Episode 53 - In the last of our revisits to helping you get even SHARPER this year, we go back to episode 30, where we summarised all the good stuff about routines. How is your start of day routine? Is it setting you up for the best you can be each day? And what about your end-of-day routine - does that help you wind down in the right way? These episodes are definitely worth another listen, which is why we did it! If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 12 (Hell...
Jan 21, 2019•22 min
Episode 52 - We go back in time to an episode we originally broadcast in 2017, where we summarised the best ideas we'd found on setting GREAT goals. This version of EP29 is edited to be a bit tighter. We've got rid of the out-of-date stuff and kept the good stuff. Wanna set better goals for 2019? Give it a listen. If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 18 (Why Your Goals Aren't Working) where we cover: The resource out there on setting goals 5 steps that many p...
Jan 13, 2019•23 min
Episode 51 - New Year's Resolutions don't work. But at this time of year, you might be thinking about what you want to be different in 2019. So we've re-released a tighter, updated version of Episode 28. Even if you've heard this already - it's well worth listening to again. There's SO much there! If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 5 (Breaking Bad), where we cover: What are habits? How are they formed? According to Charles Duhigg in his book – The Power of ...
Jan 07, 2019•23 min
Episode 50 - We look back over what we've done in the past year or so with a little help from our friends. Some of the stuff in there is: How we ended last year with our tribute to Steve in the Field What Mayor Lance Olive likes about STP, SITF and Episode 27 His tips on using a calendar well Mel Elliot's thoughts on her favourite episode - STP033 Ready Steady Tomato Giving YOU my system in Episodes 35,36 and 37 Laura Gassner Otting's thoughts on - STP034 How About NO Laura's own tips on saying ...
Dec 28, 2018•31 min
Episode 49 - Life is too short for terrible meetings. We explore how to make them better, whether you run 'em, go to 'em, or avoid 'em. Dive in... Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Who invented the meeting Terrible conference calls - an example Why a CNBC article confirms your worst fears - meetings can be rubbish Everything that's wrong with meetings Holding meetings 101 - The basics: Respect your attendee's time Get to the point Consider who HAS to be there Set the agenda Change the locati...
Nov 23, 2018•32 min
Episode 48 - In this episode, we talk about why public speaking and presenting can be difficult, and we give you 13 tips to help you get better in this tricky area. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: My terrible presentation Trust me - you look better than you think Why we can find public speaking difficult - even scary Glossophobia Lisa talks to us from a different table about her experience Have your opening lines prepared Feeling anxious Tapping your fingers (not EFT) Relaxing about not ha...
Oct 27, 2018•49 min
Episode 47 - Why perfectionism is, at best, unhelpful and, at worst, a serious problem. We explore what perfectionism is and how to deal with it wherever it appears. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: The link between perfectionism and competitiveness Where both of mine came from (I'm better now!) Why you should never declare perfectionism as a 'weakness' in an interview What perfectionism is, according to Steve and Lisa at the table What research says the different kinds of perfectionism are...
Sep 15, 2018•43 min
Episode 46 - We dive deep into your memory and think we should probably not have looked so close, given what we found! But in this episode, we talk about why memory is important, how it works and how you can improve yours. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Devices versus memory Why do I keep forgetting toothpaste What is memory? The Brain Institute at the University of Queensland's article on - 8 memory types What happens when severe memory loss hits us Memento - The IMDB summary Henry Gusta...
Aug 27, 2018•47 min
Episode 45 - We've learned amazing stuff about our brains for this episode. We give you 2 great articles, a fab Ted talk AND a smorgasbord of remarkable brain-related facts! Hold on to your hat... Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: We've realised that the SAW that we're sharpening every week is the one in our heads Did you ever notice it in the logo? All the mind-blowing facts in this episode come from this fab article at - bebrainfit.com How many? Phenomenal brain numbers A superb article fr...
Aug 12, 2018•29 min
Episode 44 - Can you rely on time? Can you manage it? What were you doing with yours 3 days ago at 3:15 pm? Wanna find out? Then have a listen! Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Time management doesn't work What does 'time' even mean? Could we change how we measure time - some people already have Time seems to stretch depending on what you are doing Psychology Today explains why the years pass faster as you get older Terry - come one, give him a chance! At least his facts are real The earth ...
