We're going to step away from the podcast, but the episodes, website, and social media accounts will remain. Reach out if you have questions or want to say hi, and thanks for listening! What led us to this decision... Well first, why did we start? We wanted to talk about things we're interested in We wanted practical tips, not the productivity trap We were feeling the courage to experiment What decisions made us want to stop? Growth was plateauing We did the exercises in Traction by Gabriel Wine...
Dec 22, 2019•34 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Differences between 2018 and 2019 Erik fully embraced Notion for planning Leo switched from Todoist to a spreadsheet Mastermind meetings for group accountability Leo's Year in Review Improvements to health Successful speaking engagements A consistent schedule with podcasts Successful at writing output Audience improvements: +156.32% at Learning Swift +12.85% at BrightDigit +726.15% at LeoGDion Future Improvements include email, more video, and audience research Erik's Year in Review Came up with...
Dec 08, 2019•50 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Introduction Laura's first email tip: write so the recipient will imagine how their life could be How to discover a love of email as a paralegal Realizing skills, eight years later The benefits of setting weekly email goals Treat email correspondence as a journey Wait 2 to 3 business days before the first followup Two types of cold email: making a pitch and making a connection Anatomy of a Cold Email Where are people with your problem going to talk about their problem? Explain why you chose the ...
Nov 24, 2019•37 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Getting your foot in the door Sophia's specialty and how she got there from archaeology How UpWork led to better pay in writing Dealing with the lack of comfort An approach to desiring income without being sleazy Making transactions mutually beneficial People don’t buy stuff, they buy solutions to problems How does your customer think about the solutions to their problems? How to ask the right questions to better understand your customer Improving pitches by trying different things How to reach ...
Nov 10, 2019•45 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Introductions NaNoWriMo and flash fiction Allison Spooner is the author of Flash in the Dark and The Problem with Humans Find Allison online at spoonfulstyle.com or @allyspoon Outsource your writing parameters Accountability through writing groups, events, and contests Benefits of deadlines, prompts, settings, and other writing constraints Outlining and other ways to complete a novel in small pieces Writing exercises and parameters that help you get better with practice Telling a story with Jose...
Oct 27, 2019•34 min•Season 2Ep. 22
In this episode What does a "cleared" calendar look like? How can clearing the calendar improve one's productivity? Why you shouldn't fill up your calendar with work if you are self-employed A clear calendar is open to interruptions and stimulates creativity How to stay focused and avoid getting lost in free time How to be healthy active on social media An experiment that you can try at home or at the office How clearing the calendar can be used by employees at traditional or regimented offices ...
Oct 13, 2019•50 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Where to find Tim Mitra online @TimMitra on Twitter Host of the More Than Just Code Podcast and Spockcast Cohost of RoundaboutFM it-guy.com Author of How to Keep Learning After 50 Tim's SwiftTO talk about Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity Why should we keep learning? Neuroplasticity in simple terms The advantage of learning in 45-minute spurts Compound learning: Short-term memories Long-term memories through repetition Micro-skill development (building functions in the brain) Breaks help move memo...
Sep 29, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode The value in public speaking for you and your audience How to understand your audience by researching the conference Different ways to organize a talk: story-telling, LEGO instructions, fireside chat, speed dating, and more How to handle interruptions and questions Following up with your audience after your talk Tips for promoting yourself and your work without giving a sales pitch Practice: it smooths out the wrinkles and lets your confidence shine Different ways to practice you...
Sep 15, 2019•44 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Where we plan events Erik: Lansing Codes Leo: Lansing Marketing Hackers Jess: Peers Conference As self-employed folks, events are a great way to get feedback from others and learn new things. Part of productivity isn’t just about doing it all yourself, but also about reaching out to others and educating yourself. Getting started with event planning Organizing an event as a way to connect people that can help each other out Events have many benefits including establishing oneself in a community, ...
Sep 01, 2019•53 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Introduction Pete Sena ( @petesena ) is the founder, CEO, and CCO of Digital Surgeons , a design, branding, and digital marketing consultancy Pete explains his responsibilities as Chief Creative Officer The intersection of creativity and productivity Create / Produce vs. Creativity / Productivity The seesaw of effectiveness and efficiency Creativity is born from curiosity Productivity is how people are a pro at their craft Critical thinking is important for becoming great creatives Being " Creat...
