Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Latest Episodes:

Communication: The Power and Science of Everyday Language with Valerie Fridland Apr 30, 2023

Show notes

This week I was delighted to welcome Valerie Fridland to the show for a really fun conversation about her latest book, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English. By exploring the dark corners every English teacher has taught us to avoid, Like, Literally, Dude redeems our most pilloried linguistic quirks, arguing that they are fundamental to our social, professional, and romantic success—perhaps even more so than our clothing or our resumes. It explains how filled pauses benefit both speakers and listeners; how the use of “dude” can help people bond across social divides; why we’re always trying to make our intensifiers ever more intense; as well as many other language tics, habits, and developments.

In this chat Valerie and I discuss the origins of this great book and how the evolution of language has been rapidly accelerating alongside developments in technology and communication. Valerie helps to guide listeners through the history of some unique words and phrases while unpacking the etymology of the word Dude and how it can give us a glimpse into the history of masculinity and culture in the 19th and 20th century. In addition we discuss some of the more notorious quirks of language and speaking in the modern age and discover how idiosyncrasies such as Um and Uh are by no means “Bad English'' and can even benefit clarity and empathy in our everyday conversations.

Valerie Fridland is a professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. She writes a popular language blog on Psychology Today called “Language in the Wild,” In addition her lecture series, Language and Society, is featured with The Great Courses. With a PhD in linguistics, Valerie is an expert on the relationship between language and society, her work has appeared in numerous academic journals and she is co-author of the book Sociophonetics.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mentorship: The Transforming Power of Wisdom and Being a Modern Elder with Chip Conley Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Chip Conley to the show for a great conversation about wisdom and the transforming experience of being a “Modern Elder.” Chip is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Modern Elder Academy, the "world’s first wisdom school" dedicated to reframing aging and helping people navigate the second half of adulthood with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

Conley founded and ran the highly successful boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre for over 20 years before accepting, at age 52, a position as the in-house mentor to Brian Chesky, the youthful co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. At the time, Conley was twice the age of most of the employees at the rapidly-growing company. During his years working there, he discovered how sharing wisdom and swapping ideas with Chesky helped them both to thrive. He honed his own sense of purpose for his second half of life: “To build a community of inspired and empowered midlifers.”

In this chat Chip and I trace his journey and discuss the power of what he calls metabolizing wisdom. We also discuss the need for finding purpose and the fact that people who feel aligned with their sense of purpose tend to live longer, and during those extra years of life they also generally are healthier, feel happier and are less lonely. This is a great conversation for people of all ages and is vital for anyone looking at the second half of adulthood and asking questions about how they can apply their unique skills and life experiences to a more enriching career path or period of mentorship.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mindfulness and the Senses: Discovering How to Live Life in Five Senses with Gretchen Rubin Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

This week I was delighted to welcome Gretchen Rubin back to the show for a great conversation about her new book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. Gretchen has been on the show in the past and it’s always great to catch up with her and see what she has been researching or pondering, and this new book is no exception.

In LIFE IN FIVE SENSES Gretchen’s revelatory journey of self-experimentation, she explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life. Drawing on cutting-edge science, philosophy, literature, and her own efforts to practice what she learns, she investigates the profound power of tuning into the physical world. From the simple pleasures of appreciating the magic of ketchup and adding favorite songs to a playlist, to more adventurous efforts like creating a daily ritual of visiting the Met and trying ayahuasca, Rubin shows us how to experience each day with depth, delight, and connection. In the rush of daily life, she finds, our five senses offer us an immediate, sustainable way to cheer up, calm down, and engage the world around us—as well as a way to glimpse the soul and touch the transcendent.

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. She hosts the top-ranking, award-winning podcast “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” where she explores practical solutions for living a happier life. Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Check Out Gretchen’s Previous Episode

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reading Habits: Creating and Optimizing a Habit That Expands Your World with Jeff Brown Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

I am excited to rerelease this conversation with Jeff Brown on creating and optimizing a habit of reading. It's been something on my mind a lot lately, and I thought it made sense to share it again as we head into a new season of the year, and in life.

Jeff Brown is a podcaster, mentor, and speaker. He is the host of the Read to Lead podcast, and co author of the book: Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. In this conversation, Jeff talks about the power of creating a reading habit and how to optimize it.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Burnout: Optimizing Yourself and Avoiding Burnout in Creative Work with Zack Arnold Apr 10, 2023

Show notes

This week I was incredibly excited to welcome Zack Arnold to the show for a great conversation about optimizing your life, avoiding burnout and learning to set the right goals. Zack is an award-winning Hollywood film & television editor known for his work on favorites of mine such as, Cobra Kai, Burn Notice, Empire, Shooter, and Glee. Zac is a member of the American Cinema Editors, an American Ninja Warrior, and creator of the Optimize Yourself program.

