How I Work

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll learn some low-effort and high-impact ways to remove reoccurring stressors in your life. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers in the modern age are already changing careers far more frequently than previous generations - but that doesn’t make transitioning any easier, especially when you’re moving into an entirely different field. Elise McCann can confirm: the actor, singer and dancer is one of Australia’s most celebrated performers, but at the height of the pandemic, she decided to try something (very) different. In an effort to make meditation an easier and more accessible practice for everyone, Elise and fellow thespian Lucy Durack launched Hey Lemonade. Initially, they were terrified to step into the business world, but while preparing for the first investment pitch, the pair realised they weren’t starting from scratch… Elise shares how she and Lucy drew on their experience as performers to craft and rehearse the perfect pitch meeting. Connect with Elise on LinkedIn, Instagram or on the Hey Lemonade website You can find the full interview here: Theatre star Elise McCann on auditioning, time management and founding a tech company *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staying healthy doesn’t need to be a pain. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll hear some tips and tricks to get exercise into your life in a meaningful way – no matter how busy your home and work schedules are. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve listened to How I Work for a while, you’ve definitely heard me talk about the Four Day Week, and how much we love it at Inventium. But if you want to implement the practice at your own organisation, you probably have a lot of questions… Doesn’t a four day week just mean longer working days? Should everyone take the same day off, or is it better to stagger? And of course, how do you know if the practice is suited to your business? In a recent virtual Ask-Me-Anything, I sat down with Inventium’s Head of Consulting, Zoe Aitken, and a remote crowd of curious workers to answer all these questions and more. We cover everything from common problems and workarounds to highly specific case studies and experiments we’ve run at Inventium, so if you’ve ever wondered how the Four Day Week works, this is for you. If you’re looking for any of the resources we mentioned in the live conversation, you can find them below: Perpetual Guardian: The Four Day Week is Here Freedom.to Measure What Matters by John Doerr How to run a Four Day Week experiment Andrew Barnes’ TED Talk on the Four Day Week *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber Episode Producer: Liam RiordanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series we cover all things work life balance. Is it even possible in 2023? Yes, but you have to set some strong guidelines and keep them enforced. You’ll get actionable tips to help demarcate your family time starting from today. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In case you weren’t already aware - artificial intelligence is well and truly everywhere now. Even professional athletes are speeding up their online interactions with the help of ChatGPT! Or maybe that’s just American-Australian AFL player Mason Cox, who calls himself a mechanical engineer at heart, and who’s always looking for ways to get things done more efficiently. Now that he’s also a podcast host and a passionate advocate for Aussie Rules in the U.S., he needs all the help he can get with his multi-hyphenate workload. Mason shares his favourite time-saving tools, and the advice he offers others most often, as well as tips for overcoming self-consciousness and making better life decisions. Connect with Mason on Instagram or listen to The Mason Cox Show *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who doesn’t love a collaboration? This is the first episode in a four-week crossover series with the popular podcast Happy Families all about how to improve health and wellbeing in your home life. In this episode we talk about why you need to stop treating sleep like a luxury item. We go through why it matters and how to get more of it. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We psychologists tend to lean more on science and statistics when thinking about how best to live our lives… but sometimes numbers and statistics don’t give us the whole, human picture. Sometimes, even the professionals need a good old-fashioned chat with their mums - and that’s exactly what I’ve decided to do! My mum is Doris Imber, a clinical psychologist, award-winning poet, memoirist and children’s author. As fellow psychologists, we dig into some of the advice Doris shares with her patients most frequently, and explore how she’s acted on that advice in her own life. Doris also shares how her life and outlook have changed since her cancer diagnosis, and offers advice for turning arguments into constructive disagreements. Grab a copy of Doris's new book Philomella and the Impossible Forest. *** My book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber Episode Producer: Liam RiordanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucy Durack is on the edge of a nervous breakdown… Or at least, that’s how it can sometimes feel on opening night of a new play or musical. If she lets her focus lie on all the production notes, line changes and new stage directions, she’ll collapse into an anxious wreck. But of course, those are all important parts of a performer’s job - so how does she play her part, without falling apart? Over the course of her career, Lucy’s received a wealth of wise advice from the stars who came before her. She’s learned how calming gratitude can be, how important it is to have projects outside of her day job, and most importantly, that she can’t wait for life not to be hard before she chooses to be happy. Connect with Lucy on Instagram or on the Hey Lemonade website *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber Episode Producer: Liam Riordan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the smash-hit reality TV show Married