sharppodcast

Episode 16 - Two GREAT apps to make things better!

In this episode, we look at Nozbe and Evernote and explore how they can make your day smoother and more efficient and help you get things done. Whether you're a complete novice or you've used them already - we cover so much stuff that there's GOT to be something in there that's useful. Also featuring cake, pot plants, and Alan Partridge.

 Some of the stuff in there is:



• People who are listening to Sharppodcast around the world
• Misery in a coffee shop
• An introduction to Nozbe dealing easily with 2 Birthdays, a wedding and a christening
• Why you shouldn't write presentations at the dry cleaners
• An introduction to productivity the Nozbe way - here's the first video
• Wanna eat that Frog or go 'advanced' (ding!)...
• Managing energy levels, delegation, weekly reviews, priorities - it's all in this article
• Evernote - an Alladin's Cave of possibilities!
• What people like Tim Ferris think of Evernote - in this film
• Street talk
• Lost at the beach
• Saving the planet one business card at a time
• Going to meetings with underwear, phone chargers and a shaver
• How these very words were crafted in Evernote - and yet made it here for you
• To learn about Evernote, go to their website - here
• Or have a look at their YouTube videos - here
• Then there's advanced stuff: (ding!)
• IFTT - it's like a magic thing
• Capture post-it notes in colour and save them in Evernote
• Buy special moleskin notebooks that have smart stickers so you can upload your handwritten notes, digitize your notes and sketches and even share them
• Find previous versions of a note or even retrieve deleted notes up to 30 days later
• Annotate PDF's
• Get emails with your daily reminders
• Encrypt sections of your text
• Create a table of contents by selecting a group of notes, and click one button
• All that stuff is available for your reading pleasure here

Episode 15 - An introduction to GTD (Getting Things Done)

If you only put one new tool in your box, we reckon you should make it GTD. It's not time management or a routine - it's a way of living. Whether you like writing things on paper, using apps, or want to develop a full-blown new 'task management' system, there aren't many others which are as simple, elegant, and downright good at proper stuff. The clue is in the title - Getting Things Done. This podcast explains why WE like it, why we think YOU will like it, and where to find all the stuff. If you don't know the system, hopefully, this is a good introduction to it. If you do know the system, then feel free to visit any of the resource below, which may help you remember what a great idea it is.

 Some of the stuff in there is:

• Why we think that GTD (Getting Things Done) is a fantastic approach to getting stuff under control
• Who this David Allen bloke is
• Getting stuff under control isn't difficult
• If you're a paper person, an 'app' person, or a 'system' person - it can work your way
• David's speech is a nice way to find out what GTD is - here's that podcast
• Work-Life balance, you don't need to balance
• That voice in your head (again) and what you can do with it
• The five steps of GTD and what they are - you can see them in more detail here
• Where to get all the resource:
• You could buy the book
• Listen to the audiobook
• The GTD Podcasts
• Other resources:
• Next Action associates
• Asian Efficiency
• The GTD virtual study group
• If you use Evernote - the GTD step-by-step guide for setting it up is here
• The other setup sheets for Outlook, Onenote, Wunderlist etc - are here
• Nozbe - an excellent app particularly suited to the GTD method
• And then there's the - Getting Things Done website
• Some good Youtube videos are here:
• A nice simple animated summary
• A detailed tutorial on using GTD with Evernote
• The fundamentals from GTD themselves
• Some nice social media contacts - these are the Twitter ones
• GTD
• Asian Efficiency
• Next Action Associates
• Here are some good Facebook pages
• The GTD study group
• Getting Things Done

Episode 14 - The word 'productivity' what does it actually mean?

Whether you're looking for resource to help you get better or just working out how to improve stuff, the word 'productivity' is often bandied about as a good thing to aspire to. But where did it come from, and is it something we really want to achieve?

 Some of the stuff in there is:

• Cool people who've interacted with us this week
• The 'P' word - bad?
• Why we don't know it from Adam
• Productivity and what other people describe it as
• What WE describe it as
• The problem with "work/life balance" - here's an article from Forbes.com for further reading
• David Allen's view on work in his - GTD podcast
• This thing called life
• What a guru, a bard, and a panther have in common
• The importance of choosing how to write your shopping list
• A way to have the life you'd like - in five easy steps

Episode 13 - Kicking 'luck' to the kerb and ending your day with intention!

