading up to The BIG Ready, Jenna shares more about clarity, delimiting yourself, and communication. Episode Highlights: Why clarity gives focus How dismissing something limits yourself Why clarity comes from action How clarity and communication are both linked to each other This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist. The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The main stage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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 a bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features the EPIC Marli Williams. Marli Williams is going to be part of the "Retreats" panel discussion at The BIG Ready. In this EPIC episode, Marli shares how to create an EPIC retreat for your tribe. Episode Highlights: Ingredients for a group retreat - making it go from good to epic The key difference between a retreat and a convention Emphasizing the connection of people in the room and crafting the participants' experience How an EPIC retreat can deliver the value of meaningful connections This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist. The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The main stage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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 a bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features one of the "funniest" guys I know, Gary Ware. Gary Ware will be delivering a workshop called "The Productive Power of Play" at The BIG Ready. Gary is here to chat with me about the different forms of play that will make you more creative and more efficient. Episode Highlights: Breaking the pattern of conditionality – unpacking it and realizing there are different forms of play Purposeful play: Priming the brain so that we can be more creative Before burnout, calling a "time out" and doing something that will rejuvenate the self before going back to work Instead of scrolling on social media during breaks, why not do something that is engaging that would help in keeping ideas and creativity flowing? This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist. The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The main stage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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 a bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features someone that, despite being unrelated by blood, I consider to be my American cousin – and he considers me to be his Canadian one – Stephen Warley. Stephen Warley isn't just my good friend... he'll be facilitating the first workshop for The BIG Ready). In this bonus podcast episode, Stephen talks about being a solopreneur and the three components of reflection. Episode Highlights: As a solopreneur "YOU" are the nexus of the business, the primary resource, and the biggest obstacle. To start as a solopreneur, you need to manage yourself and to do that you need self-awareness. Why it's all about being honest with yourself. An action that needs to be done – but only a few take – is stopping and reflecting. Reflecting has three components: Self-awareness, Reflection (ideally scheduled), and settling the mind. This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist, The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The mainstage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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 a bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features my friend, content queen and big picture planner, Janet Murray. Janet Murray will be delivering the opening keynote for The BIG Ready – which is exciting on its own. But I'm also excited that she agreed to chat with me on the podcast about certainty, consistency, and commitment. Episode Highlights: People love certainty... but they need uncertainty too. People often have trouble with crafting consistent content. When there is a commitment to doing the creative plan, content gets created. This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist, The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The mainstage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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 a bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate The BIG Ready Week! This episode features change-maker and action-taker Vanessa Tharp. Vanessa Tharp, Chief of Staff at Productivityist and one of the organizers of The BIG Ready, shares how she helped create clarity for Productivityist as a company and how she leveled it up by creating a safe space with the right boundaries and limitations. Episode Highlights: My idea of "I did it wrong" How Productivityist lost its soul when I changed it from "I" into "We" How to help people recognize that they are "in quicksand" How to level up by creating a safe space... but at the same time keeping in check on what is happening, to know boundaries and limitations This virtual event features 29+ presenters delivering keynote talks, actionable workshops, and engaging panel discussions around the elements of personal and professional growth. Presented by Productivityist, The BIG Ready is a must-attend for anyone who is trying to take the months ahead and be ready to make them have a BIG impact on their lives. The mainstage portion of The BIG Ready takes place on February 2nd, 2021 and includes access to the Opening Party on February 1st, the Closing Party featuring the perfect sendoff to the day's festivities, and the opportunity to attend a Midnight Momentum focused work period as the day draws to a close with yours truly! You can also grab a VIP ticket, which gives you everything I just mentioned PLUS an exclusive 4-hour workshop on February 6th that I'll be facilitating personally. Oh, and every keynote, workshop, and panel will be recorded so you'll be able to revisit and review them anytime you want in the future! Podcast Theme Song: Nothing at All by Fictions (courtesy of Epidemic Sound) 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.Feedback is essential for us to move forward. But how do we use it effectively? Today’s guest, Therese Huston, gives you the practical tools that you can use today. Therese Huston’s mission is to help conscientious, growth-minded professionals bring out their best at work. She’s a cognitive scientist at Seattle University, as well as a speaker and author of Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower. Her expertise lies in helping you say what needs to be said, and – even more importantly – say it in a way that can be heard. Tune in as we discuss the three different types of feedback, the common biases to watch out for, and you can best coach yourself. Enjoy this episode packed with Therese’s strategies! Talking Points How effective feedback boosts your productivity Three different types of feedback Ways to avoid falling into your biases Setting clear intentions Having constructive feedback with yourself Quote “Unconscious bias is leaning towards some people and away from others.” Helpful Links ThereseHuston.com Let’s Talk | Amazon Thanks for the Feedback | Amazon Pocket Biases Growth Mindset | Amazon 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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’m joined by decision-making expert Annie Duke to unpack what you can