Two Booked Up

In this episode, Rowena and Shelley are continuing the conversation about the book Workstyle: A Revolution for Wellbeing, Productivity, and Society, by Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst. 

They are going to be bringing the concept a little closer to home and sharing more about their own Workstyle Stories. 

Specifically, they will explore one of the important tenets of the book, that you need to SET, PROJECT, and RESPECT the Workstyle. 

That means you need to think about what your workstyle actually looks like, then tell the people you work with about your workstyle, and you need to respect other people’s workstyles — and if this revolution gains the traction it needs — other people will respect your workstyle too.

So, with that in mind, they are going to be PROJECTING their workstyle in this episode and hope it will give you some inspiration to SET your own workstyle. Which will lay the foundations for us all to RESPECT each other’s workstyles.

The Playful Mompreneur Episode 4, interview with Rowena

Check out the Workstyle Revolution website for tools and resources to help you set, project, and respect your workstyle

Need a better chair for your home office? My client and friend Phumla Motsa can help! She's an occupational therapist specialising in ergonomics and she's also The Chair Matchmaker. Get her Top 5 Ergonomic Chair Recommendations at: https://matchmaker.remoteergonomics.co.za/.

And she's also got an excellent free email course called the Home Office Makeover if you'd like to make your home office a little more comfy, without having to spend a fortune. (Those are not affiliate links, but Shelley did have a hand in Phumla's copywriting ;)

A message from Shelley:

In Episode 26, I explained my 7Rs process for procrastinating better. I also wrote a blog post outlining the 7Rs process.

And now, I’m taking it a step further with an audio course on Becoming a Better Procrastinator.

My aim is to free up hours of time for you each week. So you can get the important stuff done and complete the projects that matter.

And because it’s an audio course, you can do it while you’re cooking dinner, shuttling the kids around in the car, or — even better, treating yourself to a solo retreat.

The course will be seven teaching sessions, each followed by a journaling session. So you could do it over seven days (teaching + journaling), 14 days (teaching one day, journaling the next — repeated for 7 days), or that solo retreat option, where you binge the whole lot on one day and then wake up the next day a better procrastinator!

Sign up for the VIP waitlist at procrastination.shelleytonkinsmith.com.

It’s time for a revolution! Our new featured book is by business partners, Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst and it’s entitled Workstyle: A Revolution for Wellbeing, Productivity, and Society. Workstyle is a Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller and when Lizzie and Alex talk about a revolution, they mean it.

If you're looking to work in your own way — throw out the 9-5, rethink hourly-based work, and even rethink flexible work, this is your book.

Lizzie and Alex have given expression to the ideas of individualised work, autonomy at work, and the freedom to choose when and where you work.

They make the case that by embracing Workstyle, you’ll get three major benefits:

• you’ll improve your well-being in a holistic way;


• you’ll become more productive; and


• you’ll play your part in building a more inclusive society, where everyone will be free to work in their own Workstyle.

If you're sceptical about whether you can ever work in a workstyle way, then tune in — embracing your own ideal Workstyle might be more possible than you think.

• TBU Ep 28 - The Reading Challenge is ON (need recommendations… we’ve got 'em)


• Learn more about the Workstyle Revolution

A message from Shelley:

In Episode 26, I explained my 7Rs process for procrastinating better. I also wrote a blog post outlining the 7Rs process.

And now, I’m taking it a step further with an audio course on Becoming a Better Procrastinator.

My aim is to free up hours of time for you each week. So you can get the important stuff done and complete the projects that matter.

And because it’s an audio course, you can do it while you’re cooking dinner, shuttling the kids around in the car, or — even better, treating yourself to a solo retreat.

The course will be seven teaching sessions, each followed by a journaling session. So you could do it over seven days (teaching + journaling), 14 days (teaching one day, journaling the next — repeated for 7 days), or that solo retreat option, where you binge the whole lot on one day and then wake up the next day a better procrastinator!

Sign up for the VIP waitlist at procrastination.shelleytonkinsmith.com.

Have you signed up for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge...

A few months ago Shelley and Rowena shared the 23 for 2023 Non-Fiction Reading Challenge. This challenge is a way to read with intention, but also keep reading fun and playful.

In this episode, they’re sharing their progress with the challenge and how it’s helped them to read more widely. They’ll also share some book recommendations and tips for making the challenge your own.

Oh, and they can’t resist throwing in a couple of fiction recommendations too.

So tune in and join the challenge if you haven’t already!

And even if you don’t join the challenge, you’ll walk away from this episode in the know about a whole lot of fabulous books.

• TBU Ep 13 - Play your own game! 


• TBU Ep 10 - How to find time to read


• TBU Ep 18 - In praise of fiction


• TBU Ep 22 - Reinvigorate your reading (23 for 2023 Reading Challenge)

Books mentioned in this episode 

Non-Fiction

Sheilas; Badass Women of Australian History by Eliza Reilly 

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama 

Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helen Frith Powell

The Gift of Asking by Kemi Nekvapil

30 Days 30 Ways to overcome anxiety by Bev Aisbett

“What would it mean to spend the only time you ever get in a way that truly feels as though you are making it count?”

