Welcome back to a new series of the Future Work/Life podcast. Today’s guest is Nick Bloom, a Stanford Economist who has been studying remote work for over two decades. He is the co-founder of www.wfhresearch.com, a platform that provides insights and best practices on working from home. We had a fascinating chat covering everything from Gangsta Granny to the perilous future of trains in the UK and the US. Talking points: Performance Management: Managing employee performance in remo...
Jan 10, 2024•43 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast BEST OF 2023 EPISODES: Today's guest is Jennifer Moss, a workplace speaker and strategist. Jen's also an award-winning author, journalist, national radio columnist, and the author of The Burnout Epidemic and Unlocking Happiness at Work. She first appeared on the show in March 2021 and returns to discuss: Why burnout is far from cured Why businesses need to embrace change How to build a sustainable performance culture The changing role of community in work and life Using data to inform leadership...
Dec 22, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast BEST OF 2023 EPISODES: Today's guest is Tom Goodwin, a digital business transformation specialist and the founder of All We Have Is Now, a consultancy created to help companies unleash the power of new technology, focusing on making better products and services and on consumer-centricity. This was a fantastic conversation. One part analysis of the world of business and work. One part therapy session. Tom's the host The Edge", an original series on Euronews which reaches 250 million househol...
Dec 21, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast BEST OF 2023 EPISODES: Today's guest is New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler. Bruce's last book Life is in the Transitions greatly impacted Ollie and featured in his book Work/Life Flywheel. His new book is called The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World . It provides a bold new road map for finding meaning and purpose at work, based on insights drawn from hundreds of life stories of Americans from all backgrounds and vocations Ollie and Bruce discuss: Why work and li...
Dec 20, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast BEST OF 2023 EPISODES: Today's guest is Julia Hobsbawm, Writer, Speaker, Consultant and Broadcaster about the future of work, Social Health and creating a better connected and functioning society. Julia is the founder of The Nowhere Office and the author of a book of the same name. She's previously authored five more books, including Reinventing Work and the Workplace of the Future, and is now a contributing commentator and columnist for Bloomberg, writing the 'Working Assumptions' column for Bl...
Dec 19, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast BEST OF 2023 EPISODES: A special episode recorded live in conversation with Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland at the Work/Life Flywheel launch at a pub in Soho in January 2023. We discuss various topics, including flexible work, autonomy, AI and creativity, and the rise of the 'multi-stage life'. Thanks to everyone for your support in making my book a bestseller! If you haven't ordered a copy yet, you can do so HERE (UK) or HERE (US). If you have, please leave a review...
Dec 18, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this final episode, I explain the impact writing has had on my work/life and what I'm working on next. LINKS: Book Ollie to speak with your team Ollie's LinkedIn Future Work/Life Newsletter Work/Life Flywheel: Harness the work revolution and reimagine your career without fear , is out now. You can order your copy HERE (UK) or HERE (US). Here’s what Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy, author of Alc...
Dec 15, 2023•4 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why during the inevitable ups and downs of work and life, you must trust the process and keep your flywheel turning. Chapter Summary: Work/Life transitions aren't easy, and you'll frequently experience moments of doubt. While having a 'north star' can provide motivation and purpose, true satisfaction only comes if we recognise and enjoy the moment. Accepting that not everything g...
Dec 14, 2023•2 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why we value making progress so highly, and how to help track yours. Chapter Summary: Developing a journaling habit helps provide unique levels of self-awareness and insight. Recording significant events and emotions in a tracker allows you to spot connections between patterns of behaviour and thinking. As we get older and responsibilities rack up, a sense that we have fewer options gets stronger, but r...
Dec 13, 2023•4 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss the power of journaling in our work and personal lives. Chapter Summary: Ensuring that your 'stress bucket' doesn't overflow can help prevent physical and mental health challenges. Journaling is a powerful reflection tool, helping you manage and organise the vast amounts of information going through your mind every day. Innovation requires constant iteration and inevitable failure before you ultimately ...
Dec 12, 2023•6 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why rest and recovery are an essential component of building a successful, sustainable career. Chapter Summary: Sustained high-performance means pacing yourself. Plan your diary to balance intense periods with opportunities to stop and recover. Give yourself time throughout the working day to gather your thoughts and regain focus. Think like an elite athlete and consider how you manage your efforts to p...
Dec 11, 2023•3 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why finding your purpose may not be as difficult as you think - just follow your curiosity. Chapter Summary: It’s normal to experience crises of confidence and a lack of direction mid-career. To remind yourself of matters, focus on what you look forward to most. Following your curiosity and concentrating on things that make you feel good helps you rediscover your purpose. Track your daily highlights to ...
Dec 08, 2023•4 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why we're moving to an era of the multi-stage life, and why that requires us to adapt our view of learning. Chapter Summary: An obsession with winning will hold you back, so it's essential to reframe success. Rather than comparing yourself to others, focus your energy on creating a work/life that gives you purpose and in which you feel like you're making progress. A longer, multi-stage life means more p...
Dec 07, 2023•4 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss the significance of building connections with others and outline the perfect conditions for great collaborative sessions. Chapter Summary: The risk of remote work is less connectedness with others. Businesses need to reimagine how in-person interactions can enable more collaboration and build trust and connection between people. The internet now allows you to develop new types of relationships with peop...
Dec 06, 2023•5 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why networking remains critical to building your career and that it needn't be something you fear. Chapter Summary: Communities have never been more important. Finding your tribe creates tremendous collaboration and learning opportunities. It’s essential to maintain relationships with your ‘weak ties’ to develop a broader range of opportunities. Aspiring for reciprocity helps you identify your value and...
