How I Work

You’ve got big ideas… Big dreams for your company… Maybe even for the world! But how do you keep those big dreams and ideas alive on a day-to-day basis? 

Daniel Flynn knows a thing or two about keeping big ideas alive. He founded thankyou with hopes of ending poverty, and they’re still making moves on this front, more than a decade on. And Daniel says the key is to make time and space for big-picture thinking, even when it feels like your workload wants you to do otherwise. 

Daniel sets aside one day a week for what he calls “blue-sky thinking”, and he protects it like nothing else. No emails, no texts, no slack messages; nothing but his imagination. 

He also shares what he’s learned from his most influential mentors over the years, and how thankyou adapted its famously social work culture after the company went fully remote. 

Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or the thankyou 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.

What do your Mondays look like? Or more importantly, what do they feel like? 

You might be demolishing your to-do list and running meeting after meeting, but do you feel energised? Do you feel enthusiastic about what you’re doing? 

If you don’t, it probably doesn’t matter how many items get ticked off your list, because you’re going to run out of steam before you get the meaningful work done. So, what’s the solution? 

Anthony Zaccaria’s Mondays are sacred - he’s wary of “busy work”, and sets aside Monday mornings for deep work, knowing that it could well be his only opportunity before the week kicks into high gear for everyone else. 

And when it comes time to focus, Anthony’s simple rituals ensure he can drop into a flow state at a moment’s notice. 

Connect with Anthony on Twitter or Linktree

You can find the full interview here: Linktree co-founder Anthony Zaccaria on unicorn status, managing growth and conscious parenting

***

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.

You think you’ve got a procrastination problem? TIm Urban, the man behind the sensationally popular blog Wait But Why reckons he might have you covered. He’s so well-acquainted with procrastination, in fact, that he gave a TED talk on the topic… And finalised it at the last minute. 

However, for a self-proclaimed master procrastinator, Tim sure gets a lot done. And thankfully, among the many, many articles he’s written are some antidotes for the serial procrastinator. 

Tim shares his process for researching and understanding big, complex ideas, and turning them into digestible, entertaining reading.

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

***

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.

We all have that ONE friend - that friend who somehow manages to get into the gym every morning, crush her workday, hang out with her family, and read the kinds of books you’ve had on your “to-read” list for years. All without breaking a sweat. How do they do it? 

Well, that’s exactly the question author, economist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman wants you to ask. Research shows that when we tackle the same projects or goals alongside a friend or colleague, we’re more likely to succeed. And if you’re working towards the same thing, it probably pays to share what’s working with one another, right? 

Katy believes in the “copy and paste” method not just because of research, but also because she does it herself, and the results speak for themselves. 

After all, when you regularly work with Grit author Angela Duckworth, there’s plenty of great ideas to copy and paste!

Connect with Katy on Twitter or LinkedIn

You can find the full interview here: Fresh starts, commitment devices and collaboration - changing for the better with Katy Milkman

***

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.

Imagine trying to hold the attention of a child for a full, uninterrupted hour. Now imagine trying to hold the attention of a whole theatre full of them!

If it seems impossible, comedy duo Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly (AKA The Listies) have proven the opposite. And they’ve managed to do it while keeping adults equally entertained. 

Rich and Matt share their process for bringing a full show to life, from inception to performance, as well as their philosophy for making art for kids.

They also recount the most valuable lessons they learned in their previous gigs in surrealist theatre, and give their top tips for maintaining a healthy and productive partnership as co-creators, co-performers, and co-owners of a business. 

Connect with The Listies at their website or on YouTube

***

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.

How do you talk about big issues, on the internet, without getting cancelled? In our modern information age, most of our most heated and important debates happen online, whether it’s through blogs, comment sections, YouTube videos or podcasts. 

While this unprecedented level of access to almost anyone’s opinions might’ve sounded like a dream to the tech-heads of yesteryear… Well, you probably know it’s not quite the dream we thought it might be. Sadly, all that access has a downside. 

