sharppodcast

Episode 42 - I claim that we cover the meaning of life, the universe, and everything - in episode 42.

It's possible I claimed it incorrectly, but we had a great chat about how YOU can finally free time up to get that creative project up and running - or in fact, do anything which has been burning a hole in the back of your mind for the last few years.

Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:

• Jessica's first piece of work that I discovered - Out On The Wire
• Then I found the amazing - Growing Gills
• We talked about how to focus on what's important
• How it can be difficult to find space to get that creative idea off the ground
• What do you need to do in order to do it
• Jessica's fantastic - Creative Focus Workshop

(Cover image credit: Jessica Abel)

Episode 41 - Four ideas and suggestions for the price of one episode! And, of course, that price is ZERO pence, cents, yen, euro etc...

Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:



• Before we hit the subjects, a simple plea asking for your help - if you like what we do, please tell one friend who you think would also like what we do
• ONE: A great blog we found at lifehacker.com from Michelle Woo
• Michelle suggests we should split our to-do list into 2:
• A simple list
• A hard list
• She goes on to explain why paying attention to your biological rhythms can help you get more done
• Backed up by people such as Molly Crockett and Dan pink
• The full article by Michelle Woo is here
• The funny one at Buzzfeed (ketchup for bookmarks)
• TWO:  Evernote have a smashing podcast
• The episode we spotlight is one featuring Michael Hyatt and Marvell Allen
• Marvell talks about how influence is not limited to managers
• How do people who work in organisations have as much influence on business
• She also helps us deal with difficult managers
• Evernote podcast link here
• THREE: I found a blog from success.com which was really inspiring
• Jim Rohn is quoted talking about his views on 'value' versus 'valuables'
• It takes a bit of reading - but it's worth your attention
• Success must be attracted and not pursued - Jim Rohn
• FOUR: Finally, the amazing Daniel Pink (author of Drive) held a Ted Talk in 2009
• He makes a compelling case for thinking more carefully about using incentives
• Instinctively you might think that if you offer an incentive, people will do better
• But you would be wrong
• To find out more - watch this super talk
• And if he convinces you - buy a copy of Drive and find out how you can make it work for you

We have got a VERY special episode next time - I'll keep you in suspense, but if you've planned to get a creative project off the ground, it will be well worth your while checking in.

Episode 40 - Problems not going away? Struggling to solve the big ones? Then this episode is for you. We look at the Creative Problem Solving model and how it can help YOU sort them out.

Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:



• Steve In The Field is back - OH NO!
• What do we mean by 'problem'?
• The things that cause us to struggle:
• What the heck is 'convergent thinking'?
• Quotes - they sound nice, but many don't really help, do they?
• Lisa and Steve at the table are back - HOORAY!
• We demonstrate why 'sticky thinking' doesn't help
• Creative Problem Solving - the CEF full explanation is here 
• The key stages of the Creative Problem Solving model
• Clarify
• Gather as much information as you can about the problem
• Use - The 5 Why Technique
• Ask more questions - Who? What? Where? When? How?
• Define your aim - where do you want to get to, what would the world be like if the problem went away?
• Remember, the problem may not be the thing you want to solve
• Ideate
• Come up with as much data as you can on the problem
• Brainstorm
• Use search engines
• Make lists
• Do Mind Maps
• DON'T judge at this stage - just get as much varied information as you can
• Develop
• Now you sort everything out
• Start to prioritise the things which may help you
• Consider losing the things which are obviously unhelpful
• Implement
• Turn it all into a plan
• Make it actionable
• Be SMART
• Do IT!
• Buffalo buffalo, Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo, Buffalo buffalo explained by Ted - here
• Have a listen to the FAB, challenging, demanding, beautiful podcast by Sean called Share A Slice
• Get some support and ideas to get houseplants looking great in your life by listening to the excellent On The Ledge by Jane Perrone
• Thank you to Stacey and Carla at the Brit Pod Scene network - a lovely bunch of people!

Episode 39 - A roundup of the best stuff we've found on social media in these last 2 weeks to help you get better. If you recognise any of the words in the title, there are some solutions for you here.

Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:



• Getting used to the new studio - does it sound OK to you?
• Some great resource on social media we've found to help you get better
• This fab article by John Rampton on - Discipline versus Motivation
• Miranda Marquit says - willpower is a limited resource, and you need self-motivation to sustain you when willpower runs out
• Top Gun pilot David Berke disagrees. He says motivation is meaningless
• Me contradicting Jim Rohn? Controversial!
• Self-motivation and external motivation
• Daniel Pink's fabulous book - Drive
• Podcast recommendation - Next Action associates
• GTD reducing stress
• Why I am calmer than I have ever been as a result
• Video recommendation - This fabulous Ted Talk from BJ Fogg
• The power of Motivation, Ability and a Trigger
• Changing our behaviour with tiny habits can cause long-term change
• How a set of scales tweeting his weight for a year didn't help him lose weight
• But when he started changing tiny habits, it started to work
• Finally, a cracking article recommendation - 5 Emotionally Intelligent Habits for Dealing with Work Frustrations
• Getting frustrated at work? Yeah, right - who doesn't
• Five emotionally intelligent solutions to some of those frustrations
• And these don't just apply to work but to anything which frustrates us:
• Wait to react
• Name the feeling
• Share how you feel with someone who can be objective.
• Reflect on the situation like an outside observer.
• Imagine it's 1/5/10 years later