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

Latest Episodes:

Goal Setting for Teens: Teaching Teenagers to Remix Their Mindset with Jon Acuff Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

This week I was so happy to welcome Jon Acuff back to the show to discuss his newest book, Your New Playlist: The Student Guide to Tapping into the Superpower of Mindset. This powerful new book which Jon co-authored with his two teenage daughters is a must read for parents, educators, and mentors seeking to empower young people with the mindset and tools that allow them to not only reshape their thoughts, but change the trajectory of negative voices that often plague young people’s everyday life.

When Jon’s previous book, Soundtracks, came out, one reaction surprised him. Parents across the country all said the same thing: "Do you have a version for teenagers? If I knew how to change my mindset when I was that age, my entire life would have been different." Why did they say that? Because truth grows like compound interest. Saving money when you're young has a bigger impact than it does when you save in your 40s. A single new soundtrack--Acuff's phrase for a repetitive thought--believed when you're 14 or 18 can change your whole life in the same way. In response, Acuff tagged his two daughters to help him create an honest, actionable guide to mindset for teenagers.

Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including Soundtracks, The Surprising Solution To Overthinking. Jon’s books have been published in more than twenty languages and his work is both critically acclaimed and adored by readers around the world. When he’s not writing, Acuff can be found on a stage, as one of INC’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers. He’s spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges and companies around the world including FedEx, Nissan, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chick-fil-A, Nokia and Comedy Central. Known for his insights wrapped in humor, Acuff shared the stage with an American Icon when he opened up for Dolly Parton at the Ryman Auditorium.

For over 20 years he’s also helped some of the biggest brands tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, and Staples. His fresh perspective on life has given him the opportunity to write for Reader’s Digest, Fast Company, The Harvard Business Review and Time Magazine.

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Career Transitions: Moving On and Reinventing Your Professional Identity with Kim Rittberg Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

This week I had a great conversation with Kim Rittberg about her new project the ‘Mom’s Exit Interview Podcast'. Kim and I discuss her checkered career and some of the reasons she chose to leave the corporate world and strike out on her own, producing and consulting on a range of content and media projects.

Kim has a wealth of insights and tips for not just Moms, but anyone considering transitioning into a new career or entrepreneurial endeavor. We discuss the importance of establishing your priorities before you make any major career changes and what she has been learning from her guests on the new podcast.

Kim Rittberg is a Video Marketing Strategy & Podcaster, former media executive, corporate quitter, and mom. She is an award-winning Video & Content Strategist, On-Camera Coach previously at Netflix, PopSugar, and Us Weekly. Kim is the host of ‘Mom’s Exit Interview Podcast’ where she interviews inspirational moms who are taking control of their lives while achieving (gasp!) true work-life balance: entrepreneurs, stay-at-home moms with side hustles, consultants, part-time workers and more.

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Second Brain: Building a Personal Knowledge System to Free Your Mind with Tiago Forte Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

This week I was thrilled to speak with Tiago Forte about his groundbreaking new book, Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential. In this conversation, I discovered just what a second brain is and how productivity-minded people like me, (and likely you) can benefit from the methodologies laid out in this book to more powerfully, creatively, and effectively capture life experiences, journal entries, and and musings in order to free our brains of needless clutter and begin to more effectively create and organize our thoughts. This is an exceptional book and has rocketed into my top 10 productivity books of all time and after you listen you will see why.

Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity and has taught thousands of people around the world how timeless principles and the latest technology can revolutionize their productivity, creativity, and personal effectiveness. He has worked with organizations such as Genentech, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the Inter-American Development Bank, and appeared in a variety of publications, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review.

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Storytelling: The Power and Skill of Crafting Stories That Connect with Kate Tellers Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Kate Tellers to the show to help us understand the power, purpose, and practicality of effective storytelling. Kate is the Director of Mothworks at the Moth, a live storytelling podcast that features everyday people sharing powerful, humorous, and insightful stories about their lives and experiences.

In this conversation Kate shares her experiences with both helping to craft stories and why effective and well conceived storytelling is so important in both our professional and personal lives. We discuss how storytelling is not only a key element of empathetic, and impactful communication but also how it can be a key productivity tool for laying out your ideas, visions, and concepts in a way that is both authentic and relatable.

Kate Tellers is the Director of MothWorks at The Moth, a host of their live storytelling series and Webby award-winning podcast, storyteller and director. Since then she’s developed stories with her heroes from her Pittsburgh childhood to the present day, designed storytelling programs with non-profits including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation and Ashoka, as well as Facebook, Nike, Google and the U.S. State Department. Her writing has appeared on McSweeney’s and The New Yorker.

