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The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox — Arts
The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

Conversations on creative culture, workflow, and productivity. The Busy Creator is for you, the creative professional working in arts, design, and media. You’ll hear direct from industry pros and learn the tools, techniques, and habits they’re using in their practice. We discuss strategies and pro tips you can use to be your most creative, productive self and excel in business.

Past guests include designer and entrepreneur Armin Vit, design firm owner and professor Debbie Millman, Pentagram Partner Michael Bierut, author/speaker Todd Henry, and writer Jeff Goins, to name a few.

Latest Episodes:

How Debbie Millman Balances Everything to Produce Design Matters (and Run a World-Class Design Agency) - The Busy Creator Podcast 18 Dec 14, 2015

Show notes

Debbie Millman (@DebbieMillman) is a design and branding industry impresario. She will, at any given moment, be involved in a multitude of projects and roles across the profession. For nearly 20 years, she’s been the President of Sterling Brands, a design and brand strategy firm based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since 2005, she’s hosted Design Matters, one of the most successful radio shows (now podcasts) about design and creativity. She also founded and chairs the Master’s in Branding course at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and has authored numerous books.

In this episode, Debbie speaks about the structure and workflow of Sterling — now a corporate agency, how she stays energized across her many endeavors, and how she’s still working to overcome awkwardness in her life and career. We also get to hear the story of how Debbie and Prescott first met.

Show Notes & Links

Design Matters was recognized as an iTunes Best of 2015 show. Amazing achievement.
Design Matters is among the iTunes Best of 2015
Prescott discovered Design Matters while working a crappy job working for a startup marketing firm.
Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit
Prescott is standing on the shoulders of giants with his podcast
Debbie describes herself as a brand consultant, wannabe artist, and chair of the MFA Master’s in Branding at SVA
Debbie and her partners at Sterling sold to the business Omnicom in 2008
Sterling defines itself as a Brand Consultancy with three disciplines – Design, Strategy, and Innovation
DeeDee Gordon runs Innovation from Los Angeles; Austin McGhie runs Strategy from San Francisco
Sterling acquired Philippe Becker in San Francisco, joining that to their studio.
Simon Lince is Sterling’s Chief Creative Officer in New York, with four Creative Directors under him. Same with Philippe Becker in SF.
Sterling consciously went to the traditional advertising agency model, rather than a “bullpen” model, with lots of cross-disciplinary work. It was “less deliberate”.
“Institutional knowledge” is important for growth within an agency. Helps to serve clients year-on-year.
Design strategy entails asking questions: What is the brand? What is the criteria for success? What is the “whitespace” we want to uncover? Can we own that space? What is the dynamic for change within an organization? etc.

“Common vocabulary does not always equate to common behavior.”

—Debbie Millman

“The only people that really like brand design changes are brand designers.” (joking/not joking)

—Debbie Millman

“Ambiguity is never seen positively.” (e.g., ambiguous emails)

—Debbie Millman

Package design is a “very specific language.” One must know the grammar of a language, but not necessarily all the dialects, which are learned on the job.
Design Matters is a cultural force, whether Debbie thinks it or no.
Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, 2011
Bill Drentell
Tina Roth Eisenberg (@swissmiss), Swiss Miss
Maria Popova (@Brainpicker), Brainpickings
Debbie does “an exhausting amount of research” for Design Matters interviews
20-50 pages of notes for each guest, reduced to 5 pages of questions
Lining Up a Shot
Design Matters on SoundCloud

“I don’t even know that I was a fully formed human being when I was 30.”

—Debbie Millman

All The Wrong People Have Self-Esteem by Laurie Roselwald
Adult Onset Awkward

“Getting your first job out of college is like starting kindergarten all over.”

—Prescott Perez-Fox

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellent, then, is not an act but a habit.”

–Aristotle

Babson College
Omnicom University
Nancy Kane, from Harvard Business School
Information Recreation
Design Observer
Brand New (and all the UnderConsideration blogs)
Design*Sponge
HOW and Print
The New York Times
CNN
The Wall St. Journal
The New Yorker
Vogue
Harper’s Bazaar
Scientific American / SciAm Mind on airplanes, where it’s quiet(?)

“Multitasking is the enemy of focused creativity.”

—Debbie Millman

Debbie is now ashamed of her past pride as a multi-tasker

“When the going gets tough, we go to Facebook.”

