How I Work

Email gets a bad rap. People complain that email is the biggest drain on their productivity. But it’s only bad because of the mindless way most people approach their inbox. Instead of checking email willy-nilly throughout the day, there is actually an optimal time of the day to be dipping into your inbox.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode is a blast from the past (and by that, we mean one from a few months ago because Amantha is on holidays right now!).Amanda Palmer is a singer-songwriter, rule-breaker, disruptor, and all round rockstar.You might know Amanda from being one half of the Dresden Dolls. Or you might know her, as I did, through her TED talk "The art of asking" which has been viewed by over 10 million people. Amanda is a total innovator in the world of music, and raised $1.2 million on a kickstarter campaign several years ago to be able to produce her own solo album, independent from a record label.One of the things I loved most about this chat with Amanda is hearing her very intensive step by step process for creating and delivering her amazing TED talk.In this conversation, we cover topics such as: How Amanda writes songs Why she insists on staying in a separate hotel room to her husband when on tour The enormous amount of work that went into her TED talk The signals she uses in her life to work out whether she is on or off balance The podcasts Amanda is listening to and books she is reading And a whole lot more.You can find Amanda on all the usual social channels at @amandapalmer, via her website amandapalmer.net, and find out more about her my Patreon community right here: www.patreon.com/amandapalmerFor comprehensive show notes on this episode, go to: www.amanthaimber.com/podcastIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.coWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much time did you spend this morning making decisions about what to eat, what to wear and how to get to work? While these may seem like small and inconsequential decisions, it turns out they could be doing damage to the rest of your day.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Natasha Pincus. Natasha is a Writer and Director who is probably most well known for her very distinctive music videos that she has created for artists including Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, and Powderfinger. Where you are probably most familiar with her work though is through her video for Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”, which has been viewed over 1 billion times on YouTube and was awarded the first of Natasha’s back-to-back ARIAs for Best Music Video, and nominated for the MTV award for Best Music Video.We delve into how the Gotye video clip came to be, including: How Natasha came up with the idea for the clip Why the final video idea was actually her Plan B How you “train” for a 26 hour shoot The record label’s initial reaction to the clip And a whole lot more.And we also explore the many quirks about the way Natasha works, including: How Natasha uses the setting of daily goals to maintain motivation How she comes up with her best ideas The part of projects that she finds the most terrifying Her strategy for gaining momentum at the very beginning of projects When and where she comes up with her best ideas The times of day she reserves for creative work versus meetings How Natasha manages to keep the first three hours of her day distraction free. The critical role that Voice Memos play in her work How she uses wardrobe changes to partition her day How she uses repetitive tasks to overcome writer’s block How she builds exercise into her work You can find Natasha on Twitter @natashapincus, via her website Stark Raving Productions (http://starkravingproductions.com.au/), and on her Vimeo channel (https://vimeo.com/starkravingproductions).Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us don’t think very much about how we end our workday. We simply close our laptop, run to catch our train, go home and have some dinner, and often, re-open our laptop again while watching Netflix. By not having a proper “end” to our day, we are missing out on a big opportunity to boost our happiness and engagement in our work. This mini-episode describes four quick tasks that you can do to finish your workday on a high.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Scott D Anthony. Scott is global authority on innovation and the former managing partner of Innosight, the innovation and strategy consulting firm co-founded by Clayton Christensen. Scott has written several bestselling books and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Last year, Scott was awarded the Thinkers50 Innovation Award, which recognises the world’s leading thinkers on innovation.I’ve known Scott for a little while now because our innovation consultancies are starting to partner up on some projects, but up until now, I’d never had the chance to quiz Scott about how he works. We cover lots of different topics including: The places Scott goes to get his most focused work done How Scott makes the most out of time spent on airplanes How he breaks his day up into three shifts Why Scott finds his office the worst place to do creative work How Scott manages his energy when doing long focused blocks of work Scott’s process for coming up with his best ideas What Zombie projects are - and what to do about them How Scott removed 70% of his regular meetings from his diary Scott’s strategies for dealing with rejection When co-authoring works well - and when it doesn’t The advice that Clayton Christensen gave Scott that helped him become a better writer How Scott tests his new ideas You can find Scott on Twitter, on LinkedIn, at innovation and strategy consultancy Innosight, and you can drop him a note at [email protected] amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am yet to meet a person who loves attending meetings. Most people hate them, yet they are seen as a necessarily evil of corporate life. But while meetings may often be dull and sometimes yield few tangible results, they may be causing more harm than you think.