How I Work

If you’re serious about working smarter (not harder) and unlocking 10+ hours of your week, Inventium’s GenAI Productivity Upgrade course is for you. Learn how to use Gen AI as your second brain - to speed up research, streamline content creation, and make better decisions in less time. 

Spots are limited, and the next cohort kicks off on July 14. Don’t miss this chance to radically transform the way you work. Learn more and sign up here: https://inventium.com.au/genai-cohort/ 

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If you’ve lost hours falling down a Google rabbit hole while prepping for a workshop or writing a strategy paper, there’s a better way. Gen AI can act as your personal research assistant, helping you tackle complex topics in a fraction of the time. 

In this mini-episode, we are joined by Inventium’s GenAI guru Neo Aplin to unpack the power of “deep research.” Neo explains how AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini can scan hundreds of sources, summarise key insights, and create detailed reports - all in a matter of minutes. 

Today we learn: 

• What deep research is and how it works 

• The Gen AI tools that offer deep research (and Neo’s go-to choice) 

• Why you need to co-create the research plan with AI for the best results 

• Tips for writing prompts that get you better outcomes when undertaking deep research 

Key quotes: 
“It’s like outsourcing four hours of online digging in five minutes.” 
“The better the background and context you can give, the better the results.” 
“Review everything. Click on it. Make sure it’s correct. But you’ll get a super-detailed report that saves you hours.” 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So much of how we spend our time is shaped by invisible rules we never agreed to. From how often you check email to how long you take to reply, these “time rules” run in the background - until you stop to question them. 

In part two of this conversation, New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau joins me to talk about how to break free from these hidden rules and why living well beats chasing productivity hacks any day. 

Chris shares the question that helps him reset when he feels stuck, the “eighth day of the week” exercise that can change how you use your time, and his take on why the system or app you use doesn’t really matter. 

In this episode, Chris and I talk about: 

• The “eighth day of the week” exercise for making time for what matters 

• How to spot the hidden “time rules” running your life 

• The 40-minute reflection rule that helps Chris stay on track 

• Why Chris believes the greatest productivity hack is to love what you do 

• How to decide what really matters—day by day, moment by moment 

Key Quotes: 

“I thought I was getting better at the wrong things.”

“The greatest productivity hack is to love what you do.”

 “How valuable were my last 40 minutes?”

 “Did today matter?” 

Connect with Chris on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, Listen to his podcast Side Hustle School, and check out his latest book Time Anxiety. 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The big catch with a creative business is that the more successful you get, the more your creative endeavour can feel like a chore instead of a passion. But what if there was one thing you could do to ensure the passion stays?

Ben Shewry is head chef and owner of multi-award winning Melbourne restaurant, Attica. Attica has been featured several times in the The World's 50 Best Restaurants and has been named the Best Restaurant in Australia. He is also the author of bestseller Uses for Obsession, a memoir about Ben’s experiences in hospitality.

With all of this success and all these projects, Ben has definitely found more demands on his time, and yet he still manages to keep that joy and passion with his creative work.

Ben shares:

• 🎭 Why becoming successful could make it harder to do your creative passion
• 🔥 A simple way you can ensure the passion stays with your creative projects
• 🎶 How to use music to help your creative process

Listen to the full interview with Ben here.

Connect with Ben on Instagram or read his book Uses for Obsession.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever get the sense that no matter how much you do, you’re still running out of time? Like there’s something you should be doing, but you can’t quite figure out what it is? 

In this episode of How I Work, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau to talk about a feeling so many of us carry but rarely name: time anxiety. From guilt over unread emails to the pressure to leave a legacy, Chris shares the practical strategies that helped him stop chasing time - and start living with more calm and clarity. 

In this episode: 

• What time anxiety is—and why so many of us feel it without even realising 

• How Chris let go of the pressure to leave a legacy 

• A weekly “time decluttering” ritual that can clear your calendar 

• Why “just prioritise better” is the worst advice 

• The bold email strategy Chris swears by (even if it ruffles a few feathers) 

• Why leaving 10–15 minutes of buffer time between commitments can change everything 

Key Quotes: 
“You have to decide for yourself what is enough.” 

 “It’s not about being an email ninja - it’s about understanding what matters.” 

Connect with Chris on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, Listen to his podcast Side Hustle School, and check out his latest book Time Anxiety. 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Worrying can take up so much of our time, especially when most of what we worry about never actually happens.

This worrying uses up time that could be better spent on the things that truly count, but how can we reduce this and actually free up that time?

Oliver Burkeman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ and ‘Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts’. Oliver is also a regular columnist for The Guardian.

Oliver shares:

• 🧬 The evolutionary reason we worry and why it doesn’t serve us effectively in a modern world
• 🤔 Why understanding why we worry is the first step to minimising the amount of time it takes up
• 🛠️ Some key strategies we can all use to reduce our time spent worrying

Listen to the full interview with Oliver here: https://amantha.com/podcasts/want-to-make-time-for-the-things-that-count/

Connect with Oliver via his website, or get his latest book, Meditations for Mortals, here

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your to-do list is full but your energy is gone, this episode is for you. 

