Love Your Work

Lots of people want to build a "legacy." They want to be remembered when they're gone.

It's a natural product of our fear of death. But is it realistic to want to build a legacy? Is it realistic to believe you can control whether or not you're remembered? And might aiming to build a legacy prevent you from doing the type of work that builds legacies in the first place?

I examine these questions in this week's episode.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://kadavy.net/motivation

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/no-legacy-podcast/

To me, Andrew Warner's (@andrewwarner) Mixergy podcast created the entire category of entrepreneur interview podcasts – a category this podcast here falls within. I started listening to Mixergy something like ten years ago, and it was one of the main podcasts that got my gears turning to eventually start this podcast – after putting it off for years, of course.

Andrew has created over 1,700 interviews and courses with top entrepreneurs. People like Jimmy Wales, Barbara Corcoran, and Paul Graham. He's known for getting his guests to open up and reveal exact numbers in their businesses. Sometimes I find myself squirming at the direct questions he asks, but it works!

I recently took a trip to San Francisco to be on the Jordan Harbinger Show (look out for my appearance on that show toward the end of the month, I think you'll like what I prepared specifically for that show). While I was in town, I was trying to think of who I would like to interview. The first person who came to mind was Andrew Warner.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Monetization: Andrew was the first podcaster I can think of to put his past episodes behind a paywall. Why does Andrew think that was a great decision, what drove that decision, and why does he hate the word "paywall?"
• Did Andrew create the category of the entrepreneurial interview podcast? I was dying to know who inspired Andrew to interview entrepreneurs in the first place. We'll find out.
• Why is harsh criticism a gift? Andrew shares his perspective which helps him keep improving.

Also, the day before the interview, Andrew messaged me. He wanted to change the location of the interview. We were originally going to do it in Mixergy's offices in the Financial District of San Francisco, but now Andrew was inviting me to his HOUSE.

He said he'd explain why later. You'll hear why in the interview – it's pretty cool.

• Pagerduty
• Crescent Hotel
• NEA
• Mixergy
• Hero's Journey
• Venture Voice
• Rosalind Resnick
• Howard Stern
• This American Life
• The Biography Of WordPress with Matt Mullenweg
• shorty awards
• Everyone is Accessible – interview with Gregory Galant
• VV Show #40 – Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn
• Anchor
• techstars
• AngelList
• Paul Graham
• Readwise
• Airtable
• Kindle Direct Publishing

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/ https://backblaze.com https://kadavy.net/motivation

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/srini-rao-unmistakable-creative-podcast/

To optimize your creative output, you need a creative productivity system. If you can identify the building blocks of your daily work, you can construct a system that works for you.

One of those building blocks is what I call "task transitions." Task transitions are those little spaces between finishing one task, and starting another. Each transition is a critical moment. It's when you decide whether you'll keep moving, take an intentional break, or simply fall off the tracks.

I'll tell you more in this week's episode.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/ https://kadavy.net/motivation

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/task-transitions-podcast/

Vanessa Van Edwards (@vvanedwards) is a recovering awkward person who teaches people how to be more successful with people.

Vanessa was a great student, but, she says, she was terrible with people. Until one day she discovered that she could study people and interacting with people the same way she studied math and science.

In fact, she used math and science to break down social interactions. She set up a lab and started running experiments on everything from conversation starters to reading facial expressions.

She shares everything she's learned in her hit book, Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. This book breaks down social interaction so you can succeed, whether that's thriving in networking events, or having a more fulfilling dating life.

You're going to learn:

• How can awkwardness be a part of your own unique brand of charisma?
• How can you get the most out of conferences, even if you're an introvert?
• What is "The Franklin Effect," and how can it make you more likable, even to your mortal enemies?

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/vanessa-van-edwards-podcast/

To follow a productivity system, you need to be able to trust that system. You need to trust that if you put something into the system, it will get taken care of at the right time and place. But the more complex you make that system, the harder it becomes to follow and maintain.

This is where building "triggers" becomes invaluable in tweaking a system that works for you. A "trigger" is a stimulus that elicits a response. You can use productivity triggers to simplify your productivity system. Triggers keep your productivity system running smoothly, and they keep your system from getting bogged down complexity.

In this week's article, I'll tell you exactly how to find the right triggers for you to use to be effortlessly productive.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/

Shown notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/productivity-triggers-podcast/

Dr. David Rock (@davidrock101) is the author of Your Brain at Work, is also the founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute. They use a science-based approach to growing soft skills, working with companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and IBM.

