This is the first video I’m creating as part of a new series called ‘Minor Updates’. In these videos, I’ll be sharing more casual and personal updates about what’s going on in my life and what I’m working on. Most of the content I produce is very direct and to the point. I like creating content that I enjoy consuming. This ‘no fluff’ approach has worked well and people really appreciate it. But in ‘Minor Updates’, I’m going to take my time a little more to share what’s going on in my world. My g...
Oct 11, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the great things about building a website on WordPress is all the customisation and support that’s available in the WordPress ecosystem. My website has been running on WordPress since its inception in 2012. In this episode, I’d like to discuss some of the most important plugins I use to run my website. Show notes (please leave me a comment with your questions and feedback) » https://paulminors.com/188 If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review. Intro/Outro Mus...
Oct 04, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the last 10 years, the number of apps the average knowledge worker uses to do their work has exploded. And a lot of these apps come with ‘inboxes’ i.e. places you have to check to see what changed the last time you used the app. When you stop and think about it, so much of our day is spent checking these inboxes: So, how do you keep up with all these inboxes? In this episode, I’ve listed some of the principles that have helped me to filter through the noise and make sense of all these updates...
Sep 27, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast I love tracking stuff. Whether it’s using my Apple Watch to track my fitness and sleep, or tracking my time using a tool like Timing (affiliate link) . And when it comes to tracking personal finances, I love using Pocketsmith (affiliate link) to see what’s going on with our finances. Pocketsmith is a personal finance tracker that works by connecting to your bank accounts. Once connected, you can categorise your transactions to get more visibility into your spending so you can be smarter with you...
Sep 20, 2020•12 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast Something I’ve started to do more of with my writing is to challenge popular opinions. For example, I’ve written about how too much of a focus on self-improvement can be a bad thing or why it’s okay to waste time. My goal here is to take these popular opinions and look at the flip side. To help people realise that they don’t have to conform to these ideas and that they can make up their own mind. And today, I’m challenging everyone’s favourite topic, the morning routine. Show notes (please leave...
Sep 13, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a freelancer or consultant, there are many ways you can charge for your services and work with clients. Since starting my consulting business in 2016, I’ve continued to iterate my own model and how I work with clients. Each change that I made over the last few years was made in an attempt to either 1) grow my income 2) deliver my service more efficiently, or 3) deliver more value to clients (ideally all three at once). I hope new freelancers can use this post to get more ideas about how to ch...
Sep 06, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve all heard the advice that we should do less , focus, and say ‘no’ before taking on too many commitments. This is a lot easier said than done. Social pressure and our personal desire to please people often results in us doing more than we’d like and getting overwhelmed as a result. Now I’m far from perfect. But do my best to maintain a sense of balance in my life. With that in mind, here are some examples of things I’m doing less of or say ‘no’ to in an attempt to maintain this balance. Sho...
Aug 30, 2020•11 min•Ep 182•Transcript available on Metacast I recently came across this Tweet by David Heinemeier Hansson. In short, David shares a video of Joe Rogan condemning video games for being “fucking fun” and the cause of much wasted time. Joe talks about how you can use your life to become an expert in an industry, start a business, and become “successful”. Or you can waste your time playing video games. David talks about how this obsession with money and success is unhealthy and that it’s okay to play video games in moderation. And I agree! Sh...
Aug 16, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Email… Some of us love it, some of us hate it. For some people, email is an absolute nightmare and a chore to deal with. Usually, this is due to a combination of 1) being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages received, and 2) not having clear processes or systems that help you to manage your email. Personally, I don’t mind dealing with email, mainly because I’ve managed to make it a relatively stress-free activity. In this episode, I’d like to share some email best practices that have help...
Aug 09, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Depending on how you stumble across me and my website on the internet, you may be confused about what it is that I do. This is totally understandable because I cover a range of topics. In the past, I’ve struggled to clearly articulate what I do. And depending on who’s asking I may give a different answer. So, what is my business all about? Well, the central theme is: TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE Show notes » https://paulminors.com/180 Download my productivity bluepri...
