How I Work

Can you be creative when you have a time limit? 

A new life for ABC breakfast radio presenter, TV writer and comedian Sammy J means more demands on his time. Gone are the days of creatively exploring ideas all day before performing at night. 

Sammy J has to organise his home and work life precisely to keep up with the demands of several jobs and his new role as a father. 

How has he learned to manage his creativity to deliver within strict time limits?

Sammy J also shares his personal check-list that helps him have the energy to deliver on a huge workload each week. 

Listen to Sammy J - ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast 

Watch Sammy J - weekly comedy sketch on ABC TV

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 producer: Jenna Koda

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s one thing leaders and entrepreneurs know, it’s that business is a rollercoaster. And sometimes you’re hit by something you couldn’t even see coming.  

There’s extreme highs and some devastating lows, and yet somehow you have to keep going. You need to adapt, pivot, and keeping moving. 

If you love How I Work, chances are you’ll enjoy Curveball. In revealing, personal conversations with leaders, host Kellie Riordan asks them how they tackle life’s toughest moments — and come out on top. 

Kellie Riordan joins Amantha Imber for a chat about leadership, productivity, and the rituals the best in business swear by. 

You can find Curveball by searching for it in your podcast app, and find out more at www.curveballshow.com 

Visit https://www.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 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does business really need to be so serious?

Stanford Business School humour lecturer Naomi Bagdonas believes there’s always room for humour, even when you’re trying to accomplish very serious things. 

She’s found utilising humour can boost innovation, foster creativity, and bolster resilience through hard times. 

Naomi says bringing levity into your day-to-day exchanges can diffuse tension and help your colleagues understand you on a deeper level. 

She shares tips from her book Humor, Seriously, written with Jennifer Aaker, on how to incorporate humour into presentations and meetings, how to write a joke, and tips for bringing comedy into your emails. 

Naomi teaches humour as part of a purpose and leadership course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She also coaches top executives in the art of comedy. 

Assess your own personal humour style: https://quiz.humorseriously.com/

Get your copy of Humor, Seriously: https://www.humorseriously.com/

Sign up for the 21 day Humour Bootcamp: https://bootcamp.humorseriously.com/

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 Producer: Jenna Koda

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you looking for ways to save time? There are plenty of tools out there to help streamline your work processes, but how do you know which ones work best?

Find out what websites are causing you too many minutes of distraction, and learn how to batch check your emails rather than becoming a slave to the inbox. 

Website time tracker Rooster, time calculator Erik Rood, and email client Tempo are the three tools that help me get more out of my week. I’ll explain how I use them and how you can incorporate them into your work week.

Tame your email addiction and get your web browsing working for you. 

Links to tools:

Rooster: http://getrooster.in/

Erik Rood: https://erikrood.com/Posts/free_time_calc.html

Your Tempo: https://www.yourtempo.co/

Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/ 

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How often do you stop and check-in about how you’re tracking with your career and the job you are in? How do you know you're not blindly following a career path you’re going to regret years down the track? 

Organisational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant says we should all be scheduling life check-ups. 

A life check-up is just like scheduling an appointment with a doctor, even if you don’t suspect anything is wrong. 

By putting a reminder in your calendar twice a year to review where you’re at, you’ll be more likely to see the vital signs before it’s too late. 

He also shares his hacks for effective remote collaboration and the benefits of setting up your own ‘challenge network’ and how to start one. 

Connect with Adam here: https://www.adamgrant.net/

Take the Think Again quiz here: https://www.adamgrant.net/quizzes/think-again-quiz/

And grab a copy of Think Again here: https://www.adamgrant.net/book/think-again/

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 producer: Jenna Koda

Sound engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have Zoom fatigue? What if you could cut your meetings down by 50%?

Gitlab’s head of Remote, Darren Murph, believes time spent face-to-face is precious and should be reserved for informal communication and team bonding. So he’s created a four-step barrier to scheduling a meeting that means only the most important meetings make it onto his calendar. 

By preferencing documentation over meetings Murph has made his virtual meetings dramatically more effective. 

