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

Latest Episodes:

Essentialism: Making Essential Activities Easy and Effortless with Greg McKeown Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

In this episode I'm excited to re-release a conversation I had with Greg Mckeown. Greg is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, 'Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less'. His latest book is 'Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most'. In addition to writing Greg is also the host of the 'What's Essential Podcast'.

In this conversation, Greg talks about what essentialism is and making the most essential activities the easiest ones, so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out. We talk about turning tedious tasks into enjoyable rituals, setting a sustainable pace instead of having to power through and easy setting up of one time choices that eliminate many future decisions, simplifying processes, removing unnecessary steps, making relationships easier to maintain and manage. This is all under that umbrella of effortless making things that matter most easier to do and this is a great conversation and a great book to kick start that process in your life.

In addition to discussing Essentialism, we talk about Greg’s follow up to that book, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most. This was such a powerful and timely conversation that centers on figuring out what matters most and then making it easier. As we head into 2023, I cannot imagine a more relevant productivity goal than that!

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Writing: The Power of Writing for Clarity, Confidence, and Purpose with Allison Fallon Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

This week I’m thrilled to re-release this episode with Allison Fallon. Allison is an award winning author, sought after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She has coached hundreds of thousands of writers - from NYT Bestselling authors to total beginners to help them finally get their books written and on shelves.

Her most recent book The Power of Writing Things Down walks anyone - even those who swear they aren't "real" writers - through a simple daily practice they can use to reduce anxiety, curb depression, improve their confidence and gain clarity in their life. Grab the first chapter free here.

I wanted to bring this episode back out and top of mind moving forward into the new year because even though I don’t particularly subscribe to the idea of doing New Years Resolutions, I do believe in making progress and have been thinking about goals I want to push forward next year.

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Time Management: Overcoming Time Poverty and Living a Happier Life with Dr. Cassie Holmes Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Dr. Cassie Holmes to the show to discuss her new book,

Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most.

Cassie is a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and is a renowned expert in the field of time and its correlation to happiness.

In this conversation Cassie guides listeners through a variety of insights and exercises she’s shared with MBA students in her wildly popular UCLA course. Dr. Holmes unpacks concepts such as time poverty, what it is, why it’s damaging, how it’s subjective, and ways you can quickly increase your time affluence. We discuss how the use of time tracking can easily and quickly guide those suffering from time poverty to a more fruitful, fulfilling and happier pace of life.

In addition to sharing techniques and research that she has discovered while writing the book, Cassie also reveals some of the psychology and behavioral science that can lead to the sometimes overwhelming feelings of time poverty and the power of embracing quality time over mundane time-costs such as excess social media, and pseudo-work.

Follow Cassie’s Work:

https://www.cassiemholmes.com

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Work-Life Balance: How to Win at Work and Succeed at Life with Megan Hyatt Miller Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

This week I'm excited to reshare with you a conversation I had with Megan Hyatt Miller. Megan is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Full Focus, previously known as Michael Hyatt & Company, and the co-host of the popular business podcast, Lead to Win. She's the oldest daughter of Michael Hyatt, whose name you'll recognize because he's been on this show a number of times.

I wanted to reshare this conversation because I've been thinking about it a lot lately for two reasons:

She and Michael are coming back on the show in January to talk about their new book: Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking

I've been thinking a lot lately on the topic of this conversation which is all about their previously co-authored book: 'Win at Work & Succeed At Life: 5 Principles to Free Yourself From the Cult of Overwork'

In this conversation we talk about the five principles that help you rethink work and productivity from the ground up so that you can achieve what they call the Double Win.

We talk about those five principles, we talk about it from a high level, and then drill down into practical steps that you can take at home and at work to achieve true work-life balance and how to make that work for you.

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Podcasting Productivity: Mindset, Systems, and Creating Consistent Content with Jeff Sieh and Erik Fisher Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

This week I'm excited to share an episode of Social Media News Live in which my friend Jeff Seih interviewed yours truly about the process and productivity mindset for podcasting. I guess you could say these topics fall within the perfect venn diagram of two of my biggest interests. In this episode Jeff and I discuss a wide array of topics and hurdles that face anyone looking to start a podcast either for their professional career or simply as a hobby.

Topics include recruiting and working with guests, how much time per week you should spend on your podcast, how to set up and manage scheduling, and the importance of working with an editor. In addition to laying out many of the things I’ve learned in my ten years of hosting Beyond the To-Do List, Jeff and I also discuss some of the advice I would have given myself when I was just getting started!

Jeff Sieh is an international speaker and visual marketing consultant, specializing in Pinterest, visual marketing, and video. He hosts the Social Media News Live show and podcast and is also “Head Beard” at Manly Pinterest Tips. Jeff has worked with and produced visual content for various companies, including Guy Kawasaki, Kim Garst, Social Media Examiner, and Tailwind.