Aug 02, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast For years I've been following the journey of Jeff Sheldon from Ugmonk . Ugmonk is an online store that sells beautifully designed t-shirts, prints, and work accessories. Jeff started Ugmonk over a decade ago as a side business and it's grown to become a well-recognised brand (you've probably seen stock photos of Jeff's desk around the internet). What I love about Jeff's business is that he likes to keep things small. Rather than producing large runs of each design of a t-shirt, Jeff keeps the bu...
Jul 26, 2020•47 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast For most of our professional careers, we are pushing to achieve, do and earn more. Constant growth. That’s the goal. The problem here is that we become insatiable. We’re never satisfied and constantly have to move the goalposts to achieve more. If you’ve ever received a pay rise or promotion, you’ll know what I mean. You think that earning that little bit extra or having that new responsibility will make all the difference, but it usually doesn’t. It quickly becomes your new normal and you need ...
Jul 12, 2020•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast My calendar is probably the most important productivity tool I use (even more important than Asana). It’s how I organise my life, see what’s coming up and ultimately how I plan what I should be doing. But when I work with clients, I’m often surprised by how little or how much they have on their calendar. Or I see they’re not using basic features that can help you to get more out of their calendar. The calendar you use really doesn’t matter that much. Most people use either the Apple Calendar (li...
Jul 05, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Change can be scary. And this isn’t our fault. The thing about change is that it creates mystery around what’s going to happen next and as humans we are biologically programmed to fear what we don’t know. But the thing is, change is necessary. Personal growth, self-improvement and business development all require change. Show notes » https://paulminors.com/176 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business and home ...
Jun 14, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the most frustrating things I hear from clients and subscribers is that they are ‘too busy’ to improve their situation. These are people who feel overwhelmed and don't have an effective system to manage their work. They usually approach me because they want to use a tool like Asana or Pipedrive to improve their efficiency and free up their time. And they understand that having better systems and processes will improve productivity and even increases the capacity and performance of their b...
May 31, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are loads of habits you can adopt to be more productive. Some people like to meditate, journal, wake up early (or stay up late), drink coffee, set timers and so on… If you think this episode is going to tell you which habits are the absolute best to adopt in order to be more productive, sorry to disappoint you. The not so exciting answer is that there is no secret recipe to productivity. If you ever read headlines like ’The 10 best habits to help you get more done’ or something like that, ...
May 10, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 5 Years ago I made my first ever online sale. It sounds cliche but I really couldn’t believe it when it happened. It was a Saturday morning and I received a Paypal notification on my phone and here’s what went through my head: “WTF! Someone, from somewhere in the world just found me online and decided to send me their hard-earned money to buy an ebook I had created from nothing on my computer. And I was able to deliver that product, without having to ship any physical goods earning almost pure p...
Apr 28, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Busy” has become the default response whenever someone asks how we’re doing (which is a terrible answer). Right now, a lot of us have more idle time on our hands than we’re used to and don’t know what to do. Now, we can finally do all those things that have been put off to “one day”. On Saturday morning, I jokingly asked Hayley how we were going to fill our time over the weekend while on COVID lockdown. I joked at first as I thought we had nothing to do. But we ended up spending a good chunk of...
Apr 12, 2020•14 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast Over the last few years, YouTube has become a very important channel for me to market myself online, deliver value to my audience and get new consulting leads for my business. I often get asked about the equipment and process I use to create videos for YouTube. Below, I’ve detailed how I plan and create my videos, from start to finish. Enjoy! Show notes » paulminors.com/171 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my busi...
Apr 06, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast I really didn’t want to write about COVID-19 this week. It’s all anyone is talking about and I don't really want to add to the noise. Then again, it’s hard to write about anything else because everyone is pretty distracted right now. The best I can do is to share my thoughts on the best ways to respond to this crisis. So here goes… Show notes » paulminors.com/170 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business and ho...