At First Sight started airing in Australia, Mel Schilling wasn’t one of its relationship experts - but she was one of its biggest fans. Her husband noticed, and understood why: it was right up her alley as a therapist and dating coach. He told her she should be on the show, and reminded her: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. This piece of advice has stayed with Mel, and it’s still something she shares with clients regularly. Some of her advice is a little less conventional though! Mel’s a big fan of meditation, and recommends it to plenty of clients. But when it comes to implementing the practice herself, she gets a little help from a VR headset… Mel also discusses her family’s time living abroad, and an inexpensive tool that’s helped her stay active while boosting her productivity at work. Connect with Mel on Instagram *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin Imber Episode Producer: Liam Riordan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After more than twenty years dominating the radio waves in both the UK and Australia, Christian O’Connell has talked to just about everyone, and they’ve covered just about everything. In order to keep his show exciting and engaging after so many years, Christian himself needs to remain excited and engaged. One way he keeps himself engaged at work is by following in the footsteps of legendary jazz musician Miles Davis, who would only ever prepare 75% of a recording, leaving space for the magic of improvisation. Outside of work, Christian pursues the same level of openness as a voracious reader, podcast listener and poetry fan. And when those pleasures of the soul aren’t enough to put him in the right state of mind, he employs breathwork techniques to centre him in the present moment. Now a certified breathwork teacher, Christian walks you through one of the practice’s simplest techniques, and shares some of the most profound advice he’s received from mentors, colleagues, and his favourite artists. Connect with Christian on Twitter or LinkedIn *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the last few years, you’ve almost definitely come across something made by Jessie Stephens. If you’re a podcast junkie, you’ll have heard her on Mamamia Out Loud, or Cancelled. If you’re more of a reader, you’ll find Jessie writing articles about everything from Married At First Sight to the proliferation of gambling ads for Mamamia, for whom she’s also the Executive Editor. Oh, and she’s now a best-selling author, having released her debut book, Heartsick, in 2021. In other words, Jessie clearly knows how to get a lot done. But she’s learning that her extreme productivity can’t last forever, and right now she’s focused on finding effective ways to recover and recharge, so that whenever she’s working, she’s at her absolute best. Connect with Jessie on Instagram, pick up a copy of Heartsick, or listen to Mamamia Out Loud *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the founder of the hugely popular blog, Zen Habits, Leo Babauta’s built a reputation for seeking simplicity in work and in life. So it might be surprising to hear that he often looks to the tech world for inspiration… After looking into the “agile software development” process, Leo realised he didn’t need to hide his creative work from the world until it was completely finished. Watching tech companies release software while it was still in development and then constantly updating it live, Leo decided to do the same with his writing. He now treats many of his blog posts as “iterations”, seeking feedback immediately, updating his work in real time, and constantly testing ideas for bigger projects like books and courses. Connect with Leo on Twitter or at the Zen Habits website You can find the full interview here: Leo Babauta teaches you the Zen Habits of simplicity and self-awareness *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to imagine a more disciplined and demanding lifestyle than that of a professional athlete. Whether it’s the countless hours of training, the highly regimented eating, or the mounting mental pressure of upcoming competitions, athletes leave little to chance. But what happens when an athlete retires? Which elements of the spartan lifestyle serve them well beyond the area, and which ones are they happy to leave behind? Figuring out this balance has defined much of Libby Trickett’s personal and professional life since retiring from swimming. While she often misses the sense of purpose that comes from doggedly pursuing peak performance, she’s also enjoying the freedom to dive deep into other passions. In this episode of the new mini-series, How I Live, Libby Trickett shares the most impactful advice she’s ever received, the advice she gives most often, and reflects on what being an athlete taught her about life at large. Connect with Libby on Instagram or at the Unlocking Her Potential website *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Or at least, that’s the approach Patrick Lightbody takes. After years of wrestling with different physical planners and calendar apps, Patrick decided to make his own. So how does someone who designs calendar apps actually use it himself? Well, it begins with the past… Patrick believes that he can’t possibly be oriented towards what matters to him if he’s only looking forwards. Instead, he needs to periodically look back on what he’s already done, and make changes from there. When it comes to making changes, Patrick employs a “Four Ps” status report, measuring his plans, progress, priorities and problems whenever he needs to overhaul his schedule. Connect with Patrick in the support chat at Reclaim.ai You can find the full interview here: Turn your calendar into a virtual assistant with Reclaim co-founder Patrick Lightbody *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s an old story about an aspiring comedian meeting Jerry Seinfeld, and asking his advice on success in the entertainment industry. Seinfeld told the budding comic that great comedy is nothing more than great jokes, so the aim is to get as good as possible at writing jokes - and to get good at anything, you have