do to achieve your long-term goals. Annie Duke is an American former professional poker player and author in behavioral decision science and decision education. She holds a World Series of Poker gold bracelet from 2004 and used to be the leading money winner among women in WSOP history. Annie is also the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. Join the conversation as dive into her latest book How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. We also discuss ‘resulting’, reflecting on your own biases, information warfare– and the most beautiful play in super bowl history. Talking Points Her experience of writing a How-To book The fundamentals of ‘resulting’ Learning from real-life examples, chunking and mental models Availability bias and process influencing What happens when you hear things for third time Quote “Get on the right time horizon.” Helpful Links How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices | Amazon Being Tony Robbins Lynn Hasher Daniel Dale AnnieDuke.com Annie’s Twitter 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Four years since I last spoke with entrepreneur Natalie Sisson, a lot has changed. Join me as we explore her growth journey. Natalie is a New Zealand entrepreneur, author, speaker, lover of handstands and triathlete. It’s taken a lot of incremental micro-steps for Natalie to pivot from her Suitcase Entrepreneur identity to the Natalie Sisson she is today. Since late 2018 she has been focused on helping everyday people in jobs, freelance careers and with their own business to monetize their sweet spot and get paid to be them. Join today’s conversation as we talk about vision planning, audiobooks, and when it’s time to unlearn systems, tools and habits that aren’t serving you anymore. I was fascinated by Natalie’s investment in her personal growth and how she embraces the beginner’s mindset. Talking Points Natalie’s process of changing her business identity How to get unstuck from the fear of growth What Natalie has let go The creative challenge from her latest writing project What productivity means to Natalie today Advice to entrepreneurs to do more of what they love Quote “Unlearning and relearning leads to growth.” Helpful Links FinCon Episode 91: The More of Less with Joshua Becker The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Amazon Masterclass: Gardening The Suitcase Entrepreneur | Amazon The Freedom Plan | Amazon The $10k Club Untapped Podcast NatalieSisson.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Thane Marcus Ringler takes the professional athlete’s mindset to everyday people in everyday life. Today’s guest is Thane Marcus Ringler, the former professional golfer turned speaker, writer, development coach and podcast host of The Up & Comers Show. It’s his mission to help people get unstuck and overcome the self-limiting beliefs we all tend to carry. In this episode, we explore the four perspective shifts from his book Catalysts For Hope: Unlocking Energy, Optimism, And Your Full Potential. Thane’s idealism is infectious, and this will help frame your mind as we begin 2021. Join this conversation as we discuss the art of leaning in, the process of writing his book, critical thinking – and dragonflies. Talking Points The 4 Catalysts that will shift your perspective Focus on the process, no the destination Identifying your baby steps A hope-filled life is more practical than you think Why we regularly overlook our purpose A case for Idealism The power of pause Quote “Purpose is active. We don’t default our way into it.” Helpful Links Catalysts For Hope | Amazon The Practice | Amazon Episode 343: Consistency Over Authenticity with Seth Godin Episode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin Kleon 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Amazon ThaneMarcus.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Brian Tracy’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier – by eating your frogs first. What I love about my podcast is that I get to speak with true mentors in this space – and Brian Tracy has been on my list to speak with for a long time. As a keynote speaker and seminar leader, Brian has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5 million people through talks and seminars worldwide. He has also published over 90 books, most notably the best-selling Psychology of Achievement. His most recent book, Eat That Frog! for Students: 22 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Excel in School serves students to improve their time management skills and achieve their dream goals. In light of the latest edition of this book Eat That Frog!, I’m fascinated by how time management bleeds into everything. Join our conversation as we discuss writing goals in the present tense, the role of self-esteem, his magic wand exercise, and educating the student market. Now go eat your frog today! Talking Points Why students need to learn more about time management What stops students from exploring better time management? Handwritten vs digital notes The timeless problems and solutions we all face Quote “Success in life is about task completion – not task working on.” Helpful Links Eat That Frog! for Students | Amazon Eat That Frog! | Amazon Franklin Covey Planner How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day | Amazon Understanding Human Nature | Amazon BrianTracy.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.As a specialist in delivering presentations and workshops to empower leaders, I’m excited to share with you today’s guest Dave Delaney – an expert on being nice. Today Dave Delaney joins the show, creator of the NICE Method™. He’s a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and the author of the acclaimed book, New Business Networking. He’s worked with the likes of Google, LinkedIn and UPS. I’m excited to speak with the fellow Canadian and comedy fan, to learn more about his approach to simply being… well, nice. We know the world could do with more of that! Tune in as we discuss practising empathy, the “Yes, and…” mindset, being open-minded – and my love for Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Talking Points Leaning into ‘niceness’ Dealing with jerks The link between happiness and niceness How to not treat it as a throwaway word Being authentically nice The skill in considering other people’s opinions and beliefs The NICE Method™ framework The impact of music Quote “First and foremost, be nice to yourself.” Helpful Links Ted Lasso Brené with Jason Sudeikis & Brendan Hunt on Ted Lasso How to Fend Off a Jerk The Master Communicator’s Secret Weapon Episode 274: Humor That Works with Andrew Tarvin Nice Maker Newsletter DaveDelaney.me 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Since hosting his first virtual event in 2015, Liam Austin knows the formula to making a success of it. I learnt heaps from today’s interview with virtual events expert Liam Austin. As the world has gone radically digital for so many businesses this year, find out in today’s episode why a virtual event is a great way to grow your business and community. Liam is the co-founder of Entrepreneurs HQ and Virtual Summit Academy, which organizes many virtual summits and publishes marketing tactics of top entrepreneurs. When he had over 15,000 people register to attend his first