How I Work

A few weeks ago, I hosted my very first Ask Me Anything webinar where I invited a whole bunch of people to ask me any question they want. Today’s episode is a recording of this session. I cover a whole range of topics, ranging from how to become unstuck, how to create a best place to work culture, looking at my own personal working rhythms, through how to start a podcast, and how I transitioned from being a manager to a maker. Enjoy!

• 02:00 - What skills or characteristics do you look for most when hiring a new employee or partnering on a project with a consultant organization or team?

• 05:30 - How’d you get people engaged with innovation when they constantly say they’re too busy?

• 07:03 - Do you have any insights or tips on managing emails?

• 08:50 - How to work more effectively on an open plan office?

• 11:37 - How'd you recommend identifying and approaching a mentor as an introvert?

• 15:23 - What are the key elements of the peer support group and what do you think makes it work particularly well?

• 18:50 - What strategies do you use to break yourself out of feeling like you're in an innovation trap? How do you personally ensure that you are primed and best positioned to think and act innovatively?

• 21:26 - How can incremental and disruptive innovation live side by side in an organization?

• 22:43 - Is there a quick and short way of making sure the right solutions and ideas are being carried forward that you can recommend?

• 25:16 - Do you give yourself worktime boundaries? How do you ensure you get all of your work done but then you aren't eating into home/family time and or working all the time?

• 27:14 - What initiatives do you have to reduce workplace stress and increase employee well-being?

• 28:20 - How do unlimited annual leave work?

• 30:10 - How to start a podcast?

• 32:29 - How do you convert to a Holacracy model? What are the challenges?

• 35:05 - How do you, as a middle manager, help to get the director onboard for more flexibility and trust in working arrangements?

• 37:34 - Should you use Timesheets software for work reporting?

• 38:56 - How to build a best place to work culture with very limited resources?

• 40:30 - When have you had the most success scheduling tasks you've been procrastinating on? When is the best time to do hard tasks?

• 41:20 - What was your thought process as you contemplated going from a manager to a maker and how long did it take you to come to that decision?

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.

My favourite tip from my chat with Google VP Jerry Dischler was on his tips for identifying top talent.

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.

My guest today is Nir Eyal. Nir is an international bestselling author, former Stanford lecturer, successful tech investor, and behavioral design expert. Five years ago, Nir wrote what is widely considered to be Silicon Valley’s handbook for making technology habit-forming - a book called Hooked. This week, his latest book Indistractible is coming out, which reveals the hidden psychology driving us to distraction. He describes why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices. Nir claims that abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more.

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of Indistractable, which I devoured in one sitting. It is such a great book and such a fresh and unique take on the productivity genre. And so as you can imagine, I was very excited to chat to Nir about the ideas in the book and how he has applied them in his own life. If you are finding yourself constantly distracted by digital, and even non-digital distractions throughout your day, then I am sure you will learn some really great strategies to help become indistractable in this chat.

We cover:

• Nir’s four step model to becoming indistractable
• What he found hardest about changing his own relationship with distractions
• Identifying the root cause of distraction
• The best way to make boring tasks more engaging
• What Nir’s calendar looks like and why he schedules literally everything
• Nir’s approach to scheduling time with friends and family
• How Nir has helped his daughter develop a healthy relationship with technology
• Nir’s favourite apps that help him stay focused
• And much, much more.

Check out Indistractable here. And find out more about Nir 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.

My favourite tip from my chat with Ella Bache CEO Pippa Hallas was her strategy for turbo-charging meeting effectiveness.

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.

My guest today is Chase Jarvis. Chase is an award-winning artist, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential photographers of the past decade. He has created campaigns for Apple, Nike, Red Bull and others, was a contributor to the Pulitzer-winning New York Times story Snowfall, and earned an Emmy nomination for his documentary Portrait of a City. He also created Best Camera–the first photo app to share images to social networks, and is the Founder of CreativeLive, where more than 10 million students learn photography, video, design, music and business from the world’s top creators and entrepreneurs.