—Debbie Millman

Multi-tasking is usually “rapid-switching”
Lisa Grant, Debbie’s better half at Sterling
J’aime Cohen, original SVA dir. of operations
Mark Dudlik, current SVA partner in crime
Curtis Fox, producer for Design Matters
Energy management is more important than time management.

Tools

SWOT analysis for brands
Facebook (the default distraction; internet background noise)
Twitter
Instagram
To-do lists (for things with deadlines)

Techniques

Copy the habits of small studios and create “in-house studios” within the larger agency
Allow strong Debbie Millmanality to exist and thrive in a company; build a culture as such
Prepare strategy and challenges during proposal/pitch stage. Don’t wait until you’ve won it.
Want something done? Ask a busy Debbie Millman — they have less time to procrastinate.
Learn what you’re good at. Production/details? Coming up with ideas?

Habits

Celebrate small victories, such as winning a new project or client
Sleep a lot. 8 hours at least.
Eat better. (better than soda, candy, cigarettes, that is.)
Read constantly.

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Get Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits by Debbie Millman as a free audiobook

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 (MP3, 58:09, 27.9 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 (OGG, 58:09, 26.74 MB)

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Online Resources for Creative Professionals to Learn Business Skills - The Busy Creator Podcast 72 Nov 30, 2015

Show notes

This episode is a rundown of resource I've been collecting and analysing for some time. The Busy Creator Podcast is far from the only place online to learn business skills and discuss productivity, so strap yourself in and listen to this collection of 27 online resources where creative pros can learn business skills.

Tools & Website

TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS

Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial

Get Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown as a free audiobook

GET THE EPISODE

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 72 (MP3, 30:48, 14.8 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 72 (OGG, 30:48, 15.7 MB)

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

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Examining Audience Growth & Online Promotion - The Busy Creator Podcast 71 Nov 16, 2015

Show notes

How should a creative professional go about building an audience for an online project or brand? What can we do to connect with likeminded people and potential partners? How can bring a killer app or perfect gift to a hungry audience?

Like many others on the Internet, I don't have all the answers, but I know a few experts.

In this episode, we hear from Johanna (@GoodVibesJo) and Charles (@TheBrownVegan), the team behind Good Vibes Life, on the hard lessons learned in their first year of online brand-building. We also hear from Ben Kreuger (@BenWKreuger), of Cashflow Podcasting, on popular and proven tactics for audience growth. Finally, Kate Erickson (@KateLErickson) of Entrepreneur on Fire and Kate's Take shares the Top 7 Strategies: How to Grow a Podcast Audience.

When all's said and done, there are a few genuinely proven routes to take to building an audience, but each takes consistency, energy, and time. Lots of time. Learn what they are in today's conversation.

Show Notes & Links

Johanna is a holistic health coach, yoga instructor, and nurse
Recipes are available
Long-term strategy pays, some food bloggers have been going for 7+ years
@YogaGirl, a popular yogi who shares her personal life
Johanna & Charles have taken different approaches with social media: free-form and very regimented
"The point of social media is not just to gain followers."

—Johanna Perez-Fox

Tweet This

"75% of the classroom has the same question, but no one is brave enough to ask."

—Charles Penn

Tweet This

"The smallest thing you can do in the world is a single tap on a digital screen."

—Prescott Perez-Fox

Tweet This
Maslow's Hierarchy
Johanna observed a loss in engagement, even in a two-month period
"In order to have an audience of any kind, there has to be a medium of communication."

—Ben Krueger

Tweet This
Pareto Principle aka The 80/20 Rule
Kate's recent blog post on growth
Critical Mass: The point at which your project's marketing isn't reliant on you
The Consistency Formula: Post Consistently + Audience Makes Listening a Habit = Podcast Growth
Facebook or LinkedIn Groups are a good place to find like-minded people, but can be distaction-filled
Derek Halpern's approach to the 80/20 rule: "Create content 20% of the time. Spend the other 80% of the time promoting what you created."
Gary Vaynerchuk says "you should never schedule a tweet."
Johanna Perez-Fox on Facebook
Johanna Perez-Fox on Instagram
Johanna Perez-Fox on SnapChat
Johanna Perez-Fox on Periscope
Charles Penn on Facebook
Charles Penn on Instagram
Charles Penn on SnapChat
Charles Penn on Periscope
Good Vibes Life on YouTube
Ben Kreuger on Twitter
Ben Kreuger (Authority Engine) on Facebook
Cashflow Podcasting on SoundCloud
Kate Erickson on Twitter
Kate Erickson on Instagram
Entrepreneur on Fire on Facebook
Entrepreneur on Fire on YouTube