virtual event in 2015 – Liam knew he had to share what he did to the wider business community. In this interview we explore producing live versus pre-recorded events, building tight funnels, how to stand out from other events, and how to make sure you attendees get the most out of the session. Talking Points What you can leverage from hosting virtual events How to stand out amongst the virtual noise The rough timeline needed when creating an event How can attendees get the most out of online events Optimizing what to do post-event Quote “Reverse engineer from your end goal.” Helpful Links Episode 308: Talking Slack with Phil Simon Zoom For Dummies | Amazon EntrepreneursHQ.com Virtual Summit Academy 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.With over 15 years of coaching busy, high-achievers, Tripp Lanier shows how to stay present and be guided by your internal direction. Tripp Lanier is a professional coach, author of This Book Will Make You Dangerous: The Irreverent Guide for Men Who Refuse to Settle, and host of The New Man Podcast. I loved interviewing Tripp as he’s an honest guy who asks thought-provoking questions. Since 2005, Tripp has spent thousands of hours coaching people all around the world to get out of the rat race, become an authority in their field, and make a great living doing the work they were put on this earth to do. As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get trapped in the hustle cycle. This episode will help release you from this trap and focus on what really matters to give you that ‘aliveness’. Tune in as we discuss issues with saying ‘no’, setting dangerous missions, unfulfilling vision boards, and reading old journal entries. Talking Points The correlation between being dangerous and being productive Managing uncertainty The comparison game How to identify what really matters to you Dealing with resistance The relationship between finality and productivity Creating missions as experiments Four questions to ask yourself at the beginning of your day Quote “A high-performing sheep is still a sheep.” Helpful Links This Book Will Make You Dangerous | Amazon Conscience | Amazon Gary Vaynerchuck The War of Art | Amazon My Shot – Hamilton Episode 227: Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear Atomic Habits | Amazon Clear Habit Journal The New Man Podcast TrippLanier.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.After analyzing companies for almost 30 years, Paul Pagnato, shows how we’re in an exponential era. Find out how transparency is the key to growth. We can feel pretty vulnerable when being transparent. But real change happens when we start to be more honest with ourselves and those around us. This is why I’m so excited to have Paul Pagnato on the show today to deep dive into how we can adopt the transparency mindset. Paul has spent much of his career managing capital as a wealth advisor. From studying so many companies, he came to the realization that society has grown through massive waves of transformation over the last 500 years. And we’re going through one now – The Transparency Wave. His latest book Transparency Wave: Exponential Changes That Will Transform Our World is an impactful read that dissects how an increasingly connected and technologically-advanced world presents exponential opportunities. Join us as we discuss his 6Ts of Exponential Transparency™, embracing fear, genomics – and yogis. Talking Points What the Transparency Wave is The exponential element of transparency The 6Ts of Exponential Transparency™ The challenges when adopting a transparency mindset How we can apply this mindset to our personal lives The challenges with accountability The role of longevity How we can embrace failure Quote “Transparency changes everything.” Helpful Links Transparency Wave | Amazon The Compound Effect | Amazon Atomic Habits | Amazon Growing Young | Amazon Episode 318: Growing Young with Marta Zaraska TransparencyWave.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.As host of NPR’s What We Do, Doug Fraser is not afraid to dive deep and follow his curiosity. Today we learn about the craft of clarity. My guest this time round is Doug Fraser, a creator, producer, and host of NPR’s What We Do. He’s a true expert when it comes to storytelling… be it the history of rats to kitchens. He’s not afraid to ask questions, which makes him a very exciting guest to have on the show. After years in the ad agency world, Doug now follows his own path to provide a valuable one-on-one marketing experience for businesses of all sizes. From pizza joints to multi-billion-dollar car dealerships, he’s helped brands achieve copywriting, social marketing, and videography success. Doug and I spend time talking about being present and seeking clarity through simplicity. Join us as we explore taking on new hobbies, capturing ideas, and knowing when it’s the right time to quit. Talking Points The impact curiosity has across all aspects of Doug’s life Energy from learning new things Balancing the time between learning and working Everyday tactics to help stay present His 4-step process for success Overcoming the sunk cost fallacy What simplicity shows us Process to note new ideas during a podcast interview Doug’s most invaluable tools Journaling and useful frameworks Quote “Everything that we’re learning is adding up in us.” Helpful Links What We Do Podcast What We Do: The College Curiosity Crisis What We Do: Becoming the Voice of Porky Pig What We Do: Creating National Geographic’s Photo Ark Photo Ark Ron Finley Teaches Gardening Headspace Brené Brown Episode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin Kleon The Dip | Amazon Episode 343: Consistency Over Authenticity with Seth Godin Episode 203: The Evolution of Getting Things Done with David Allen Getting Things Done | Amazon Baron Fig Deep Work | Amazon Episode 229: Exploring Digital Minimalism with Cal Newport The Five Minute Journal Day One DougFraserDigital.com 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 – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.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.Today’s guest works 25 hours per week since she had kids 10 years ago. Tune in to find out about her impactful approach to productivity. Racheal Cook is a business strategist and business development consultant. Through her signature online mastermind The CEO Collective, Racheal helps women entrepreneurs start and scale businesses without the hustle or burnout. Being a mother herself, I was fascinated by her approach to being a productive CEO. As a sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, marketing, and productivity, Racheal’s work has been featured on US Chamber of Commerce, Entrepreneur on Fire, Female Entrepreneur Association, Inc, Fast Company, Forbes, and more. She’s the author of Fired Up & Focused and Your Business Sweet Spot. Tune in as we discuss ways to structure the week, results-based outcomes, making personal and family time a priority – and what we can learn from meal planning. Talking Points Motherhood forcing clarity on productivity The Model Calendar Approach Being a morning person Setting aside “buffer” time The evolutionary nature of the Model Calendar Identifying your high-value tasks Niching down and serving women The CEO Date Quote “Productivity is about protecting myself from myself.