to do it every day. Australian comedy legend Wil Anderson concurs - and he’s spent a good chunk of time thinking about the creative process behind comedy himself. Wil shares how he writes a joke from scratch, beginning with simple observations about what’s going on around him or in his life at large. He also reflects on how his process has changed over his decades-long career in the spotlight. Connect with Wil on Twitter or Instagram You can find the full interview here: Wil Anderson’s on-the-fly creative process *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why would Four Pillars Gin turn down the opportunity to open another distillery? That’s an important question, because the answer isn’t necessarily obvious. After all, more must be better, right? That depends, and to avoid falling into a never-ending cycle of discussing what it depends on, Four Pillars co-founder Matt Jones and his team have developed a series of frameworks to aid their decision-making. Opening another distillery might service some of some of the company’s goals, but is it the right decision for right now? What if instead, the better option is to open not a distillery, but to open a ‘home’, where the goal is not to further the craft of making gin, but to celebrate the craft of making cocktails? Whichever option ends up being better, Matt and his team are far more likely to choose wisely when they can consult a series of carefully designed decision-making frameworks. When you have many reasonable choices in front of you, the discussion then needs to be guided by a higher goal, and that’s exactly what these frameworks facilitate. Matt teaches you how to design your own decision-making frameworks, and shares the ones that have most helped Four Pillars. Connect with Matt on Twitter or at the Four Pillars Gin website You can find the full interview here: Four Pillars Gin Co-Founder Matt Jones wants you to obsess over aesthetics *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hugh Van Cuylenburg was not having a great time, to say the least. He was already unpopular with his then-pregnant wife for being out of town while she and their children all had COVID (and fair enough, he says!), when a previously minor medical problem unexpectedly became very serious. After some painful injections, he managed to get on stage for a speaking engagement, only to finish his presentation suddenly feeling ill. So, when he finally sat down for a podcast interview with someone he barely knew, and she asked how he was doing, he said he’d been better. After launching into the story for a good twenty minutes, Hugh realised his vulnerability was having an unexpected effect: his guest could relate, and she shared her own similarly vulnerable experiences, and their rapport developed at lightning speed. Hugh teaches you how to use your low moments for high impact when trying to build a connection with other people, both at work and beyond. Connect with Hugh on The Resilience Project’s website or listen to The Imperfects podcast You can find the full interview here: Hugh Van Cuylenburg demonstrates how a strong purpose fuels strong actions *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all want to simplify our lives, and especially our work lives, and that’s hardly surprising: the modern age is defined by distraction and excess. But Leo Babauta, the founder of Zen Habits, worries that our culture’s desire for simplicity might inadvertently be sending us down the wrong path. Simplicity, Leo says, isn’t about deprivation. When you imagine the simple life, you might picture a monk, or a writer living in a cabin in the woods, but this isn’t the whole picture. Instead, simplicity is a process of expanding and contracting, just like breathing. True simplicity is a process of determining what matters, and then making space for it. But if we don’t expand our world, our collections, our attention, we can’t discover what matters. While Leo believes many of us spend too much time expanding and not enough time contracting, he’s adamant that both components are crucial, and it’s the balance between them that fosters fruitful simplicity. Leo gives examples of his process for seeking simplicity, and explains why deprivation isn’t the goal. Connect with Leo on Twitter or at the Zen Habits website You can find the full interview here: Leo Babauta teaches you the Zen Habits of simplicity and self-awareness *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since publishing her beloved book about anxiety, Sarah Wilson’s been bombarded with questions about its opposite: calm. And her answer is almost always the same - go for a hike! The combination of sustained but not too intense physical activity and the exposure to nature make hiking a uniquely powerful practice. When hiking for at least an hour, you enter an elevated, almost euphoric mental state, which is perfect for creative problem-solving. As Sarah puts it, this state allows the right ideas to naturally “bubble up to the surface”, and they begin to seem intuitively correct and magnetic. When hiking, Sarah will often carry nothing but a piece of paper and a pen, trying when she can to steer completely clear of technology. And if you’re wondering how best to start hiking for mental clarity, Sarah says: don’t! Just get out there and walk, the rest will take care of itself. Connect with Sarah on Twitter or LinkedIn You can find the full interview here: Sarah Wilson wants you to make the beast beautiful - how to turn anxiety into a superpower *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“What the? Thirty companies? I can barely run one!” Daniel Flynn couldn’t believe what he was hearing. As co-founder and managing director of thankyou, Daniel was struggling to keep a cool head, and asked a mentor for some advice. That mentor ran 30 companies, and his advice was that Daniel should clear his calendar for one day a week, every week, and use that day for thinking. Initially, it sounded impossible. How do you remove yourself from the day-to-day work of your company a fifth of the time without everything falling apart? And yet, his mentor was doing it while running a small empire! So Daniel decided to try it out, and he hasn’t looked back. He calls them “blue sky days”, and while he might sometimes use them to write content or to solve an immediate problem, they’re usually blocked off for, well, blue sky thinking. For the kind of untethered, meandering daydreaming that produces big ideas. Daniel shares some of the prompts that guide his thinking on blue sky days, and his methods for protecting his time when more “urgent” concerns pop up. Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or the thankyou website You can find the full interview here: thankyou co-founder Daniel Flynn on big ideas, mentorship and purpose-driven culture *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you actually solving your procrastination problem, or are you just putting duct-tape over it and hoping you’ll stay afloat? Tim Urban, the writer behind the hugely popular blog, Wait But Why, is a self-described master procrastinator. He even delivered a Ted Talk on the topic, and most of the speech was about how long he procrastinated writing the speech! But as a master procrastinator, Tim has a lot of experience beating procrastination. And now his focus is on beating his bad habits for good, not just for now. Tim notes that our procrastination is often a signal that we’re not designing our work days or our goals very effectively, and explains how having more realistic expectations of ourselves might make us more productive in the long term. He also shares his favourite “duct-tape” methods for beating procrastination in the short term, so that he can actually get some work done while he pursues his higher goal of beating procrastination for good. Connect with Tim on Twitter or his website Wait But Why You can find the full interview here: Tim Urban on seeing the bigger picture and beating procrastination *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you break stalemate with your business partner? If you work alone, everything’s up to you, and if you’ve got three people at the helm, there’s always a decisive vote. But if it’s just you and one other person, how do you deal with a split decision? Comedy duo Rich Higgins and Matt Kelly (better known as The Listies) have realised the only reliable solution to this problem is to introduce a “third voice” in some form. Sometimes, that means a third person - a trusted mutual friend or colleague who can settle their debates. But more often, that third voice isn’t a voice at all, and that’s exactly the point… After more than a decade working together, Rich and Matt have learned their strengths and weaknesses, and discovered that simply talking (and even writing things down) doesn’t always work. Instead, they’ve found that drawing diagrams helps them to emotionally separate from their ideas enough to assess them objectively - and it helps them treat their respective ideas almost as third parties, or a third voice. Connect with The Listies at their website or on YouTube You can find the full interview here: Respecting your craft and your audience with kids comedy duo The Listies *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “what gets measured gets managed”, and when it comes to your time, it absolutely holds true. Knowing this, Patrick Lightbody co-founded Reclaim.ai to regain control over his own time, and to help others do the same. Patrick shares some of the most useful calendar hacks he’s come across throughout his career, and they’re all features on the freely available Google Calendar (and most similar calendar apps, too). But before you go and colour-code your calendar within an inch of its life, Patrick recommends doing a calendar audit, and making that audit part of your weekly or monthly routine. Most importantly, he recommends you compare the results of your calendar audit with your work goals more broadly. After all, what good is hacking your time management system if you don’t know why you’re trying to save time in the first place! Connect with Patrick in the support chat at Reclaim.ai You can find the full interview here: Turn your calendar into a virtual assistant with Reclaim co-founder Patrick Lightbody *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ada Nicodemou has just wrapped filming for the day on Home & Away, and she’s feeling anything but relaxed as she gets in the car to drive home. After crying her eyes out in front of her colleagues over and over and over again, her nerves are fried, and her emotions are all over the place. That’s the day-to-day business of being an actor, but Ada’s learned that it doesn’t mesh well with her home life. Whether she needs to re-focus in order to get everyone fed and out the door for soccer practice, or she’s just having a quiet night on the couch with her family, whatever state she was in when the camera was rolling isn’t going to work at home. Ada uses the drive home to slowly, methodically process the day that’s been, and when she gets home, the equally methodical process of removing makeup and hair products serves as another way to ritualise the feeling of ‘switching off’ after an intense day at work. Connect with Ada on Instagram You can find the full interview here: Home & Away star Ada Nicodemou gives you a sneak peek into the life of a working actor *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you heard of the Hybrid Paradox? Since the pandemic, a huge portion of knowledge workers have moved to some form of hybrid working arrangement, whether it’s working from home one day a week, or almost all the time. And there’s been a tonne of benefits: setting our own schedules, working to our bodies’ natural rhythms, greater control of our environment… But do you ever just really, really miss seeing your team every day? That’s the Hybrid Paradox. And at my consultancy, Inventium, we’re loving our remote-first arrangement, but we’ve still been feeling the sting of the Hybrid Paradox. So, naturally, our team of organisational psychologists decided to run some experiments. Inventium’s Head of New Product Development, Charlotte Rush, breaks down the five experiments we ran in 2022, and teaches you how to implement in your own organisation. Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn or at Inventium’s website If you want to learn more about building an awesome remote culture, check out Inventium’s virtual masterclass *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have some bad news: no matter what you’re working on, you’re going to procrastinate at some point. Even if it’s a passion project, nobody can work without breaks forever. So… why not build procrastination into the process right from the start? Singer, songwriter and actor Eddie Perfect has been writing for more than two decades now, and over the years he’s discovered the wisdom behind an odd little tip from one musical theatre’s true titans. Stephen Sondheim advised writers to always work on lyrics with a soft lead pencil so they’d be forced to get up every once in a while to sharpen it. This natural cadence of focused work and short breaks has helped Eddie avoid writer’s block for pretty much his entire career. Eddie also shares how taking the right breaks at the right time have helped him collaborate with himself: between composing music and writing lyrics, Eddie often thinks of himself as two different writers who each need their own space, and without regular breaks, neither writer is very effective. Connect with Eddie on Instagram or find his performer page on the 9 to 5 The Musical website You can find the full interview here: Eddie Perfect breaks down his songwriting process *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if your insecurity was actually your superpower? While confidence is critical in almost any career, it can be a secret killer for journalists. Nick McKenzie is Australia’s most decorated journalist, and he’s adamant that his natural insecurities are a big part of his success. When so much of his reputation and his competence relies on constant fact-checking and corroboration, there’s no such thing as being too nervous. Nick breaks down his strategies for avoiding confirmation bias, which include choosing collaborators with whom he can have “friendly fights''. He also shares his methods for coping with stress - and when he says stress, he means defamation lawsuits and death threats! Connect with Nick on Twitter, or at his website. *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why doesn’t psychologist and magician Richard Wiseman perform magic tricks for his friends? Richard says the ‘social contract’ he has with his live audiences is different to the one he has with his friends. A healthy dose of deception is integral to magic, but doesn’t go down so well in a friendship. Thinking this way, considering which ‘social contract’ still applies when Richard’s performing, though. While he’s happy to trick audiences (it’s what they’re paying for!) he also knows the difference between an unsolvable puzzle and a moment of true magic. Richard teaches you how to think like your audience, and how thinking this way helps you provide value in your presentations or performances. Connect with Richard on Twitter and at his website You can find the full interview here: “Quirkology” Professor Richard Wiseman on using magic to up your public speaking game *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s anything I don’t miss about my school days, it’s homework - and I’ll bet you feel the same. So when my new favourite book on storytelling told me I needed to do “homework for life,” I wasn’t exactly pumped. That is, until author Matthew Dicks explained the benefits. Matthew’s the bestselling author of a slew of novels and non-fiction books, he’s written a rock opera, multiple musicals and even a handful of comic books. So when I read his new book in the hopes of upping my own storytelling skills, I knew his homework for life was working for someone! Matthew breaks down the structures, tools and techniques that help him write not just at a prolific pace, but with outstanding quality, too. He explains why being able to tell stories is important for everyone, and teaches you how to get started if you haven’t put pen to paper before. Connect with Matthew on Twitter, Instagram or at his website. Pick up a copy of Storyworthy, or check out Matthew’s newest course to improve your writing. *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re tackling a huge project - something that’ll take you multiple months, if not years. Maybe you’re writing a book, learning a new skill, or trying to build a workout routine. How often should you work on it? Common sense might suggest you take it easy, space out your sessions, make sure you don’t get burned out. But what if the opposite is true? Exercising every single day sounds like playing the game of fitness on the hardest mode, but health and fitness expert Sam Wood says the ‘every single day’ approach is actually easier, for a couple of reasons. Connect with Sam on Instagram or at the 28 by Sam Wood website You can find the full interview here: Fitness expert Sam Wood on evening routines, the “every day” rule, and his hours of power *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When marketing expert and author Ann Handley says everyone should improve their writing skills, she doesn’t mean we should all be turning our email exchanges into florid prose or epic tomes - while better writing absolutely makes for better emails, Ann’s real goal when working on her writing is actually to improve her thinking. After her college professor told her that being a better writer would make her more successful in any field, she put her head down and committed to learning her craft. Along the way, she realised that the act of writing itself isn’t necessarily what makes someone more likely to be successful; instead, it’s the constant practice in distilling one’s thoughts into understandable, useful communication with other people. When you can do that, you can really do anything! Ann shares the tech tools that make the biggest impact on her writing and writing routines, and highlights the most common flaws she sees in new writers’ work. Connect with Ann on Twitter or Instagram or sign up to her newsletter *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Four Pillars Gin, they have a mantra: they’re ‘makers, not