Tools

Techniques

Publish recipes or other content to build a following over years (decades)
Speak about yourself from a place where you learned something
Get involved with in-person events, even if you're building an online business
Position yourself as a mutual learner with a community of likeminded people
Leverage your time to the most effective tasks
Batch your tasks to save time and energy
Growth Strategy 1: Confirm Uniqueness (format, tone, content)
Growth Strategy 2: Be Social (spread the word; no one else will)
Growth Strategy 3: Be Consistent (always!)
Growth Strategy 4: Create Community (make people feel welcome in comments)
Growth Strategy 5: Do the Rounds (guest blogging and guest appearances)
Growth Strategy 6: Always Listen (continuous improvement)
Growth Strategy 7: Have a Strong Call-to-Action (send folks to the show notes or email)
Go back to your archive and use previously-released content
Choose 3-5 groups to participate in. There are too many to join to be productive.

Habits

Share your personal details as well as your professional happenings
Observe and question the value of a "Like", make sure you're asking for valuable feedback
Continually answer questions to the entire audience, rather than to individuals
Work in 2-3 hour chunks, with breaks in between
Find ways to publish your content in multiple formats and media
Be careful about scheduled posts when a dramatic event occurs in the world
Continually tweak and improve your projects; give 'em time.

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GET THE EPISODE

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 71 (MP3, 1:02:46, 30.3 MB)
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How Kitty & Alice Chan Helped Build Procurify's Design Team - The Busy Creator Podcast 70 Oct 26, 2015

Show notes

Kitty Chan (@IMKittyChan) and Alice Chan (@AliceChan319) are twin sisters and co-workers at Procurify, an online software company based in Richmond, BC, Canada. The duo work together within the design team at Procurify, and have originated many of the company's creative workflows and protocols, grown the product and marketing offerings from the ground up, and installed a healthy creative culture.

In this conversation, we discuss how the sisters came to work together at Procurify, some of the early creative challenges faced by a small software company, and what sort of workflows and rituals you can use in your own company to help create order and harmony.

Procurify is an online tool to aide companies in their purchasing and procurement. Check them out at Procurify.com

Show Notes & Links

Alice and Kitty are UX/UI designers
Procurify helps businesses with their procurement processes, to help businesses buy the stuff they need
The design team is only three designers, so everyone wears multiple hats
Procurify began as as school project for three students at BCIT
Kitty was the first designer, with Alice leaving her "corporate startup" to join about 6 months later
"We know how we both work. It's very easy to communicate."

—Alice Chan

Tweet This
Challenges at the start concerned process. A lot of trial-and-error.
"Don't bake a giant cake; you might not like the flavour. Bake a cupcake first and taste it."

—Alice Chan

Tweet This
InVision, and their blog
Lo-Fidelity/Hi-Fidelity design
"Fail fast but also learn fast."

—Alice Chan

Tweet This
Adrienne Stortz runs xoxocooks, her cooking show on YouTube. She'll like our cooking metaphors.
"Our design team is in the center of everything."

—Kitty Chan

Tweet This
Kitty & Alice (and their third designer) work on marketing, sales, and lots of other elements.
"Two Pizza Team" — keep it small enough to feed everyone with two pizzas
Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson on Amazon and on Audible

"Boss is a four-letter word."

—Prescott Perez-Fox

"[Our office] feels like a community center sometimes."

—Kitty Chan

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon on Amazon

Tools

Procurify
InVision
Smash Bros.
Whiteboards
Trello
Wrike, and its Gantt Chart feature
Sketch, over Photoshop, for interface design

Techniques

Product Owners should bring in Designers from the start to create a feature
Define a "development workflow" which breaks projects into smaller chunks
Publish-and-iterate, not just in app/software design
Move the Design Phase earlier to decide on features. Don't build things before they've been planned.
Take care to ensure consistency across apps, marketing materials
Have a company scrum every Friday to showcase what you've during the week
Upload your work to Dribbble as a team
When moving from design to development, show your thinking in InVision and include images

Habits

Continually share your work — even your in-progress stuff
Take the weekends "off"

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GET THE EPISODE

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 70 (MP3, 35:27, 17.1 MB)
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

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How to Design a Creative Office & Workplace Interior, with Betsy Helmuth - The Busy Creator Podcast 69 Oct 12, 2015

Show notes

Betsy Helmuth (@BetsyHelmuth) is an interior designer & decorator in New York City. Her company, Affordable Interior Design, offers, well, affordable interior design. Over the years, she's designed rooms in over 1,000 apartments, as well as many offices and home offices.

