Beyond The To-do List

This week I’m excited to share my conversation with Matt Abrahams. Matt is a passionate, and innovative educator, podcaster, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business he has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations. Matt is also the founder and principal at TFTS Communications LLC, a presentation and communication skills company based in Silicon Valley that helps people improve their presentation skills.  In this episode, we'll dive into Matt's six-step methodology to mastering the art of impromptu speaking, which he outlines in his latest book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot. Whether you're fielding cold calls or engaging in "small talk", Matt's techniques will teach you to manage anxiety, focus on your audience, and see every speaking situation as an opportunity, not a threat. We a

This week I’m excited to welcome Michael Easter for a conversation about a pair of his books, Scarcity Brain, Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough and The Comfort Crisis, Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Michael is the founder of the 2% with Michael Easter newsletter and the New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. an author and a professor at UNLV. He writes and speaks on how humans can leverage modern science and evolutionary wisdom to perform better and live healthier lives. His work has been implemented by professional sports teams, elite military units, Fortune 500 companies, and leading universities. In this episode, we delve into the profound realizations that Michael made about the role of discomfort in our lives, stemming from overcoming his own battle with alcoholism and spending 33 transformative days in the Arctic. We'll discuss how our modern world's technological conveniences and constant search for

This week I’m excited to welcome Karl Hebenstreit for a chat about his book, The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram. Karl is a certified executive coach, leadership and organization development consultant, author, and international speaker. His 25+ year career spans the areas of HR and OD in biotechnology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and more. Karl holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University.  Together, we'll explore how the Enneagram provides a deeper, more nuanced look into our psyches compared to other personality frameworks like Myers-Briggs or DISC, and why knowing your Enneagram subtype can revolutionize communication and collaboration within your team. We'll delve into the synergy between your instinctual behaviors and core type, uncover how the Enneagram's focus on motivation helps us navigate workplace dynamics, and highlight the practical benefits of this wisdom for everyday interactions. This is a great episode for anyon

This week it’s my pleasure to welcome Carlos Alvarenga for a chat about his new book, The Rules of Persuasion: How the World's Greatest Communicators Convince, Inspire, Lead--and, Sometimes, Deceive. Carlos is an independent researcher and author. Before writing full-time, he worked as a management consultant and adjunct professor at the Robert H.Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Carlos holds a B.A. in Humanities and Classical Greek from Hampden-Sydney College and completed the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. In this conversation we delve into the compelling world of persuasion as the art and science that influences every aspect of our lives. Carlos explains how he drew inspiration from Aristotle's foundational work on rhetoric to craft his book. We will unravel the subtleties of persuasion—as the act of shaping beliefs within a community—and how it distinguishes itself from manipulation and coercion. Carlos guides us through his periodic table o

This week I’m excited to speak with Adrienne Bellehumer. Adrienne the founder of Bellehumeur Co. and co-partner of Risk Oversight, based in Calgary, Alberta. Adrienne is also the author of the book, The 24-Hour Rule and Other Secrets for Smarter Organizations: Including the 6 Steps of Dynamic Documentation. In this episode she is here to shed light on the often overlooked yet crucial practice of documentation and its profound impact on both personal productivity and organizational success. As we dive into the conversation, we'll explore the six dynamic steps of documentation—capturing, structuring, presenting, communicating, storing, and leveraging—and learn why both "little d" everyday habits and "big D" corporate initiatives are essential for our effectiveness. Adrienne will share her insights on the 24-hour rule, a powerful strategy for activating information and maintaining momentum. In addition we'll examine common misconceptions around documentation and discover how it can indeed propel individuals and

This week I’m excited to conclude a series of conversations I’ve been having with my friend Jeff Sieh. Jeff is an international speaker and visual marketing consultant. 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 a wide range of content for various companies, including Guy Kawasaki, Kim Garst, Social Media Examiner, and Tailwind. In our previous discussions Jeff and I addressed tools for harnessing your creativity, and tips for repurposing audio and video content to reach a larger audience. This week we are diving into the fascinating and rapidly evolving world of AI tools. We'll be exploring the ethical implications and impact of AI on creativity, touching on its integration into business and content creation. Jeff shares his insights on using AI tools such as Descript, and Midjourney in his business and recommends other specific tools for various tasks. In addition we discuss the intertwining of AI and art, the pote

This week I’m excited to welcome Francesco D’alessio for a really insightful chat about finding the right productivity tools and apps to meet your unique needs. Francesco is the founder of Keep Productive and co-founder of Tool Finder, the world's best place to discover and learn more about productivity tools. Both Keep Productive and Tool Finder aim to make productivity software easier to understand. There is a tool for everything so they create videos and courses to help you match to the perfect productivity tools for you. Tool Finder’s resources are designed to make productivity software easy to grasp and go deeper if you want to. Built on an independent philosophy around reviews and matching people with the perfect tool, Tool Finder is a growing directory, network, and source of knowledge on the ideal productivity software to pick and adopt for your work, family life, or personal time management. Their 120,000+ readers a month gain insight into what apps are best for them, and what features matter and gai