Jul 29, 2018•27 min
Episode 43 - What makes us happy? Lots of things. Whether being happy means getting through things quicker, spending more time focusing on what's important, or being inspired - here are some ideas. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: A recommendation from Charles Duhigg (Author of Smarter Faster Better and The Power of Habit ) It was this excellent piece by Alice Boyes at Harvard Business Review: Why do we fail at focusing on what's important How to change that Schedule time for them Isolate t...
Jul 15, 2018•19 min
Episode 42 - I claim that we cover the meaning of life, the universe, and everything - in episode 42. It's possible I claimed it incorrectly, but we had a great chat about how YOU can finally free time up to get that creative project up and running - or in fact, do anything which has been burning a hole in the back of your mind for the last few years. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Jessica's first piece of work that I discovered - Out On The Wire Then I found the amazing - Growing Gills W...
Jul 01, 2018•42 min
Episode 41 - Four ideas and suggestions for the price of one episode! And, of course, that price is ZERO pence, cents, yen, euro etc... Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Before we hit the subjects, a simple plea asking for your help - if you like what we do, please tell one friend who you think would also like what we do ONE: A great blog we found at lifehacker.com from Michelle Woo Michelle suggests we should split our to-do list into 2: A simple list A hard list She goes on to explain why ...
Jun 23, 2018•24 min
Hi – this is just to tell you, that if you were expecting an episode to drop last weekend, you’re right – it didn’t! But there is stuff coming next weekend! In the meantime why not have a listen to some past episodes, they’re really good – and you must have missed one of them! Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: * Nothing – but keep your eyes peeled next weekend! As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this you can: * Rate or subscribe at i-tunes by goi...
Jun 18, 2018•2 min
Episode 40 - Problems not going away? Struggling to solve the big ones? Then this episode is for you. We look at the Creative Problem Solving model and how it can help YOU sort them out. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Steve In The Field is back - OH NO! What do we mean by 'problem'? The things that cause us to struggle: What the heck is 'convergent thinking'? Quotes - they sound nice, but many don't really help, do they? Lisa and Steve at the table are back - HOORAY! We demonstrate why 's...
Jun 03, 2018•30 min
Episode 39 - A roundup of the best stuff we've found on social media in these last 2 weeks to help you get better. If you recognise any of the words in the title, there are some solutions for you here. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Getting used to the new studio - does it sound OK to you? Some great resource on social media we've found to help you get better This fab article by John Rampton on - Discipline versus Motivation Miranda Marquit says - willpower is a limited resource, and you ...
May 20, 2018•24 min
Episode 38 - David Allen said that anything with more than 2 steps is a project. But what if they've got 10 steps, 20 or more? We've found a simple solution to help you manage everything from a trip to the shops to a full-blown project. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Planning a party, running a website or a blog, having a family - these are all projects Why projects can be a problem to get hold of Action lists are not the best solution to them 'Spirally' bits How Trello can help Why Piggl...
May 05, 2018•25 min
Mini Episode – Just a few words from me rambling a bit about the podcast, moving house and how lucky we all really are to have the problems that we have.
Apr 21, 2018•12 min
Episode 37 - In this final episode on managing your focus and attention, we look at dealing with the stuff that comes up in your day and give you some great techniques and solutions to help you get it done well. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: What\'s led to this episode: Episode 34 - How to say \'NO\' to reduce your workload Episode 35 - How to decide what\'s important when prioritising Episode 36 - How to use 5 key tools to plan your day : A notebook (or somewhere to dump your \'mind\') ...
Apr 02, 2018•36 min
Episode 36 - In the second of our series on managing your focus, we give you the structure to help you set your day up to be efficient, manage your focus and attention, and win at life. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Don't wish your life away just trying to get to the end of your day Demand a high quality of life DURING the day 5 Tools and Techniques to bullet-proof your day and make progress towards what\'s important Some of it comes from - David Allen\'s GTD And some from - Peter Bregma...