Link To a Video of this Episode: https://socialmedianewslive.com/podcast-productivity-with-erik-fisher-2/

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Mentorship: The Power and Purpose of Being a Mentor with Heather Adams Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Heather Adams to the show to discuss the many facets and benefits of both mentorship and becoming a mentor. Heather is the founder and CEO of Choice Media and Communications and host of the top-ranked podcast, Make Me Known. As a mentor too many Heather’s experience and passion for elevating the women around her has inspired her to take women under her wing and usher them into the next phase of their careers.

Through one-on-one conversations and group settings, Heather relies on her experience, having played an instrumental role in launching more than 100 New York Times bestsellers and securing clients' coverage in a host of national and international media outlets.

In this conversation we talk about the value of both finding a mentor and the rewarding experience of being one. In addition we discuss some of the barriers that prevent people from seeking out mentorship and talk through some of the ways that virtual mentorship is connecting people to both coaching and information like never before.

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Habits and Exercise: How to Finally Make Lasting Changes in Eating and Movement with Michelle Segar Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

This week I was privileged to welcome Michelle Segar to the show to discuss her new book The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise. Michelle is a researcher at The University of Michigan who studies sustainable behavior change and the science of habits. In this conversation Michelle unpacks the science behind our choices and explains how thinking around behavior change has often made the mistake of an all or nothing approach to changing our habits and lifestyle.

The Joy Choice offers a fresh, brain-based solution that turns the old behavior-change paradigm on its head. This groundbreaking book liberates you from the self-defeating obligations and rigid requirements of past diet and workout regimens and reveals what emerging research suggests really drives the consistent choices that power sustainable change.

Michelle Segar, PhD is an award-winning lifestyle coach and sustainable behavior change researcher at the University of Michigan. For nearly three decades, she has pioneered methods to create sustainable healthy behavior changes that are being used to boost patient health, employee well-being, and gym membership retention.

Website: https://michellesegar.com

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Creativity: Family, Food, and the Art of Living a Creative Life with Phil Rosenthal Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Recently, I was inspired by a number of things to re-release this conversation that I had with Phil Rosenthal from his Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil started, which just released its sixth season. Aside from that Phil, is best known as the creator, writer, and executive producer for the sitcom Everybody loves Raymond.

In this conversation we talk about the importance of travel, food and relationships, and the creative process of pulling from your life to make things. All of this felt like a perfect storm for right now to re-release this episode.

I was inspired not only by seeing season 6 of Somebody Feed Phil released, but also thinking ahead to American Thanksgiving coming up soon, and the food aspect of that as well as I was talking to a friend, I recounted all the traveling that I had done this year, more traveling than I've done in. And of course the great food I had while traveling.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World of Noise with Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz to the show to discuss their new book, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise. This book instantly rocketed up my list of the best productivity books of the year! Golden reveals how to go beyond the ordinary rules and tools of mindfulness. It’s a field guide for navigating the noise of the modern world—not just the noise in our ears but also on our screens and in our heads. Drawing on lessons from neuroscience, business, spirituality, politics, and the arts, Marz and Zorn explore why auditory, informational, and internal silence is essential for physical health, mental clarity, ecological sustainability, and vibrant communities.

Justin Zorn is a Senior Adviser to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a Truman National Security Fellow, and a strategic adviser for a variety of mission-driven businesses, think tanks, and advocacy groups.

Leigh Marz an author, leadership coach, and collaboration consultant teaching experimental mindsets at NASA, Harvard, Google, IKEA, and the Green Science Policy Institute.

Book: https://amzn.to/3BtYOgf

Website: https://leighmarz.com/golden/

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Time Management: Making Time for What Matters Most with Laura Vanderkam Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Laura Vanderkam back to the show for her sixth appearance! Laura has been coming on Beyond The To Do List for the past ten years and this time she is here to talk about her newest book: Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters. In this conversation we address the nine “rules” for making more time in your hectic schedule while diving deep into three of the rules I could most intriguing.

This is a really insightful and practical conversation about simple suggestions for both gaining back your time and finding a greater sense of calm and purpose during your week. Laura addresses the research process for the book and points out how a test group of 150 people learned her rules and lived them out for 9 weeks providing practical and insightful feedback for people from all walks of life.

Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including the new Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters, along with Juliet’s School of Possibilities, Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours. Her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of the podcast Before Breakfast and the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the podcast Best of Both Worlds. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and five children, and blogs at LauraVanderkam.com.

Website: https://lauravanderkam.com

Best of Both Worlds Podcast: https://lauravanderkam.com/podcast/

Before Breakfast Podcast: https://lauravanderkam.com/before-breakfast-podcast/

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