How I Work

**BEST OF**

It wouldn’t work to try to tell the Michael Bungay Stanier story - if anyone’s a collection of stories, it’s MBS. He finished law school being sued for defamation by his professor, he was a Rhodes Scholar in his early 20s, and he’s coached Brene Brown on her own podcast. 

A life and career with so many twists, turns and new directions brings with it an equally eclectic and overflowing bag of tips, tricks and mindset shifts, and Michael shares them generously. 

Michael covers everything from how to tackle multi-month projects, journaling techniques, honing your personal brand, and knowing when to say “no”. 

Connect with Michael at his website and pre-order How To Begin.

Neil Pasricha - ‘Two Minute Morning’ https://www.neil.blog/ 

Julia Funt - ‘A minute to think’ https://www.julietfunt.com/book/ 

Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected]

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that 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  

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producers: Jenna Koda and Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**BEST OF**

I was a competitive kid, and some classroom rivalries pushed me to better grades than I might have achieved otherwise. However, I was also a perfectionist, and any “A”s that came without a “+” beside them started to feel less like an almost-perfect achievement and more like a glaring signal that I’d missed the mark. 

I hated failing, and when you combine that with believing anything less than the top spot is a loss, you have a recipe for disaster. I hid my failures, refusing to talk about them, terrified that if people knew I wasn’t perfect, they wouldn’t like me anymore. Not only is this a good way to spend a lot of time being angry with yourself, but it turns out it makes the feeling of failing even worse. 

On the other hand, being open and honest about your failures actually makes us more resilient and improves self-belief. So in 2020, I wrote my first Failure Resume as an experiment. 

And now, I’m revisiting it and sharing it with you. 

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.

Nobody hears from Janice Lintz just once. Whether she’s chasing down information on her phone bill or chasing down the Queen of England, Janice doesn’t stop until she gets what she needs, and she believes others can benefit from that kind of tenacity. 

It’s reflected in a lesson Janice learned from the great civil rights activist, Vernon Jordan - don’t answer the phone until someone calls you the fourth time. If it’s not worth their time, it’s certainly not worth yours. So Janice calls again. And again, and again. 

As a hearing access consultant and consumer advocate, Janice’s requests aren’t merely boxes that need ticking; they’re often the only way people who are hard of hearing are able to experience what everyone else takes for granted. That’s why productivity and efficiency are so important to Janice. She simply doesn’t have time to waste. 

Connect with Janice on Twitter or LinkedIn

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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 trying to talk to Josh Piterman after a show… good luck. The second he’s said his farewells to his fellow castmates and crew members, he won’t utter a word until he returns to the theatre the following day. 

Josh knows there’s no short-cutting recovery, and like everything else, his approach to rest is both holistic and spiritual. A healthy voice is part of a healthy body, and a healthy body needs a healthy mind and a healthy soul. 

When it comes to recovery, the trick is actually what not to do. Josh goes over his list of Don’ts after a show, ranging from what he doesn’t eat, to what he avoids doing right before bed. 

Connect with Josh on Twitter and Instagram

You can find the full interview here: Shape your own identity with Phantom of the Opera’s Josh Piterman

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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.

There’s a moment in the 2013 comedy movie We’re the Millers that points to how pervasive - and misguided - the “no regrets” life motto has become. A character proudly displays a tattoo that reads, “no rAgrets”, and even more proudly proclaims that he really doesn’t have any regrets. Not even one letter. 

Bestselling author Dan Pink highlights this scene as a great metaphor for society’s almost comical underappreciation of regret. Dan is an advocate for the transformative power of looking back on your past actions, processes and routines in order to learn from them, and do better next time. 

He discusses what’s changed about his working habits since his last appearance on the show, why he was drawn to the concept of regret in the first place, and how compassion changed his whole approach to learning from past mistakes.

Connect with Dan on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn

Find The Power of Regret book here

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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

Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asking someone else for anything is a delicate enough task, but when you’re asking them to be vulnerable, it’s something else entirely. How do you make people comfortable sharing something that is, by definition, uncomfortable? 

Jamila Rizvi, the bestselling author, public speaker, podcast presenter and interviewer, is no stranger to this tricky task. She’s spoken to everyone from Bill Gates to Kim Kardashian, and many of her interviews unearth incredibly touching moments. The key? Don’t ask for something you’re not willing to give yourself.

Jamila shares one example from an interview with Danii Minogue, in which Jamila shared her own vulnerable moment first, before asking Danii to do the same. 

Connect with Jamila on Twitter, Instagram or Linkedin

You can find the full interview here: Give up the work-life balance illusion with Jamila Rizvi

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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.

How I Work is a product of the modern world - it’s a podcast, a format which didn’t even exist at the turn of the century, and a lot of the productivity tools and hacks are geared towards knowledge work for the digital age. 

So it’s surprising to hear that Darius Foroux, himself an entrepreneur and writer taking advantage of the digital space, lives and works by the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.

But Darious isn’t dogmatic - he’s equally inspired by Eastern Philosophy and employs Zen practices like meditation when he finds Stoicism too stifling. 

Darius shares how ancient wisdom can help you thrive in the modern world, and details how his experience as an investor has improved his thinking, writing and decision-making. 

Connect with Darius on Twitter or at his website

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.

Thanks to social media, everyone’s a storyteller now. Whether you’re guiding your work to the right audience, developing your personal brand or keeping the public up-to-date on the COVID-19 situation, your job is to tell a story. If people don’t understand you, or don’t tune in, then everything else is for nought. 

So how do you get better at communicating? Norman Swan, a physician, journalist, broadcaster and the host of ABC’s Coronacast, has decades of experience not just in storytelling itself, but in helping others develop their craft, too. 

He shares how he’s developed his skills over a long career in journalism, and helps you avoid the most common mistake new writers make: thinking they’re on a mission to explain.  

Connect with Norman on Twitter or Linkedin

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

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.

You’ve reached the end of yet another long Zoom call with your team when you realise… you didn’t say a word! 

You’re smart, you have good ideas, and you’ve put in the work. Plus, your team and your clients respect you… So how did this happen? 

According to Zoe Chance, Yale School of Management professor and author of Influence is Your Superpower, it’s because you didn’t speak up early enough. If you’re not one of the first three people to speak up in a virtual meeting, you’re unlikely to speak up at any point, and through no fault of their own, everybody else on the call is unlikely to ask you to. 

These kinds of unconscious cognitive biases are everywhere, and instead of bemoaning their existence, Zoe wants you to understand them so you can use them to your advantage. She teaches you how to make your voice heard, how to persuade people without being a brute, and reveals her “magic question” for figuring out how you can help other people. 

Connect with Zoe on Twitter or LinkedIn

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 Producers: Jenna Koda and Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.