“ Helpful Links The CEO Collective The CEO Planner Episode 334: Endless Curiosity with Derek Sivers Fired Up & Focused | Amazon Your Business Sweet Spot | Amazon The 4-Hour Work Week | Amazon ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ Documentary RachealCook.com/TheProductivityist 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. 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 much closer to success than we think we are. Today’s guest Greg Reid will help you see what’s possible. Greg Reid is a fascinating character, and he’s testament to achieving great things despite the odds. Even with dyslexia, he is the ultimate master storyteller. He has been published in over 78 books, 32 bestsellers, five motion pictures, featured in many magazines, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s a highly sought-after keynote speaker, entrepreneur, with a strong win-win work ethic. I’m excited to catch up with Greg to learn more about his journey, and dive into his book Three Feet From Gold: Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities!. Join us as we explore timeless authors, unexpected opportunities, and modernizing Napoleon Hill’s principles for success. Talking Points Why you need to stop planning The story behind the title Three Feet From Gold Why is Napoleon Hill synonymous with success? Greg’s CPC acronym for success Ways to stop us from getting in our own way An interesting path into filmmaking Being a dyslexic author Why you need to seek counsel, not opinion Quote “Seek counsel and not opinion.” Helpful Links The Napoleon Hill Foundation Think And Grow Rich | Amazon Episode 258: What You Can Learn from Napoleon Hill with Jeffrey Gitomer Getting Things Done | Amazon Wealth Made Easy | Amazon Think And Grow Rich ‘Stickability’ | Amazon Make-A-Wish Foundation Wish Man The Secret | Amazon You Were Born Rich | Amazon Rich Dad Poor Dad | Amazon The Millionaire Mentor | Amazon Chicken Soup For The Soul | Amazon Greg Reid’s Instagram 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. 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.Seth Godin is a consistent player in the entrepreneurial space, influencing millions to embrace their inner-creative and best serve their audience. In today’s episode, we uncover how you can make that impact. Seth Godin has had a huge influence over my career, so I’m excited to bring him on (again) to hear about his latest projects and new book ‘The Practice: Shipping Creative Work’. As my first guest on the podcast I did as a productivity parodist, there’s lots to catch up on. This interview is full of countless gems, but what really stands out is being consistent with whatever it is that you want to achieve. In his own words, the toughest part is that “you have to show up, even if you don’t feel like it”. Seth blogs daily. He’s been doing it for years now. He’s built a huge following with over a million readers, and is the author of over 19 books, including Purple Cow, Linchpin, and This Is Marketing. He’s also the founder of the altMBA and The Akimbo Workshops, which runs online seminars that have transformed the work of thousands of people. Join our conversation as we explore indispensable tools, inbox zero, working with intent – and his 16ft cedar strip canoe. Talking Points Applying assertion to our work Why Imposter Syndrome doesn’t go away You don’t even need to meet your mentors Seth’s daily boundaries Impact of 2020 on his blogging Seth’s attitude towards uncertainty Defining good taste What we actually mean by ‘hacking’ Seth’s relationship with ‘trap’ emails The trap people fall into when chasing authenticity Quote “Know what your audience wants ten minutes before they do.” Helpful Links The Practice: Shipping Creative Work | Amazon Episode 334: Endless Curiosity with Derek Sivers Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction | Amazon The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy | Amazon ‘How To Get Your Ideas To Spread’ TED Talk Necessary Endings| Amazon Ron Finley Teaches Gardening Masterclass Freewrite Inbox Zero: How to Stop Checking Email and Start Finishing It | Amazon Glowforge The Authentic Swing | Amazon TrustYourself.com Seths.blog 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. 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.Delegation is overwhelming. But it’s an essential part to any business, so expert Barbara Turley joins the show to explain where to begin. How often do you get caught up with small business overwhelm? Today’s guest Barbara Turley, CEO of the Virtual Hub, is a true expert when it comes to hiring and onboarding staff for small businesses. Barbara is an investor and entrepreneur with a keen interest in scalable business models, systems, processes and automation, content marketing and the power of inspired and empowered teams. The mission of the Virtual Hub is to eradicate small business overwhelm by simplifying the offshore outsourcing process and facilitating cost-effective business scalability. Hiring support is not easy, so I’m excited to hear what Barbara has learnt from hiring some of the best VAs. Join our conversation as we explore setting expectations, the “huddle” concept, and learning from the mistakes we’ve made. It’s time to get out of the loop of being stuck in the busy work trenches, and start thinking about the bigger picture. Talking Points The simple steps to overcoming overwhelm The story behind The Virtual Hub A long-term thinking mindset Busting the common myths behind ‘I can’t delegate’ Procrastinating behind busywork The most effective way to recruit and onboard a VA Providing structures through tools The first step of delegation Quote “Delegation percolates and evolves.” Helpful Links The 4-Hour Workweek | Amazon The E-Myth Revisited | Amazon Scaling Up | Amazon Asana TheVirtualHub.com/Productivityist The Virtual Success 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. 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 face many hurdles as entrepreneurs which is why today’s guest, Kara Goldin, has a mission to help people get unstuck in order to move forward. As Founder & CEO, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, author and mother, today’s guest Kara Goldin wears many hats. Kara founded the flavored water brand Hint in 2005, and has seen it grow exponentially over the years. She’s also worked at Time Inc., AOL and CNN. With her insatiable drive, how does she do it all? As we find out, it’s curiosity. In light of her new book ‘Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters’, Kara has learnt a lot along her entrepreneurial journey. Join our conversation as we explore hockey stick growths, natural curiosity, losing 24 pounds in 2.5 weeks – and Wild Cherry Pepsi addictions. Talking Points How Kara handles her priorities Advice on staying true to your values amidst the noise The power of asking questions The memorable moment of the first Hint sale Practicing patience Quote “The people that call things an overnight success don’t know the true definition.” Helpful Links Undaunted | Amazon DrinkHint.com KaraGoldin.com 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. 