Do you have trouble focusing on one thing for any length of time? You’re not alone - in today’s crazy-busy society, we’ve become addicted to distraction. Today we’re going to show you how you can fight the urge to be always-on through establishing a mindfulness meditation habit. We talk about what mindfulness meditation is, how to do it effectively, the 10 major benefits that come from mindfulness meditation, and give you our recommended apps and tools to help you make it a habit. Whether you are a beginner or have been meditating for years, this episode will help you train your brain so it stays on what you tell it to focus on.

Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting The Productivity Show. Get $50 off your first job post at LinkedIn.com/TPS.

Thanks to Stamps.com for supporting The Productivity Show. Use the code TPS to get a 4-week trial offer by going to Stamps.com.

Cheat Sheet

Exploring mindfulness meditation as someone who was initially resistant to the idea of doing it 2:31

Getting started with the simple process of meditating 7:56

How meditation helps you be more engaged in other things in your life 14:58

What to do when you've taken a break from meditation and want to get back into it 17:45

The 10 benefits of meditation 23:12

Why mindfulness meditation improves your mood and focus 29:22

How meditation makes you smarter by changing your physical brain 35:38

Meditation tools and apps that Mike and Brooks use 42:47

How to get started with a guided meditation 55:28

Links

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story

10% Happier Podcast with Dan Harris

How Journaling Can Make You 25% Happier (TPS154)

"Self-reported mindfulness and cortisol during a Shamatha meditation retreat."

"Brief Mindfulness Training May Boost Test Scores, Working Memory"

"From Ouch to Om, Meditation Reduces Pain"

"Can meditation make you a more compassionate person?"

"A low‐dose mindfulness intervention and recovery from work: Effects on psychological detachment, sleep quality, and sleep duration"

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Back to Work Podcast

Calm.com

Headspace

Buddhify

Meditation Studio

Insight Timer

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We talk a lot about the concept of deep work here at Asian Efficiency, which is all about maximizing your intensity of focus so that you can produce excellent work and be more productive. But that assumes that you have time to focus on your important projects, which for many people is a luxury they don’t have (especially those in a corporate environment who have to deal with pop-ins from bosses and coworkers).

In this episode, Mike is joined by Curtis McHale, creator of the new focus time video course in the Dojo, our online productivity community, and we talk about how you can create the time to focus on your important projects. We talk about the tools you can use to facilitate focus when it’s time to sit down and do deep work, how you can set up your workspace to facilitate focused work more easily, and how to deal with the expectations of others and carve out focus time for yourself - even if you work in a corporate environment where you don’t have complete control of your time.

Cheat Sheet

A brief intro to Curtis McHale 1:53

The difference between focus time and deep work 3:00

How to get a focus block and how much time to spend on it 9:03

Why passion and purpose are important when trying to get focus time 12:09

Tools you can use to get more focus time 14:01

How to build a workspace for creating focus time 23:08

How to carve out focus time in a corporate environment 29:15

When is focus time bad? 35:03

Links

Get Curtis McHale's book The Art of Focus when it comes out!

The Secret to Making the Most of Your Limited Time w/ Curtis McHale (TPS201)

Increasing Your Productivity By Using Analog Tools w/ Curtis McHale (TPS177)

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Ulysses

Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule

The Cost of Not Paying Attention: How Interruptions Impact Knowledge Worker Productivity

Pomodoro 2.0 w/ Esington Method Founder Rudy Marsh (TPS188)

Focus@Will

Brain.fm

HazeOver

Scrivener

Calm

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

Great at Work: How Top Performers Work Less and Achieve More

Connect with Curtis McHale

CurtisMcHale.ca

@CurtisMcHale

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

Everyone wants to make more money and work less hours, and in this episode Josh Fonger shows us how it's possible using simple systems mechanics. Josh is a business performance architect and the co-founder of Work The System. He is an international business consultant, coach, and speaker. He's had the unique experience of personally helping hundreds of businesses grow simply, using the WTS Method. His specialty is taking stressed out entrepreneurs from working "in" their business to working "on" their business using systems so that profit and freedom become a consistent mechanical reality.

Work the System is where Mike first heard about The Systems Mindset, so he's thrilled to have Josh on the show to talk about the benefits of the systems mindset, the different kinds of systems that compose your life and how to make small improvements that translate into big results. They talk about the Work the System formula, key principles that will help you make the most of the systems in your life, and the perspective you need to develop in order to see systems correctly.

