Productivity Book Group

I am delighted that I got to sit down today with Dr. Frank Buck, author of Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders [ http://amzn.to/2kfhJap ], a veteran school administrator, public speaker, productivity coach, and author. He has spoken to audiences throughout the United States and internationally to help busy professionals achieve total control over their time and the peace of mind that nothing is falling through the cracks. He has been an active blogger for over a decade. Frank was named to “Global Gurus Top 30” in the area of time management for 2017 and 2018.

Productivity Book Group Author Interview Series is an opportunity to learn about new and interesting productivity books and authors. I’ll be interviewing some of the authors that we have read or will be reading here on Productivity Book Group as well as other authors. These shorter podcast interviews will be injected between our normal discussion-format episodes that are published here on Productivity Book Group.

Enjoy the interview!

The Amazon book description states:

In today’s world, we’re often overwhelmed by our digital devices, stacks of paper, and constant interruptions. Get Organized! outlines a complete organizational system for the busy school leader. Providing you with simple tools and techniques to bring order and control to your personal and professional life, this book will increase your productivity and decrease your stress. With Get Organized! you can spend your time on what matters most―your school and your students.

Special Features:

*

Includes easy to implement ideas, at little or no cost―you can start right away!

*

Each chapter contains practical tips and tools, listing exactly what to do in order to implement the strategy.

*

This entirely updated edition provides digital strategies and tips for thriving in the Information Age.

Our next reading selections are:

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* ToodleDo

* Remember the Milk

* Time Power: The Revolutionary Time Management System That Can Change Your Professional and Personal Life by Charles Hobbs

* Find Frank Buck at http://frankbuck.org

Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls; check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes, Stitcher or whichever podcast directory or app you prefer to access Productivity Book Group…and feel free to review us there! This helps expand our readership and bring new discussion callers into the fold. Thank you.

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.

Note: All registered service marks, trademarks and other copyrighted materials mentioned on the podcast are that of their respective owners. This group is not affiliated with or officially endorsed by those copyright owners.

Productivity Book Group Author Interview Series is an opportunity to learn about new and interesting productivity books and authors. I’ll be interviewing some of the authors that we have read or will be reading here on Productivity Book Group as well as other authors. These shorter podcast interviews will be injected between our normal discussion-format episodes that are published here on Productivity Book Group.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever [ http://amzn.to/2BFkaY0 ] in 2016 when this book came out.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, was the first Canadian Coach of the Year and a Rhodes Scholar, and podcast host of Great Work Podcast.

Box of Crayons is a company that helps organizations around the world do less Good Work and more Great Work. They specialize in giving busy managers the tools so they can coach in 10 minutes or less. They have particular expertise with organizations in the financial, professional service, pharmaceutical and consumer goods market sectors, and particular success with organizations with engaged but overwhelmed employees. Their programs are delivered by a global cadre of program leaders.

(mostly quoted (or appended to) from Box of Crayons’s website)

Enjoy the interview!

The Amazon book description states:

In Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

Our next reading selections are:

March 31, 2018

Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono

June 30, 2018

Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

Jake Knapp, et al.

September 29, 2018

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

Daniel Goleman, PhD

December 29, 2018

The Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness

Stephan Aarstol

For full details, see Upcoming Books.

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

Michael’s books

Get Unstuck & Get Going…on the stuff that matters

Great Work Provocations: short sharp shots of inspiration served up daily

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters.

Other resources referenced

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Chip and Dan Heath’s books

Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G.

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less [ http://amzn.to/2hIDDzn ] by Barry Schwartz, PhD.

Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

Whether we’re buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

Our next reading selection is:

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* Getting Things Done by David Allen

* Martin Seligman, PhD

* Daniel Gilbert, PhD

* SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient–Powered by the Science of Games by Jane McGonigal, PhD (Website) (Discussion)

The callers you hear in this episode are readers just like you, and you are more than welcome to join us on the live calls to discuss productivity books too! Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls. If you plan to read ahead or read a little more slowly, please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes, Stitcher or whichever podcast directory or app you prefer to access Productivity Book Group…and feel free to review us there! This helps expand our readership and bring new discussion callers into the fold. Thank you.

Finally,

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World [ http://amzn.to/2hECDsQ ] by Cal Newport.

Deep Work, as defined by Cal Newport is

Professional activities performed in a state of … concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.

In contrast, Newport identifies Shallow work as

[Cognitively undemanding], logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much value in the world and are easy to replicate.

Further, he then proposes a Deep Work Hypothesis:

The ability to perform Deep Work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.

Two core abilities for thriving in the new economy:

The ability to quickly master hard things.

The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed.