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Dom Price. Dom is the Head of Research & Development and also the resident Work Futurist at Atlassian, one of the world’s biggest and fastest growing tech companies. Dom has responsibilities spanning 5 global R&D centres, and is the in house “Team Doctor” who helps Atlassian scale by being ruthlessly effective, all while keeping one eye on the future.I’ve known Dom for a few years now and one of the things I like most about Dom is that he is so contrarian in his views and he is not afraid to share them. We cover a lot of different topics in this chat ranging from: Dom's four L strategy to help make decisions on which projects to take on and when to say no Dom’s rhythm for goal-setting and staying focused on what matters The three questions Dom uses to find great stories How Dom removes his own personal bias when trying to solve customer problems Dom’s “deep work” ritual around disconnecting from digital distractions. Why music helps Dom do better creative and focused work How Dom uses his mood to decide which task to focus on Dom’s method for building a great presentation The two questions Dom asks when he is booked to deliver a presentation Dom’s favourite question to ask in an interview Why Dom prefers negative feedback to positive feedback. What happened when Dom deleted every single meeting from his diary. You can find Dom on Twitter @domprice, on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-price-0892243/), and you can discover Atlassian's team playbook right here (https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook).Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you take notes in meetings and presentations on your laptop or in a notepad? I definitely fell into the former category until I discovered research that made me want to go out and buy a Moleskin. This mini-episode might convince you to do the same thing.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Sarah Green Carmichael. Sarah is an executive editor at Harvard Business Review where she works out what to publish on the site and edits the articles that you may have read there. Sarah is also the host of HBR’s IdeaCast podcast which gets over one million downloads every month.I was very excited to speak to Sarah as I am a voracious HBR reader and given the amount of ideas and tips she is exposed to on a daily basis given her role, I was very keen to explore what she had applied in her own life. We cover a heap of ground in this interview, including: The best pieces of advice Sarah has learnt from editing HBR articles and books for six years Her approach to managing emails Sarah’s strategy for making work days easier to start The classic productivity tips that failed for Sarah Her approach to decision-making, and where she has got it wrong How she prepares for her interviews on the HBR IdeaCast podcast How to read a business book in under 30 minutes When "winging it" can be a great productivity strategy How she deals with interviewing people she doesn’t like or agree with Sarah’s top tips for being a better writer and editor How she wards off distractions to get focused work done How to write a great rejection letter And much, much more.Find Sarah on Twitter, or check out her interviews on the HBR IdeaCast podcast, and HBR’s Women at Work podcast.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you addicted to email? Are you guilty of doing a “just check” of your inbox every 10-15 minutes? Is checking email getting in the way of you doing deep, focused work? This mini-episode gives you three research-backed strategies for kicking your email habit for good.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Carolyn Creswell. As Australian listeners probably know, Carolyn is the founder of Carman’s muesli, which is in pretty much every supermarket in Australia and is exported to 32 countries around the world. Over the last 25 years, Carolyn has built Carman’s into a $100 million dollar business.But there is so much more to Carolyn that just delicious tasting muesli. She has given so much thought to the way she works and this interview is full of really practical gems. We talk about: Her morning routine Why she doesn’t do coffee meetings - and what she does instead Her trick to making new year’s resolutions stick Her annual self-reflection ritual The role self-discipline plays in her life Why Carolyn doesn’t listen to the news Carolyn’s happy place How she plans her year in advance Why she books all her hair appointments for the whole year in January How she protects family time Why Carolyn never eats lunch at her desk Her favourite productivity apps Carolyn’s novel way of using to-do list software Why you will never catch Carolyn in a lie Carolyn’s approach to giving feedback You can find more about Carolyn and Carman’s at https://www.carmanskitchen.com.au/Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you work in an open plan office? It turns out they are not all fun and games and collaboration. This episode reveals research into the dark side of the open plan office and why it might be killing your productivity.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Baratunde Thurston. Baratunde is a particularly hilarious comedian, he wrote the bestselling book How to be Black as well as many feature articles for places like Fast Company and Medium. He helped to re-launch the Daily Show with Trevor Noah through building the digital expansion team. And he used to write for the Onion and has been nominated for an Emmy award.This conversation is a little different in that we deep dive into a very specific work project of Baratunde’s and it was one that I witnessed a few months ago. It was the closing keynote of the TED 2018 conference. While the footage is not yet live, you can get a feel for what this looked like when he did the same thing at TED2015.To set the scene, the 2000 TED delegates had just experienced around 100 talks over the course of five days. Imagine the impact of watching just one TED talk and multiply that by 100. It’s