marketers’. Ironically, they have some of the best marketing in the world! But it’s all about function, according to Co-Founder and Brand Director Matt Jones. If being ‘makers’ is such a big part of the Four Pillars appeal, customers need to get as close to that making process as they can. That’s what aesthetics is all about. Whether you hire people with a great eye for design, or you seek out the best creative partners, you can only go wrong if you assume your aesthetics don’t matter. Connect with Matt on Twitter or the excellent Four Pillars website You can find the full interview here: Four Pillars Gin Co-Founder Matt Jones wants you to obsess over aesthetics *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** If you know anything about magic, you know a true magician never reveals his secrets. While psychologist and author Richard Wiseman might not share the secrets behind his favourite magic tricks, he’s more than happy to share how magic has made him a better thinker, a better psychologist, and a better public speaker. Richard also shares how focusing more intently on listening has led to some of his most successful outings as an author, and describes his unconventional - and frightening - method for pitching experiments. Richard’s also the creator of the beloved YouTube channel, Quirkology, where he demonstrates short experiments and explains unusual facets of psychology. He shares how the channel came about, and why he works across so many platforms. Connect with Richard on Twitter and at his website *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hugh van Cuylenburg hangs up the phone - he’s been speaking to his (very) pregnant wife, who’s struggling at home without him. He’s exhausted too, after days and days of back-to-back presentations. Oh, and the AC’s not working. Needless to say, Hugh’s not feeling his best going into this presentation. But a couple of minutes into his speech, he spots a boy in the middle of the audience, and something clicks. Hugh doesn’t know why this particular kid stood out, or if he even really stood out, but something shifted nonetheless. Hugh remembered that even if this one kid - out of hundreds - was the only one to gain something important from that presentation, that’s a win. A growing audience is great, but it can sometimes make you forget the individuals who need what you’re doing… Connect with Hugh on the Resilience Project’s website or listen to The Imperfects podcast You can find the full interview here: Hugh van Cuylenburg demonstrates how a string purpose fuels strong actions *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** It’s the greatest productivity debate of our time: how do we achieve work-life balance? Or maybe the real debate should be: is work-life balance even possible? Eric Barker, the author of Barking Up the Wrong Tree and now Plays Well With Others, doesn’t think work-life balance is truly achievable. At least, not if you want the best possible results in a given field. The problem, he says, is that most of live an unbalanced life by accident. Because of the internet and the rapidly increasing pace of everything from the news cycle to the way we socialise, we’re all doing too much of something, and not enough of something else. It’s overwhelming, and we’re constantly playing catchup. Eric’s solution is to abandon balance, but to do it on purpose. Decide what you want to be really, really good at it, and accept that you won’t be world-class in your other pursuits. Eric also shares why he sets a five-hour timer at the start of every work day, how he deals with contradictions in his own writing, and how he developed his sense of humour. Connect with Eric on Twitter or Linkedin Pick up a copy of Plays Well With Others *** Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlassian’s Dom Price is just like anyone else - some days, he just doesn’t want to get out of bed. The difference is: he stays in bed. After decades of working at breakneck speed, Dom’s learning to listen to the signals his body sends him, and it’s working wonders. But what about when it’s something beyond a bad day? What about when he’s feeling truly burnt out? Dom’s theory is that part of what causes burnout is ‘information obesity’, and one of the best ways to overcome it is with action. Dom believes the world can be a “Do-ocracy”, and that means picking one thing to do now, and seeing how it goes. Connect with Dom on Twitter or LinkedIn You can find the full interview here: Atlassian’s Dom Price wants you to up your communication by designing a “working agreement” *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** For productivity geeks like us, the professional writer can become a bit of a mystic figure. When we fantasise about finally perfecting our morning routines, finally clearing out enough time for a fruitful Deep Work session, setting up the ideal workstation - we’re often thinking about a writer. There’s something idyllic about the idea of being a writer: it’s just you, your thoughts, and the blank page. It’s the platonic ideal of knowledge work! But… it’s not that simple. Take Brian Koppelman, for example. Inarguably one of the most prolific and successful screenwriters working today, you’d think Brian spends most of his life holed up in a cabin in the woods, clacking away on a typewriter, free from any and all distractions. But Brian lives in New York City, the busiest, most distracting place on the planet. Oh, and he’s not just a screenwriter. He’s also a director, producer, and showrunner. Brian’s “average” day looks a lot less like that of a reclusive artist, and much more like that of a busy CEO. So, how does he still manage to produce so much incredible work? Brian shares how meditation, morning pages and music help him focus, and recalls the most powerful lessons he learned on the set of his very first film. Connect with Brian on Twitter *** Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much is a million-dollar investment worth? If that feels like a trick question, maybe you haven’t come across ‘bad money’ the way Dr Catriona Wallace has. When she was the CEO of Flamingo AI, Catriona received a million-dollar investment