Mar 18, 2018•46 min
Episode 35 - The first episode in a series of 3 where I share with you my trusted system for managing my activities. In this episode, we work out how to define what's important to you, so you can make the rest of the system work really well. This is an interactive episode - you will need some paper and a pen if you want to work this out for yourself. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Time Management doesn't work - you can't manage time! Why can we only ever do one thing? Stop trying to manag...
Mar 04, 2018•35 min
Episode 34 - We start a series of episodes on managing your time and priorities even better. This time, we're looking at a simple way of reducing the amount on your plate in the first place: Saying 'No'. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Who Evette Huntley Flindt was Why we're interested in her firstborn son What he says about choices Why it's sometimes easier to say 'YES' Kenny Nguyen, CEO of Big Fish Presentations, and why he thinks we should consider 'NO' His video about it from the TED s...
Feb 17, 2018•21 min
Episode 33 - We go on a journey from modern-day Manchester to 1980s Rome and learn how you can solve YOUR procrastination problems. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Who on earth is Bradley Griffin Why is he in Starbucks? (The clue is that the episode is about procrastination) What that's got to do with 1980s Italy How a student there had some problems, and why it matters to you how he solved them The Pomodoro Technique An introduction video from the Cirillo Company The basic steps: Step 1 -...
Feb 04, 2018•29 min•Ep. 33
Episode 32 - We solve the problem of getting stuck and not seeing things through to the end. The answer is not only simple but can give you the best of both worlds. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: What happens in our heads when we get stuck on things An article from Inc.com which refers to a Princeton Study Why it's the same as making a choice between 'cake now' or 'broccoli later' How this may explain why we get distracted and don't finish stuff The 3 SHARP solutions: 1) Giving yourself r...
Jan 20, 2018•25 min•Ep. 32
Episode 31 - In a bid to live up to our aim of 'not taking ourselves too seriously', our last episode of the year features the best (worst) of our wannabe roving reporter - Steve In The Field. Fortunately, the episode was hosted by Steve In The Studio, so there is SOME normality. Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: One thing - shall we keep him? Tell us in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook
Dec 17, 2017•43 min•Ep. 31
Episode 30- In this episode, we help you prepare for a sharper new YOU for next year by revisiting the subject of routines. We've produced a compilation episode on the subject, with all the really useful stuff from episodes 12 and 13. If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 12 (Hello Good Morning), where we cover: 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 mu...
Dec 09, 2017•24 min•Ep. 30
Episode 29 In this episode, we help you prepare for a sharper new YOU for next year by revisiting the subject of goals. We've produced a compilation episode on the subject, with all the really useful stuff from episodes 18 and 19. If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 18 (Why Your Goals Aren't Working) where we cover: The resource out there on setting goals 5 steps that many people agree on when setting successful goals 1) Visualising your goal – invoke all of...
Dec 02, 2017•25 min•Ep. 29
Episode 28 - In this episode, we help you prepare for a sharper new YOU for next year by revisiting the subject of habits. We've produced a compilation episode on the subject, with all the really useful stuff from episodes 5,6 and 7. If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here: Episode 5 (Breaking Bad), where we cover: What are habits? How are they formed? According to Charles Duhigg in his book – The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change The notion of cue/...
Nov 26, 2017•25 min•Ep. 28
Episode 27 - In this episode, we turn the tables on Steve. Lisa interviews him to find out about the podcast journey so far, what influences the content, where the ideas come from and, importantly, to ask for your input on where you\'d like it to go from here* Some of the stuff in there are: How Steve doesn\'t know the difference between Paddington Bear and Winnie The Pooh Why is Steve interested in his podcast stuff How we both use it day to day GTD (You can get the book here) Morning routines ...
Nov 12, 2017•45 min
Episode 26 - In this episode, we have a look at the humble checklist. In today's complex and sophisticated life, we often have equally complex solutions. However, sometimes there's still a place for the simple checklist. It can be a lifesaver, and in certain circumstances - literally. Some of the stuff in there is: Why should we consider checklists? Who uses them Our brain and why it needs help at times We considered the Psychology Today article on why we only retain certain information What you...
Oct 29, 2017•24 min