In this special crossover episode from the This Is Work podcast, I sat down with Shelley Johnson to talk about energy, deep work, and why true productivity has more to do with cold water and Kindles than hustle and hacks. 

I also share what’s working (and what’s not) as I write my fifth book on burnout and depletion, including the habits I’ve doubled down on, and the ones I’ve thrown out. 

In this episode Shelley and I talk about: 

• The counterintuitive productivity hack I use daily 

• How I re-work book concepts while walking and talking to ChatGPT 

• The “hall pass” rule that makes new habits actually stick 

• Why minimum effort often leads to maximum energy 

Key Quotes: 

“So much advice out there is completely unattainable. I’m interested in what gives us energy that’s actually doable for real people.” 

“It’s not about doing more. It’s about being smart with the time and energy we do have.” 

“If we don’t track where our time is going, we’ll keep spending our energy on the wrong things.” 

“Just splashing cold water on your face can be enough to reset. You don’t need to jump into an ice bath.” 

Connect with Shelley via LinkedIn, or through Boldside’s Instagram and website. For more conversations on meaningful work, sustainable success, and showing up as your best self – check out Shelley’s podcast this is work. 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/  

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)  

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)  

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe  

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.  

Get in touch at [email protected]  

Credits:   

Host: Amantha Imber   

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you find yourself set up for a productive day, only to be derailed by your emails?

Checking and replying to emails can eat up so much time - and what’s worse is that the false sense of productivity checking email provides can be very addictive.

The problem of spending way too much time in my inbox has been bugging me for some time, so I was very excited to find out that Michael Bungay Stanier has had similar problems and has been working on solutions.

Michael is a renowned speaker, teacher and author whose books have sold over 1.5 million copies. In fact, his best known book, The Coaching Habit, topped the Wall Street Journal bestseller list with Brenè Brown calling it “a classic”. He was named #1 Thought Leader in Coaching by Thinkers50, and has been featured in top publications like Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company.

Michael is clearly very busy and can’t afford to waste time on emails, yet he still finds himself procrastinating with them.

But he has a lot of strategies and tricks that we might be able to use.

Michael shares:

• Why we get stuck in the cycle of emails even when we know we shouldn’t
• The techniques and programs we can use to reduce email use
• Why you might need to use incentives and consequences to enforce your email reduction strategies.

Listen to the full interview here.

Connect with Michael via his website, Instagram, LinkedIn, or buy the Do Something That Matters Journal.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your phone isn't just a device – it's a Swiss Army knife of untapped potential sitting in your pocket. In this episode, we dive deep into the secret capabilities your smartphone has been hiding from you, transforming how you'll use technology forever.

From instantly identifying any plant on your daily walk to scheduling texts that make you look professionally put-together (even when you're not), these features aren't just clever tricks – they're life-changing hacks the tech companies never bothered to tell you about.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to create custom keyboard shortcuts that will save you hours of typing each month
• The hidden camera feature that can identify any plant, animal or object with a single tap
• Why your expensive white noise machine is now redundant – and how to access soothing sounds for free
• The game-changing way to schedule texts to send at appropriate times (perfect for midnight inspiration)
• How greyscale mode can dramatically reduce your screen addiction without willpower
• The built-in optical character recognition that instantly digitises any text you point your camera at
• A native call recording solution that doesn't require dodgy third-party apps
• The automatic transcription tool that converts voice to text with surprising accuracy

Whether you're a productivity obsessive or just want to squeeze more value from your expensive device, these tips will revolutionise your relationship with the technology you use every day.

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My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you find yourself setting the same goals year after year, only to leave them unaccomplished?
If so, it might be time to try a new strategy for planning your goals.

In this quick win I’m joined by ABC broadcaster and Host of ‘This Working Life’, Lisa Leong to talk about why a pre mortem could be the strategy you need to set achievable goals for the year.

Lisa shares:

• What a ‘pre-mortem’ is and how it can help you set achievable goals for the next year
• How to make sure a ‘pre-mortem’ works if you are doing it for a team
• Why a ‘pre-victorum’ is essential to do as well if you are setting personal goals

Listen to the full interview with Lisa here.

Connect with Lisa via Instagram, or check out ‘This Working Life.”

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes and answering your questions about how I structure my day, manage distractions, and design habits that truly stick. 

From my early-morning writing sessions to the psychological hacks I use to stay focused (especially on “off” days), I’m sharing what’s genuinely worked for me - and what hasn’t. 

In this episode, I share: 

• The exact planning process I use every week and month 

• Why I don’t believe in only checking email twice a day 

• How I structure my day around my chronotype 

• The strategy I use when I’m feeling totally unfocused 

• How I’ve hacked my environment for better behaviour change 

• My go-to productivity tools and latest tech obsessions 

Whether you’re deep in the productivity rabbit hole or just want to improve your focus and energy, there’s something here for you. 

Amantha recommends: 

• Snipd: A genius podcast player for saving and sharing your favourite podcast moments. Grab a free month of Premium here 

• Whisper Flow: The effortless voice dictation tool that’s changed how I get my thoughts on the screen. Download it here 

Have a question you want me to answer in the next AMA episode? Reach out via email ([email protected]) or socials – I’d love to hear from you! 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

Credits:  

Host: Amantha Imber  

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.