How I Work

What does success really mean? And more importantly, what does it mean to you? 

These are big questions, questions that author and executive coach Nigel Marsh says we can’t ignore. In fact, he believes that we can’t reliably achieve anything meaningful if we don’t first answer these questions. 

Nigel’s mantra is “clarity, alignment, momentum”, and he seeks each in that order. Without clarity and alignment, he says, momentum isn’t just useless - it can actually be destructive. After all, being ever more efficient, if you haven't worked out what you want to be and how you want to live, might just lead you to do even more of the wrong thing, even more efficiently.

Nigel shares how he and his coaching clients seek clarity, as well as the lessons he’s learned since writing his first book more than two decades ago. 

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

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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

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to productivity, you are your own worst enemy. Nobody knows how to trick you into procrastinating or cutting corners quite like you do. You know all of your own strengths, weaknesses and thought patterns. 

But if you know yourself better than anyone else does, that also means you are your own best resource for productivity tools, hacks, tips and tactics. 

Writer Eric Barker knows how important specificity is, especially when it comes to productivity. So while he loves poring over productivity books, courses, videos and articles, he knows that ultimately, it’s all down to him. 

Enter the “Book of Me.” Eric wants you to write your own productivity “bible”, specific to your needs and habits. If you know you don’t work well when you’re hungry, put it in the book. If you know you’re easily distracted by your phone, put it in the book. 

Eric details exactly how he approaches his own “Book of Me”, and how you can write your own. 

Connect with Eric on Twitter or LinkedIn

Pick up a copy of Plays Well With Others

You can find the full interview here: Eric Barker on his Five-Hour Rule and deliberate work-life imbalance

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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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not long ago, Australian theatre star Elise McCann was struggling. Like everyone else in the entertainment industry, her work ground to a screeching halt early in the pandemic, and she turned to mindfulness and meditation for help. But unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. 

Elise’s good friend and fellow actor Lucy Durack was struggling, too. In fact, she felt like she couldn’t even get meditation right: she was listening to guided meditations while changing her baby’s nappies in an effort to fit the practice into her day-to-day. 

Disenfranchised, the pair relied on one another for pep talks during lockdowns, and realised: they couldn’t be the only ones feeling like meditation wasn’t meant for them. So, they decided to share their pep talks with the world, and Hey Lemonade was born. 

But in order to take their new well-being app to market, they needed help - and how do two seasoned actors prepare for a meeting with one of Australia’s biggest names in business? By writing a script, naturally!

Elise shares how she scripted her entire pitch meeting for Hey Lemonade, and breaks down the time management system that allows her to perform, produce and run a company all at once. 

Connect with Elise on LinkedIn, Instagram or on the Hey Lemonade website

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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

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Wiseman’s love of magic has improved his work as a psychologist in some unexpected ways. Of course, it’s helpful when he’s conducting experiments or research into the psychology of magic and illusions; but the lessons magic teaches about performance and holding an audience’s attention have been just as valuable. 

For one thing, Richard never gives away “the answer” too early. If you open your presentation with your findings or big ideas, you have nowhere else to go. Richard instead teases the answer, builds suspense, and constructs a story around it - so his audience has to lean in and pay close attention to make sure they don’t miss anything. 

Richard also shares a simple mental re-frame for when he’s feeling uninspired or unexcited at the prospect of yet another presentation…

Connect with Richard on Twitter and at his website

You can find the full interview here: “Quirkology” Professor Richard Wiseman on using magic to up your public speaking game

***

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.

Creation of any kind is so complex - even when we do it ourselves, we sometimes wonder how it even happened. So if creation is so tricky, where do we even start with re-creation? 

For comedy legend Wil Anderson, the re-creation process is almost the more important one. After all, he only needs to write a show from scratch once, but he needs to recreate that show every single time he steps onto stage. 

Wil shares how his processes have evolved since his career began 25 years ago, and breaks down why it’s so critical to be able to perform at your best, even when you’re not feeling your best.

Connect with Wil on Instagram or listen to his podcasts here

***

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

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the difference between goals and dreams? For O2E Brands founder and CEO Brian Scudamore, there isn’t one. 