Zack uses his experience as a creative professional to produce the Optimize Yourself Podcast which aims to give creative professionals insight into how to love what they do for a living without having to sacrifice their health, relationships, or sanity in the process. The podcast also addresses the specifics of creative burnout and ways to avoid it.

Previous Episodes Mentioned in This Installment:

Marc Champagne on The Importance of Asking The Right Questions

Gretchen Rubin on Expectations, Habits and Happiness

James Clear on Building Good Habits and Breaking Bad Ones

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Life Purpose: Getting Beyond the Rut and Building a Life Worth Living with Jerry Dugan Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

What if there was a way to have more time with your family, advance your career or business, and enjoy more of your paycheck? This week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Jerry Dugan about these topics and more while discussing his new book, Beyond the Rut. This is a fascinating motivational book that will inspire you to re-examine your life. The book lays out some of the manageable steps that you can follow in creating a more fulfilling personal and professional life. Packed with fun and relatable anecdotes, Jerry shares his insights based on real-life experiences that will guide you through the process of identifying the hurdles in your way and help you in taking control of your life.

This is a must-read book for anyone who feels like they are stuck in a rut and never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction and discontentment. Dugan offers a life changing set of advice that will help you in successfully breaking the cycle.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI and Productivity: What's True and What's False About ChatGPT with Christopher S. Penn Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

This week I’m excited to bring you this informative and topical conversation I had with Christopher S. Penn about the realities, myths, and dare I say productivity applications within ChatGPT and similar language based software tools which I'm sure you have noticed are getting more and more attention in the realms of social media, tech chatter, and even politics.

I’ve known Christopher for years and I can’t think of anyone more qualified to guide me and you through this topic. Christopher bridges the gap between marketing and technology. What he shares on social media and writes about helps you understand marketing and technology better plus he is a better coder than most marketers, and a better marketer than most coders. By having one foot in both worlds, he finds solutions that work in one place and brings them to the other. Christopher speaks publicly about digital marketing, marketing technology, and machine learning/artificial intelligence. He is the co-founder of Trust Insights, a data analytics company focused on helping you make more money with your data, a co-founder of PodCamp with Chris Brogan, and co-host of the Marketing Over Coffee marketing podcast with John Wall.

In this chat Christopher breaks down the real world applications of ChatGPT while explaining its limitations and ways to maximize the effectiveness of the tool. We discuss some of the ethical and political concerns swirling around the technology while dispelling some of the more hysterical myths that have been propagated online and in print. Regardless of your familiarity with this technology this is a great primer for understanding and maximizing these tools for a wide range of both creative, and labor intensive tasks.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Beyond The To-Do List Trailer Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

For more than a decade, Erik Fisher has sat down with productivity experts, authors, creatives as they share their insights on how to implement productivity strategies in both your professional and personal life.

People like…

Everybody Loves Raymond and Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil Creator Phil Rosenthal on creativity, family, food, and travel.
Productivity expert David Allen on Getting Things Done
Whole 30 founder Melissa Urban on Setting Boundaries To Save Relationships

Our goal is to help you gain perspective, practical knowledge, and productivity insights for living a whole life that goes Beyond The To Do List.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Habits and Happiness: The Four Tendencies and Living Better with Gretchen Rubin Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

This week I’m excited to re-release this conversation with Gretchen Rubin. At the time of this original recording Gretchen was promoting her then new book The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better. I recently interviewed Gretchen again for a forthcoming book and that conversation will be released soon. However, speaking to her reminded me of how insightful and helpful this talk was. In the Four Tendencies, Gretchen breaks down setting and meeting inner and outer expectations and creating good habits to have greater happiness. I really enjoyed this talk and wanted to share it with everyone in the event that you missed it the first time and get you excited for our new conversation that I will be posting in the coming weeks.

Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. In addition to writing Gretchen also has a very popular podcast, ‘Happier with Gretchen Rubin’ that she hosts alongside her sister.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Resilience: Embracing Change and Building for Tomorrow with Jason Feifer Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

This week I was really encouraged by my conversation with Jason Feifer. Jason is the the Editor In Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine and author of the new book, Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career. If we want to admit it or not, these past few years have been a time of serious change and in this conversation Jason reveals how the ability to cope with and adapt to change is the number one trait that he has observed in successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.

Through his research and experience interviewing and interacting with countless business leaders coupled with observations that he and his colleagues made in the lead-up and unfolding of the pandemic, Build For Tomorrow captures the principles and realities of change and how the fear of change can both inhibit our growth and stifle our present. Jason unpacks his four phases of change and illustrates how, similar to the phases of grief, change can be paralyzing and emotionally devastating at first, but through resilience and proper framing can liberate us from both fear and false pillars of our identity.

In addition to editing and writing Jason also hosts the podcasts Build For Tomorrow and Problem Solvers, and is a popular keynote speaker, startup advisor, and nonstop optimism machine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.