In this conversation, we discuss some simple steps that we creative pros can take to improve our workspaces — both while renting an office and in fixing up our home office. We cover lighting, colour, shelving, storage, and other little "hacks" for setting up shop and enjoying a happy, productive, creative work-day.

Show Notes & Links

Betsy is the founder of Affordable Interior Design
She believes you can "maximise your productivity and creativity by changing the atmosphere in which you work"
When looking for an office, look for the basics — location, space, costs
Also look for a building with similar businesses for future collaboration
Many companies overlook their interior office design — they look good online, but it doesn't translate to the real world
Barbara Corcoran says to "overextend yourself" in terms of rent. It creates hustle.
"If you build it, they will come." Betsy applies this to empty desks in your office.

"It's more expensive to move than to pay a little bit more each month."

—Betsy Helmuth

"A rented space needs to have some home-office flavor."

—Betsy Helmuth

Noisli.com, plays focus-enhancing background noise
Prescott and Betsy both have home offices, as do many people in creative businesses.
Many couples will keep their second bedroom and turn it into a nursery/office. Bad to mix those two.
Glass desks are terrible, because of their clinking noise for a start
kabelsalat, the German word for "cable salad" aka the mess of tangled cords & cables
Bamboo and Plywood desks
Matt Cremona, a woodworker and furniture maker, appeared on The Busy Creator Podcast, ep. 61
Task Lighting
Studies show you shouldn't have too much white (and blue) light into the evening hours.
Betsy's husband, Jack, is a comedy writer. Their office is "fun."
Ernst & Young, accounts, probably not a fun office.
West Elm
CableOrganizer.com
Betsy Helmuth on Twitter
Betsy Helmuth on Facebook
Affordable Interior Design on Twitter
Affordable Interior Design on Facebook
Affordable Interior Design on Instagram
Affordable Interior Design on Pinterest
Big Design Small Budget podcast on iTunes

Tools

Plug-in dimmer switch on Amazon
Incandescent lightbulbs
Prescott's desk, a ThermoDesk Elite sit/stand motorised adjustable desk
Betsy's [dream] desk, a Steelcase Tanker desk (with legs)
Philips Hue Bulbs (and iPhone app)
Cable Raceways and Channels

Techniques

Get an office near the bathroom so people pass by
Put your logo on the door and welcome visitors
Add colour, design your space
Design your office for the people who use it "350 days per year"
Try to arrange a good view in your work area
Match your dog bed to your logo — simple colour matching goes a long way
Turn off your overhead lights and use hanging pendant lights
Sub-lease empty desks in your office to other creatives and independent pros
Choose an office that's close to your home — otherwise you'll just want to work from home.
Arrange your bedroom work area so you're not facing the desk directly from bed
Keep things tidy to avoid extra stress on your mind
Reduce glare using diffuse window treatments
To get true colour, go outside with your paint swatches. To see how it looks in a room, paint a portion of the wall.
Avoid light blue or sage green for an office, they're too relaxing.
Use pops of yellow or orange, they're stimulating and energizing.

Habits

Wear headphones even if you're not listening to anything. That trains co-workers not to interrupt.
Keep one desk photo or screensaver of your family/pets

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In Memory of Ethan F. Greene — The Busy Creator Podcast Bonus Episode Oct 10, 2015

Show notes

This bonus show is dedicated to Ethan Frederick Greene, my friend and a talented musician, who passed away September 13, 2015. Featured are a selection of Ethan’s composition work across multiple genres included electronica, chamber music, opera, ambient, and other bits that defy category.