an amazing and immersive experience and feels like you have been blasted by a fire hose with ideas. And the very last talk was Baratunde Thurston who summed up the entire conference experience - from the 100 or so talks to the snack foods to the parties - in 20 hilarious minutes.But here is the thing - Baratunde wrote this phenomenal presentation during TED. So while experiencing the five day event he also wrote his talk. And then he memorised it. And then he presented it. In front of the entire TED audience. It was one of the most mind-blowing performances I have seen in my life. So I reached out to Baratunde to speak to him about how we did this. We delve into: Preparation - and why its almost impossible to prepare for a performance like this The technology he used to record and collaborate His physical / health routine The different ways to structure a joke Unpacking some of the jokes and how they came together How he memorised a 20 minute talk in the space of a few hours How he manages nerves We also cover a heap of other things, including: Baratunde’s quirky (but effective) email autoresponder Baratunde’s weekly reflection ritual How he writes articles Why working on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah was the hardest job he has ever job The key question to ask your employer when accepting a new job Why he is so frustrated with the social media companies Find more about Baratunde at www.baratunde.com, on Medium, on Facebook, and on Twitter.SMS Baratunde at +12029027949 (and use #howiwork).Visit www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How would you like to leave work at 2.30pm today having achieved a full day’s output? This mini-episode explains a very simple change you can make to the way you work that will allow you to do just that.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Pamela Meyer. You might know Pamela from her very famous TED talk about How To Spot a Liar, which has been viewed by 20 million people. She also wrote the bestselling book Liespotting: Proven techniques to detect deception. Pamela is also the founder and CEO of Calibrate, a leading training company that teaches people how to spot lies.Pamela is someone who thinks a lot about how to get the most out of each day, and I particularly liked hearing about her rather counter intuitive strategy for time management which I am trying to now apply in my own life.Some of the topics we covered in this chat include: How Pamela structures her to-do list Pamela’s strategies for preparing for the day ahead Pamela’s counter-intuitive time management technique Pamela’s must-have tool for keeping focused Pamela’s “burst” method for getting things done How Pamela uses self-rewards to drive motivation How Pamela decides what to say yes to versus what to say no to Pamela’s rules for having “clean” email Pamela’s go-to places for creative work And a whole lot more.You can find more about Pamela at http://liespotting.com/ and via her company Calibrate.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode can be found at www.amanthaimber.com/podcastWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost every one of us has experienced a 10 point drop in IQ from something that happens many times a day. And if you are wondering: is 10 IQ points a lot to lose? The answer is most definitely yes - it’s the equivalent of losing a night’s sleep. This mini-episode explains how to never experience this drop in IQ again.Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes.Get in touch at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia Freedman is the co-founder and creative director of the Mamamia Women’s Network, Australia’s largest digital women’s media company. They reach 4 million women per month and also have the world’s largest women’s podcast network, with eight shows that reach millions of women.As many Australian listeners would know, Mia was the youngest editor of Australian Cosmo at 24 years old back in the mid 90s. And because I was one of many loyal Cosmo readers as a teenager, I feel like I grew up with Mia. I’ve also lapped all of her books and I just love how she speaks so honestly and is such a raw way about her life.I found it fascinating to sit down with Mia and learn more about how she structures her days and the routines that she has. I particularly loved hearing about her methods for overcoming procrastination, which I think every listener can benefit from.We covered a whole range of topics in our chat, including: How Mia carves out time to write books Why Mia hates long deadlines Mia’s daily rituals to stay on top of her mental health Why Mia has stopped reaching for her phone first thing in the morning Mia’s favourite podcasts Why Mia’s productivity peaks after 9pm Why Mia is spending less time on Facebook How Mia is rethinking her inbox How Mia reduces the amount of decisions she needs to make Mia’s top parenting hacks How Mia re-energises herself during the workday And a whole lot more.If you want to learn more about Mia, you can find her at www.miafreedman.com or via www.ladystartup.com.au which is her brand new project that includes an Online Bootcamp will help you activate your business idea in just 6 weeks.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode can be found at www.amanthaimber.com/podcastWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How would you like to add 30 extra days to your year? Imagine all the things you can achieve. Today’s mini-episode shows you how to do just that. All it takes is one simple change.Click here for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Duarte is the world expert on designing and delivering presentations. Nancy’s firm Duarte, is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley. They help very big and famous companies and people, from Apple through to Al Gore, design and deliver great presentations.Nancy has also written several books about storytelling and presentations, including the Harvard Business Review guide to creating persuasive presentations.I’ve been a fan of Nancy’s work for a long time so I was very excited to chat with her. We covered a heap of ground in this interview, including: How Nancy overcomes writer’s block How email changes her body chemistry Why Nancy hasn’t been on facebook for three months Why Nancy always has a major and a minor work on the go at all times How she decides which opportunities to say yes to Nancy’s ultra organised approach to managing her inbox Why Nancy has reduced the amount of emails she sends Her favourite “productivity” app How Nancy prepares for her own presentations Nancy’s pre-presentation ritual And a whole lot more.If you want to read more about Nancy, you can find her on Twitter or via her firm Duarte.