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.What is it that ultimately drives you? It’s key to know this across all areas of your life, so I’m excited to speak with Todd Henry again on the show as we uncover the Motivation Code. Today’s guest Todd Henry has helped identify the unique ways that we are motivated. It’s fascinating: there are 27 potential ways and it’s different for all of us. Todd is a self-proclaimed “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, who is a writer, speaker, and helps facilitate people and teams generate brilliant ideas. He’s written four books and has recently released his fifth book, The Motivation Code: Discover The Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work, co-authored with Rod Penner, Todd Hall and Joshua Miller. It’s not about waiting for work to motivate us; once we identify our true motivations, we’re in flow. In this conversation, we explore MCODE™ assessment, experiencing flow, how knowing our motivation benefits both our work and personal lives. Talking Points Compiling the new books after decades of research How the opportunity came up to write the book The six values of themes Results from the assessment and what they mean Why we need to dig deep with assessment results Trigger, process and outcome motivation Experiencing flow when their motivation code is activated How and when our motivation shifts over time Long-term benefits of knowing your motivational traits Quote “We create enemies when we don’t need to.” Helpful Links Episode 54: Voice Lessons with Todd Henry The Motivation Code | Amazon MCODE™ Assessment Herding Tigers | Amazon 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. 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.Distraction-free writing: a process that all writers seek. Find out how today’s guest, Adam Leeb, has made it that much easier for you. As a writer myself, getting into the ‘flow state’ isn’t always attainable. But when I came across the distraction-free writing tool Freewrite Traveler, I had to bring on Adam Leeb, the co-founder, to the podcast. Freewrite is a portable tool with no copy/paste or other advanced editing functionality to promote maximum writing productivity. Pure magic. Adam is an award-winning product designer and mechanical engineer who is obsessed with product design especially in relation to user experience and user interaction. Join us as we explore mechanical keyboards, removing distractions, failed crowdfunding campaigns, and 3D printing over quarantine. Talking Points What attracted Adam to design and Astrohaus Developing a tool to help writers stay focused with the creative writing process Their design philosophy Specialized vs multi-use products Adam’s desire to design products Taking more risks Being ahead of the curve Running crowdfunding campaigns Why crowdfund if you have the clout or finances? A reversal approach to productivity Quote “It takes energy to resist.” Helpful Links Freewrite Traveler Astrohaus Punisher Yo-Yo Video Confessional Booth Wayne Gretzky Kara Goldin Baron Fig Episode 317: The Analog Way with Jeff Sheldon BestSelf Creality Clapboss Sprinter 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. 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.After reading a comment on YouTube about how to earn a good income without a boring job, today’s guest Joe Barnes made it his mission to find a framework that enables this. Hint: there are three ways. When I left my full-time job at Costco, it felt like a giant leap. So I was excited to have Joe Barnes on the show to hear more about his Three Paths to pursuing your dream job. He set up Escape The System – a resource for entrepreneurs, dreamers, and world-changers. He’s also the author of Do The Work You Love. By freeing your mind from society’s conditioning and finding a passion, you’re on track to living the life you want. Tune in as we learn how to escape boring jobs, how he strategically became an author – his dream job – and what he learnt from two ridiculous tennis matches. Talking Points The boring job Joe did What do we actually mean by “choosing your passion”? The Three Paths Advice to the adventurous who go ‘all-in’ with a change How to stop your passions from fizzling away Dealing with fear when making the career change Advice to people who think it’s ‘past their time’ Lessons learnt from being a tennis coach Joe’s relationship with time Quote “There’s something inside of you that needs expression.” Helpful Links Do The Work You Love | Amazon Episode 229: Exploring Digital Minimalism with Cal Newport Episode 73: Deep Work with Cal Newport So Good They Can’t Ignore You | Amazon ‘Follow Your Passion’ Is Bad Advice Beau Carnes’ blog post Episode 251: Being a Late Bloomer with Rich Karlgaard Episode 234: Bolder with Carl Honoré What 2 Ridiculous Tennis Matches Taught Me About Mental Toughness And Life The Inner Game of Tennis | Amazon The Score Takes Care of Itself | Amazon EscapeTheSystemNow.com Screw The System YouTube Channel Joe’s Instagram 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. 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.Deep work can easily feel overwhelming, so we put it off. In this episode we dissect how you can make it meaningful to you, and apply it to any area of your life. We’re only human – we can’t achieve everything on one single day. Instead, it takes steady increments that lead us to the desired results. Today’s guest Cristina Roman has taught her clients this very philosophy. She’s a Certified Life Coach, deep work extraordinaire, and coaches clients on overcoming procrastination. By small actions, and focusing on results, we get deep into the good stuff, and less of the procrastinating tasks. Tune in as we unpick her favourite books, second order thinking, and why ‘prudence’ is my word. Talking Points Getting into a deep work state within 15 minutes Stand out learning from Cal Newport’s book ‘Deep Work’ Overcome deep work overwhelm Apply deep work to your personal life Deep work for group tasks Using evidence to beat procrastination How our language impacts our beliefs and behaviours How much procrastination can you “afford”? The fear of making the “right or wrong” decision Actionable steps to move away from procrastination Quote “Slow down to speed up.” Helpful Links PiqueCoaching.co/DeepWork Deep Work | Amazon The Life Coach School Atomic Habits | Amazon Episode 227: Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear Episode 266: Becoming Indistractable with Nir Eyal Second-Order Thinking: What Smart People Use to Outperform Ziva Meditation Muse Meditation Stress Less, Accomplish More | Amazon 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. 