For more about Ethan, please visit his site, EthanGreene.org

Ethan Greene on SoundCloud

The Importance of Sales & New Business in Creative Agencies, with Dan Fields - The Busy Creator Podcast 68 Sep 28, 2015

Show notes

Dan Fields (@danthebeast) is a Vice President of Operations at Aarra, an interactive management firm based in New York and Chicago. Once a humble Flash developer, Dan has moved into a sales and new business role, building relationships with large agencies and small shops alike.

Our conversations discusses the need for sales and relationships in creative businesses, how Dan made the transition to new biz, and some of the challenges facing the ever-changing advertising industry.

Catch up with Dan on his personal site Danfields.com or via his podcast, Save It For The Show.

Show Notes & Links

Dan is “no expert” but is a working professional with a passion project on the side. (Aren’t we all?!)
Dan is a New Business & Strategy agent for a number of design & interactive studios
He started as a Flash developer, gaining an understanding of the creative process
Matt Keefe, Josh Miles, previous guests on the Podcast
The challenge is now “How do you get potential clients into the room?”

“You have to have the work in your portfolio.”

—Dan Fields

Dan studied advertising and journalism at University of Nevada, Reno, (where previous guest Mignon Fogarty is now a professor)

“My work ethic was high enough that I could fake being a decent designer.”

—Dan Fields

BKWLD, a digital agency in Sacramento — Dan’s first job, and where he met Ben Borowski
Dan’s background as not-a-traditional sales guy is “a feature, not a bug.”
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss On Amazon and On Audible
Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar On Amazon and On Audible
Save It For The Show, Dan’s podcast and creative outlet
Ad Agencies like Goodby Silverstein, Weiden+Kennedy come up with good ideas, but Dan needs to find the folks who actually produce it.
Old Spice
Terry Crews (and his muscles)
Facebook apps were everywhere, often because agencies would come up with wild ideas
HTML5
Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible
The pronunciation of GIF
Emoji icons
“Interesting” means “Not at all interesting” to Britons, especially in a business context
How To Get Your Client’s Budget And Not Die In The Intent

“You can be on the phone all day, up to date on your email, or you can actually get things done.”

—Dan Fields

“At some point advertising forgot that it’s supposed to sell something, not just win awards.”

—Dan Fields

“Advertising is weaponized media.”

—Prescott Perez-Fox

Brands saying “Bae” (@BrandsSayingBae) on Twitter
Eat24 – an online ordering service with a very funny persona (@Eat24)
Oreos “You can still dunk in the dark”
Rutheford Gold Foil Experiment aka The Geiger-Marsden Experiments, conducted between 1908–1913 at the University of Manchester; led to the Bohr Model of the atom (Nobel Prize, 1922) and Frank & Hertz’s work on electron impact (Nobel Prize, 1925)
Volkswagen “Milky Way” spot for Cabrio, by Arnold, 1999
Volkswagen “Sunday Afternoon” spot for Golf, by Arnold, 1997

“Every time you do something creative, you’re buying a lottery ticket.”

—Dan Fields

Straight Outta Compton meme on Instagram
Pinochle, the card game for old ladies
Lucy Kellaway once remarked on hobbies outside of work — CEOs used to have them, now they don’tcan’t
Kiwanis Club
Dan Fields on Twitter
Dan Fields on Facebook
Dan Fields on Instagram
Save It For The Show on Twitter
Save It For The Show on Facebook
Save It For The Show on SoundCloud

Tools

Highrise, from Basecamp
Salesforce
Daylite
Evernote
Follow Up Then
Siri
Slack
An actual calculator, like a TI-83

Techniques

If you’re a creative who’s shy, you need to push yourself
Create a side project or “fake” projects to build your portfolio
Force yourself out of your comfort zone, especially for things like cold-calling
BCC “2weeks@followupthen.com” on your emails to receive a reminder to your inbox
Ask Siri to set reminders
Keep an open internet chat for goofing off; helps build office culture
Use video chat to supress miscommunication in email-writing shorthand
Don’t hide your budget — don’t waste each other’s time by keeping it secrets
Learn small talk, it’s part of relationship-building

Habits

Find a way to remind yourself; you won’t remember
Keep a running list of jokes or notes
Get ideas out of your head and into some kind of system
Drink coffee, don’t sleep (a by-product of children)
Avoid social media; it feels productive, but it isn’t.
Focus on email only for an hour; block off everything else.