We follow up last week's 'start of day' routine focus with its neighbour and bedfellow - the 'end of day' routine. These two powerful rituals can add up to making all the stuff that happens in your day manageable and easier - and leaving you more time to do the things you WANT to do. We give you ideas, pointers, places to look at and plenty of information to get you on your way to setting up your own end-of-day routine.

 Some of the stuff in there is:

• How your 'start of day' and your 'end of day' routine support each other and support you getting stuff done
• Why Forbes.com say how you end your day is critical - in this article
• Michael Hyatt says, "The right activities before you sleep can set you up for success the next day" in this article
• The two groups of 'end of day' routines - the workday one and the dayday one
• Why it's even more important to have a defined end-of-day process if you do work which doesn't have its own clear end to each day
• THE END OF WORKDAY ROUTINE:
• A great template for a 7-step routine from todoist.com - the full article is here
• 1. Clean up your physical and digital workspace
• 2. Review your to-done’s
• 3. Write out tomorrow’s to-do list
• 4. Set yourself up to “Eat Your Frog” first thing in the morning
• 5. Confront the things you’ve been putting off. (Break them down and choose one 'next step' for tomorrow)
• 6. Set a time to end your workday and stick to it
• 7. End on a high note:
• Forgive yourself
• Show gratitude
• Do someone a favour
• My personal end of workday routine (from 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done) looks like this:
• Spend 5 minutes asking yourself these key questions:
• How did my day go? What went well? What were my challenges?
• What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do - differently or the same tomorrow?
• Who did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback with?
• THE END OF DAY (DAY) ROUTINE:
• Set a 'turn off your screen' time - and stick to it
• What Scientific American say about - using screens before bedtime
• Coffee - did you know it has a 'half-life'? - The effect of caffeine on sleep
• Wind-down time, take it seriously
• Take the time to work out how long you need to start your wind-down process. Mine is 45 minutes between starting and going to sleep
• Journal. Take time in your wind-down space to write down:
• What went well for you today
• What you learned today which developed you or improved something
• Three things you appreciate or are grateful for. The more basic, the better

Episode 12 - Start your day with a killer morning routine

After taking a pause so we can 'be better', - we're back this week with an episode on starting your day in the best way you possibly can. After all, if you're going to be good at things and have a great day - you're in with a fighting chance if you start that day well. In this week's episode, we look at why you should think about your morning routine, how small things can make a difference, and where to find out how successful people start their day.

 Some of the stuff in there is:

• Why you should think about your morning routine
• Planning to plan from a personal perspective
• Having a morning routine isn't just for people running multi-million-pound operations
• But if they do it - why shouldn't you?
• I've done the research in places like Success magazine, Forbes,Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, David Allen and so on, so you don't have to. Here are some articles for further reading:
• Success - 10 morning routines of wildly successful entrepreneurs
• FastCompany - The morning routines of the most successful people
• Forbes - Routines of 7 successful but human millennial entrepreneurs
• What my morning routine is - and why I do it
• Circadian rhythms and - why they make you feel like you do
• Your alarm is a conflict, but you can make it work for you
• Why I get up at 4:50, and why you should get up at 6:37
• Laugh, smile - do it FIRST
• The psychology of smiling
• Water water everywhere - get it inside you
• Run for your life - why some exercise every day is a good idea
• Oy - YOU! (time)
• Get cold - If it's good enough for Tim Ferris and Tony Robbins, it's good enough for us
• What 30 seconds in a cold shower tells you about taking things for granted
• The 6 steps:
• Alarm - set it with intention, don't snooze
• Laugh - look in the mirror, laugh or smile at yourself; I promise you, it's funny and good
• Water - half a litre, 16 ounces re-hydrate quickly after you've woken up
• Activity - walk outside, gym, run - whatever works for you
• You time - 10 minutes of meditation, yoga, or just taking 10 to stop and think about what you want to do today
• Shower - cold blast, 30 seconds at the end.