He comes up with several other pseudo-principles and terminologies, including The Principle of Least Resistance and Busyness as Proxy for Productivity. So, that’s enough to give you a concept of what Deep Work is. Let’s get the conversation started with a basic argument of the veracity of Deep Work itself.

Do you agree with the author’s concepts of Deep Work and Shallow Work? And, his Deep Work Hypothesis? Was he able to convince you that Deep Work is vital to the present and burgeoning New Economy?

Cal Newport presents himself as particularly anti-Twitter. Why do you think he points out Twitter specifically and is he right about Social Media? Should you quit Social Media?

Let us know in the comments! Enjoy the discussion!

Our next reading selections are:

The callers you hear in this episode are readers just like you, and you are more than welcome to join us on the live calls to discuss productivity books too! Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls. If you plan to read ahead or read a little more slowly, please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes, Stitcher or whichever podcast directory or app you prefer to access Productivity Book Group…and feel free to review us there! This helps expand our readership and bring new discussion callers into the fold. Thank you.

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.

Note: All registered service marks, trademarks and other copyrighted materials mentioned on the podcast are that of their respective owners. This group is not affiliated with or officially endorsed by those copyright owners.

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient–Powered by the Science of Games, [ http://amzn.to/2jh5Q2D ] by Jane McGonigal, PhD. Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

An innovative guide to living gamefully, based on the program that has already helped nearly half a million people achieve remarkable personal growth

… In this book, McGonigal reveals a decade’s worth of scientific research into the ways all games—including videogames, sports, and puzzles—change how we respond to stress, challenge, and pain. She explains how we can cultivate new powers of recovery and resilience in everyday life simply by adopting a more “gameful” mind-set. Being gameful means bringing the same psychological strengths we naturally display when we play games—such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination—to real-world goals.

Our next reading selection is:

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, Revised 25th Anniversary Edition, by William Bridges, PhD. Join us on February 25, 2017 at noon Eastern Standard Time for our live discussion!

Winter

February

2/25/17

Transitions: Making Sense Of Life’s Changes

William Bridges, PhD

http://amzn.to/2hIzVqU

Spring

March

3/25/17

Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time

Brigid Schulte

http://amzn.to/2kD36Nk

Spring

April

4/22/17

Path of Least Resistence

Robert Fritz

http://amzn.to/2jCjOuy

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* You can learn more about SuperBetter, the book and program, on its website. [ http://superbetter.com ]

* TED Talk, “The game that can give you 10 extra years of life | Jane McGonigal” by Jane McGonigal [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs ]

* FitBit / Google Fit

* Quantified Self

* areyougameful.com (inventories)

The callers you hear in this episode are readers just like you, and you are more than welcome to join us on the live calls to discuss productivity books too! Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls. If you plan to read ahead or read a little more slowly, please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes, Stitcher or whichever podcast directory or app you prefer to access Productivity Book Group…and feel free to review us there! This helps expand our readership and bring new discussion callers into the fold. Thank you.

Finally,

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard [ http://amzn.to/1P3mbA6 ] by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die and Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work). Enjoy the discussion!

(Sorry about the audio…for some reason the teleconference recording clipped/distorted some of the audio!)

The Amazon book description states:

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?

The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:

●      The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients.

●      The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping.

●      The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots byremoving a standard tool of customer service

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change.Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.

From the Hardcover edition.

Our next reading selections are:

6/25/2016

Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success

Mark McGuinness

http://amzn.to/1NQ6Z8w

7/30/2016

Stuffocation: Why We’ve Had Enough of Stuff and Need Experience More Than Ever

James Wallman

http://amzn.to/1PTjBwv

Show Notes:

Goodreads listing of Switch: www.goodreads.com/book/show/6570502-switch

The Heath Brothers’ website:

http://heathbrothers.com/resources/ Great Resources!

heathbrothers.com/books/switch/

Good Stress, Bad Stress: An Indispensable Guide to Identifying and Managing Your Stress [ http://amzn.to/27WXgGC ] by Barry Lenson

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, [ http://amzn.to/1P3lZkr ] by Peter C. Brown, et al. Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

To most of us, learning something “the hard way” implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.

Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights into how memory is encoded, consolidated, and later retrieved have led to a better understanding of how we learn. Grappling with the impediments that make learning challenging leads both to more complex mastery and better retention of what was learned.

Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.

About the Authors

Peter C. Brown is a writer and novelist in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Henry L. Roediger III is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Mark A. McDaniel is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE) at Washington University in St. Louis.

