Beyond The To-do List

This week I’m really excited to share this conversation with Oliver Burkeman. I was inspired by this chat as Oliver is proposing a fresh and humane look at productivity that goes far beyond time management systems and software trends to reach into the finite nature of time and the intuitive skills that we all possess to handle our daily tasks and schedules in a way that is more forgiving and human.  In his latest book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Oliver unpacks how the approximately four thousand hours that the average person has on earth is often spent thinking about, and even stressing about time management rather than embracing the natural flow of time and work cycles. As a contrast to this dread or even guilt that so many of us have regarding our productivity, Oliver stresses the importance of recognizing our limitations and finitude in terms of time and control.  In our talk Oliver also emphasizes the value of understanding these limitations and how it can be freeing, allowing us to

This week I’m excited to welcome Brittany Berger to the show to discuss productivity, fighting hustle culture, and helping creatives balance, work and rest. Brittany is the founder of Work Brighter where she talks and teaches about inclusive productivity and helping disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill and neurodivergent creatives find work balance. I’ve admired Brittany’s writing for some time now and enjoy reading about what she's doing with Work Brighter in her weekly newsletter.  In this episode we explore how productivity is all about finding the “best method for you” that both empowers you to get things done without experiencing exhaustion, feelings of laziness, or even guilt. Brittany breaks down some of her favorite techniques for working productively without experiencing fatigue or mental stress. In addition we discuss the value in journaling or tracking your time and your energy levels so you can find those ebbs and flows not just in your personal physiology, psychology and emotions, but also as

This week I’m excited to welcome Mike Williams to the podcast to discuss his new book Doing to Done: Productivity Made Simple Illustrated For Busy People Like Us. I was really delighted by the design, illustrations and readable nature of this book. Doing to Done is all about simplified, illustrated, easy-to-implement techniques that help you decrease overwhelm and turn chaos into clarity. It's a better way to be the best. This book teaches anyone how to cultivate quick wins that lead to big-time impacts in all areas of your life, for the rest of your life.  Mike Williams is a speaker, author, executive, and coach who helps leaders obtain small wins with a big impact on their lives and businesses. He gives people the actionable tools to succeed on their terms with less effort AND be at the top of their game in all areas of life. Through his leadership roles with General Electric, The David Allen Company, and Zappos, Mike kept noticing that people were desperate for a better path to productivity to help them fi

This week I'm excited to welcome Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst to the show to discuss their new book, Workstyle: A revolution for well being, productivity and society. If you're like me, perhaps you have heard or even used the term “workstyle” in the past without truly reflecting on the overall meaning or concept. As it turns out my guests this week coined the term nearly a decade ago during an inspired conversation at a pub. Little did they know that that conversation would lead them to co-found the multi-million pound social enterprise Hoxby to test and prove the concept of workstyle.  Today Hoxby has helped thousands of workstylers around the world to set, project and respect their own workstyles. They have set up their own longitudinal research study into the link between autonomy, productivity and wellbeing and have delivered projects for some of the biggest businesses in the world including Unilever, Amazon, AIA, and Merck. Forbes.com have described them as 'creating the freelance revolution 3.0' and they

This week I was excited to welcome Scott Miller to the show for a great talk about his latest book, Master Mentors Volume 2: 30 Transformative Insights from Our Greatest Minds. As the book’s title suggests this is the second installment in a ten volume series collecting the best insights and observations from hundreds of episodes of the FranklinCovey on Leadership with Scott Miller podcast. This is a great, easy to read book filled with practical insights on everything from productivity to planning systems. In our chat Scott and I discuss a number of these insights including thoughts from Michael Hyatt, Guy Kawasaki, Marie Forleo, Tiffany Aliche, and more. I always love talking with fellow podcasters and Scott was no exception. This free-flowing conversation is packed with the types of observations and tips that Scott is so qualified to illuminate and illustrate for us.  Scott Miller, a highly sought-after speaker, author, and podcast host, is currently FranklinCovey’s senior advisor on thought leadership, le

This week I was both excited and intrigued to welcome Gaia Bernstein to the show for an eye opening talk about the addictive nature of technology. Gaia is a Law Professor, Co-Director of the Institute for Privacy Protection and Co-Director of the Gibbons Institute for Law Science and Technology at the Seton Hall University School of Law. She writes, teaches and lectures in the intersection of law, technology, health and privacy.  In her new book, Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies she shatters the illusion that we can control how much time we spend on our screens by resorting to self-help measures. Unwired shifts the responsibility for a solution from users to the technology industry, which designs its products to addicts. The book draws out the legal action that can pressure the technology industry to re-design its products to reduce technology overuse. Gaia has academic degrees in both law and psychology. Her research combines findings from psychology, sociology, science and technology stu