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How Mignon Fogarty Launched a World-Famous Podcast Network and Became Grammar Girl - The Busy Creator Podcast 67 Sep 14, 2015

Show notes

Mignon Fogarty (@MignonFogarty) is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips, the multi-faceted publishing website that produces dozens of topic-specific podcasts based on several characters, the most famous of which is Grammar Girl. Since creating the Grammar Girl Podcast, Mignon has authored 7 books, collected a host of podcasting awards, and recently assumed the Donald W. Reynolds Chair in Media Entrepreneurship at the University of Nevada Reno. Our conversation follows Mignon's origins in online business, how she leveraged her early podcast success and existing personal relationships to create a broader network, and how she still prefers to do certain production elements herself. Show Notes & Links Mignon Fogarty is a professor — not a doctor — but her students call her by her first name Britons will call Professors as such, whereas the Americans favour Doctor, when that's available. e.g. Professor Alice Roberts (@DrAliceRoberts), a medical doctor and professor at the University of Birmingham "There's a lot of power in networks" —Mignon Fogarty Tweet This Grammar Girl (podcast) began as a hobby project whilst Mignon worked as a technical writer. Her clients kept making the same mistakes. Grammar Girl reach #2 in iTunes within 6 weeks Modern Manners Guy, Mighty Mommy, Money Girl, et al. were Mignon's friends/neighbours whom she recruited for spin-off shows The Wall St. Journal picked Grammar Girl as the Web Pick of the Day - 4 Nov. 2006 "New York Publishers" (a synecdoche, of sorts; a toponym, more specifically) MacMillan Publishing wanted a digital initiative; they partnered Mignon chose podcasting over blogging alone because she "really loved it" SEO-friendly blog posts helped folks discover episodes and the show in general A post on Reddit, in the ELI5 subreddit, regarding colours as last names "Redheads vs. Orangeheads" a post on Grammar Girl regarding origins of the colour orange in English Gretchen McCollugh, PhD Mignon was always "an entrepreneur at heart"; she and a college roommate sold hair accessories Prescott misses Aardvark and Squiggly, characters from her show Grammar Girl now has segments — Intro, Quick and Dirty Tip, The Meaty Middle, Tidbits, Announcements, Ads Mignon uses content from her books and newsletter for podcast content Many English phrases originate from train talk Idioms Fast and Loose derives from an old carnival game Mr. Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone Tall Poppy Syndrome, an Australian phrase Malapropism "People write in different ways for different media." —Mignon Fogarty Tweet This "What texting is, despite the fact that it involves the brute mechanics of something that we call writing, is fingered speech." —John McWhorter Tweet This "u" has replaced "you" as a pronoun, even in written schoolwork Andrea Lunsford, of The Writing Center at Stanford, concludes there aren't more errors because of teh Internet Affect/Effect or They're/Their/There Google trends allows you to search for phrases like "on accident" The New York Times could find Haikus within the stories Google Ngrams to find first appearances Google News Archive The Teddy Bear, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt "The Internet is [still] mostly a written medium." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This The link between language & design: language → grammar → punctuation → typography → design The Oxford Comma "Visual Language" or "Brand Voice" are types of designer personifications Professor Fogarty Mignon teaches Media Entrepreneurship & Social Journalism Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon and on Audible Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing by Mignon Fogarty on Audible 101 Misused Words by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon 101 Words to Sound Smart by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon "Applesaucing", Prescott's term for re-purposing and re-publishing your content How Mignon organises and plans a book. Very cool[av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnSIMqtsgLY' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Mignon has written 7 books in 6 years — in your face, Todd Henry! Fellini Information Diets When recording from her home, Mignon uses a walk-in closet with a snowball mic Mignon Fogarty on Twitter Mignon Fogarty on Instagram Mignon Fogarty on Google+ Grammar Girl on Twitter Grammar Girl on Facebook Grammar Girl on SoundCloud Mignon Fogarty tells her story to Leo Laporte on Triangulation, episode 117[av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA8ZH_cdl9M' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Tools Snowball Mic Pinterest Trello Freedcamp Slack MacBook Air Large Apple Monitor iPod Touch (for social media) Boomerang for Gmail Clammr Audacity Techniques Use the script from your podcast as a blog post Use guest writers for narrow subject matters, especially if they have a PhD in that topic Assign content and schedule shows about 6-7 weeks in advance Edit your script for pronunciation — some things are hard to say out loud Use Pinterest to promote a podcast Set deadlines for yourself Hire help to manage you (especially for writing) Keep two separate phones for your separate social media accounts Habits Delegate, especially social media Uses content from her books and newsletter for podcast content Workout every morning, before lunch rather than first thing Make sure to drink caffeine with lunch TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 67 (MP3, 45:48, 22.2 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 67 (OGG, 45:48, 21.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