offer, but there was a catch: the investors would only hand over the cash if Cat promised to stop wearing a nose ring in public. She said no. Why? Why would you turn down so much money for something seemingly so small? Well, in Cat’s eyes, the money from people so concerned with her physical appearance might not be the kind of money she’s after… Connect with Catriona on Twitter or LinkedIn You can find the full interview here: Dr Catriona Wallace’s million-dollar nose ring and what it taught her about running a business *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** David Siegel’s in his third CEO role, and if all his years of experience as a leader have taught him anything, it’s that most people take too long to make a decision. The clearest example: company strategy. When David joined Meetup, he drafted the new company strategy as quickly as possible. At first, that sounds like a pretty irresponsible treatment of such a huge part of the business… but David’s underlying reasoning reveals why we should all speed up a little bit! David teaches you to make better, faster decisions, and to uncover the blind spots in your own decision-making process. Connect with David on Twitter or LinkedIn, and grab a copy of Decide & Conquer *** Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A good presentation can almost feel like alchemy; it requires deep and fascinating subject matter, delivered with confidence and style, and it needs to impart some kind of message. That’s a lot of boxes to check! But therein lies the key: parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson sees just how much audiences need to get out of a keynote, so he puts just as much in. Justin breaks down how evidence, stories and messages work together to create impactful presentations. Connect with Justin at the Happy Families website or listen to his podcast You can find the full interview here: Make mornings magic with parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** There’s a moment in the 2013 comedy movie We’re the Millers that points to how pervasive - and misguided - the “no regrets” life motto has become. A character proudly displays a tattoo that reads, “no rAgrets”, and even more proudly proclaims that he really doesn’t have any regrets. Not even one letter. Bestselling author Dan Pink highlights this scene as a great metaphor for society’s almost comical underappreciation of regret. Dan is an advocate for the transformative power of looking back on your past actions, processes and routines in order to learn from them, and do better next time. He discusses what’s changed about his working habits since his last appearance on the show, why he was drawn to the concept of regret in the first place, and how compassion changed his whole approach to learning from past mistakes. Connect with Dan on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn Pick up a copy of The Power of Regret *** Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How would you feel if we were in the middle of a conversation and I suddenly started talking to someone else from across the room? Well, that’s exactly what we’re doing whenever we let our phones or laptops drag us down the multi-tasking rabbit hole. Leadership experts Frances Frei and Anne Morriss are hyper-vigilant of their device usage. This makes sense for two people who are devoted to productivity, but that’s not the end of the story. Frances and Anne are also devoted to connections. They write constantly about the importance of trust and empathy, and neither of those things can flourish if we (or the people we’re talking to) are distracted. Frances and Anne share how they manage their technology for both productivity and empathy, and how they work around the day-to-day logistics of not being connected all the time. Connect with Frances and Anne on LinkedIn You can find the full interview here: Trust, leadership and taking a break from technology with Frances Frei and Anne Morriss *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF 2022** If your job title is “Executive Productivity Advisor for Google,” you probably need a pretty refined definition of productivity, right? And Laura Mae Martin certainly does. But she says it’s equally important that every individual has their own, unique definition of productivity. It’s all too easy to fall into “busy language”, she says. Back-to-back meetings and a three-page to-do-list might make you feel productive, but if you’re not making time for your most important work (and for rest), you might just be running in circles. So how do we see through the guise of busy-ness and get the real work done? For Laura, and the suite of Google execs she coaches, everything starts with the calendar. Whether you’re in too many meetings or spending too much time in your inbox, poor calendar hygiene is probably the root cause. Laura teaches you how to implement “zero-based calendaring”, calendaring for focus, calendaring for connection, and much more. Connect with Laura on her YouTube channel or at the Google Keywords blog *** Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whatever happened to that huge, game-changing project you started working on last year? Or the idea you had a couple of months ago? If you’ve got an ever-lengthening list of unfinished and abandoned pursuits, it’s probably because you’re not prioritising the correct ‘time horizons’, as Atlassian’s Dom Price calls them. The first horizon is the short-term: answering emails, making sales calls, delivering final products - anything that gives you a sense of immediate gratification. And while wins in this first horizon are crucial, they’re also a bit of a trap. After all, when immediate gratification’s available, it’s hard to resist. But if anything truly special’s going to happen, it’s going to take the disciplined pursuit of longer-term goals. Dom also highlights why simply setting long-term goals isn’t enough, and details his system for nurturing these seeds over multiple months, or even years. Connect with Dom on Twitter or LinkedIn You can find the full interview here: Atlassian’s Dom Price wants you to up your communication by designing a “working agreement” *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Doyle is a picture of professionalism. She’s adamant that even when she had young children, and felt like she hadn’t slept for weeks on end, she never had good cause to complain about her 4am call times as a news presenter. After all, she’d dreamed of being on the news since she was a little girl, and now it was a reality. Plus, she was working with a fiercely focused purpose. Melissa shares how this purpose-drive philosophy helped her through tougher moments in her presenting career, like her award-winning reporting on the Lindt cafe siege. And she highlights some of the astounding stories of courage and resilience that make up her latest book, 15 Seconds of Brave. Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn or Twitter *** My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Liam Riordan Sound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Picture this: you’ve just finished an incredibly important presentation. It was dense with crucial information… And you absolutely nailed it. At the end, one of your colleagues wants to give you some feedback. You thrive on constructive criticism, and welcome the chance to learn. But all he says is: your outfit is too distracting. Your dress is so sparkly it made it difficult to concentrate. How do you react? Most of us would blow a gasket - to hear something so overtly sexist and inappropriate would send almost anyone into a fit of rage, or even despair.But not Dr Catriona Wallace. When this happened to her (yes, this actually happened!), she’d spent enough time navigating male-dominated businesses and boardrooms to know that outrage wasn’t the answer. It might’ve been reasonable, but it wouldn’t have been productive. Instead, Cat chose empathy. She put herself in that colleague’s shoes, and understood that even though what he’d said was absurd, he clearly didn’t mean to insult her. By meeting him where he was instead of where she wanted him to be, she was able to help him understand the contents of her presentation without diminishing herself, or descending into an all-out shouting match. Cat shares how this moment, and others just like it, turned her into the empathetic leader she is today.Connect with Catriona on Twitter or LinkedInYou can find the full interview here: Dr Catriona Wallace’s million-dollar nose ring and what it taught her about running a business***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at [email protected] by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does success really mean? And more importantly, what does it mean to you? These are big questions, questions that author and executive coach Nigel Marsh says we can’t ignore. In fact, he believes that we can’t reliably achieve anything meaningful if we don’t first answer these questions. Nigel’s mantra is “clarity, alignment, momentum”, and he seeks each in that order. Without clarity and alignment, he says, momentum isn’t just useless - it can actually be destructive. After all, being ever more efficient, if you haven't worked out what you want to be and how you want to live, might just lead you to do even more of the wrong thing, even more efficiently.Nigel shares how he and his coaching clients seek clarity, as well as the lessons he’s learned since writing his first book more than two decades ago. Connect with Nigel at his website and pick up a copy of Smart, Stupid and Sixty***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to productivity, you are your own worst enemy. Nobody knows how to trick you into procrastinating or cutting corners quite like you do. You know all of your own strengths, weaknesses and thought patterns. But if you know yourself better than anyone else does, that also means you are your own best resource for productivity tools, hacks, tips and tactics. Writer Eric Barker knows how important specificity is, especially when it comes to productivity. So while he loves poring over productivity books, courses, videos and articles, he knows that ultimately, it’s all down to him. Enter the “Book of Me.” Eric wants you to write your own productivity “bible”, specific to your needs and habits. If you know you don’t work well when you’re hungry, put it in the book. If you know you’re easily distracted by your phone, put it in the book. Eric details exactly how he approaches his own “Book of Me”, and how you can write your own. Connect with Eric on Twitter or LinkedInPick up a copy of Plays Well With OthersYou can find the full interview here: Eric Barker on his Five-Hour Rule and deliberate work-life imbalance***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not long ago, Australian theatre star Elise McCann was struggling. Like everyone else in the entertainment industry, her work ground to a screeching halt early in the pandemic, and she turned to mindfulness and meditation for help. But unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. Elise’s good friend and fellow actor Lucy Durack was struggling, too. In fact, she felt like she couldn’t even get meditation right: she was listening to guided meditations while changing her baby’s nappies in an effort to fit the practice into her day-to-day. Disenfranchised, the pair relied on one another for pep talks during lockdowns, and realised: they couldn’t be the only ones feeling like meditation wasn’t meant for them. So, they decided to share their pep talks with the world, and Hey Lemonade was born. But in order to take their new well-being app to market, they needed help - and how do two seasoned actors prepare for a meeting with one of Australia’s biggest names in business? By writing a script, naturally!Elise shares how she scripted her entire pitch meeting for Hey Lemonade, and breaks down the time management system that allows her to perform, produce and run a company all at once. Connect with Elise on LinkedIn, Instagram or on the Hey Lemonade website ***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things 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 http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at [email protected] CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.