A Productive Conversation

A Productive Conversation

By Mike VardyBusinessCareersManagement
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A Productive Conversation episodes

  • Fostering Creative Focus with Shawn Blanc
    Shawn Blanc is back on The Productivityist Podcast and on this episode we dive into the subject of creative focus. A father of three, Shawn has a passion for creative focus and productivity, regularly writing about these topics on his blog since 2007.
    In this episode, Shawn and I talk about his upcoming summit, the systems and tools he’s employed in both work and life, his core values, and books that he’s bought but might not have necessarily read.
    Some other specific subjects we tackled in this episode are:
    The Systems vs Tools Debate and how Shawn uses both to traverse his life.
    How his work values and practices relate to his family life.
    The concept of personal integrity and the future self, plus a simple exercise he does on The Focus Course to establish these concepts.
    The Blanc Media Core Values, the guidance given to him by Barrett Brooks to articulate these values, and how it ties up with his business direction.
    The concept of traction and how to apply this in real life...and towards reaching your goal.
    An article he wrote titled Learning Not to Think About It, what it meant for him, and how he does it.
    His reading practices, how he expounded on this in his article I Buy More Books Than I Read, and one book that has really impacted him in making choices, changes, and spending his time for the coming year.
    Finally, he talks about the Creative Focus Online Summit, The Focus Course and how these can help us to manage our time and other areas of our lives.
    Relevant Links
    shawnblanc.net | Shawn Blanc
    Blanc Media Core Values | Shawn Blanc
    Barrett Brooks | Website
    The Power of a Focused Life | The Focus Course
    How to Get Time For Your Projects | Shawn Blanc
    Learning Not to Think About It | Shawn Blanc
    2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%) | The Fizzle Show
    I Buy More Books Than I Read | Shawn Blanc
    Goodreads | 2016 Reading Challenge
    The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone | Amazon
    Shawn Blanc (@shawnblanc) | Twitter
    If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say.
    Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min
  • Fostering Creative Focus with Shawn Blanc
    Shawn Blanc is back on the Productivityist Podcast with Mike Vardy. This week, Mike and Shawn will be diving into the subject of creative focus. A father of three, Shawn has a passion for creative focus and productivity, regularly writing about these topics on his blog since 2007.
    42 min
  • Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber
    Michael E. Gerber, founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies and author of The E-Myth Book Series is my featured guest this week. He discusses the main concepts of his new book, Beyond the E-Myth.
    Michael is a pillar of business development and coaching going as far back as the 1970s, and his insights on systems, startups and scaling up businesses into enterprises will be central in this episode. You'll hear about decades worth of business acumen and you'll learn about:
    What is a company of one, and how to build and scale it up?
    How he started his business, his experience creating the first business development / coaching firm, and how he positioned it.
    The E-Myth series and its promise to fix broken businesses (which is a difficult thing to do), and how did that play a part on his decision to create Beyond the E-Myth.
    The concept of Old Co and New Co, the difference and transition between the two.
    The mindset that Michael wants entrepreneurs to have when conceptualizing their businesses.
    The definition and the four components of an entrepreneur, and the concept of The Dreaming Room™ to awaken the entrepreneur out of anyone.
    How to employ a business development program that even novices can operate.
    Relevant Links:
    Michael Gerber Companies
    Beyond the E-Myth
    Michael E. Gerber on Amazon
    Michael Gerber on Twitter, and Facebook
    If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say.
    Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    28 min
  • Picking the Low Hanging Fruit with James Sudakow
    James Sudakow, author of the book Picking the Low Hanging Fruit, is this episode’s guest and we talk about the language people use in the corporate world.
    Every organization or group got acronyms, buzzwords, or phrases that is used on a daily basis. On this episode, James and I discuss how these can benefit organizations – but sometimes cause disconnect in communication. James also reveals some buzzwords that he thinks people should stop using by the end of the year, and how an individual can shift away from the habit of using such words.
    Let’s "open the kimono" on this episode and learn about:
    People’s intentions when they choose to use big words.
    How to stop this practice in organizations firmly entrenched into such kind of language.
    James’ list of buzzwords that people should retire from use by the end of 2016, and the most obscure phrases he’s heard.
    An open letter James wrote on his blog tackling the ridiculous lingo being used in the corporate world.
    The probability of grandiose language masking larger organizational problems.
    How acronyms initially intended for efficiency can quickly spiral out of control.
    One small thing an individual can do that can result in a shift from the practice of using these kind of words and phrases.
    Relevant Links:
    Home | James Sudakow
    Picking the Low Hanging Fruit: And Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World: James Sudakow, Todd Kale: | Amazon
