How I Work

If you’re into productivity or life-hacking, you’ve probably come across some pretty unusual tips and tools recently: we’re talking automatic ice baths, full-scale saunas, magic mushroom teas, and a whole lot of multi-hour morning routines. 

While I love a wild idea as much as the next productivity nerd, I also have a budget! Thankfully, Susan Carland’s favourite time-savers and life-upgraders are as accessible as they come. As long as she’s got a piping hot cup of coffee in her hand when she gets down to work, she’s happy. 

Susan gives you her favourite, low-key tips for living the good life every day, and shares how her daily prayer ritual helps build self-discipline, while also allowing her to develop a deeper relationship with herself. 

Connect with Susan on Instagram or listen to the What Happens Next? podcast 

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My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No two careers will ever look exactly the same, but few of them look anything like a professional sporting career. Former AFL player Tom Boyd is the prime example: he’d worked towards the same goal since his early childhood, and after reaching the pinnacle of his game, he retired at the ripe old age of 23. 

So, what do you do when your career ends before you’re even halfway through your twenties? 

Tom reflects on his sporting career and shares its most impactful lessons, covering everything from the importance of adequate recovery through to life-changing advice about better decision-making. He also discusses how he’s taking the unique skills and character traits that made him a great football player and leveraging them in his new career as a public speaker and mental health ambassador. 

Connect with Tom on Instagram, LinkedIn or pick up a copy of his book, Nowhere to Hide

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What matters most when pursuing a goal? Discipline? Routine? Accountability? All of those are important, sure, but how come nobody ever mentions fun? 

Economist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman wants to change that: according to research out of the Univeristy of Chicago and Cornell University, people persist in goal pursuit for longer if they can find a way to make the process more enjoyable. 

Katy gives this advice to her students, but it’s also the guiding force in her own career. Academia is vast and multi-faceted, and Katy knows she can only perform at the highest level if she’s fuelled by passion and joy. 

Katy also shares advice for speeding up your writing, and explains how one book changed her thinking forever. 

Connect with Katy on her website or on LinkedIn

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The greatest stories inspire, terrify, inform and change us. They might change our lives, or simply help us get through the day. But if we know how central stories are to the human experience, why don’t more of us learn how to craft them more effectively? 

Matthew Dicks has been writing (and teaching writing) for decades now, and he’s seen the craft of storytelling change many lives in many ways. Most of all, he’s seen just how beneficial it is to tell stories to ourselves. 

Whether your ultimate goal is to share your stories with the world, or you just want to give better presentations at the office, learning how to craft a great story won’t just give you more influence over others, it’ll give you more influence over yourself. 

In that spirit, I asked Matthew to help me improve a story I was preparing for a work presentation, and he walked me through his thought process every step of the way. 

Connect with Matthew on Twitter, Instagram or at his website. Pick up a copy of Storyworthy, or check out Matthew’s newest course if you want to improve your writing. 

You can find the full interview here: Matthew Dicks teaches you to think and write like a master storyteller

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When he reached 60, Nigel Marsh realised his most ‘conventionally’ successful days might be behind him… But what does that actually mean? 

After a long and lucrative career in the commercial sector, Nigel knew the day would come when he’d no longer be able to keep pace with his younger colleagues. He’s had to accept that there comes a time in all of our lives when we need to step back and slow down. But he’s also learning that slowing down is far from a bad thing. 

Nigel’s gone from running multinational corporations with tens of thousands of employees, to overseeing just one employee - himself. And while it takes humility to accept such a huge change, his new, more independent work life has come with its own perks. 

Finally free to pursue more of his own interests, and to dedicate more time and attention to the work he’s most passionate about, Nigel’s discovering a new kind of success after 60.     

Connect with Nigel at his website, or pick up a copy of Smart, Stupid and Sixty 

You can find the full interview here: Clarity, alignment and momentum with Nigel Marsh

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wil Anderson knows you think your mates are funnier than him, but that doesn’t bother him. After more than two decades dominating the Australian comedy scene, Wil’s learned that his job isn’t just to be funny: his job is to be funny when the red light comes on. 

Wil recognises that life is hard more often than it’s easy, and nobody performs at their best when things are truly tough. However, what separates the professionals from the hobbyists, he says, is the ability to perform even (and especially) when the conditions aren’t perfect. 

And since internalising this lesson, Wil’s come full circle on his approach to ‘bad days.’ Now, he relishes difficult times, because they’re an opportunity for him to strengthen his resolve and practice his professionalism.

Connect with Wil on Instagram or listen to his podcasts here

You can find the full interview here: Wil Anderson’s on-the-fly creative process

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On his enormously popular blog, Wait But Why, Tim Urban writes about some pretty heavy topics. He’s covered North Korea, the state of American politics and culture, and Elon Musk’s rise to fame, to name just a few. So you might be surprised when you click onto the blog for the first time and see it’s overrun with… stick figure drawings? 

Tim’s writing style is playful and personable, but his unique illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting to make his work so eye-catching and so memorable. Whether it’s a graph demonstrating just how few weeks make up a human life, or characters representing our inner demons, Tim’s constantly seeking novel ways to get his point across. 

Tim explains how he decides when to illustrate versus when to let his words do the talking, and highlights the most common cases where words alone don’t quite cut it.  

Connect with Tim on Twitter, or his website Wait But Why

You can find the full interview here: Tim Urban on seeing the bigger picture and beating procrastination

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Among great thinkers, the long walk or run is nothing new. Philosophers, artists, novelists and world leaders have long espoused the value of solitude for working through thorny problems. 

Award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie is no different. Whether he’s stuck in a tough patch of writing, or trying to figure out his next move in a delicate investigation, running alone often leads to the solution. 

But Nick doesn’t always run alone. In fact, he’s turned running into one of his favourite ways to connect more deeply with his contacts, sources and colleagues. The initial conversations he has with sources can be tense - usually, they’re risking a great deal to help him with his work. So getting together, out of business attire and into sweaty neon workout gear, and going for a short run helps to break the ice and bring guards down on both sides… 

Connect with Nick on Twitter or on his website. 

You can find the full interview here: Award-winning journalist Nick McKenzie on death threats, confirmation bias and the power of insecurity

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Dicks is a master storyteller, and he’s just as committed to understanding great stories as he is to crafting them himself. 

The author, school teacher and writing coach has spent years studying stories, trying to figure out why they impact us so deeply, and searching for the principles that underpin the very best of them. 

His most important finding: stories are about change over time. Whether it’s an historical epic like War and Peace or the recounting of a single conversation, all great stories are about how people change, and why. 

So, whenever Matthew’s working on a story and it’s not coming together, he asks himself: what’s meant to change?  

Connect with Matthew on Twitter, Instagram or at his website. Pick up a copy of Storyworthy, or check out Matthew’s newest course if you want to improve your writing. 

You can find the full interview here: Matthew Dicks teaches you to think and write like a master storyteller

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to lead one of the world’s most creative and innovative companies? 

Mel Silva’s been with Google for over 16 years, and now as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, she’s a pivotal part of fostering the company’s world-famous culture. 

Mel unpacks the key lessons she’s learned in her many roles with the company, including the lessons she’s learned from her coach, and what she’s learned about herself and her leadership style since becoming a mentor for up-and-coming Googlers. 

Mel also shares her most valuable new working practice, which she calls ‘thinking days,’ and teaches you how to make deep thinking time as effective as possible for you and your organisation. 

Connect with Mel on LinkedIn

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram 

If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.