This week I was excited to welcome Phil Simon back to the show to discuss his new book, The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace. Phil is the world's leading independent expert on workplace collaboration and technology. He is the award-winning author of 14 books, and helps organizations communicate, collaborate, and use technology better. Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, Wired, NBC, CNBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The New York Times have featured his contributions. He also hosts the podcast Conversations About Collaboration. In our chat Phil and I discuss the 9 forces that are redefining the workplace. These forces include generative AI, automation, dispersed workforces, blockchain, immersive technologies, employee empowerment, and the return of systemic inflation. The workplace is undergoing a massive, irrevocable shift. The only question for business leaders is, What should you do about it? Phil and I begin to unpack some of the first steps that he has been observing

This week I was excited to talk with Monica Parker about her new book The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn. Monica is an author, speaker, and the founder of global human analytics and change consultancy HATCH, though her career has been punctuated with such highlights as being an opera singer, a museum exhibition designer, and a homicide investigator defending death row inmates for Florida’s Department of Justice.  With such an eclectic and varied set of interests Monica has observed that the key component that ties them all together is a sense of curiosity and wonder. In this conversation we unpack exactly what wonder is and why it can seem at times difficult to access. We also address the practical steps that you can take to rejuvenate and reconnect with the wonder of this world in your everyday life your observations and even your workplace. This is a vital episode for anyone who feels like their intellectual curiosity or even inner nerd has been fading an

This week I was honored and privileged to speak with Seth Godin about his new book, The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams. For most listeners Seth needs no introduction. Seth is perhaps best known for his prolific daily blog, as well as his books Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip and Purple Cow. I’ve been looking forward to this conversation for a long time now, and Seth of course did not disappoint. In our chat we unpack the purpose and passion that led Seth to writing this latest book. For anyone familiar with his book Linchpin, The Song of Significance is in many ways the spiritual sequel and companion piece to that book. If Linchpin was all about being indispensable on an individual level, The Song of Significance is about how to work together as a team of Linchpins.  This was a really encouraging chat for anyone who might be feeling anxiety about how their skills or unique voice fits into the modern workforce or for anyone considering taking their skills into a freelance or entrepreneurial journey.

This week I was privileged to welcome Dr. Luana Marques to Beyond The To Do List to talk about her new book: Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power. As the Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Director of the Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation & Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Marques is a national and international expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBTs) and a leader in increasing access to scientifically rigorous mental health practices.  In our chat Dr. Marques addresses the many forms that anxiety can manifest both in the workplace and our personal lives. We discuss the spectrum of anxiety and stress and the unique ways every person’s thoughts, behaviors and emotions begin to change in periods of anxiety. This is an extremely broad topic and by no means do Dr. Marques and I begin to address the many forms that anxiety, stress or depression can manifest; however he

This week I'm excited to welcome Nick Sonnenburg to the show for an informative discussion about his new book Come Up for Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work Nick is an entrepreneur, Inc. columnist, and guest lecturer at Columbia University. He is the Founder and CEO of Leverage, a leading operational efficiency consultancy that helps companies implement his CPR® Business Efficiency Framework.  Coming Up for Air and what Nick calls The CPR Framework is the culmination of Nick’s unique perspective on the value of time, efficiency, and automation which stems in part from the eight years he spent working as a high-frequency trader on Wall Street. The CPR Framework consistently results in greater output, less stress, happier employees, and the potential to gain an extra full day per week in productivity per person—just by using the right tools in the right way, at the right time. Nick and his team have worked with organizations of all sizes and across all industries, from high-g

This week I was excited to welcome Scott Allender to the show for a chat about one of my favorite tools for helping people establish their personality type and more importantly their unhealthy traits, The Enneagram. Scott is an expert in global leadership and organizational development. Along with co-hosting The Evolving Leader podcast, he regularly teaches Enneagram workshops and conducts typing interviews and emotional intelligence assessments for individuals and teams who seek to become more radically self-aware and cognizant of the impact they have on the world. Scott’s latest book, The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence - A Journey to Personal and Professional Success helps you chart a personality-specific path toward lasting emotional health and improved interpersonal relationships by integrating the nine types contained within The Enneagram with the essential skills of emotional intelligence. In this episode Scott unpacks the basic principles of The Enneagram while exploring how the integration of his

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 etymol

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

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

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

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

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

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

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