This week I’m excited to welcome Terri Sjodin for a great conversation about her new book, Presentation Ready: Improve Your Sales Presentation Outcomes and Avoid the Twelve Most Common Mistakes. Terri is the Principal and Founder of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, sales training and consulting firm based in Newport Beach, CA. In addition to her latest book, she is the author of the book, Small Message, Big Impact, which hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists. For over 20 years Terri has served as a speaker and consultant to an impressive list of corporations, associations, academic conferences, CEO's and Members of the U.S. Congress. She is a high-content speaker and her style is fresh, sassy and practical. Terri is considered one of the most sought-after sales, communications and speaking consultants in the country. In this episode, we'll unpack the power of preparation in seizing unexpected opportunities and the underestimated influence of body language. Terri s

This week I’m excited to welcome my friend and the producer of the podcast Todd Bushong back to the show for a laid back chat about the state of television streaming, regulating our media diet, and recapturing some of the communal magic of movies and television. With the Oscars airing this Sunday it got me thinking about how incredibly different media consumption is in the age of streaming and I wanted to talk with Todd about that topic as well as offer up some tips and tricks for maximizing your dollar during the current streaming wars. In the episode we delve into the complexities and even stress caused by the modern streaming landscape. We discuss some of the anxiety that I’ve been experiencing about missing out on many of the Oscar nominated films this year and why that anxiety might be more common than I thought. Todd and I explore the concept of media anxiety, which stems from the overwhelming number of choices available on streaming platforms and the social pressure to keep up with popular shows and fi

This week I’m excited to welcome my friend Jeff Sieh back to the show to continue a chat we recently had surrounding creativity, repurposing, and how AI and technology can help us reach our goals. In the previous portion of this conversation Jeff and I discussed creativity in the context of building your business. This week we pivot to the art of repurposing, remixing, and repackaging your audio, video, or creative content to reach larger untapped audiences or markets.  Jeff is an international speaker and visual marketing consultant. 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 a wide range of content for various companies, including Guy Kawasaki, Kim Garst, Social Media Examiner, and Tailwind. In this chat Jeff shares his expertise on repurposing pillar content for different platforms and formats, offering valuable insights into leveraging technology and tools to maximize content reach. From the Amazon Influencer pro

This week it's my privilege to welcome Charles Duhigg to the show for a fascinating and engaging conversion about his brand new book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Charles is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and the author of two previous books, “The Power of Habit” and “Smarter Faster Better.” Charles has been featured on “This American Life,” NPR, “The Colbert Report,” PBS’s “NewsHour,” and “Frontline.”Duhigg, who previously wrote for the New York Times, was part of the team there that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory journalism for “The iEconomy,” a series that examined the global economy through the lens of Apple. In this conversation, Charles shares the power of clear communication, the significance of aligning conversations to better connect, and how the simple act of writing down meeting goals can lead to impactful communication. We explore not just the different types of conversations – practical, emotional, and social – but also the importance of aski

This week it’s my privilege to welcome Dr. Charan Ranganath to the show for a fascinating discussion about his new book, Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters. Charan is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis. For over 25 years, he has studied the mechanisms in the brain that allow us to remember past events, using brain imaging techniques, computational modeling and studies of patients with memory disorders. In this episode we uncover the malleability of memory and discuss practical strategies for not just remembering more, but remembering better. Charan guides listeners through the science of memory preservation and the critical role of sleep in processing and retaining our experiences, and more importantly turning the memories of those experiences into Charan also discusses the brain's dopaminergic pathways and how intentional distractions can hamper our performance.  In addition, we touch upo

This week it was my pleasure to welcome Richard Medcalf to the show for a discussion about his book, Making Time for Strategy: How to Be Less Busy and More Successful. Richard describes himself as "what you get if you were to put a McKinsey consultant, a slightly unorthodox pastor and an entrepreneur into a blender". He is the founder of Xquadrant, which helps elite leaders reinvent their 'success formula' and multiply their impact. His personal clients include CEOs of billion-dollar corporations, successful serial entrepreneurs, and the founders of tech 'unicorns'.  Richard has advised the C-Suite for over 25 years. After a Masters at Oxford University, where he came top in his year, he joined a premier strategy consultancy and later became the youngest-ever Partner. He then spent 11 years at tech giant Cisco in an elite team reporting to the CEO. In this episode, we uncover the power of strategic leadership, time allocation, and the impact of energizing activities on productivity. Richard shares real client