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’ve all experienced social media overwhelm – what would it be like if you removed it from your marketing strategy? John Meese joins the show to share what he’s learnt from having no social media. Today’s guest John Meese has found something liberating: removing social media from his marketing equation. When done well, social media works, but it’s easy to get distracted by vanity metrics. After a social media detox, John discovered the best places to serve his audience online. I’m a huge fan of John’s entrepreneurship, so I was excited to learn more about his work with Michael Hyatt. He is the Dean of Platform University, cofounder of Notable Themes and CEO of Cowork Columbia. He is also the author of Survive and Thrive: How to Build a Profitable Business in Any Economy (Including This One) which will be available this fall. Join us as we discuss the power of email, visibility bias, how to focus on the ‘who’ – and what his priest taught him about productivity. Talking Points Why John doesn’t use social media Should you claim your brand name across all social media channels? What kind of platform is YouTube? How to start weaning off from social media? Why email has stood the test of time His work at Platform University John’s relationship with time and productivity Quote “Macro-dream and micro-execute” Helpful Links Digital Minimalism | Amazon Productivityist’s TikTok Episode 239: Free to Focus with Michael Hyatt Episode 289: The Vision Driven Leader with Michael Hyatt Platform University Platform | Amazon Cowork Columbia The Roosevelt Rule PlatformUniversity.com/Productivityist 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. 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 all need to write more crappy first drafts – that’s the way to truly get unstuck from writing. In this episode I learn from Daphne Gray-Grant about her inspiring writing process. From my experience of writing a book, I know the process can easily get overwhelming. Which is why I was refreshed to hear about the need to write “crappy first drafts” from today’s guest, Daphne Gray-Grant. Aside from being a prolific writer, Daphne is also a coach to many writers who want to learn to write faster, better. She started her career in the newspaper business and quickly learnt that 80% of your writing is the process you have set up – 20% is the actual writing. Tune in as we explore the lessons she’s taught to hundreds of her clients. We discuss mind mapping techniques, the joy of paper, and her love for treadmill desks. Talking Points On treadmill desks and Daphne’s love of walking The draw to editing Daphne’s writing mindset and routine Is there a good timeline for writing a book? Ways to beat mind map overwhelm The impact of writing by keyboard vs by hand Who can benefit from dictations? The most common mistakes people make when mind mapping Quote “A mind map is not an outline nor an organizational tool – it’s an inspirational tool” Helpful Links Episode 288: How to Be Awesome at Your Job with Pete Mockaitis Daphne Gray-Grant’s interview on ‘How To Be Awesome At Your Job’ Gabriele Rico’s Clustering Writing the Natural Way | Amazon Episode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin Kleon GoodNotes iThoughts Scapple Scrivener Drafts PublicationCoach.com 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. 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.After decades of following his own interests, today’s guest Derek Sivers has gone down many interesting rabbit holes. With an ambitious title for his new book, ‘How To Live’, we explore what makes a good life. Derek Sivers is best known as a writer, musician, programmer and the founder of CD Baby, an online CD store for independent musicians. For the past 12 years, he’s been living a nomadic lifestyle and pondered a lot about what makes a good life. In this episode, we explore his new book he’s currently writing ‘How To Live’ – and how there is no one ‘right’ way to live. Derek’s life philosophy of being curious is infectious, and I enjoy going down a few rabbit holes with him in this interview. Join us as we explore how time is personal, setting creative constraints, and the surprising conclusion from his book. Get ready for a few Star Wars references too. Talking Points The reason why he wrote his new book ‘How To Live’ The role curiosity plays in his life How setting constraints gives your freedom Thinking beyond New Year’s Eve: how time is personal The big phases throughout Derek’s life Is Derek always having fun? His relationship with email Quote “Constraints free you from the daunting prospect of infinite possibility” Helpful Links How To Live American History X The Listening Book | Amazon Quiet | Amazon The 4-Hour Workweek | Amazon Akimbo podcast by Seth Godin Conversations with Tyler John McWhorter The Art of Noticing | Amazon The Good Place Comedian Hugo Jacomet’s YouTube channel Salt | Amazon Cod | Amazon Curious with Josh Peck Monthly Self-Expansion Project Chris Guillebeau Sivers.org 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. 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 solo episode of the podcast, I talked about I’m ending one year and starting another – as well as everything that comes along with that. very September I kick off a new year. It’s a practice I’ve had for several years, but I’ve not used January 1st to start my year for even longer than that. I don’t believe things – like a fresh start – need to be attached to a milestone date or event. I talk about that, Sean D’Souza’s unconventional time management tips, Richard Feynman’s trip to Brazil, and more on this episode of the show. Helpful Links This is my $5 guarantee Three Month Vacation: Unusual Time Management Ideas TextExpander A Slave to Fewer Things | The Daily Stoic The Front Nine: How to Start the Year You Want Anytime You Want 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. 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 a topic so rarely discussed, but as you’ll learn on the show, tuning into your own daily and monthly astrological rhythms gives you permission for when you need to rest, work, and grow. As you know, I’m fascinated by time and new ways of viewing it. It’s such a precious resource and a man-made construct. And this episode takes an interesting turn: astrological readings. How do the planets around us affect the way we feel? Today’s guest, Jill Blumenstock, is a certified Yoga Teacher and Vedic Astrologer, and has seen firsthand the impact of tuning into your own natural rhythms. It’s a time guide that’s beyond just your horoscope; you learn how to best manage your time. In this episode, we uncover how to chart your astrological patterns, how to apply it to your daily life – and hear Jill’s live reading of me… I look forward to my upcoming ‘rest’ months! Talking Points How Jill first discovered astrology What is Vedic Astrology? How Jill practically applied her astrological readings to her life Identify your cycles based on when you’re born What is the Fourth House, and why it’s the time for rest and organising Using the Ninth House to connect with your vision Quote “Astrology helps me identify what I’m feeling, so I know what to use it for” Helpful Links The 7 Day Circle | Amazon Jill’s Instagram Jill’s Facebook JillBlumenstock.com 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. 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 solo episode of the podcast, I talk about the importance of slowing things down and how that can make your productivity even better than before. (Make sure you take part in the short experiment I start at the 8:06 mark of the episode, okay?) Helpful Links Carl Honoré: The Power of Slow The Speed of Right Why You Need to Slow Down 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. 