When I was just getting finished writing my first book, Design for Hackers, I was really mystified by what was going on in my own brain. I wanted to know why creativity was easy sometimes, and hard other times.

That's when I picked up Your Brain at Work, and my work changed forever. It served as a handbook for my brain. I learned to think about the strengths and limitations of my brain, the different categories of thought, and what mental and emotional states would make creative work come easily.

Today, you'll learn about:

• What are level one, two, and three tasks, in terms of your brain's horsepower? How can you manage your day by these categories?
• What is construal, and how can it help you work more quickly, with more clarity?
• What are the four keys to creating the conditions for insight? If you can set up your work so that you're consistently creating these conditions, you'll think more creatively.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/david-rock-podcast/

Creative productivity is about mind management, not time management. You have to get into the right mental state to be creative. And you need to have your brain stocked with the knowledge it takes to solve the creative problem at hand.

I believe creative energy is the next resource to be managed—at least in the age of creative productivity. Think about the way we manage time, and we take that for granted. That's why I've built my own system specifically to manage my creative energy.

Today I'll be sharing, in more detail than ever, the exact creative productivity system I use to crank out not just the ideas for books and podcast episodes, but to actually produce the work.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/creative-productivity-system-podcast/

Mark McGuinness (@markmcguinness) is a creative coach, a poet, and a former psychotherapist and hypnotherapist. Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, calls Mark an "overeducated Brit who thinks deeply about stuff you and I have never heard of."

Mark is the host of the 21st Century Creative Podcast. On the 21st Century Creative, Mark explores how to take advantage of the huge opportunities presented by the digital age. This at a time when there are more distractions than ever threatening to take you off course, and fewer traditional safety nets to catch you when you fall.

In this conversation, we'll talk about:

• Click here to be creative: How to use mantras, chakras, – and other sometimes thought of as "woo" things – as like graphical user interfaces for altering your mental state.
• How the feeling > action > response loop can guide your creative direction: If you're wondering how to create work that really moves people, this is the key.
• How to use impostor syndrome to your advantage. It's a double-edged sword, or a sushi knife, as you'll see. Use it carefully.

Mark also mentioned his 20 Creative Blocks list and ebook in the conversation.

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu/

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/mark-mcguinness-podcast/

When you're trying to make it as a creative entrepreneur, you need to make the most out of everything you have. You need maximum output with minimal investment of time and energy.

The more complex you make things, the more you get bogged down. The more you surrender your creativity to the whims of the the muse, the harder you make it to bring your work into the world.

Last week, as we talked to Paul Jarvis, you heard how he uses repeatable processes to make the most of his resources. I call these repeatable processes "productivity cycles." This week, I'll break down what's so great about productivity cycles, I'll share some productivity cycles that I follow, and I'll tell you how to build your own productivity cycles, based upon how you work.

Patreon supporters are now covering ALL production costs for Love Your Work! Join our wonderful Patreon backers at patreon.com/kadavy.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

https://ce.uci.edu

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/productivity-cycles-podcast/

What if success isn't about scaling up as big as possible? What if success is actually about the freedom to call your own shots?

Paul Jarvis (@pjrvs) was asking himself these questions as he left the corporate world way back in the 90s. Now he works from his home in the woods on an island near Vancouver. He explores what he's learned in his new book, Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business.

Previously, Paul was a freelance designer, working with clients such as Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, and Marie Forleo. He now writes books, and makes courses and software products. Courses such as Creative Class, which teaches you how to "go pro" in your freelance career, and software such as Fathom Analytics, which gives you simple website analytics without tracking or storing your users' personal data.

In this conversation you'll learn:

• How to manage your time in a company of one: Paul shares specific details on how he manages his time on a weekly basis, a monthly basis, and beyond.
• How to build your company of one around your skills: How does Paul build on his strengths and make his weaknesses irrelevant?
• How to make room for creativity by being organized: Learn why systems and processes actually enhance creativity rather than stifle it.

Patreon supporters are now covering ALL production costs for Love Your Work! Join our wonderful Patreon backers at patreon.com/kadavy.

I quadrupled my creative productivity. Sign up and I'll send you the tools I count on: kadavy.net/tools

Feedback? Questions? Comments? I love to hear anything and everything from you. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Tweet at me @kadavy, or email me [email protected].

Sponsors

http://audible.com/loveyourwork

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/paul-jarvis-podcast/