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode can be found at www.amanthaimber.com/podcastWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a behaviour (or maybe several) that you are trying hard to change? Today’s mini-sode will reveal some fascinating research on a single word that you can use that doubles the chance of creating real behaviour change.Check out the research study cited in this episode right here.For comprehensive show notes and a transcript of this episode, click here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Botsman is a world renowned expert on technology and trust, and the author of bestselling books “Who Can You Trust?” and “What’s Mine Is Yours".Rachel is a lecturer at Oxford University and has been recognised as one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company and as one of the 50 most influential management thinkers in the world.We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, including: Why Rachel never sleeps near her phone “Big stride days” and how to have one How the weather effects her productivity Her unusual but very awesome way of crafting presentations How Rachel hit a ridiculously tight book deadline Why she finishes her day midway through writing a paragraph Her one minute mindfulness routine Rachel’s “tips” to make it easier to say no And a whole lot more.You can find Rachel on Twitter and Linkedin at @Rachelbotsman and via her website.Comprehensive show notes on this episode can be found right here.If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that here.Want to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amanda Palmer is a singer-songwriter, rule-breaker, disruptor, and all round rockstar.You might know Amanda from being one half of the Dresden Dolls. Or you might know her, as I did, through her TED talk "The art of asking" which has been viewed by over 10 million people. Amanda is a total innovator in the world of music, and raised $1.2 million on a kickstarter campaign several years ago to be able to produce her own solo album, independent from a record label.One of the things I loved most about this chat with Amanda is hearing her very intensive step by step process for creating and delivering her amazing TED talk.In this conversation, we cover topics such as: How Amanda writes songs Why she insists on staying in a separate hotel room to her husband when on tour The enormous amount of work that went into her TED talk The signals she uses in her life to work out whether she is on or off balance The podcasts Amanda is listening to and books she is reading And a whole lot more.You can find Amanda on all the usual social channels at @amandapalmer, via her website amandapalmer.net, and find out more about her my Patreon community right here: www.patreon.com/amandapalmerFor comprehensive show notes on this episode, go to: www.amanthaimber.com/podcastIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.coWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show, I speak to Matt Mullenweg. I feel like Matt is kind of like internet royalty because he is a founding developer of WordPress, which is the Open Source software used by over 31% of the web. He also founded Automattic which now employs around 700 people. Matt has been named one of PC World's Top 50 People on the Web and Business Week's 25 Most Influential People on the Web.In this conversation, we cover a whole bunch of topics such as: Matt's innovative approach to consuming books How Matt stays focused on important tasks Matt's approach to meetings Techniques to create healthier habits What's on Matt's smart phone home screen Matt's favourite productivity apps Why Matt still uses a paper notebook The podcasts Matt is listening to and books he is reading And a whole lot more.You can find out more about Matt via his blog https://ma.tt/ or via https://automattic.com/For comprehensive show notes on this episode, go to: www.amanthaimber.com/podcastIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.coWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show, I speak to organizational psychologist, best-selling author and Wharton's highest-rated professor, Adam Grant.His books Give and Take, Originals, and Option B have sold over one million copies and have been translated into 35 languages. Adam has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers, was named one of Fortune's 40 under 40, and he also happens to be the host of one of my favourite podcasts, WorkLife which is a TED original podcast.In this conversation, we cover a whole bunch of topics such as: How to make email more bearable How becoming a parent completely changed Adam's way of working How Adam approaches social media usage How Adam starts every week Why meetings kill productivity The podcasts Adam is listening to and books he is reading And a whole lot more.You can sign up to Adam's e-newsletter Granted (one of my faves!) here: www.adamgrant.netFor comprehensive show notes on this episode, go to: www.amanthaimber.com/podcastIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.coWant to get in touch? Reach out at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered if the world's most successful people construct their day differently to you? How I Work delves into the tactics, rituals and tricks they use to achieve so much more than the average person, despite having the same number of hours in the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.