In today’s episode, we analyze another Netflix home organization show! We had great fun chatting about Marie Kondo’s Netflix show a few weeks ago, so we’re doing it again today with the show “The Home Edit."

Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin are the dynamic duo behind this series and the founders of the home organization business behind it. They always end up with beautiful-looking homes and spaces - real eye-candy for us productivity lovers.

But is what they do organizing or containerizing? Do they help clients keep too much stuff? Does it matter?

We have all the questions! We also talk about the similarities and differences between this show and “Tidying up with Marie Kondo.” And we share our personal opinions on whether the method they use is sustainable or not - especially for people with kids. 

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In this latest episode, we share our thoughts on the KonMari method of organizing. This is the method that was conceptualized by Marie Kondo -- the now famous, Japanese organizing queen.

She has gained much of her popularity, thanks to two best-selling books and starring in the Netflix reality series, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” And it’s this series that gets us chatting about how much of what you see is real, and how much is simply produced for entertainment value.

The premise of the KonMari method is “Does it Spark Joy?” and we discuss how legitimate that is as an organizing method. Afterall, happy people are productive people, right?

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Today we take on device addiction. We all have some level of addiction to our phones especially people like us who use our phones to help us be more productive.

We delve a little deeper into some of the reasons why reliance on our devices has become a problem. And acknowledge that we're not immune!

We both know that we use our phones a lot and thought we'd compete with each other. So we decided to do a little challenge. Listen to today's episode to learn more and join us for "No Phone Sunday!" 

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Generally speaking, if you don’t mind us saying it ... rules RULE! We love rules especially when they help us manage our time better. But we also know that if they are too restrictive, they can get in the way of productivity. 

In this episode, we elaborate and build on a previous episode where we discussed the very strict rules of the Pomodoro time management method, and chat about a few of the rules that exist in the productivity field and the pros and cons of each.

(P.S. Yes, those are renovation sounds from Deb's kitchen project that you're hearing in the background!)

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Today we get into the nitty-gritty details of a few of our favorite task management apps. We both share a great fondness for writing down things that we need to remember.

But having a digital version of “writing things down” that also includes a reminder when that task is due … well, THAT is just a Productivity Lover’s dream!

We chat about all the different apps we’ve used over the years and why we have stuck to some and why others just didn’t work. We also share some of the features we like so that you make an informed choice when choosing your next task management app.

To get the links to every app we discussed in today’s episode, CLICK HERE or scroll down for the link.

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Both Deb and Cris are in the middle of two different but equally tough life transitions. Deb is dealing with her home renovation and Cris is figuring out the intricacies of moving into a house with her new partner and children … situations that are proving to be just as stressful and mentally draining for these two productivity lovers as it is for the average person. Arguably they may be struggling more, thanks to their strong desire to have everything in order.

Cris and Deb share how they have each been navigating this time of transition -- sometimes more successfully than other times. Today’s episode acknowledges that change is easy to underestimate and can easily catch you off-guard. But it’s important to find your way back to some semblance of a routine as soon as possible to ensure your sanity survives the process. 

(And, yes, Deb really does wash apples and Cris has been remembering to use her deodorant!)

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Cris Sgrott and Deb Lee are your Productivity Lovers. You may have heard Cris rave about the book “Finish” by Jon Acuff in a previous episode.

In today's episode, Cris shares how she came across the book and why she found it to be such an impressive read. Of course, Deb has been similarly impressed by this read and they decided to spend an entire episode of the podcast on what they each took away as learnings from the book.

The author makes some great suggestions in the book and Deb and Cris share how they have been able to actually implement some of these suggestions.

This book emphasizes the idea of ensuring that you prioritize AND FINISH things that are important to you and avoid the things in your life that aren’t. This - along with not letting perfectionism hold you back from making progress are some of the great topics Cris and Deb tackle. 

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Do you find yourself wishing you could be more productive but not sure where to start? Cris Sgrott and Deb Lee, your podcast productivity gurus,  jump into today’s discussion about the Pomodoro Time Management Technique. They share some thoughts on the benefits that they have personally experienced while working in this particular way. Cris and Deb have each used this technique and found it valuable - even though they both worked with a modified version to suit their lifestyle - just like you should if you need to. They chat about coffee, naps, and coffee-naps… Who knew those existed, right? But they do - and they could be an amazing trick up your productivity sleeve.

Be in the know and become better at organizing your life by learning from the best in this episode of Productivity Lovers.

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Cris Sgrott and Deb Lee are both going through major life changes - Cris is moving house and Deb is renovating her kitchen. They are both struggling to deal with the pressure of things around them be so disorganized - knowing that they both make a living out of helping people organize their lives. Both of them find themselves dealing with these changes and stresses differently and in today’s episode they talk about the highs and lows of dealing with big changes like these in life. 

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Cris Sgrott had an unfortunate time-management disaster this week - making her late for the episode recording. But as they say - “Every dark cloud has a silver lining…” and her ‘dark’ day, brought about this week’s episode discussion where Cris and Deb come up with some really helpful advice about how to tackle bad days and moving on from them. The key being, to remain focused on the things that are going well and working on the problematic things one at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed. 

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