That’s the question Oliver Burkeman poses at the end of Four Thousand Weeks, saying that it’s the most fundamental question of time management.

To answer that question, he poses five more specific questions, which Rowena and Shelley are diving into in this episode of Two Booked Up. The questions are:

1. Where in your life or your work are you currently pursuing comfort, when what’s called for is a little discomfort?


2. Are you holding yourself to, and judging yourself by, standards of productivity or performance that are impossible to meet?


3. In what ways have you yet to accept the fact that you are who you are, not the person you think you ought to be?


4. In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you’re doing?


5. How would you spend your days differently if you didn’t care so much about seeing your actions reach fruition?

Rowena shares lots of ideas and examples of how we can use these questions to help guide our decision-making and our use of time in a more intentional way.

Part of feeling like you’re making your time count means procrastinating better. Shelley and Rowena discussed this in the last episode of Two Booked Up, Becoming a better procrastinator. 

Shelley was so taken with the idea that she’s put together a blog post on how to procrastinate better. You’ll learn her 7-step process for better procrastination and ultimately get the important stuff done. There’s a nice downloadable printable for you there too.

Check out the post here.

• TBU Ep 13 - Play your own game! 


• TBU - The Lazy Genius Way  
  
  
  • Overview (Ep 6)
  
  
  • Lazy Genius your Life (Ep 7)
  
  
  • Lazy Genius your Business (Ep 8)
  
  

Shelley and Rowena are continuing the conversation about Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.

In his book, Oliver drops the truth bomb that we ALL procrastinate — even the most organised among us! — and that the trick to managing our 4000 weeks is not to fight against procrastination… but to procrastinate BETTER.

Using this idea and running with it… Shelley will take a deep dive into exploring how we can become better procrastinators. She shares 7 steps to support you procrastinate with intention.

So, if you want to know how to become a better procrastinator make sure you tune in.

And if you'd like a printable of the 7Rs that'll help you become a better procrastinator, together with a blog post of much of what we've discussed in this episode, head on over to https://www.shelleytonkinsmith.com/procrastination/.

Links mentioned in the Show

• Ness Labs article; Understanding the Emotions Behind Procrastination


• Amy Hoy’s Launch For The Win

Have you signed up for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge? This is a playful way you can build a reading habit and bring some intention to your reading life — without any need for rewards and/or punishment ;)

Sign up for your PDF Checklist for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge here. 

When you download the PDF, we’ll also add you to our Two Booked Up Bookclub Email list, so we can continue the fun together (but you can unsubscribe at any time).

Find us online at twobookedup.com and keep in touch with Two Booked Up via email by signing up for the Two Booked Up Bookclub.

Connect with Rowena @rowenamabbott on IG and at rowenamabbott.com. You can also get Rowena’s FREE new e-book, The A - Z of Career and Life Confidence here.

Connect with Shelley @shelleysmithcreative on IG and @ShelleyTSmith on Twitter. Her copywriting business is at

It’s time to dive into a new book here on Two Booked Up and we’ve got a cracker for you! Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

If you’re a mortal, you should definitely tune in! 

But seriously, if you’ve struggled with time management and feel frustrated that the latest productivity technique has failed you — then this book is for you.

It turns the idea of time management on its head and offers a very different take on productivity from what you might have come across in the “get lots of stuff done” category. 

Come and join Shelley and Rowena’s conversation as they give an overview of the book and share their top takeaways.

Have you signed up for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge? This is a playful way you can build a reading habit and bring some intention to your reading life — without any need for rewards and/or punishment ;)

Sign up for your PDF Checklist for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge here. 

When you download the PDF, we’ll also add you to our Two Booked Up Bookclub Email list, so we can continue the fun together (but you can unsubscribe at any time).

Find us online at twobookedup.com and keep in touch with Two Booked Up via email by signing up for the Two Booked Up Bookclub.

Connect with Rowena @rowenamabbott on IG and at rowenamabbott.com. You can also get Rowena’s FREE new e-book, The A - Z of Career and Life Confidence here.

Connect with Shelley @shelleysmithcreative on IG and @ShelleyTSmith on Twitter. Her copywriting business is at shelleysmithcreative.com and her writing and other musings are at shelleytonkinsmith.com.

When you hear the word “habits,” how do you feel? A sense of heaviness or obligation… feeling guilty about your “bad” habits… or even feeling ashamed that you haven’t been able to stick to your habits?

If that’s how you feel about habits, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way! After Shelley’s takedown of Atomic Habits in the last episode, we thought we’d consider habits through a bit of a softer, more intentional lens in this episode.

So today on Two Booked Up, Rowena is encouraging you to bring some intention to your habits — so that they can be truly supportive of a bigger vision, rather than a whole list of “shoulds.”