Our next reading selections are:

5/28/2016 Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

6/25/2016 Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success by Mark McGuinness

7/30/2016 Stuffocation: Why We’ve Had Enough of Stuff and Need Experience More Than Ever by James Wallman

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* Anki – digital (spaced repetition) flashcard tool

* Pimsleur’s Language Learning courses

* DuoLingo app

* Cornell note taking method

* The Journey Method –  “AILS” = Association / Image / Location / Story. How do you associate material to what you already know? A story path. (

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives [ http://amzn.to/1OQLjKy ] by Gretchen Rubin. Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change? 

Gretchen Rubin’s answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.

So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?

Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Beforeexplains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.

Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:

• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?

• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why?

• How quickly can I change a habit?

• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit?

• How can I help someone else change a habit?

• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me?

Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book.

Our next reading selections are:

Show Notes:

* habit manifesto – PDF link

* Gretchen’s podcast

* Four Tendencies Quiz

* First Break Rules – Marcus Buckingham

* Quantified Self – quantifiedself.com

* Don’t Break the Chain – Jerry Seinfeld – dontbreakthechain.com

* Coach.me – app

* Unschedule – Google Sheets template

* The Now Habit – Neil Fiore

* Happier at Home – 21-Day Relationship Challenge [ http://gretchenrubin.com/21-day-relationship-challenge/ ]

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

The callers you hear in this episode are readers just like you, and you are more than welcome to join us on the live calls to discuss productivity books too! Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls. If you plan to read ahead or read a little more slowly, please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes,

Productivity Book Group Author Interview Series is an opportunity to learn about new and interesting productivity books and authors. I’ll be interviewing some of the authors that we have read or will be reading here on Productivity Book Group as well as other authors. These shorter podcast interviews will be injected between our normal discussion-format episodes that are published here on Productivity Book Group.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Francis Wade, author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity [ http://amzn.to/1R77toe ]. Francis Wade, author of two productivity books, Perfect Time-Based Productivity and Bill’s IM-Perfect Time Management Adventure, alumnus of AT&T Bell Labs, 20+ year entrepreneur, newspaper columnist, recovering triathlete, avid reader and lover of all things personal improvement.

Enjoy the interview!

The Amazon book description states:

More demands on your time – that’s just a fact of modern life. You may be doing the job of more than one person and facing an onslaught of information, only to realize that ubiquitous, 24-7 technology has only made things worse. How do you stay ahead of the expectation that you should be able to meet all your obligations, old and new? In the face of these increasing pressures, what do you need to do to maintain your peace of mind? This book is primarily written for productive professionals who have already found a way to achieve positive results.

While the book has lots of specific, practical suggestions for new behaviors, at its heart is a four step approach that preserves and builds on the advances that you, as a professional, have already made in your career:

Step 1> Evaluate your current skills against best-in-class standards, discovering strengths and improvement opportunities.

Step 2> Set realistic targets for new behaviors that meet your unique, evolving needs.

Step 3> Create a personalized plan from these new targets that allow you enough time to succeed, by taking small steps.

Step 4> Craft your own habit change support environment.

By the end of the book you will have completed these steps many times, giving you an easy way to improve any skill that’s important to your peace of mind.

Our next reading selections are:

Our next Productivity Book Group reading discussion will be on Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin. That live discussion call will take place on March 26, 2016. Full details are available at productivitybookgroup.org by clicking on “Upcoming Books.”

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport [ http://amzn.to/1TJ1kEZ ]

* HBS Working Knowledge: “Who Should Manage Our Work Time?” [ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/who-should-manage-our-work-time ]

Francis Wade: “(At the Harvard Business School, the philosophy has long been to eschew formal training in time management, instead overloading students purposely to force them to learn for themselves how to prioritize and become better time managers.

Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich [ http://amzn.to/1nzHvMq ] by Timothy Ferriss.

We had a critical look at the book and its “framework” and all of us on the call came to the same conclusion: it has holes as a cohesive system for the “everyman,” it’s definitely worth reading, and there are many nuggets of productivity wisdom that were summarized here in the book that can be applicable to anyone.

Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

•How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and 4 hours per week

•How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want

•How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs

•How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist

•How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements”

The new expanded edition of Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek includes:

•More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point

•Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating e-mail, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than $8 a meal

•How Lifestyle Design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times

•The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either

Our next reading selections are:

Our next Productivity Book Group reading discussion will be about Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives [ http://amzn.to/1OQLjKy ] by Gretchen Rubin. That live discussion call will take place on March 26, 2016 at noon Eastern. Full details are available by clicking on Upcoming Books.

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

* Four-Hour Blog [ http://fourhourblog.com/ ]

* Freelancer’s Union [ http://freelancersunion.org/ ]

* 4-Hour Workweek Tools [ http://fourhourworkweek.com/4-hour-workweek-tools/ ]

* Quora.com [ quora.com ]

*