Thanks to HelloFresh for supporting The Productivity Show. Receive $30 off your first week of deliveries when you go to HelloFresh.com/TPS30 and use the offer code TPS30.

Cheat Sheet

How Josh became connected with Sam and started coaching businesses 1:58

Organic vs Mechanical systems 6:48

What Josh tries to fix first when he starts to work the system with clients 12:32

How systems can improve your personal life 18:37

The benefit of a business embracing the systems mindset 20:15

Why it's important to memorialize your wins 26:20

How small improvements over time can produce big results 29:48

The Work the System formula 32:28

The 4 main components of the Work the System method 42:51

Why a simple solution is usually the correct solution 48:43

Why improving systems will improve your emotional state 57:56

Links

WTS Enterprises

Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less

The Systems Mindset: Managing the Machinery of Your Life

@workthesystem

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

Do you like the idea of the 12 Week Year, but have trouble achieving your 12 Week Year goals? So did Mike, until he started implementing the concept of a personal retreat (or thinking day) that we’re about to share with you in this episode. Brooks and Mike talk about how to make the most of your personal thinking time, Mike shares the process he uses to achieve my goals for the last few quarters, they give you the questions you should ask when identifying your own 12 Week Year goals, plus a bunch of other tips to make achieving your personal and professional goals inevitable.

Cheat Sheet

How Mike started using a personal retreat after failing to accomplish his 12-week year goals 1:51

What a personal retreat is and why it's related to "thinking time" 8:54

Why putting a personal retreat on your calendar is the key to finding the time to getting it done 16:30

The 7-step process you can follow to hold your own personal retreat 18:59

How to review the previous quarter and finding lessons from the progress you've made 23:31

Identifying all of your roles and responsibilities and putting some on the "chopping block" 27:16

Why saying no saves "future you" from letting people down 33:15

The 3 Questions you should ask about your roles and commitments 36:48

Why you should pick at most 3 12-Week Year goals 44:27

Re-evaluate your morning routine 50:57

More tips for making sure you actually achieve your goals 55:47

Links

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months

How to Take Massive Action on Your Goals by Implementing the 12 Week Year Effectively (TPS138)

How to Discover Your Own Core Values (TPS126)

Schmitz Family Values

5: Where Will You Be Five Years from Today?

4 Steps to Regaining Control Whenever You Feel Overwhelmed

The Most POWERFUL Productivity “Tool” I’ve Discovered (Thinking Time blog post)

Thinking Time: the Counterintuitive Approach to Growth (TPS162)

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

Do you ever get overwhelmed? Ever feel like you’ve lost control of your day and there’s absolutely nothing that you can do about it? Do you get frustrated with having to respond to things other people declare are urgent and find yourself with no time left for the things that are important to you?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this episode is for you. Brooks and Mike talk about what overwhelm is as well as what contributes to it, and share a simple 4-step strategy to help you escape overwhelm once and for all. They share 5 quick tips for disconnecting from the moment and getting some space and control when everything goes wrong, and give you 5 tactical tips to help you systematically create space and escape overwhelm once and for all.

Thanks to Stamps.com for supporting The Productivity Show.

Cheat Sheet

How this topic came about from a Twitter question 1:49

What overwhelm feels like and why it's often self-imposed 6:50

How today's society creates a culture of emergency-scan modality 11:57

Resetting the expectations surrounding work/life balance 18:47

4 Steps to escape overwhelm 19:58

Why you need to learn how to say "No" 22:52

How email is a major contributing factor to overwhelm 30:25

Why rituals help you keep overwhelm at bay 35:26

Action item: identify one thing that you want to turn into a ritual or routine 39:11

What should you do when everything is going wrong right now 40:37

How meditation or taking a walk outside can help you feel like you are more in control of your life 44:52

Ways that famous authors and business owners deal with overwhelm 48:40

5 Things you can do to make sure you will systematically fight against overwhelm 51:43

Why you should reflect on your experience after you make it through an overwhelming situation 58:06

Links

The tweet that sparked this episode

Why Pursuing the Work-Life Balance Myth is Hurting Your Productivity (TPS139)

My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired

Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do

Calm

Headspace

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

3 Simple Steps To Delegating Work The Right Way So You Don’t Have to Worry About It (TPS182)

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

How Journaling Can Make You 25% Happier (TPS154)

Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

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It can be difficult balancing close relationships with the important people in your life and your desire to get things done as efficiently as possible. What do you do when you have friends or family members who don’t share the same approach to getting things done? How can you win them over and convince them to implement new and better ways of doing things?

