How I Work

If you know anything about magic, you know a true magician never reveals his secrets. While psychologist and author Richard Wiseman might not share the secrets behind his favourite magic tricks, he’s more than happy to share how magic has made him a better thinker, a better psychologist, and a better public speaker. 

Richard also shares how focusing more intently on listening has led to some of his most successful outings as an author, and describes his unconventional - and frightening - method for pitching experiments. 

Richard’s also the creator of the beloved YouTube channel, Quirkology, where he demonstrates short experiments and explains unusual facets of psychology. He shares how the channel came about, and why he works across so many platforms. 

Connect with Richard on Twitter and at his 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.

Did you ever have a great study buddy? Someone in high school or university who made those long sessions on the books a little less punishing? 

What did that person actually do? Were they giving you tips? Or was it enough to just have them… there? I know I work with a whole lot more concentration and energy when my teammates are around. 

And Taylor Jacobson does too - he had such a great study buddy in college that he turned the experience into a company. Taylor explains how Focusmate works, and crucially, details the processes that go into turning a regular social interaction into an accountability tool. 

Connect with Taylor on Twitter or try Focusmate here

You can find the full interview here: Focus! Why Taylor Jacobson founded Focusmate to force himself to concentrate

***

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.

All entrepreneurs get things wrong; it comes with the territory. But great entrepreneurs love getting things wrong, because it means they’re learning. Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of O2E (which includes brands such as 1800-GOT-JUNK and Shack Shine), is no different, and as tough as the pandemic was, he still sees it as an invaluable learning opportunity. 

One of O2E’s iconic practices is its enormous, company-wide “huddle”, in which all employees gather in one giant room for seven minutes every morning to discuss the action plan for the day. Brian loved the huddles, loved seeing everyone together, in one place. So he was worried the company would love a vital bit of magic when they moved to remote work during COVID. 

But then, something brilliant happened - the huddles ended up being even better online. Suddenly, instead of everyone in the room looking at one person amidst a sea of backs, every single person could see every other person’s face on the Zoom screen. 

And Brian realised he’d been wrong - and he was pumped!

Brian shares the other unexpected lessons and surprising wins encountered during the pandemic, as well as his process for turning visions into reality. 

Connect with Brian on Twitter and Linkedin

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Get your hands on a copy of Time Wise.

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.

Think back to something… scary. Intimidating. Something you signed up for and thought was a great idea in the moment, but that grew more and more unnerving as it grew closer. 

Maybe it was an athletic endeavour, an overseas adventure, or a serious stretch goal at work. If you asked friends for advice as the big day crept ever closer, they probably asked you the classic question: “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

And for a second, you might’ve calmed down. You might’ve remembered the big event wasn’t going to kill you. But if that wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, what was? 

You could’ve been utterly humiliated. Maybe you could’ve lost a lot of money, or ruined your reputation? You could’ve been injured, or rejected, or… See? Now your mind is spiraling, overflowing with worst-case scenarios. 

Michelle Poler, who speaks on fear and the comfort zone, has heard that advice countless times, and she’s fed up. When you ask yourself for worst-case scenarios, surprise: you get them. 

She has a better question for you to ask when something’s scaring you, and I share it in this extract from my new book, Time Wise. 

Connect with Michelle on Instagram or on her website

You can find the full interview here: Michelle Poler on how she overcame 100 fears and the key question she asked to help conquer them

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Order my new book Time Wise.

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.

Taking on a long-term project can be incredibly daunting, and writing Time Wise was no different! Thankfully, I had Izzy Yates by my side every step of the way to make sure my book would not only cross the finish line, but do so in better shape than I could’ve ever expected. 

Izzy’s the Head of the Penguin Publishing Lab at Penguin Random House Australia & New Zealand, assessing and overseeing a tonne of books every year, including mine. 

She breaks down what makes a great book proposal stand out, and shares the process she has to go through to shepherd a project from that initial proposal all the way through to its arrival on the shelves. 

Connect with Izzy on Linkedin

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Get your hands on a copy of Time Wise.

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.