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.Since the early 00s boom in productivity optimization, today’s guest John Zeratsky has seen how much our relationship with time has evolved. As a writer and speaker, John is on a mission to help people make time for what matters. How do you manage your time? There’s no one-size-fits-all tactic, but John Zeratsky‘s latest book ‘Make Time’ runs through tried and tested approaches for us to cherry-pick, so I was super excited to catch up with him and run through some of these exercises. Tune in as we discuss reflection time, the power of default settings and breaking bad habits with friction. John’s quest for mastering time management was born from his career in design, web development and copywriting. He’s worked with numerous startups including Netflix, Slack, Airbnb, Uber, 23andMe and Medium, and his writing has appeared in publications like Wall Street Journal, Wired and Fast Company. Talking Points How he formed his partnership with Jake Knapp and where their fascination of time came from Making everything in the book simple and doable Approaching work as a designer Distinction between simple and easy The role of friction and how it breaks habits What ground hogging means to John What is a time crater and what are the time craters John struggles with? Taking caffeine naps to boost energy The first productivity app John ever used Quote “When it comes to our own time, this finite precious resource that we have, we don’t often look back and say, what did I really do today?“ Helpful Links Make Time | Amazon Jake Knapp Time Dorks Google Ventures Design Sprint Process Design Sprint | Amazon Getting Things Done | Amazon Episode 203: The Evolution of Getting Things Done with David Allen Episode 229: Exploring Digital Minimalism with Cal Newport Sleep Cycle 43 Folders Indistractable | Amazon Philips Wake Up Alarm Clock Austin Kleon’s caffeine nap Mori App TeuxDeux MakeTime.blog 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. 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 usually alternate between interviews and solo episodes, but I decided to mix things up a bit this time around. Why? Because this conversation with Lex Latkovski is one I’ve wanted to get out into the world for a while now. And I felt that there was no better time than now to do so. Lex’s mission is to have you to laugh and see the world and your life as an endless source of adventure and opportunity. He wants you to live a fulfilled life with no regrets – and to chase your dreams while you can. Lex’s work is featured over at The Lexpedition and he’s the author of Passport Forward: Moving from Regrets and Routine to Freedom, Passion, and Adventure. He’s also a serial traveler and adventure seeker – something that isn’t as easy to make happen in 2020. Nonetheless, Lex’s message and sense of vitality were on full display during our conversation. I hope you enjoy it and it helps you – even in some small way – get more out of this amazing adventure called life! Talking Points Lex shares a bit about himself, our common acquaintances, and what drives him Lex talks about what it took (and what kept him going) during his time as a zen monk What happened when Lex was at that retreat that made him realize he wanted to do this full time? Lex shares his thoughts on routines Did Lex have people by his side supporting him through this process? How does Lex deal with people who are negative in his life? Lex talks about the experience of writing his book Who are some of the authors that Lex has read that inspire him? What is one thing someone can do to start this whole process? And what is one thing Lex did that he found surprisingly beneficial? Quote “Put it out there, instead of keeping it a secret.“ Helpful Links The Lexpedition Andy Traub Episode 148: Real Artists Don’t Starve with Jeff Goins Passport Forward: Moving from Regrets and Routine to Freedom, Passion, and Adventure 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. 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.Today’s guest, Peter Kozodoy, has seen time and again how much transparency and honesty in our work and personal lives lead to lasting results. Peter is an Inc. 5000 entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author of Honest to Greatness. Honesty is a soft skill we need to master and bring to the forefront if we want to make impactful change. Peter has worked closely with many successful leaders from Fortune 500s, startups to Warren Buffett. So I was really excited to have Peter on the show to unpick some true gems from his new book Honest to Greatness. Tune in as we uncover what happens when we lie to ourselves, how to overcome limiting beliefs, achieve ‘honest alignment’ – and what we can learn from the ancient Egyptians. Talking Points How dishonesty has been a fundamental problem for most organizations Why we getting “stuck” with our own lies, and how to get unstuck ‘The Hall of Two Truths’ – learning from the ancient Egyptian mythology The relationship between fear and dishonesty Understanding Warren Buffett’s ‘institutional imperative’ about leaders getting stuck Peter’s central framework: the Hourglass of Honesty The two questions to ask yourself to start benign more honest Quote “Honesty is an act of omission” Helpful Links Fear Is A Dishonest Act Peter’s Monthly Mastermind Episode 306: Leading Without Authority with Keith Ferrazzi PeterKozodoy.com 21-question Honesty Quiz Honest To Greatness | Amazon 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. 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 about the importance of planning – and why August is the month that I give planning my overarching focus. Helpful Links How to Make Better New Year’s Resolutions The NOW Year Action Plan Happy New Year! (or Why I Start My New Year on September 1st) 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. 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 I’m joined by Justin DiRose, a productivity expert and remote work consultant from northern Minnesota. He has a passion for becoming better, the distributed workforce, being a great dad and husband, and music. Justin hosts one my favourite productivity podcasts out there: Process. Justin discusses the realities of how personal productivity, software, systems, and technology impact his life throughout each episode and those are some of the very things we touch on during our conversation on this episode. Talking Points What are some things that Justin has noticed evolve throughout the years in the productivity community? Justin talks about what led him down this path What are some tools that have helped Justin be more thoughtful about what the correct things to chase are? What does Justin think some roadblocks that people who are trying to adopt a bigger sense of productivity have? Justin suggests a book that everyone should read and why it impacted him so much This is one thing Justin shares that you can do today to help with your productivity process? Quote “Not just focusing on the tasks, not just focusing on the projects or ideas I have there but also focusing on ‘What am I experiencing? What am I feeling?’ Because a lot of times those are things that are causing me to lose focus, lose attention.” Helpful Links Process Episode 213: The Bullet Journal Method with Ryder Carroll A More Meaningful To Do List | My OmniFocus Setup Talk Episode 203: The Evolution of Getting Things Done with David Allen Episode 227: Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear The Order of Time | Amazon Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World | Amazon Effective Remote Work JustinDiRose.com 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. 