This week I’m excited to welcome my friend Jeff Sieh back to the show for a great chat about harnessing our creative potential while fostering creative gifts for your business. Jeff is an international speaker and visual marketing consultant. 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 a wide range of content for various companies, including Guy Kawasaki, Kim Garst, Social Media Examiner, and Tailwind. In this conversation Jeff shares his insights on defining creativity in the context of business building and creation. He emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity, cultivating diverse inputs, while also seeking input from others to inspire creativity. Jeff also shares his system for capturing and organizing ideas, using tools like Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain and the PARA system. To help you stay focused and centered, we also discuss creative rituals, including journaling and using tools like the Pomodo

This week I’m excited to welcome Todd Henry back to the show for a really encouraging and informative conversation about his new book, The Brave Habit: A Guide To Courageous Leadership. Todd has been a guest on the show many times lending his wisdom and insights on everything from creativity to motivation.  Todd is the founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. He regularly speaks and consults with companies about how to develop practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of six other books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code, and Daily Creative), which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work. In this episode Todd breaks down the unique distinctions between bravery and heroism, the importance of claiming agency, and the application of the brave habit

This week I’m excited to welcome Dave Delaney back to the show for a great conversation about sobriety, living and thriving with ADHD, and helping others to equip themselves with the tools they need to excel. Dave is a recognized leader, consultant and keynote speaker on digital marketing, social media strategy, and business networking. His book, New Business Networking and his Newsletter The Nice Maker are invaluable tools for marketers and anyone working in the social media space.  In this episode Dave openly shares his personal experiences and challenges related to his recent ADHD diagnosis at the age of 50, shedding light on the complexities of acknowledging and understanding the impact of the condition as an adult. The conversation revolves around Dave's journey of realization, coping mechanisms, and the potential comorbidities associated with ADHD. Erik also adds his perspective, having been diagnosed with ADHD in 2005, and discusses the difficulties of accepting the diagnosis as an adult. In addition D

This week I’m excited to welcome the show’s producer and editor Todd Bushong for our first ever mailbag episode. I put the call out for questions you the listeners might have about productivity, workflow, or anything Beyond The To-Do List related and you responded. So in this special episode I’m happy to get the chance to dive into your questions and address some of your inquiries about everything from my go-to Ai productivity tool, getting better sleep, knowing when to delegate tasks and so much more.  This was a really fun episode for both Todd and I to get the chance to hear from you the listeners about what has been on your mind concerning your productivity and work life. We plan on continuing to feature more mailbags in the near future so if you have any questions you would like to ask simply go to beyondthetodolist.com/contact to submit your questions for a future mailbag episode! Tools and Prior Episodes Mentioned In the Mailbag: Castmagic Castmagic is an AI tool designed to transform audio content in

To ring in 2024 I’m excited to revisit an incredibly encouraging and human conversation I had with Carlos Whittaker earlier in 2023. More often than not “productivity minded” people can place too much emphasis on the weeks leading up to and the first few weeks of the New Year. I wanted to reverse that trend and focus on a conversation that reminds us of the importance of human connections and deep relationships in creating a life of contentment and true fulfillment. In this conversation Carlos and I talk about his latest book, How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us. Carlos is an author, podcaster, and global speaker who I’ve had the privilege of learning from in live settings and through his podcast Human Hope with Carlos Whittaker.  In How to Human, Carlos offers a fresh vision for becoming the best versions of ourselves. We can refuse to let disagreements define us. We can say no to becoming upset, rage-filled humans and say yes to fuller, happier lives. It

As we wrap up 2023 I wanted to revisit a few conversations over the next two weeks that impacted me most this past year. This week I’m delighted to revisit a really powerful talk with author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin. The Holiday and New Years season can bring with it a good deal of stress and anxiety and this conversation reminds us of the importance of stepping outside our everyday anxieties by truly connecting with nature, our bodies, and the world around us. In this chat we unpack many of the principles contained within her book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World.  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 appreciati

This week I was excited to welcome Charlie Gilkey back to the show to talk about his latest book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. Charlie has been on the show before to discuss his previous book Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done. He is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a company that helps professional creatives, leaders, and changemakers take meaningful action on work that matters. He is internationally known as a thought leader on productivity, planning, strategy, and leadership for creative people. Charlie is also the author of The Small Business Life Cycle, and is widely cited in outlets such as Inc., Time, Forbes, the Guardian, Lifehacker, and more. He’s also an Army veteran and near-PhD in philosophy. In this conversation, Charlie shares his insights on the power of teamwork and discusses his new book, presenting a fresh perspective on improving team productivity. We discuss the importance of team dynamics to overcome challenges and mistakes addressing the s