Full show notes at the publisher

Productivity Habits: Examining Ourselves and Taking Steps Toward Better Effectiveness with Author & Consultant Ben Elijah – The Busy Creator Podcast 66 Aug 31, 2015

Show notes

Ben Elijah (@inkandben) is a consultant in the productivity sector and author of the book The Productivity Habits. In this conversation, we dig into the productivity sector as a whole, and discuss his origins as an author and as a not-very-productive person.

The Productivity Habits, by Ben Elijah

This episode is oddly self-referential, as we, two productivity nerds, talk about how bad we are with our own habits, and about how we continually struggle to stay productive — at least in our own eyes. Ben writes and speaks about the topic, which is an ongoing struggle for all of us. You’ll learn some of Ben’s tested habits and techniques you can use to get started down the road toward better effectiveness.

Catch up with Ben via his site, InkAndBen.com

Show Notes & Links

In case you’ve forgotten, The Busy Creator discusses Tools, Techniques, and Habits
Ben admits that he came to focus on productivity because he’s “very bad at it”
Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible
The Productivity Habits by Ben Elijah On Amazon
Ben observes some of the same routines everyday in creative pros
Ben and Prescott are prone to “depressive cycles of thought”

“Really creative people care about things … but do they deploy passion the right way?”

—Ben Elijah

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Is your pensivity turned up to 11?
A problem that affects [young] people is their inability to plan

“Education is serial; in work, things come in parallel”

—Ben Elijah

“Who am I going to disappoint today?”

—Merlin Mann

Merlin Mann, productivity writer
According to Ben, there are no “high habits” to which we should all aspire to

“There isn’t anybody talking about this that isn’t also a student”

—Ben Elijah

Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of continuous small improvements

“It takes a certain amount of self-awareness just to begin”

—Prescott Perez-Fox

“The world that the human brain has created is very ill-suited to the human brain.”

—Ben Elijah

“Your brain is for having ideas, not for holding them”

—David Allen

The Ether
Make sure you’re doing productivity, not “pornography”
Memento
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg On Amazon and On Audible
Reddit, a classic time-waster
The Cult of the Morning Routine, see also: The Busy Creator Podcast ep 65 w/Cathryn Lavery
Ben hates the word “productivity” because it encourages the “easy-answer people”
Prescott hates the word “branding”

“For me to become even moderatel effective has taken nearly 10 years of blood, sweat, tears, and constant failure.”

—Ben Elijah

[n] ways to [verb][problem] — solves the wrong problem
Clickbait
Context, in the David Allen sense, is something that constrains us

“A context is a function of space, time, and thought.”

—Ben Elijah

“Switching between tasks has overhead”

—Ben Elijah

Ben prefers a state of flow over rapid-switching
You can’t go “from zero to Ninja”
Sixth Form
Makes Its Own Gravy
Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule by Paul Graham
Ben Elijah on Twitter

Tools

AquaNotes, a waterproof notepad for your shower
In-baskets, for a paper-full office
OmniFocus
Squarespace

Techniques

Experiment with a “system” for recording ideas, thoughts
Build a habit by using the Trigger/Reward/Routine approach
Observe your situation — mood, energy, time, equipment
Work out of order, depending on what’s appropriate to the situation
Create tasks that are “granular”, and cannot be broken down further

Habits

Carry a notebook and record ideas
Build the routine of reviewing your notes
Wake up at 5:30 to write, prepare, workout
Eat a high protein breakfast

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Get The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg as a free audiobook

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 66 (MP3, 50:55, 24.5 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 66 (OGG, 50:55, 21.5 MB)

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Designer & Entrepreneur Cathryn Lavery Shares Her Personal Productivity Habits, Tactics for a Successful Kickstarter Launch - The Busy Creator Podcast 65 Aug 18, 2015