I’ve been a fan of Creative Live and also Chase’s podcast The Case Jarvis Show, for quite some time - and I recommend checking both those things out. Chase has also just released a book called Creative Calling, about how we can supercharge our creativity and it just has a tonne of really fascinating ideas and strategies in it.

So I was very excited to have Chase on the show after following his work for so long. We cover a bunch of things from fostering creativity, through to how to become a better photographer, through the books that have impacted Chase the most.

Get your copy of Creative Calling here. Check out Creative Live 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.

My favourite tip from my chat with time management expert Laura Vanderkam was on how she has tracked her time for four years - and what she learnt from it.

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.

***Book yourself in for Inventium's Workday Reinvention program, kicking off on October 21. Enter HOWIWORK at checkout to save $75***

My guest today is Jake Knapp. Jake spent the last 10 years at Google and Google Ventures where he created the Design Sprint, which is a method for building and testing a prototype in five days. He then went on and wrote a book about the process, called Sprint, which was a New York Times bestseller. He recently wrote another book called Make Time, which I mentioned on a previous episode. I personally loved Make Time, which is all about strategies to help make time for doing your most important work and really getting the most out of each day.

I was so excited to have Jake on the show, as I’ve followed his work for several years. What I particularly loved about this chat was how practical Jake is in his strategies and how he applied them during his time at Google. Now I should warn you that this chat somehow ended up starting with a story about a near-death experience - but don’t worry, it gets more upbeat from there!

We cover a whole lot of things, including:

• How a near death experience lead to Jake becoming a self-confessed “time dork"
• Jake’s number one tip for creating a great day
• Why Jake hates the traditional to-do list
• How Jake created a distraction free phone - and how it changed his life
• The importance of boredom
• How to take back control of your calendar
• How Jake managed his calendar at Google Ventures
• How Jake approaches his email
• Being productive versus being purposeful
• Why you need to be prepared to let little bad things happen in the pursuit of using time well

Find out more about Jake at https://jakeknapp.com/, and get a copy of Make Time. You can also listen to Jake’s awesome podcast, the Product Breakfast Club.

For comprehensive show notes on this episode, go to: https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast

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 The Chaser's Julian Morrow is on how to write a joke.

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.

***Book yourself in for Inventium's Workday Reinvention program, kicking off on October 21. Enter HOWIWORK at checkout to save $75***

My guest today is Dr Catriona Wallace, who is the Founder and CEO of high-profile FinTech and ASX Listed company Flamingo. Flamingo provides a Cognitive Virtual Assistant (Artificial Intelligence) called ‘ROSIE’ that helps Financial Services companies across the world improve online sales conversion rates and the better servicing of customers.

Based between NYC and Sydney, Dr Catriona Wallace is one of the world’s most cited experts on the Future of Customer Experience, Artificial Intelligence and Bot Strategy.

Catriona was recently named one of the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence and topped the Business and Entrepreneur category. Catriona also happens to be one of my most influential mentors and a really good friend.

We cover so much ground in this interview, including:* The difference between being a CEO of a private company versus a publicly listed company - and why it requires a completely different skill set* How Catriona became a "gun" salesperson* Catriona’s secret to building rapport in sales meetings* How she structures a typical one hour sales meeting* How to build credibility quickly* Catriona’s counterintuitive strategies for engaging prospects* How to pack three week’s worth of clothes in a carry-on suitcase* Catriona’s secret for getting over jet lag* Why Catriona doesn’t believe in work-life balance* How to build deep connections quickly when networkingAnd much more.

You can find Catriona at flamingo.ai, on Twitter, and on LinkedIn.

Visit amanthaimber.com/podcasts 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 yourself in for Inventium's Workday Reinvention program, kicking off on October 21. Enter HOWIWORK at checkout to save $75***

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/podcasts 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.