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 wanted to talk to someone who knows communication and email to talk about that subject. So Phil Simon joined me once again to talk about email – and in particular, the new kid on the block, HEY. Relevant Links Episode 308: Talking Slack with Phil Simon Episode 324: Let’s Zoom with Phil Simon HEY ‘The world’s greatest email app’ is a privacy nightmare | The Next Web Check out Front – my main email app Listen to Andrew Warner talk about HEY with Jason Fried Second-Order Thinking | FS.blog PhilSimon.com 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. 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.Phil Simon returns to the program to talk about a service that more people have started using in 2020… some whether they wanted to or not: Zoom. Phil’s made a recent appearance on this podcast talking about his book Slack for Dummies. Now he’s back to share some of his knowledge and insights on another service – as well as another book he’s written Zoom for Dummies. We spend this episode talking about the rise of Zoom use, what Phil’s first experience with Zoom was like, and some of the things Phil really likes about Zoom. If you’re new to Zoom and want to go from comfortable to confident with it, then this episode is well worth your time and attention. Talking Points Why does Phil think Zoom replaced Skype in many ways? This was what Phil’s initial experience with Zoom was like Phil talks about what Zoom brings to the table with webinars What is a tip for people who want to get more out of Zoom? Quote “Zoom is focused on user experience and focused on simplicity.“ Helpful Links Zoom for Dummies Episode 308: Talking Slack with Phil Simon Slack for Dummies Gong.io Against the Rules with Michael Lewis PhilSimon.com 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. 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.Benjamin Spall returns to the podcast to share three more things. Check out his original appearance on Episode 196 of the podcast. 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. 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, I’m joined once again by Laura Vanderkam, a fellow productivity specialist. Laura is the author of several books, including The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work from Home. I wanted to talk about productivity with someone who speaks my language, and Laura certainly fits that bill. She’s penned a book that is designed to help people not only survive working from home… it’s a book that will help people thrive while working from home. We talk about what it’s like to be thrust into a “work from home” situation, why right now might just be the best time to take on that monumental project, and much more. This episode is well worth your time… I know you’ll enjoy our conversation! Talking Points Laura explains why she chose to write this book right now What led Laura to writing this book? Why does Laura advise you manage by task rather than time? How important does Laura thinks self-care in the work environment is during times like these? Laura shares insights on how she thinks people can embrace their own needs more while working from home Laura talks about her chapter that touches on “thinking big” How does Laura think people can continue to track their time while working from home? How can one work from home and parent from home and still bring their best selves to both? Laura gives one action you can take to start building your own “at home” work life Quote “Working from home is a skill.” Helpful Links The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work from Home Episode 202: Off the Clock with Laura Vanderkam Curious with Josh Peck: James Clear We have a lot more time now. So why can’t we get anything done? | The Washington Post lauravanderkam.com 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. 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’ve had an “on again, off again” relationship with apps during my career as a productivity strategist. Right now, it’s back on again. I share some of my insights on apps during this episode. You’ll hear what apps I’m currently using (and why I’m using them), what I look for in an app of any sort, and why going “”all in” with an app can be a recipe for productivity problems. I’ve got several relevant links to apps below so as you’re listening feel free to check out what I’m using and start to sate your appetite for apps starting today! Relevant Links Focus on The App Within Todoist TimeHero Drafts Woven Day 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. 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.Vicki McLeod joins me on this episode of the program. Vicki McLeod is a writer, author, coach, consultant and an award-winning entrepreneur. She is an advocate for mindful business, everyday happiness and living a life rich with meaning. She’s here to talk about her book You and The Internet of Things. Vicki is the author of several books beyond You and the Internet of Things, A practical guide to understanding and integrating the IoT into your daily life (Self-Counsel Press 2020). She’s also penned #Untrending, A Field Guide to Social Media That Matters, How to Post, Tweet, and Like Your Way to a More Meaningful Life (First Choice 2016) and coauthor of Digital Legacy Plan, A Guide to the Personal and Practical Elements of Your Digital Life Before You Die (Self-Counsel Press 2019) and writes a biweekly newspaper column on the intersection of digital and analog life. I’ve been friends with Vick for years and wanted to have her share with you some of the concepts around IoT (The Internet of Things), how IoT can work for you, the importance of getting comfortable with technology, and more. I hope you learn a lot from this discussion… I know I did! Talking Points What is The Internet of Things? Where did Vicki start with buying smart items… and where would she suggest others start? How far does Vicki believe is too far when introducing yourself to The Internet of Things and how can you reign it in if you feel like you’re starting to lose control? How important is it for people to get used to technology being everywhere? Is a fitness tracker a good way to ease into using smart technology? Quote “You need learn how to use it and to develop at least some rudimentary degree of comfort with it.“ Helpful Links You and the Internet of Things: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Integrating the IoT into Your Daily Life vickimcleod.com Hey Alexa, Subscribe to That Podcast: You and the Internet of Things 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. 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.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity." I couldn’t agree more. So I decided to share my thoughts on my quest for it on this episode. Relevant Links Simplicity Day | DaysOfTheYear.com Simplicity is Subjective | Me @ Medium Episode 317: The Analog Way with Jeff Sheldon Analog Joe Episode 175: Soulful Simplicity with Courtney Carver 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. 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.