Show notes

Cathryn Lavery (@CathrynLavery) is an architect-turned-designer, entrepreneur, and maker. After leaving architecture, she created Calm The Ham, where she designs and sells posters and other products. Cat's next project is The Self Journal, a printed, bound journal with templates to help you craft a productive morning routine and accomplish your quarterly goals. Our conversation covers Cat's productivity habits, especially as they relate to morning routines, how she leverages her passions for design but leaves the marketing duties to other people, and how she takes a systematic approach to launching on Kickstarter by manipulating her media contacts. Catch up with Cat on her personal blog, LittleMight.com, or via CalmTheHam.com and TheSelfJournal.com

Listen Now

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/busycreator/TheBusyCreator_65_CathrynLavery.mp3" color="3E3315" image="http://busycreator.com/images/TheBusyCreator_2_80x80_buzz.png" title="Ep. 65 w/Cathryn Lavery" artist="The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox" ]

[caption id="attachment_2565" align="alignnone" width="452"] The Self Journal, closed[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2566" align="alignnone" width="411"] The Self Journal, open[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2567" align="alignnone" width="411"] The Self Journal, open[/caption]

Show Notes & Links

Cat studied at Glasgow School of Art, and trained as an architect
Cat describes herself as a "maker"; it's on her business card
She abandoned architecture after discovering that the job becomes less creative as the years endure
Cat's design company, Calm The Ham, produces posters and other design goods
The initial investment for Calm The Ham was essentially the cost of a nice printer
Cat began working on websites because people asked her
The Foundation, a course to build SaaS products
Clinic Hero, Cat's software for Chiropractors/Physical Therapists
Groupon
"Decision Fatigue" is to be avoided
Nate Voss, guest on a previous episode, described team-ups as "forming Voltron"

"California doesn't have a water problem, it has a people problem."

—Cathryn Lavery

Fart apps

"You don't want two designers starting a business together. You need someone doing the marketing & sales."

—Cathryn Lavery

The metaphor of "The Invading Army" vs. "The Occupying Army"
Coffee-flavoured Doritos Cappuccino-flavoured Lay's (yes, this is a real product) [caption id="attachment_2556" align="alignnone" width="250"] Cappuccino-flavoured Lay's[/caption]

"Do the things you love to do to keep your batteries charged."

—Cathryn Lavery

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod On Amazon and On Audible
Cat installed multiple habits simultaneously early in January
Bulletproof Coffee
Hurricane/Super-storm Sandy
The Self Journal, Cat's new product, launching on Kickstarter 19 Aug 2015
The brain's Reticular Activating System
Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible

"You want to make it look like Apple created it."

—Cathryn Lavery

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday On Amazon and On Audible
QNS Collective, co-working space in Queens, NY
Cathryn Lavery on Twitter
Cathryn Lavery on Facebook
Cathryn Lavery on Instagram
Calm The Ham on Twitter
Calm The Ham on Facebook
Best Self Co. on Twitter
Best Self Co. on Facebook

Tools

Clinic Hero
The Foundation
LeadPages
Medium
7-Minute Workout app on iTunes app store
The Self Journal

Techniques

Share how your projects are made
Learn from people outside your industry (e.g. digital marketers if you're a designer)
Listen to your audience for advice on what to create next
Research a market, pre-sell a product, and then look for a developer to make it happen
Look for people to buy in to your project; folks to be invested not just have a job
Leverage parts of the project you most enjoy, and give the other elements to other people
Don't try to do everything yourself (e.g. marketing, content, design)
Align your skills/passion with the sort of work that suits you (long-term vs. short-term)
Hoard water in buckets if you live in an area prone to droughts
Limit yourself to three targets for the day (not a huge to-do list)
Practice a gratitude habit in the morning
Get things out of your head and into a system
Create a high-quality video on Kickstarter, even for a print or physical product
Create professional image assets for your project
Build a media list for future outreach - Cat's blog post on her Kickstarter methodology
Use Google Images to search for articles covering a specific product
Use a Virtual Assistant to build your spreadsheet and take care of research tasks
Impose deadlines on yourself, if only to keep things fresh!

Habits

Develop a morning routine. Here's Cat's
Meditate first thing in the morning, or move it around to whenever it fits best
Do a quick workout before your [ice-cold] shower so your body is warm
Use a journal to plan your days, and your goals for the quarter
Tell your story of how you develop a product

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Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod as a free audiobook

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 65 (MP3, 48:46, 23.6 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 65 (OGG, 48:46, 23.4 MB)

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