    “Re-invented” is the new corporate buzzword that gives me a headache | James Sudakow
    A new approach to ridding us of stupid corporate lingo | James Sudakow
    CH Consulting | James Sudakow
    Why do corporate types love acronyms so much?
    James Sudakow's articles | Inc.com
    James Sudakow (@JamesSudakow) | Twitter
    If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say.
    Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    28 min
  • The Power of Journaling with Zachary Sexton
    The guest for this week's podcast episode is my friend Zachary Sexton, formerly of Asian Efficiency.
    We speak about the science and art of journaling as a productivity practice. He shares his insights on journaling, and expounds on the medium and apps he uses, the structure of his journal, and the purpose it serves him to reflect on his past and plan for the future.
    This episode includes narratives about:
    The idea that journaling is a teenage girl thing, the reason why both Zack and Mike are doing this now, and how long has Zack been journaling.
    How Facebook is basically public journaling and how to translate this into a private and personal log for systems improvement, habit building, and daily planning.
    The structure Zack and Mike follow with their respective journals.
    Why Zack decided on using the digital medium for journaling and his hacks to make it faster and more efficient.
    The practice of reviewing journals by the end of the year, and how Zack maintains accountability to ensure he is moving towards the direction and objectives he has set.
    Zack's tips for people contemplating to start journaling and the benefits of the practice in terms of archiving, reflecting, planning, and decision-making.
    Zack's journaling exercise together with his fiancée, who has always been interested in journaling but hasn’t just gotten around to doing it.
    Related Links
    2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%) | The Fizzle Show 099
    The Simple 10-Minute Daily Activity (Backed by Science) That Could Make You More Productive Forever | Fizzle
    The Productivityist Small Wins Journaling Challenge | Productivityist
    How to Start (and Keep) a Journal that Works for You | Productivityist
    The Way I Journal: Sven Fechner | Day One
    Using Drafts to journal in Day One | Jeff Taekman's WiPPP
    Five Minute Journal TextExpander Snippets | Chuck Grimmett
    Asian Efficiency
    The Productivity Show | A Podcast by Asian Efficiency
    The Simple Guide To Managing Your Email More Effectively | Asian Efficiency
    Bookworm | Podcast Book Club
    Productive Journaling: Writing Your Way to Success With Evernote | Zachary Sexton
    Home | Zachary Sexton
    Newsletter | Zachary Sexton
    Zachary Sexton (@zwsexton) | Twitter
    Zach Sexton (@z.w.sexton) | Instagram
    If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say.
    Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
  • The Power of Journaling with Zachary Sexton
    The guest for this week's podcast episode is Zachary Sexton (formerly of Asian Efficiency) whom together with host Mike Vardy discusses the science and art of journaling as a productivity practice. Listen as Zack shares his insights on journaling, and expounds on the medium and apps he uses, the structure of his journal, and the purpose it serves him to reflect on his past and plan for the future.
    33 min
  • Paperless Productivity with Brooks Duncan
    Brooks Duncan from DocumentSnap (a.k.a. The Paperless Guy) is this week’s guest on The Productivityist Podcast. We talked about many things, but primarily focused on the idea of backing up and going paperless.
    Brooks sets things straight on the concept of going paperless, which often people think means just not using paper at all. He also recounts how he fell into the paperless lifestyle, and how people can also choose to do the same with theirs. Brooks and I walk through the process of easing into the paperless life, its benefits, as well as recommended apps to help us all transition into this lifestyle.
    On this episode, we discussed:
    Brooks’ definition of ‘paperless’ and when did he decide to explore the paperless life.
    The best way of keeping track of the digital files upon switching to paperless.
    The framework / system / sample workflow to get it from paper to digital.
    Brooks’ thoughts the rise of digital-analog hybrid notebooks.
    What were the benefits of the digital space as well as its disadvantages and security.
    The launch of the second version of The Paperless Security Guide.
    Related Links
    DocumentSnap
    Evernote Scannable
    The Productivityist Podcast 52: Everything Evernote with Andrew Sinkov
    Slice Planner
    Rocketbook Wave
    Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
    Paperless Security Guide
    Brooks Duncan (@documentsnap) | Twitter
    If you enjoy The Productivityist Podcast I'd appreciate a rating and review in iTunes or your podcasting platform of choice. It helps people find the show easier and will help me make improvements on the show by seeing what you have to say.
    Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
    If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min

About A Productive Conversation

From the publisher's feed

Hosted by productivity strategist Mike Vardy, A Productive Conversation offers insightful discussions on how to craft a life that aligns with your intentions. Each episode dives into the art of time devotion, productiveness, and refining your approach to daily living. Mike invites guests who are thinkers, doers, and creators to share their strategies for working smarter and living more intentionally. From practical tips to deep dives on mindset shifts, this podcast will help you reframe your relationship with time and find balance in a busy world.

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