The Less Doing Podcast

213: Seth Godin - Meetings are a Festival to Avoid Responsibility


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Summary:
In Episode #213 Ari welcomes [Seth Godin](http://www.sethgodin.com/), a man who needs no introduction. (Find his blog by typing “Seth G” into Google.) Seth’s a bestselling author, speaker, thinker and doer. Listen as he and Ari talk about becoming more productive, why bigger isn’t better, and how to move past your fear and start _doing the work_.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 14:30 – Welcoming Seth to the show
- 15:41 – “Where we live is a state of mind”
- 17:40 – Eliminate meetings
- 19:30 – “Meetings are a festival to avoid responsibility”
- 21:10 – Don’t be busy to be busy
- 21:50 – “It can be entirely appropriate to be a meaningful specific”
- 23:00 – “Just because it’s important to you, doesn’t mean it should be on my agenda”
- 23:20 – Seth writes every day
- 24:50 – Writing forces you to have a point of view. That makes you meaningful.
- 25:50 – “A freelancer gets paid when she works. An entrepreneur builds a business bigger than herself”
- 27:00 – Seth is currently a freelancer - “I do all the work I get paid for”
- 27:40 – “You can’t do both at once...decide what you’re good at”
- 31:10 – “It doesn’t scale - so what? Bigger doesn’t have to be better”
- 33:10 – Seth sees his job as noticing and engaging with patterns
- 34:30 – “I’m always writing with my head and sometimes I’m writing with my fingers”
- 35:20 – Productivity tips help. But 90% is merely _doing the work_.
- 37:40– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_
- Commit to ongoing education. Learn how to engage, connect, think and speak.
- Create a culture around you that reinforces the effectiveness you seek.
- Commit to strategy, not tactics.
- [sethgodin.com](http://www.sethgodin.com)
Key Points:
1. Entrepreneurs create something bigger than themselves. Freelancers turn themselves into something big. You can’t be both at once.
2. _Do the work_. Write every day. Learn how to connect, engage, and make change happen. It’s as simple - simple, not easy - as that
3. Eliminate meetings. Communicate by email or one-on-one.
4. Look for truth, even when it’s difficult and frightening. Notice the world. Decide what kind of person you want to be.
Resources Mentioned:
- [Enflux](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1850884998/enflux-smart-clothing-3d-workout-tracking-and-form?ref=producthunt) - A suit that gives real-time feedback on your workout form
- [Cola](http://cola.io/?ref=producthunt) - A text app that lets you carry out tasks like surveys - in one message
- [Video Slam](http://videoslamapp.com/?ref=producthunt) - Make a movie from photos and videos in your camera roll
- [Keezel](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keezel-online-freedom-for-every-device-everywhere#/) - Access American web content when you’re out of the country
- [The Leader](http://theleader.io/) - Feedback on satisfaction and leadership
- [If You're A Real Grownup Minivans Are Cool](http://jalopnik.com/if-youre-a-real-grown-up-minivans-are-cooler-than-cros-1764226230?utm_source=nextdraft) - Article from Jalopnik
- [Deep Gram](https://www.deepgram.com/) - Transforms transcription by letting you search audio files for keywords
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Credits
- Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/)
- Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708)
- Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials)
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The Less Doing PodcastBy Ari Meisel