Dec 05, 2023•7 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss the importance of expressing your ideas and how to build a content flywheel. Chapter Summary: It's no longer about what you know but how you communicate ideas. Most people never engage in public thinking because of a perceived lack of time, fear of looking stupid or having nothing profound to say. Thinking in public demonstrates the value you create, sparks new opportunities, and improves your reputatio...
Dec 04, 2023•5 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why the only way to grow is by making many small experiments Chapter Summary: Imposter syndrome can breed humility, help you appreciate how others support your ambitions, and spur you on to succeed. Innovating requires frequent failure as you push the boundaries of what’s possible. Learning fast is crucial as you develop a culture of experimentation in your work/life. Use testable hypotheses to help you...
Dec 01, 2023•2 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why niching down is important and share a practical exercise to help you identify your focus area. Chapter Summary: Writing is one of the critical skills for the future of work. The scale of the online audience for your product, service, or ideas is limitless. Digital writing allows you the opportunity to rapidly test and iterate your ideas. No-code technology means it's never been easier to produce a d...
Nov 30, 2023•5 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why stories are important to understand what's possible and helping you achieve it. Chapter Summary: Using character-driven stories with emotional content to illustrate your point of view makes it significantly more memorable. To reimagine your career, you must first address why you want a change, before crafting the story to help you achieve it. To be truly effective, you have to be specific about the ...
Nov 29, 2023•6 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss how harnessing the different flow triggers Chapter Summary: Flow state isn’t something reserved for sportspeople or artists, you can harness it in your work/life. Everyone’s habits and schedules may be different, but we all access flow in the same way. By getting into flow we significantly increase our creativity, productivity and rate of learning. Internal triggers require us to be in control, remove d...
Nov 28, 2023•11 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why it pays to treat creativity as a value. Chapter Summary: Creativity has always been an important skill at work, but it's about to become the most significant of all. As technology and automation change jobs, human characteristics like creativity, critical thinking and context will be vital. Creativity is a state of mind and a willingness to think differently about problems and solutions. A creative ...
Nov 27, 2023•3 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss how combining different techniques will help you with your goal-setting and attainment. Chapter Summary: Materialising your goals - seeing them as real-life things - increases your chances of meeting and exceeding them. Fixing your attention on a single point contracts your perception of distance, inducing a visual illusion that it’s nearer. The secret to maximising your chances of success is pairing po...
Nov 24, 2023•6 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why identifying the things that really matter to you helps you make better decisions on where to focus your energy. Chapter Summary: Using The Code’s simple framework can help you define your values. Commitment to anything requires pursuing the goal while ignoring the millions of other available opportunities. Non-negotiables force you to identify the things on which you’ll never compromise. Establishin...
Nov 23, 2023•7 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why, given there are only a limited number of hours in the day, you need to decide what matters most. Chapter Summary: The era of a ‘profession for life’ is over - instead, we should focus on our values and what we want to experience in our work/lives. The only way to manage its complexity is by taking an integrated approach to our work/life. The Four-Way Win helps you do a time audit and check whether ...
Nov 23, 2023•6 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why it's essential to be open-minded about your capacity to change and grow. Chapter Summary: You're never in complete control of your life, but you can cultivate more serendipity by keeping an open mind and following your curiosity. Using a hook strategy allows you and others to connect your interests and theirs. Embracing new opportunities sparks new levels of creativity, learning and breakthroughs. P...
Nov 21, 2023•7 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I discuss why the idea of Work/Life Balance needs rethinking and how the Flywheel model can help you reframe the relationship between work and life. Chapter Summary: Perfectly balancing work and life is impossible. Rather than looking for momentary harmony, you need a model that enables constant progress. The Flywheel Effect occurs when each part of a business model is interdependent and complementary, creating a...
Nov 20, 2023•7 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In today's episode, I discuss why genuine fears, like financial risk, combine with reputational risk to stop people from making positive changes. Chapter summary from Work/Life Flywheel: Going it alone isn’t easy, but financial uncertainty is often outweighed by the fulfilment you get from a work/life characterised by creativity, experimentation and constant learning. With more opportunities than ever before, to make a change, no...
Nov 17, 2023•4 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In today's episode, I explain why we're experiencing the greatest work/life transition in history and how we can start to manage it. Chapter summary from Work/Life Flywheel: Life is a series of ‘lifequakes’ that shift how we see our place in the world. While ‘lifequakes’ are out of our control, transitions are something we choose. The secret to successful transitions is taking consistent, small steps and building sustainable syst...
Nov 16, 2023•5 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In today's episode, I explain why we should embrace the 'flipped workplace' and where the dust is settling when it comes to hybrid and remote work. Chapter summary from Work/Life Flywheel: Work has been flipped - we’re now more likely to work at home than in an office. Younger generations care more that their values align with employers than how much money they earn. More people are becoming freelancers, solopreneurs and entrepre...
Nov 15, 2023•5 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast This series, I'm sharing insights from my book Work/Life Flywheel. In this episode, I explain why I wrote the book and what the flywheel effect tells us about how to approach work and life. LINKS: Book Ollie to speak with your team Ollie's LinkedIn Future Work/Life Newsletter Work/Life Flywheel: Harness the work revolution and reimagine your career without fear , is out now. You can order your copy HERE (UK) or HERE (US). Here’s what Annie Auerbach, author of FLEX, Reinve...
Nov 14, 2023•4 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast 