She goes through seven core habit areas and encourages you to commit to just one habit that means something to you and aligns with the person you’re becoming.

This is not the first time Rowena has talked about habits, so she’s got plenty of extra resources for you too…

Book mentioned:  Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning

Simplify your Life for Clarity and Confidence; My Top 7 Hacks

Self-care hacks for busy people

Daily journal prompts

Developing a morning or evening routine

It’s easier to keep up than catch up

For busy grown-ups who think play is just for kids

Inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere

Create space for creativity

Have you signed up for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge? This is a playful way you can build a reading habit and bring some intention to your reading life — without any need for rewards and/or punishment ;)

Sign up for your PDF Checklist for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge here. 

When you download the PDF, we’ll also add you to our Two Booked Up Bookclub Email list, so we can continue the fun together (but you can unsubscribe at any time).

Find us online at twobookedup.com and keep in touch with Two Booked Up via email by

Shelley’s got a bee in her bonnet in this episode! The reason? Atomic Habits by James Clear. Since it was published in October 2018, it has appeared in the best-seller list multiple times and gets recommendations from far and wide — especially around the start of a new year.

Yet Shelley is not a fan and doesn’t believe this book deserves to be the definitive book on habits (gasp!). In this episode, she goes through her reasons why — and yes, spills some tea in the process!

Shelley argues that James Clear goes out of order, putting habit formation before much consideration of WHY you’d want to form those habits in the first place (leaving you with a list of “shoulds”). She also found his definition of the term “habits” to be too vague — so much so that he was giving credit to habits when the credit was due to something else entirely.

And then there’s the very behviourist (carrot-and-stick), hardcore, pushy way that James Clear approaches habits. And ooooh, does she take exception to that!

Listen in and let us know if you think Shelley has been too harsh on James Clear. Or, did she express some of the reservations you’ve had about the book?

Find Shelley @ShelleyTSmith on Twitter and Rowena @rowenamabbott on Instagram.

Have you signed up for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge? This is a playful way you can build a reading habit and bring some intention to your reading life — without any need for rewards and/or punishment ;)

Sign up for your PDF Checklist for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge here. 

When you download the PDF, we’ll also add you to our Two Booked Up Bookclub Email list, so we can continue the fun together (but you can unsubscribe at any time).

Find us online at twobookedup.com and keep in touch with Two Booked Up via email by signing up for the Two Booked Up Bookclub.

Connect with Rowena @rowenamabbott on IG and at rowenamabbott.com. You can also get Rowena’s FREE new e-book, The A - Z of Career and Life Confidence here.

Connect with Shelley @shelleysmithcreati...

If you find yourself getting stuck in a rut with a particular book genre, or if you’re spending more time reading social media posts than books — and you want to change that — then we’ve got a fun challenge to share with you.

Join the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge. In this episode, Rowena and Shelley will explain how the challenge will work and the intention behind it… which actually is INTENTION! 

We’d like to inspire you to bring a bit more intention into your reading life so that you can reap the many benefits of reading, like feeling inspired, broadening your perspectives, igniting your creativity, and being the cleverest person at the dinner table. OK, just kidding about that last one ;)

The Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge is a playful way you can bring some intention to your reading life, and you can be as rigid or as flexible as you like when it comes to filling in the categories.

Sign up to get your PDF Checklist for the Two Booked Up 23 for 2023 Reading Challenge here. 

When you download the PDF, we’ll also add you to our Two Booked Up Bookclub Email list, so we can continue the fun together (but you can unsubscribe at any time).

Here are the books mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell


• The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink


• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie


• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey


• Spiritually Loose by Susan Pearse 

And mentions of past episodes of Two Booked Up:

Rowena and Shelley are back with Season 2 of Two Booked Up! Woohoo!

But… whaaaaaat?! How is it February?!!! Honestly, do you feel like you’ve somehow got behind on all the New Year's to-dos? Could you do with a bit of a fresh start to the year? Then this episode is for you.

Or are you experiencing February as “Mum’s New Year”? We really feel this in the southern hemisphere, because we’ve had our long summer holidays and the kids are only getting back to school at this point.

So we’ve decided to proclaim February as the new January and in this episode, Rowena and Shelley are bringing you some New Year’s Day, fresh-start energy, as they share their guiding words of the year. And of course, you’ll get a few book recommendations as well!

Here are the books mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Workstyle by Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst — we read the audiobook and there is now also a Kindle version available, as well as the hardcover (Amazon.com links)


• 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Morals by Oliver Burkman


• The Wild and Free Family: Forging Your Own Path to a Life Full of Wonder, Adventure, and Connection by Ainsley Arment


• Spiritually Loose by Susan Pearse 


• Things That Matter by Joshua Becker

Find us online at twobookedup.com and keep in touch with Two Booked Up via email by signing up for the Two Booked Up Bookclub.