This Working Life

“I remember I wrote 500 words of my thesis on Christmas Day. I was really proud of that at the time.”

Dr Thomas Curran is bruised from the perfection trap but he slowly made his way out of it. But how did he do it?

He shares insights from his own experience, unpacks why perfectionism is on the rise, what it can look like at work, and how you can move away from perfectionist tendencies yourself.

They’re not creatures of the night, but creatures in every workplace.

Ever had a colleague that left you feeling drained of energy after a conversation? Or perhaps you’ve been feeling low in energy yourself and worried you might be the one sucking the fun out of the room?

Either way, we’re here to help. Learn how to identify the workplace energy vampire and arm yourself not with a garlic necklace but with some useful tools to help restore energy levels without drawing blood.

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink?

Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts.

Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Ever felt that overwhelming sense that there’s just not enough time to do your job? And that everything is suddenly urgent?

How did we get here and how can we stop the urgent work loop?

Tips from Dermot Crowley:

Six dials you can tweak to manage urgency: Time, Quality, Scope, Resources, Budget, and Risk.

How to plan ahead to avoid urgency: 

• Daily: 10 minutes each workday morning to get focused
• Weekly: 45 minutes once per week to get organised for the coming week
• Monthly: 1 hour at the start of each month to step back and get some perspective

“If we do this, it could profoundly change how we are together.”

Is your day full of meetings leaving you tired and working late just to get everything done? Surely there must be a better way...

In this episode, Lisa Leong finds out how we can do meetings better and looks at one technique called The Circle Way.

You’ve been asked a curveball question in a job interview, or your boss has asked what you think in a meeting. Suddenly your heart races and your palms get sweaty.

So how can you think clearly and speak in a compelling way when you’re put on the spot?

Matt Abrahams has some surprising tips and insights to help you get through these anxiety-inducing moments - from how to maximise mediocrity to harnessing the power of small talk.

“We are all artists, sometimes we forget that”.

Even if you don’t think you have a creative job, or that you yourself are artistic, there’s a lot you can learn from the ‘artist’s way’.In this episode you’ll learn lessons to incorporate into your working life no matter what your profession is - from how to get inspired and innovate to getting into a flow state.

You want to talk with your boss about a pay rise but even just thinking about it causes your heart to race and your palms to get sweaty.

So how can you navigate negotiation at work like a pro and, most importantly of all, properly prepare so it goes well?

Our habits, good and bad, influence how we live, and how we feel and perform at work. And if you’re human, chances are you want to shake off some bad habits that set in over winter. So here’s how you can do it (with zero willpower).

In her new book Storytellers, Leigh Sales shares hard-won lessons on how to craft a story, how to listen and how to be brave enough to ask hard questions at work.

We also learn from her music practice, what helps her flow state, and how anxiety has been a pretty consistent part of her work life.