You can find the full interview here: GitLab’s Head of Remote, Darren Murph, on how to create corporate culture when no one works from the office

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound engineer: Martin Imber

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

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 15, 2020 Ben Shewry woke up knowing his business was going to collapse. It was his birthday and also the worst day of his life. 

Melbourne was going into lockdown, forcing him to close the doors of his restaurant Attica, and to cancel thousands of bookings for his $300 a head tasting menu. 

But instead of giving up, Shewry decided to make a commitment to his 40 full-time staff to keep going. Now, not only is Attica still open, but Ben is about to open another restaurant in the Yarra Valley, Attica Summer Camp. 

How did Shewry use the chaos of 2020 to feed his creativity? How has his commitment to a fun working environment and a positive attitude kept his team afloat? Ben sees problems as the definition of business and likes to deal with them as they come, with positivity.  

Shewry also shares his tips to help you turn every meal at home into a great one, from selecting the best ingredients to cook with, knife tips, and how to make amazing eggs. 

Ben’s favourite cookbooks:

• Anything by Fergus Henderson 
• Stephanie Alexander 
• Maggie Beer 
• Neil Perry 
• Adam Liaw 

Ben’s favourite kitchen products:

• Gippsland jersey butter
• 20cm All-Clad Copper Core Fry Pan
• Victorinox knives

Links to Ben’s Restaurants: 

• Attica
• Attica Summer Camp
• Instagram: @benshewry and @atticamelbourne and @atticasummercamp

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 producer: Jenna Koda

Sound engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you want more time for creative and strategic work?

Inventium’s CEO Michelle Le Poidevin says removing the idea of ‘managers’ from a team structure is one of the best things she’s done for the company. 

When looking into the holacracy structure, Michelle realised the most senior people in the company were spending most of their time managing people, instead of doing the work that really mattered. 

By changing the work culture and building a founder-like mindset, her staff were able to focus more on mastery of their role, and were able to have more fulfillment in the long term.

You can find the full interview here: Inventium’s CEO Michelle Le Poidevin on our secret weapon for recruitment, being a remote CEO, and working a four day week

Connect with Mish on Linkedin and at inventium.com.au

Subscribe to my new podcast How To Date in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt like an imposter? 

Of course you have! Because 82% of people have experienced it at some point. Imposter syndrome is the persistent thought we are undeserving of our achievements. People fear they might be ‘found out’ or that they ‘don’t know what they are doing’. 

How can you rethink or reframe these thoughts so they don’t have so much power over you?

How I Work guests share their experiences with feeling like an imposter and how to use it to your advantage. 

Envato co-Founder Cyan Ta’eed says asking questions can help you be the smartest person in the room. 

Head of Research and Development at Atlassian Dom Price has learned to use imposter syndrome to his advantage by embracing feedback to stay motivated. 

Abbi Jacobson, co-creator and writer of critically-acclaimed Comedy Central show Broad City, harnesses her nerves to keep her grounded. 

Wendy Stops sits on some of the highest profile boards in Australia including CommBank and Coles Group. She explains how sticking through the toughest of times can teach you the most. 

Listen to the full episodes:

Cyan Ta’eed - https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcasts/envato-co-founder-cyan-taeed-on-spending-just-15-minutes-a-day-on-her-phone/ 

Dom Price - https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcasts/atlassians-dom-price-on-how-he-uses-imposter-syndrome-to-his-advantage/ 

Abbi Jacobson - https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcasts/broad-citys-abbi-jacobson-on-productive-procrastination-imposter-syndrome-and-how-a-dog-changed-her-headspace/ 

Wendy Stops - https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcasts/commbank-board-director-wendy-stops-on-the-biggest-challenges-of-sitting-on-high-profile-boards/ 

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My favourite tip from my chat with tech journalist Peter Wells was on how anyone can use software to automate their job.

You can find the full interview here: Tech journalist Peter Wells on how to automate your job

Connect with Peter:

• Twittercom/peterwells
• Meta podcast
• The Helpdesk podcast

Subscribe to my new podcast How To Date in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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

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

Get in touch at [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.