In this episode, Brooks and Mike talk about how you can walk the fine line of productivity evangelist with the people who are close to you without being pushy or damaging important relationships. They share 3 strategies for working productively with a spouse or significant other, tips for communicating and inspiring other family members and friends when you need to tread carefully in close relationships, and share several personal examples of how they’ve convinced the people close to them to prioritize productivity.

Thanks to Slack for supporting The Productivity Show. Slack: Where work happens. Go to https://slack.com to learn more.

Cheat Sheet

Why you have to be careful when trying to convince family members to use new productivity techniques 1:57

4 strategies for maximizing your chances of success when you are advocating for productivity with your spouse or significant other 7:00

Questions to ask your spouse during a family meeting 10:50

Why you can't force your preferences on your significant other 16:37

Why clearly articulating the problem you are trying to solve helps you get on the same page 22:40

How patience can really help produce change in productivity within a household 28:42

Productivity in other family relationships, like Mom and Dad 39:22

Productivity tips you can use with your kids 43:07

Links

The ONLY Way You Can Inspire Change in Others & Make Them More Productive (TPS204)

Family scoreboard 

Thinking Time: the Counterintuitive Approach to Growth (TPS162)

The 3 Things You Need to Maximize Your Productivity (TPS121)

The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable​ About Restoring Sanity To The Most Important Organization In Your Life

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

Do you ever get frustrated because your team or family members “just don’t get it” and insist on doing things in a way that’s completely unproductive? If so, you’re not alone. We all struggle with people who are close to us that haven’t yet seen the light when it comes to the way they choose to get things done. If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, you probably feel like this is a battle that you just can’t seem to win. So in this episode, we’re going to share our best strategies for winning over the people closest to you to a productive mindset so you can fix the broken systems in your life. We share 6 ways that you can influence others to change, and talk about what you can do in specific situations to improve efficiency with the people you live and work with while protecting your relationships.

Thanks to Slack for supporting The Productivity Show. Slack: Where work happens. Go to https://slack.com to learn more.

Cheat Sheet

Quick wins for approaching a coworker to help them with email management 2:02

Why pain is a driver for change 11:09

How to lead by example when it comes to productivity 15:18

Why you should show people you are really interested in them when you want to influence them 26:42

How to share what is working for you 35:31

Why you want to teach and educate when the pain is high 43:31

How to use third-person framing to start a teachable moment 51:46

How to frame delicate requests so that they are heeded 55:09

How to get your spouse on-board with productivity mindset 59:19

Links

The Simple Guide To Managing Your Email More Effectively

Next-Level Email Processing: How to Handle Any Email in Your Inbox (TPS166)

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life: How a Growth Mindset Leads You to Your Ideal Future (TPS171)

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

TextExpander

How To Win Friends and Influence People

The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable​ About Restoring Sanity To The Most Important Organization In Your Life

10 Practical Tips for Identifying and Implementing Core Values With Your Family (TPS133)

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

Ever wonder why so many New Year’s Resolutions don’t stick? It’s because most people rely solely on willpower to achieve their goals. Don’t be like so many who start things but can’t finish them. Tune in to understand why willpower alone isn’t going to allow you to achieve your goals, the 2 different approaches you can use to maintain motivation, and 5 practical tips for increasing your motivation. In this episode, we also walk through 2 different scenarios and show how managing motivation can help achieve any goal.

Thanks to Slack for supporting The Productivity Show. Slack: Where work happens. Go to slack.com to learn more.

Cheat Sheet

What makes some people give up on their goals and what allows other people to stick with things 2:29

What willpower really is and why you can't count on it to obtain a goal 3:33

How motivation can help you overcome inertia and reach your goals 11:30

Why Brooks decided to do intermittent fasting and how he used motivation to keep it up 16:47

How Mike used motivation to get through ups and downs to finish his first half-marathon 24:52

What to do when your routine or habit falls off and you need to get back on track 33:09

How deliberate practice gives you complete control over your outcome 41:10

5 Practical tips for increasing your motivation 44:42

Write down your why 44:50

Create a ritual 49:12

Don't break the chain 56:10

Get accountable 59:31

Get a coach, whether formal or informal 1:03:41

Links

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

The Productivity Killer We Face 35,000 Times Each Day (TPS147)