Kate’s new book that she co-wrote alongside other storytelling experts is entitled How to Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Story Telling from The Moth

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Entrepreneurship: Preparing to Leap and Building a Business That Lasts with Omar Zenhom Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

This week I was excited to welcome Omar Zenhom to the show. Omar is the host of the award-winning podcast The $100 MBA Show and the creator of the popular software tool Webinar Ninja. In this conversation, we cover a range of business and entrepreneurial topics including preparing to make the leap from a nine to five job to an entrepreneurial lifestyle and the challenges involved in that process.

We also discuss Omar’s personal journey toward becoming a successful podcast host and content creator as he reflects upon how his early setbacks were actually preparing and teaching him the skills he would need when the right opportunity came along. We conclude by reflecting on both of our journeys and the importance that mentorship, friendships, and support had in shaping our careers.

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Project Management: Hybrid Work, Collaboration, and Getting Projects Done with Phil Simon Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

Phil Simon is a frequent keynote speaker, recognized collaboration and technology authority, and college professor for hire. He is the award-winning author of a dozen books, most recently Project Management in the Hybrid Workplace. He helps organizations communicate, collaborate, and use technology better.

In this conversation Phil talks with Erik about the problem of getting things done in the new world of work. When it comes to project management, the issues breaks down into: Communication, Collaboration, Coordination, and Expectation. We talk about where we are, how we got here, and offer some solutions for moving forward.

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Communication and Influence: The Soulful Art of Persuasion with Jason Harris Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

This week I had a wonderful conversation with Jason Harris about his new book The Soulful Art of Persuasion: The 11 Habits That Will Make Anyone a Master Influencer. In this chat, Jason dispels some of the toxic chatter about influencers in the internet age and reminds listeners that the art of influence and persuasion is more about compassion, empathy, and finding common ground than Instagram fame or soulless clickbait. We cover his four principles of persuasion: original, generous, soulful, and empathetic by breaking down how each principle is applied and how their application can transform organizations and workplaces from spaces of dysfunctional conversations into communities of healthy and sincere communication.

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Productivity: Getting More Done Seven Minutes at a Time with John Brandon Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

This week I had a great conversation with John Brandon focused on his new book, The 7-Minute Productivity Solution: How to Manage Your Schedule, Overcome Distractions, and Achieve the Results You Want. This was an excellent discussion on the power of taking just seven minutes out of key moments of your day in order to more effectively plan for your day, achieve moments of self-reflection, and remove oneself from digital distractions and ubiquitous media and technology that is robbing us of achieving our goals and living a more productive and fulfilling lifestyle.

John Brandon has written over 15,000 articles for major publications like Inc. Magazine and Forbes, Wired, Popular Mechanics, Entrepreneur, TechRadar, Popular Science. For the last 10 years before starting at Forbes, he wrote a daily column for Inc.com.

His new book is The 7-Minute Productivity Solution: How to Manage Your Schedule, Overcome Distraction, and Achieve the Results You Want

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Priorities: The Lazy Genius Approach to Doing What Matters with Kendra Adachi Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

This week a had a wonderful discussion with Kendra Adachi both about her new book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen as well as her podcast The Lazy Genius, and her previous book The Lazy Genius Way. In this conversation, we discuss how vital it is to give yourself permission to be lazy about things that are not priorities while learning to manage and prioritize the things that matter most. This is truly a productivity lover's dream discussion that offers so many practical principles that can be applied to many aspects of your modern and busy lifestyle.

Kendra Adachi is one part systems expert, and one part permission giver. As The Lazy Genius, she aims to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. She is the host of The Lazy Genius Podcast, author of The Lazy Genius Way, and her new book is The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before.

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Leadership: Simple Truths of Servant Leadership and Building Trust with Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

This week it was truly my privilege to speak with Dr. Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley about their new book, Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. Ken Blanchard needs no introduction to many listeners as he has been a leading voice in business and leadership for decades. In this conversation, Ken and Randy share an abundance of wisdom regarding leadership principles of service, trust, and truth.

Dr. Ken Blanchard is the cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Margie Blanchard, began in 1979 in San Diego, California. In addition to being a renowned speaker and consultant, Ken also spends time as a visiting lecturer at his alma mater, Cornell University, where he is a trustee emeritus of the Board of Trustees.

Ken is a prominent, sought-after author, speaker, and business consultant, Dr. Blanchard is universally characterized by his friends, colleagues, and clients as one of the most insightful, powerful, and compassionate individuals in business today. Ken is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management.

Randy Conley is the Vice President of Professional Services & Trust Practice Leader for The Ken Blanchard Companies.

Their new book is Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. In the book they present a carefully curated collection of fifty-two essential leadership principles that are easy to implement and practice. The book is a fun, easy read that will make a positive difference in leadership and organizational success, Simple Truths of Leadership will show readers how to incorporate simple but essential practices into their leadership style, build trust through servant leadership, and enhance their own lives and the lives of everyone around them.

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