Whether it’s plain old trolls or well-meaning critics, you’re going to have a lot of digital watchdogs once you start publishing your ideas online. And Mamamia Out Loud co-hosts Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens are no strangers to this kind of scrutiny. 

So what have they done to avoid being cancelled in the era of the “cancel culture”?  

Mia shares her nuclear approach, while Holly and Jessie give tips for anyone who can’t quite step away from the noise.

Connect with Mia, Holly and Jessie on Instagram

You can find the full interview here: Mamamia Out Loud co-hosts Mia, Holly and Jessie on prep routines, reading lists and respectful disagreement

***

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.

Most people who can hire EA’s or personal assistants struggle with the decision - especially if you’ve never had one before, it can feel like a luxury more than a necessity. That is, until you take the plunge, and see how much more you can get done with the right assistant on your team!

But what if you’re not in a position to hire someone? Well, it turns out you don’t have to miss out on the productivity boost - you just need to learn the lesser-known features of your digital calendar, and make the tool work for you, rather than against you. 

Thankfully, Patrick Lightbody knows a thing or two about calendars. After running not one but two startups, Patrick developed a calendaring system to make sure nothing fell through the cracks - and he was especially committed to carving out more time for his health, his wellbeing, and his family. 

And now he’s sharing his system with you, through Reclaim, software that turns your calendar into a virtual assistant. 

Patrick shares how you can use Reclaim to up your calendar game, and he shares which existing Google Calendar features can help you get started. 

Connect with Patrick in the support chat at Reclaim.ai

***

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.

How much deep work do you get done on the average work day? And I mean DEEP work - completely focused, distraction-free work… An hour? Two?

Author Eric Barker does five. Yep, five - every single day. But how does he know for sure? Eric uses a simple countdown timer every day to track his most important work: the kind of work that doesn’t allow for a quick email check or a scroll through Instagram.

When he gets up to go to the bathroom, he pauses the timer. When he needs to check email, he pauses the timer. And when he just needs a break, he pauses the timer.

It might sound a bit pedantic at first, but Eric knows all too well just how easily we can trick ourselves out of hard work, and he doesn’t want to take any chances. And while it might sound intense, it’s not just a productivity tip: it’s also a means of preventing burnout. When the timer hits zero, Eric knows he’s done five good hours of focused work, and knows it’s time to relax and unwind.

Connect with Eric on Twitter or LinkedIn

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

***

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.

Stability might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the priorities of a working actor. But for Ada Nicodemou, she’s sought out and found exactly that in Home & Away. 

As a mother, the stereotypically chaotic and categorically unstable life of an actor has never been the right fit for Ada. Thankfully, though, her now two-decade tenure on Home & Away has provided her with a sense of security and routine almost impossible to find elsewhere in the industry.

So what does that routine actually consist of? 

How does an actor prepare when she sometimes has to shoot sixteen scenes in one day? How does she make time to look after herself, to exercise and to eat well? And how does the school pick-up work when you’ve just cried your eyes out in front of all your colleagues for the fifth time in as many days? 

Connect with Ada on Instagram

***

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.

You’ve heard it a million times by now: you need to start meditating. Maybe you’ve tried, like I have, but it just won’t stick. Maybe you can’t sit still for longer than five minutes, or maybe the whole thing feels a bit too woo-woo. If the latter is true, “Morning Pages” might sound like more of the same. 

But listening to Brian Koppelman break down his morning rituals, “woo-woo” definitely doesn’t come to mind. After beginning his career in the music industry before becoming an enormously successful screenwriter, director, producer and now show-runner, Brian’s nailed the delicate art of balancing hard-nosed professionalism and open-minded artistic creation. 

How? Well, like anything, it starts with his mornings. Brian’s an absolute devotee of Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages,” which he believes clears the “detritus” of the mind that can hold an artist back. And I say he’s a devotee, because he follows Cameron’s rules to the T. 

Except for one thing: meditation comes first. 

Connect with Brian on Twitter

You can find the full interview here: Learning on the job - how Brian Koppelman turned his first movie into a DIY film school

***

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.