If you’re anything like me, networking feels like a necessary evil at best, and an overwhelming nightmare more often than not! But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

In an extract from my new book, Time Wise, I share a simple trick I learned from Marissa King that’s helped me return to in-person events with a newfound confidence - even when I don’t know a single other person when I arrive. 

Marissa’s a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Yale School of Management and has spent fifteen years researching social networks, but she’s the first to admit she doesn’t love networking herself - so her tips are not only expert advice: they’re field-tested! 

Connect with Marissa on Twitter

You can find the full interview here: Bigger is better, and other misconceptions about networks with Marissa King

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Order my new book Time Wise.

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.

In the final installment of this listeners’ choice series, we go back to one of the toughest challenges facing knowledge workers today: saying no. In the internet era, there’s an infinite number of opportunities, information, activities and events we could get involved with, which is great… But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and when you say “yes” to anything, you’re also saying “no” to something else. 

So how do you decide what to say “no” to, and just as crucially, how do you say “no” when it’s really hard? Whether you’re a people-pleaser or you just want to do a bit of everything, turning down an opportunity - even when you know you should - can be really tough. 

How I Work listener Bianca was struggling with exactly this problem until she listened to bestselling author, psychologist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman describe her approach to saying no. 

Katy doesn’t do it alone - she’s gathered a group of trusted peers who know what she wants from her life and her career, and they’re always on hand to offer Katy advice when she’s not sure if she should say yes or no.

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

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Pre-order my new book Time Wise: www.amantha.com

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m calling it: the to-do list is the most misunderstood concept in our working lives, and in productivity in general. Of course, they’re super important - in fact, they’re so central to our work today that even if you don’t physically or digitally write one down, you’ve still got some version of a to-do list knocking around your noggin.

So what do we all get wrong about them? Well, most of us are pretty good at knowing what we need to do, but if that was the whole game, no one would need a show like How I Work, and I wouldn’t need to interview the world’s leading thinkers…

How I Work listener Trudi unlocked the power of a good to-do list after listening to bestselling author and New Yorker contributor Cal Newport break down his daily and weekly planning process. 

Cal’s a verified productivity machine, so when he starts talking about how time boxing is at the core of his incredible performance, we’d all better listen up!

Connect with Cal on his website

You can find the full interview here: Cal Newport on why you need to change your workflow, not your habits, when it comes to boosting productivity

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Pre-order my new book Time Wise: www.amantha.com

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“If you love your work, you’ll never work a day in your life.” A nice sentiment, but unfortunately, completely false. My source? Me! As someone who loves my work, I can tell you that I’m not skipping through the office with a cheesy grin on my face all day, every day. 

So how do you learn to enjoy more of what you do? Whether you’re in a job you love but you have to endure some pretty tedious admin, or you’re working in a place you don’t really gel with, there’s gotta be a way to lean in and learn to love it more, right? 

Right! How I Work listener Michael has seen immense improvement in his day-to-day mood thanks to the advice of athlete, engineer and author Turia Pitt, who knows a thing or two about making the best of a bad situation. 

After being caught in a grassfire during an ultra-marathon, Turia almost died, and spent a gruelling two years in recovery. But along the way, she learned the incredible power of a deceptively simple reframe in her thinking: instead of saying “I have to do this”, she started saying “I GET to do this.” 

Connect with Turia on LinkedIn or subscribe to her musings here

You can find the full interview here: Turia Pitt’s Next tuesday rule, hacks for dramatically improving self-talk, and how to be useful when someone is going through a rough time

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Pre-order my new book Time Wise: www.amantha.com

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sending an email to a colleague? You’re telling them a story. Talking to your boss during your performance review? You’re crafting a narrative? Pitching to a prospective client? Yep, you’re spinning a yarn. 

Whenever you communicate with someone else, you’re telling a story. And given how often we need to communicate with others to do modern knowledge work, we’d all better learn how to be more engaging and effective storytellers. 

For How I Work listener Dee, there’s no better teacher for that than Dr Norman Swan, the celebrated journalist, author, and host of Coronacast.

Find out why we all need to be better storytellers, and how we can get there.  

Connect with Norman on Twitter or LinkedIn

You can find the full interview here: More naps, less coffee: Norman Swan’s tips for the good life

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Pre-order my new book Time Wise: www.amantha.com

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.