Aug 18, 2019•45 min•Season 2Ep. 17
How to build momentum in your day First, have a good night of sleep (see episode 1 ) Erik drinks a high-calorie, low-sugar coffee shake (thanks, gallbladder) before doing anything else in the morning. Energy (calories) and caffeine work well to kickstart the day so long as they're not overdone What part of your day has the most momentum? (morning, afternoon, night) It may depend on what you'll be doing (see "Have a plan to follow" below). Identify which tasks you have planned and how they will a...
Aug 04, 2019•30 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Introduction Leo recently presented and wrote about getting started with podcasting Leo's motivation for taking a holistic look at what it takes to create, publish, and promote a podcast The overall process Our overall publishing process, from brainstorming to recording, to promoting If you're considering starting a podcast, we recommend that you have two of audience, motivation, and purpose before moving forward Schedule and format What our recording schedule looks like and how regularly we rec...
Jul 21, 2019•34 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Introduction Any active desktop issues with Endgame? The unexpected is so memorable, even for simple things like going to the movies Sleep, habits, and apps How we've been sleeping What we've tried from Atomic Habits What we're using besides Google Inbox New parenting tips Erik’s year (so far) Health is going the best of all categories, it's where he has the most control How do you give your kid challenges without breaking down their self-esteem? Staying in touch with friends that live far away ...
Jul 07, 2019•35 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Introduction A little about Christian and how he first met Leo Mister Money Mustache , spending less Patrick McKenzie , inventor of Bingo Card Creator A day in the life of Christian Genco Prepopulate your task list, start with your most important task and include lots of easy wins Put healthy snacks, hard tasks, and what to do if tired or feeling overwhelmed in your task list Plan for spending time in the sun, meditating, journaling, and cooking Why 3 hats? Challenges that Christian faced in ord...
Jun 23, 2019•53 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Introduction Will Gant is a co-host of the Complete Developer Podcast How Will and Leo met Will's lightning talk at MicroConf What's in Will's journal Will's familial history of journaling Unknown stresses as the impetus to start journaling Will's original journal was a spreadsheet that covered anything happening during the day that bugged him, taking roughly 20 minutes per day to write Switching to monthly journaling helped Will focus on opportunities instead of the bad stuff and takes about 10...
Jun 09, 2019•44 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Introduction A little about Jonathan Baillie Strong and how he met Leo Jonathan's best practices for attending a conference Jonathan's daily work Inbox management How Jonathan got interested in inbox management His general system for inbox management and how it relates to GTD How often Jonathan grooms his inbox The most obvious benefits to his inbox management approach Where does Jonathan put his ideas His system for keeping them organized How often you should revisit ideas and explore them more...
May 26, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 11
First, some revelations: Apparently, Leo doesn't like cupcakes 🧁 12 habits that destroy your focus and productivity , by Jari Roomer Multitasking, defined Multitasking is trying to accomplish two or more tasks by quickly switching back and forth between them Multitasking is like juggling: you keep lots of things in motion for as long as possible, it looks like lots of work, but you’re not actually accomplishing anything except moving things around. You can get better at juggling, but you’re sti...
May 12, 2019•39 min•Season 2Ep. 10
One way to be ok at productivity is to avoid the premature optimization trap. Premature optimization is when you try to improve a process before knowing how to measure the results of the change. An idea to improve your productivity can sound really appealing and make you want to do it right away, but without knowing how effective the change will be, the impact could be minuscule and use up more (decision-making) effort than is worthwhile. Making lots of small or arbitrary, immeasurable changes t...
Apr 28, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Motivation, Motion, and Action Be specific about your habits! From the book: People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through. Too many people try to change their habits without these basic details. Don't be a busy-body. Make sure your habits are moving you toward that ideal vision of yourself and your goals. Motivation and Environment In practice, being aware of your motivation at the times you need it is hard to do. It makes a l...
Apr 14, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Overall Review Leo's take: I have read many self-help books. I have never found a book so condensed with information. This is a book I found with many takeaways and lessons. I can tell this is a book James had been working on as a series of blog posts, but had successfully made those blog posts into an actual book which each piece connected much better than the other. I compare this to Derek Sivers book on which felt much more disconnected. (It had great elements but there was as much cohesion a...