After entering the hyper-competitive world of entrepreneurship, Brian was disillusioned - he couldn’t help but compare himself to his new peers, who had bigger, more successful businesses. Struggling to stay motivated or excited about the future, Brian turned to his imagination.

Debating whether or not to just pack it in and give up, Brian started painting a picture - he wrote feverishly, detailing everything he could possibly hope for his companies (and his life) to become… And the possibilities excited him. 

They also scared him a little… But according to Brian, that’s how you know you’re on the right track. 

Connect with Brian on Twitter and LinkedIn

You can find the full interview here: Anything you can imagine: how O2E Brands CEO Brian Scudamore turns visions into reality

***

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.

Is your life too complicated? Sure, work’s always a bit hectic and keeping family life running smoothly is as challenging as ever - but have you noticed that even the ‘good’ stuff can get a bit overwhelming sometimes? 

Was picking a movie to watch after work on a Friday night always this difficult? Was your closet always so stuffed with items you can’t even remember buying? 

This is part of what Leo Babauta calls the cycle of expanding and narrowing our focus. When we develop new interests or hobbies, or start a new job, we tend to expand - but if we don’t then narrow things down, by removing clutter or saying ‘no’ more often, life can become a bit too unwieldy. 

Leo shares how he thinks about narrowing and expanding in his own life, and breaks down his journaling rituals and the writing techniques he’s borrowed from software developers.

Connect with Leo on Twitter or at the Zen Habits website

***

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

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to improve the quality of your thinking? Well, then you need to improve the quality of your writing…

Need proof? Look no further than Frances Frei, an author, TED speaker and Professor of Technology and Informations Management at Harvard Business School. Clearly an excellent thinker - but it doesn’t happen by accident. Frances believes writing is the key to unlocking and improving our thinking, and she takes it seriously. She writes draft after draft after draft, continuously shedding flabby thinking until her presentations are lean, mean thought machines.

And she didn’t get here alone: all those drafts, and especially the ones written well after Frances thinks she’s done, are mandated by her wife and fellow leadership expert, Anne Morriss. Frances credits much of her success to Anne’s attention to detail and dogged persistence - not just as a co-writer, but as an in-house mentor. 

Frances and Anne share the most valuable career advice they’ve ever received, including the advice they’ve received from one another.  

Connect with Frances and Anne on LinkedIn

You can find the full interview here: Trust, leadership and taking a break from technology with Frances Frei and Anne Morriss

***

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.

Sarah Wilson’s work gives new meaning to the word ‘holistic’. She’s widely known for founding the I Quit Sugar movement, but is also an author, podcaster, keynote speaker, philanthropist and climate change advisor. And somehow - every job’s connected. 

One of the threads linking everything Sarah does is anxiety. Whether it’s nixing sugar from her diet to promote better mental health, or advocating for more walking, Sarah’s constantly exploring methods for living (and thriving) with anxiety. 

She shares how the right philosophy turns anxiety into a superpower, and her go-to, day-to-day hacks and habits for managing her mental health. Sarah also explains why making the new way ‘more charming’ is the key to affecting real change.

Connect with Sarah on Twitter or 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

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you need to reset? 

Whether you’re starting at a new company, starting a new position, or just starting a new season in your work-life, an effective reset is the key to hitting the ground running at a new, more efficient pace. 

For the execs at Google, this is absolutely critical - that’s why they listen to Laura Mae Martin, Google’s Executive Productivity Advisor. Step one: don’t just do what you did last time!

When it’s time to reset her calendar, Laura employs a “zero-based” approach, one that’s common in budgeting, but should be more common in calendaring. Instead of just repeating what she did last year, last season or last week, Laura starts from scratch - from zero - and assesses each new opportunity, task and meeting with fresh eyes. 

Instead of saying, “this is how we’ve done it”, Laura wants you to ask, “is this what I need to do this time?”

Connect with Laura on YouTube or the Google Keyword blog

You can find the full interview here: Productivity expert Laura Mae Martin helps you “spring clean” your work habits before returning to the office

***

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.