How I Work

***BEST OF HOW I WORK***

I'm currently taking a few weeks off, so today's episode is a Best Of episode. I've gone back through the archives of the last 2.5 years of hosting How I Work and picked out my absolute favourite episodes!

My guest today is Cal Newport. Cal is a computer science professor at Georgetown University. Cal is the author of six books, including, most recently, the New York Times bestseller, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Cal’s work has been published in over 20 languages and has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Washington Post, and the Economist.

It’s probably an understatement to say I was excited for this chat because I am a complete and utter fan girl of Cal’s and it’s fair to say that his work has had an enormous impact on how I work. We cover a bunch of different aspects of the way Cal approaches his work including:

• Cal’s different Deep Work rituals and why he recommends having different rituals for different types of Deep Work
• How to know if you are actually doing Deep Work
• Strategies to break your Shallow Work habit
• The critical conversation to have with your manager to get them supporting you doing more Deep Work
• Cal’s ritual for "shutting down” his work day
• Why Cal rejects the idea that we need to have a phone on us at all times
• How Cal deliberately builds solitude into his day
• Why changing workflows is more effective than changing habits when trying to increase productivity
• The workflow Cal designed while on his book tour to minimise back and forth communication
• Why giving your time a job is better than using a to-do list
• How Cal uses weekly and daily time blocking to use his time effectively
• How to take a “Deep Break"
• The two key elements of Cal’s email system to minimise communication
• The topic Cal is exploring for his next book

You can find Cal at http://calnewport.com/ and grab his books Deep Work and Digital Minimalism.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Glen Dolman. Glen is one of Australia’s most sought-after screenwriters. Glen most recently wrapped on the second season of his supernatural series for Stan, Bloom, which he created and executive produced. The first season was nominated for an AACTA for Best New Drama Series and the second season kicks off on April 9.

Glen has written for a variety of different shows including Britain’s longest running crime drama, The Bill (ITV). He also wrote the highly acclaimed telemovie Hawke for Network Ten, about the controversial life of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, which won the AWGIE Award for Best Original Telemovie and three AFI’s (Australian Film Institute Awards), including for Best Telemovie or Mini-Series in 2010. 

In this chat, we cover:

• What the role of a Showrunner entails
• How to recruit for a writer’s room
• Glen’s strategies for building the optimal dynamic in a writer’s room
• Where the idea for Bloom came from
• Tips for overcoming writer’s block when working in a team
• Knowing when to trust your ideas
• The best writing advice he has received.

You can check out Bloom on Stan. 

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.

***Ask Me Anything: Working From Home***

On Tuesday April 21, at 10am, I’ll be hosting an Ask Me Anything Webinar dedicated solely to the topic of working from home. I’ll be drawing on my two decades of experience as an Organisational Psychologist, tips and tricks I have picked up from my guests on the How I Work podcast, and the thousands of scientific journal articles and books I have read on productivity, connectedness, and motivation. All I need are questions to answer!

I imagine we will cover topics such as:

• How to create the ideal physical space for your "home office"
• How to overcome feelings of social isolation
• How best to structure your day when working from home
• Hacks, tips and rituals to help you be more productive
• Setting boundaries between work and non-work life
• How to get work done when you are also trying to be a pseudo school teacher
• And much, much more.
• 
  

So if you are struggling with home working life, or perhaps you are just looking to further optimise what you are already doing, register for the Ask me Anything - Working From Home Webinar and then send over any questions you would like answered.

Oh - and it’s completely free to attend! 

***

Here are links to the six apps from today's show:

Serene

Forest

Superhuman

Woven

Pocket

Send from Gmail

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.

Oliver Burkeman is a Guardian writer based in New York. He writes the weekly psychology-based column This Column Will Change Your Life. He is also the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking.

In this interview, we cover:

• Oliver’s tips for parenting in the age of COVID
• Oliver’s personal method for time management
• How Oliver decides which projects to prioritise
• Oliver’s personal Kanban system to planning his time
• How to overcome procrastination using self-talk
• Strategies for overcoming writer’s block
• How Oliver trick’s his brain into getting into flow
• How Oliver find’s new ideas for his columns every single week
• Oliver’s go-to sources for inspiration and information

Get Oliver’s book The Antidote, follow him on Twitter @oliverburkeman, and check out Oliver’s column for The Guardian.

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.

In this How I Work From Home episode, I explore the science behind how to Shut Down your work day.

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.

In this How I Work From Home episode, I explore the science behind how to Shut Down your work day.

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.

***Book in for Inventium's Thriving at Home program***

Our most recent cohort achieved the following results in just six weeks:

• 21% increase in productivity
• 20% increase in job satisfaction
• 28% increase in energy levels

Overall, the program delivered productivity increases to the value of $10,250 per participant, which represents 20x ROI on the $495 per person investment.

If you are struggling with working from home and feeling your productivity plummet - or worse - that of your team - get yourself enrolled in our next Workday Reinvention: Thriving at Home program, starting on May 4.

The Thriving From Home program has been designed by psychologists who are experts in how to create behaviour change that lasts. Every program design decision has been made with the purpose of creating long-lasting change.

If you would like more details on what the Thriving at Home program entails, read more here.

***

In this How I Work From Home episode, I explore the science behind how to structure your day.

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.

My guest today is John Zeratsky, otherwise known as JZ. JZ is a veteran technology designer, keynote speaker, and the bestselling author of Sprint and Make Time.JZ has worked with more than 200 of the world’s most important and innovative organizations, including Google, Harvard University, Slack, IDEO, and Netflix.

For nearly 15 years, JZ was a designer for technology companies. At Google Ventures, he helped develop the Design Sprint and worked with startups like Uber, 23andMe, Flatiron Health, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Nest. Previously, he was a designer at YouTube, Google, and FeedBurner.

I am a huge fan of both of JZ’s books and had his co-author, Jake Knapp, on How I Work about a year ago which is an interview you might want to check out too. I think you will find this interview super practical - and note, it was conducted BC (before corona), so if some things seem out of context, like our talk about travel, just keep that in mind.

In this interview, we cover:

• The problematic default behaviours we have at work
• How JZ structures his workdays
• Creating a distraction-free phone
• JZ’s daily reflection ritual
• Making sure every day has a “highlight” - and how to work out what your highlight should be
• How JZ’s approach to structuring his day has changed from leaving Google Ventures to working for himself 
• JZ’s approach to making email processing as efficient as possible
• Why JZ doesn’t have a to-do list, and instead, has a “might-do” list
• The pro-human smart phone
• JZ’s litmus test as to whether he is using his phone wisely
• How JZ schedules walking breaks into his day
• How JZ uses a calendar template to help optimise his day
• JZ’s home game routine versus his away game routine (for when he is travelling)
• JZ’s go-to apps and software

You can find JZ here and here, and on LinkedIn and Twitter. Buy Make Time and Sprint and enrol yourself in the Highlight Course here. 

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.

In this How I Work From Home episode, I explore the impact of greenery in your home office.

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.

My favourite tip from my chat with FrankBody co-founder Jess Hatzis was on how she overcame her fear of feedback.

You can find the full interview here.

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.