Mar 31, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Reddit We tested Alarmy and share our thoughts. This app was recommended to us more than once on r/productivity as a great way to jumpstart your day. We have our own subreddit now. Check out r/okproductive for more discussion about topics covered on our podcast, make recommendations, and get to know the hosts! Apps Reviewed Alfred - a fast and powerful command center/assistant on Apple products Security and Privacy AdGuard - a really good way to block unwanted ads Encrypt.me - a simple, reliable...
Mar 17, 2019•17 min•Season 2Ep. 6
We asked /r/productivity on Reddit what one thing has had the most benefit to productivity. Lots of great answers and explanations, some answers came up multiple times (we'll explore those another time), and very few folks could pick just one thing. Also discussed in this episode: Leo’s One Thing: Writing things down... for record keeping (sleep, exercise, health, etc.) to collect thoughts (reviewing, reflecting, and venting) to avoid interruptions (finish what you start, save the rest for later...
Mar 03, 2019•30 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Breaking down large projects Work is rarely handed to us in small, easily achievable pieces Breaking a project down into small pieces gives you a map Measuring your progress improves your odds of succeeding Know your limitations You only have so much capacity to do work Time, energy, resources, people, knowledge Identify what your constraints are Start whittling away Name a few things that represent success for the project What needs to happen to accomplish each of those things? Prioritize your ...
Feb 24, 2019•27 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Adjust your definition of "productive" Raising and loving children is productive Don’t over strain yourself Your priorities change once you have kids, too, and sometimes it's difficult to imagine just how much the little ones can change your world for the better Try this: research how much it would cost to hire someone to do a home-related task for you vs. doing it yourself Include your children and establish boundaries Sleep when they sleep The YMCA has great childcare options Have a room for w...
Feb 03, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 3
How to decide when to say no The Derek Sivers way: “Hell yeah” or “No” If you're in unfamiliar territory: “Hell no” or “Let’s try” Many decisions aren’t permanent Finish what’s on your plate first Identify the commitments that are important to you and your values What are your priorities? Where does an opportunity fit in? Goal: don’t dilute yourself Alternate Strategies Stop thinking in terms of “yes” and “no” and make a counter-proposal You don’t need to respond to everything that comes your wa...
Jan 27, 2019•24 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Covered in this episode New Years Resolutions vs Year in Review The importance of reflection and guidance How a Year in Review helps give direction and addresses changes you should make How to deal with the unexpected throughout the years How to address new opportunities How do you measure results and asses your goals How do you cope and adjust for changes Be Honest and Forthright - Lying to Yourself Only Hurts You Understand What You Want Out Of It Get Feedback or Outside Perspective from Other...
Jan 18, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Previous Episodes Power of Habits Goals and Actions Top Apps Episode A Sleepy Episode Covered in this episode: What is a time waster? What time of day are you most likely to waste time or get interrupted? Are you doing things that bring you joy, motivate you, or satisfy one of your needs? Are you consciously choosing to waste time? How can you quickly identify when and how you are wasting time? How many ways can people interrupt you? Which time wasters should be the first to go? What are some st...
Jan 16, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Leo and Erik talk about their experience working on their own and staying sane. They give tips on knowing if you are the right fit, how to be prepared financially, how to stay organizing, and maintain a reasonable revenue as freelancer or business owner. Music by Leah Fitch Show Notes and Links CamCard HealthCare.Gov ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★...
Nov 12, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Erik Gillespie and Leo Dion give some travel recommendations depending on your situation. Whether you are looking to budget travel on a family vacation or its business travel to a conference, this episode has some great tips on being a great tip planner. Music by Leah Fitch Show Notes and Links Transportation Amtrak Lyft Delta Airlines + Lyft Best Credit Cards For Travel (Forbes) South Shore Line Hertz Gold Destinations AirBnB KOA Marriott Rewards 101 Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (Mr. Free St...
Aug 30, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In the second part of our episode, Leo goes over the productivity apps he uses for time tracking, scheduling, todo lists, reminders, and note-taking. Music by Leah Fitch Show Notes and Links Previous Episodes Episode 6. List #1 – Top Disciplines Episode (Part 1) Episode 3. Goals and Actions Leo talks about scheduling todo items Episode 1. A Sleepy Episode Leo talks about sleep tracking Time Tracking and Scheduling Apps Toggl Google Calendar Doodle Time Doctor Reminders and Todo List Apps Reminde...
Jun 29, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