Mar 29, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies around the world, more and more companies are asking their employees to work remotely to slow the spread of the virus. While the Coronavirus is causing events to be cancelled and stock markets to decline there is an opportunity here for companies to trial remote work and actually come out the other end better off. If you’re an employer who’s now wondering how to manage a remote team, or an employee looking to make remote work a permanent part of your companie...
Mar 22, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most of us have pretty consistent routines. We wake up at a similar time each day, eat the same thing for breakfast, go to work, answer email and follow a similar pattern each day. And this a good thing. Routine helps us to be more efficient and build productive habits. But every now and then, it’s important to break out of your routine. Show notes » paulminors.com/168 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business ...
Mar 15, 2020•8 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast I often get approached by readers or clients who are having trouble maintaining creating an effective productivity system. I get asked about how and when to use different tools like email, notes, task lists, document folders and the calendar and whether it’s okay to use your email as a to-do list or notes for sorting documents. Show notes » paulminors.com/167 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business and home l...
Mar 08, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you’re met with a big goal, it’s easy to feel intimidated by the gap between where you are now and where you’re trying to get. Whether your goal is to lose weight or grow your business, overcoming this mental barrier is crucial to making progress and achieving your goals. Regardless of your goal or the new habit, you’re trying to form, start small and focus on making small, repeatable progress. Each time you repeat a behaviour, the neural pathways in your brain get stronger, making it easie...
Feb 23, 2020•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We create to-do lists with the best of intentions; to plan our work so we can be more productive. But if we’re not careful, a task list can quickly become bloated, messy and overwhelming, making us feel guilty and less productive than before. As I’ve worked with more and more clients to help them with Asana, I’ve noticed some common task management mistakes coming up again and again. Here are the most common mistakes I see people make and how to avoid them… Show notes » https://paulminors.com/16...
Feb 16, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Slower? You want to go slower, I hear you ask! Why is someone who writes about productivity talking about going slower? Don't worry, I'll explain everything in this episode! Show notes » https://paulminors.com/164 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business and home life. You'll also get my FREE 3-part video training series where I'll explain 1) 4 simple steps to supercharge your productivity 2) common mistakes t...
Feb 09, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Whenever I’ve worked with customers who tell me they have ‘too much to do’ or they’re feeling overwhelmed, I usually find they haven’t created processes that help them to do their work. Without a process, it’s very easy to get lost and confused in all the work that you’re doing. It’s like trying to navigate without a map, you’re basically just guessing where to go and what to do. Show notes » paulminors.com/163 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more...
Feb 02, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all want to be happy, right? But the trouble with pursuing happiness is that it’s so vague. Happiness comes from so many things. For example, feeling fulfilled by how we spend our time, removing stress and conflict from our lives, from relationships and feelings of contentment. If I just tell you to “be happy” that’s not very helpful. Instead, you need to focus on one of these prerequisites to happiness. I could write a blog post about either one of these things. But today, I’m going to talk ...
Jan 26, 2020•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most people need consistency more than they need intensity. Show notes » paulminors.com/161 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tools I use to be more organised and achieve more in my business and home life. You'll also get my FREE 3-part video training series where I'll explain 1) 4 simple steps to supercharge your productivity 2) common mistakes to avoid 3) the 10 productivity tools I couldn't live without. Download here » paulminors.com/products/productivity-bluepri...
Jan 19, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast When I meet new people and tell them that I run a one-man consulting business, I often get asked how I'm going to "scale" my business. I usually respond by saying that I don’t want to scale. I explain that I’m making good money that supports my wife, son and I and that hiring employees would add a lot of stress and responsibility to the business. Keeping things smaller is a lot simpler and easier. Show notes » paulminors.com/160 Download my productivity blueprint and learn the processes and tool...
Jan 12, 2020•11 min•Ep 159•Transcript available on Metacast 