"The Chocolate-and-Radish Experiment That Birthed the Modern Conception of Willpower" - The Atlantic

The War of Art

Morning Ritual Starter Kit

DontBreakTheChain.com

Zero Fasting Tracker app

Productive habit tracking app

6 Ways a Mastermind Can Accelerate Your Success w/ Nate Lowrie (TPS178)

Inside the AE Mastermind: What Really Successful People Do Differently to Fix Their Blind Spots (TPS192)

Clarity.fm

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

People seem to self-identify into 2 categories: those that thrive working from home, and those that say they could never do it. But working from home is like any other productivity challenge - if you set yourself up for success, become aware of some best practices, and apply some creativity and flexibility, anyone can do it and do it productively. In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite home office gear, talk about the 4 challenges present with trying to work from home, and share 7 keys to setting up your home office environment for maximum productivity.

Cheat Sheet

How your workspace impacts how productive you are 2:19

Some of our favorite home office gear 10:19

Why you might want to use two monitors 17:18

Why Mike uses a "clicky" keyboard to motivate him to write 26:24

The challenges that come with working from home and how to overcome them 29:31

How to set ground rules when you decide to work from home 37:14

How to define your storage system so you have a place for everything 47:09

How the right ergonomics will make you more productive 55:18

Why it's important to take the time to have social interaction if you're working from home 1:00:43

Tips for dealing with paper in your home office 1:05:10

Additional resources for getting started or going to the next level with your home office 1:11:52

Links

"Are poorly designed offices eroding productivity?" Gensler Research

Brooks’ desk when he started his online business

Mike's current desk setup

Fully.com standing desks

Veridesk

NeuYear AE Calendar

"Boosting Productivity At Work May Be Simple: Stand Up" Texas A&M University

10+ iPhone Productivity Strategies from Apple Tech Jedi David Sparks (TPS199)

"The Virtues of a Second Screen" New York Times

@JakeShell - DIY Standing Desk

TPS7: Going Paperless w/ Brooks Duncan

The One Habit That Stops Procrastination In Its Tracks: Clearing To Neutral

Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life

New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else)

NAPO.net

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!

Ever wonder why some people seem to get so much more done than others? We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so what makes some people super-productive while others just can't seem to get things done? In this episode, we dive into the strategy of timeblocking and how high-achievers use it to focus their effort to become super-productive.

Mike is joined by Curtis McHale, who recently produced a video training course for the Dojo to help people implement timeblocking for themselves and take massive action on their goals. Curtis is a Dojo member and business owner who has been running a successful web software consulting business for 6 years and helping others do the same for the last 2. In this episode, Curtis and Mike talk about timeblocking and why it’s so effective, give tips to help you implement it for yourself (even if you’re completely new to the idea), strategies for keeping it going and making the habit stick, and even a few tips for people in a corporate environment with little to no control over their work schedule.

Thanks to Slack for supporting The Productivity Show. Slack: Where work happens. Go to slack.com to learn more.

Cheat Sheet

Why Curtis is a huge proponent of timeblocking 2:05

Making time vs finding time (and why they're both wrong) 3:34

Four steps to designing your ideal week 8:18

Manager your work hour as a freelancer or if you have a boss 13:36

How to talk to your boss about your core values in order to succeed in your job 21:14

How to track your time effectively 27:52

Reviewing your timeblocks and making adjustments 32:57

How to make your timeblocking and time tracking into habits that stick 41:53

Why you should have a written plan for your week 46:55

Why you should double your time estimates when you're guessing how long a task will take 51:19

Links

Increasing Your Productivity By Using Analog Tools w/ Curtis McHale (TPS177)

6 Tips for Running More Effective Meetings (TPS195)

Never Enough Time? Schedule Your Priorities by Color Coding Your Calendars

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine

So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

Unique Ability® 2.0: Discovery - Define Your Best Self

How Journaling Can Make You 25% Happier (TPS154)

RescueTime

Cushion

Toggl

Timing

Ulysses

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months

Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t

The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

A Professional Scrum Master’s Best Advice for a Productive Team w/ Lucas Smith (TPS189)

Deep Habits: The Importance of Planning Every Minute of Your Work Day (Cal Newport blog post)

Connect with Curtis McHale

CurtisMcHale.ca

@CurtisMcHale

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here's how.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!