sharppodcast

Episode 24 - This week, we (Lisa and I) talk about using ideas we have looked at before and applied to being a working Mum or Dad or anyone who has to balance work with life. We consider why we tend to keep those things separate when actually, one can help the other.

Some of the stuff in there is:



• How it seems easier to apply productivity solutions to work
• Why it's different to apply them to family or home life
• The difference between a work meeting and sitting to dinner with family
• It all went wrong in the morning
• How a nighttime routine directly affects the morning
• Things to consider for the nighttime routine
• Setting out clothes for the morning
• Making lunches
• Having a defined bedtime
• Agreed wakeup times
• The roles each person plays and how they can impact everyone else
• The virtuous circle
• Some good routines and checklists for kids are here
• Here are Entrepreneur.com's thoughts on end-of-day routines for adults
• Other routines or checklists to consider:
• Meal planning
• Checklists for items needed on a day out
• Checklist for items needed on an overnight stay
• Holiday stuff packing lists
• Christmas or Party lists - who is doing what
• Bacon sandwiches 5 ways!
• How schedules can work for families and working parents
• The importance of planning for things like:
• Time together
• Talking time
• Family time
• Homework time
• Chores and jobs
• Wunderlist
• Setting half an hour to look at the coming week together
• Google calendar - here's a quick start tutorial
• Goals - why they're not just for work
• The importance of setting personal and family goals
• Michael Hyatt's method of setting personal goals
• Good family goal-setting resource at - mytimemanagement.com

Episode 23 - In this episode, I've researched 152 different productivity and efficiency tips, to find you the best. These 9 will make a big difference to how much stuff you can get done - freeing you up to spend more time doing the stuff you really WANT to do. Enjoy!

Some of the stuff in there is:



• How Eating The Frog will mean you actually get things done
• Why you should Ditch The Phone to concentrate
• Automate Or Eliminate - how they can save you time
• The Brainscape.com study on shortcuts saving you 8 days per year
• Michael Hyatt's book - The Virtual Assistant Solution
• What Clutter can do to reduce your productivity and how to sort it - according to Forbes
• Batching
• What it looks like in - Getting Things Done by David Allen
• The Pomodoro technique - some more info here
• Looking After Yourself - what Lifehack.com says about a 2005 study
• How we covered morning routines - in episode STP012
• And the importance of sleep - in episode STP022
• Taking Breaks
• How it increases performance according to a study - from the University of Illinois
• To-do lists don't work - we explain the difference between 'to-do' and 'Must-Do'
• Peter Bregman's version from his - 18 Minutes Book
• What Josh Kauffman says about 'MIT's' in - The Personal MBA
• The Force Multiplier - Killer Schedule
• How to make it actually work
• What 2 things - and ONLY 2 things should be on your schedule
• The other tips which didn't make the top 9 - but were still useful:
• The 2 minute rule
• Planning email - covered in episode STP020
• Make goals - again covered in two previous episodes STP018 and STP019
• Killing your darlings
• Have fun!

Episode 22 - We're having a look at sleep this time. We learn why sleep is important, how a lack of it can literally kill you, what happens when we do get sleep and how to achieve it. There's also a liberal sprinkling of nonsense from 'Steve out in the field' which he thought was a good idea:

Some of the stuff in there is:



• What can happen if you don't get enough sleep
• There's a really interesting animation - by the Ted team here
• Why only a few people can survive on low levels of sleep
• The risks you expose yourself to even after only being awake for 18 hours
• National Geographic's experiment - This is your brain on no sleep
• How many people die in sleep related crashes each year - the numbers are astonishing
• Further reading from Forbes here 
• The health consequences of missing out on just an hour's sleep a night
• The Telegraph Article
• 5 definite benefits from getting enough sleep:

1. You’re better able to focus and learn
2. You feel happier
3. You’re more productive
4. You’re less hungry
5. You won’t get sick as often

• What happens when we sleep?
• The sleep cycles:

1. Non-REM sleep - Four stages
2. REM sleep

• You can read more detail on the cycles - in this BBC Science Article
• How sleep literally washes our brains!
• Article from the National Institute of Health in the US on sleep
• The solutions to getting more sleep in today's busy world:

1. Routine - Establish a wind-down routine to include turning your device off an hour before bedtime, an end of day journal, warmth bath, read a relaxing book. Here's a routine from the Huffington Post
2. Mindfulness, yoga or relaxation techniques - Any of these can calm your mind more generally.

• Here's a link to find out about the headspace app
• This one is about 10% Happier
• This podcast called 'Sleep with me' may help you to sleep also

1. Caffeine curfew - Did you know that caffeine has a half life of 6 hours? Here is some reading. Stopping caffeine at 1 or 2pm will definitely help
2. Invest in good quality sleeping stuff bed, mattress, pillows, pyjamas, cassettes you can put a small one into...
3. Exercise - This article explains why a regular exercise routine can help you sleep
4. Ditch the devices - The blue light can trick your body into thinking it should be awake, and the buzzers and beeps (or even the thought of them going off) can delay the onset of sleep.
5. Apps - There's loads out there to help you manage the supportive habits you want to develop. Here's the link back to our episode where we featured them.

• Further reading: Here are two more articles which formed our source and make for useful further reading:

1. The Daily Telegraph - 25 Tips To Help You Sleep Better
2. Sleep.Org - 7 Habits Keeping You Awake