Episodes

Do you use paper for your productivity system? Do you use a digital system? Or, a hybrid productivity system? In this episode of ProductivityCast, we highlight the Bullet Journal, an all-paper productivity system developed by a productivity enthusiast, Ryder Carroll. It doesn't matter what you use, you can learn a thing or two about your own productivity system when you look at how others "on the other side" use their systems to get more done. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory, plea...

This week, we discuss on ProductivityCast the importance of productivity habits and/or routines. What are your best productivity habits/routines? And, we ask that of each of the ProductivityCast teammates. Spend some time thinking this week about how you can level up your productive habits and/or routines. And, let us know about them in the comments! (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory, please visit http://productivitycast.net/034 for clickable links and the full show notes and transc...

We get up every day, and we walk out of the house with the tools we need to get through the day. Do you stop and think about what it is that you carry, and why? Are there things that could help you? Are you carrying items that you don’t need? In this episode of ProductivityCast, the team discusses their everyday carry for personal productivity. (If you’re reading this in a podcast directory, please visit http://productivitycast.net/033 for clickable links and the full show notes and transcript o...

In this cast, we tackle the questions: What is rejuvenating, re-charging, and rebooting your personal productivity system? And, what reasons might lead you to need a reboot of your personal productivity system? What are existing methods you know of or have tried for rejuvenating your productivity? What are some hurdles to be mindful of when doing a rejuvenation/recharge/reboot of your system(s)? The ProductivityCast team discusses how they view and approach productivity rejuvenation and overcome...

In our last cast, we discussed the power of active tracking for greater productivity. If not, it’s highly recommended you go back and listen to that cast first. You will learn about empowered choice and for that alone, the previous cast is worthwhile. Today on this cast, we discuss the importance of taking charge of the passive data being collected about you already and learning to track data that you can use productively without having to do all the work. In contrast to our active tracking disc...

You can track almost any kind of data and then review and reflect on that data to make informed decisions about your productive future. Most people, however, do not. Movements, like that of Quantified Self, whose tagline is “self-knowledge through numbers,” aim to help individuals track data to improve their lives in whatever way they choose. In this cast, the ProductivityCast team looks at the state of the world through the lens of active tracking (versus passive tracking, which we’ll cover in ...

As we discussed email in the last episode, email management of multiple accounts has its positives and negatives. All of us, Augusto, Art, Francis and I have multiple email accounts. And, to be honest, I don’t know many people who have only one solitary email account. But, whether you have one inbox, or 10 inboxes, one methodology that’s cropped up and lingered for nearly two decades is the idea of Inbox Zero. In this cast, we discuss the history of Inbox Zero (with the pros and cons), some rela...

We all use email every day. It’s hard to imagine work and personal life pre-email technology. And, while it serves many functions, it also tends to multiply in numbers--literally, the number of accounts we create and manage over time. In this episode, the ProductivityCast team discusses how many email accounts we have, and the purpose of each email account in our productivity systems. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to ...

Have you ever taken time off of work and returned to find yourself not being as productive as you’d like? Whether it’s for a couple days away to a longer hiatus, leaving work behind and then getting back to work can be challenging to your productivity and systems. In this episode, the ProductivityCast team discusses how to get back to work effectively. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to leave a comment down below (this ...

In today's world, it's impossible to remember everything we can know. From passwords to tasks to calendar appointments and more, there are data out there that simply don't belong rolling around clouding up our focus. And, thankfully, we have the ability to externalize this information from retention to recall. In this cast, the ProductivityCast team looks at the concept of the external brain as a productivity enabler. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss t...

25 episodes! Thank you all for listening and helping us grow the ProductivityCast community! As we grow and change in our personal and professional lives, we should all consider if the way you see your “next actions” (the granular, physical tasks we take to move projects forward, a la Getting Things Done by David Allen). If we approach next-action crafting in time chunks smaller or larger, or based on different contexts, than you need to accomplish them, then we’ll see ourselves being less effec...

On this cast, we have some fun! That is, we ask ourselves the question, can productivity be fun? The ProductivityCast team talks about the concept of adding fun into your productive life. We discuss the potential opportunities to incorporate play into your work, gamifying your productivity system, negative stereotyping by business about the idea of games in a professional space, and more. How are you adding fun into your productivity? Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd ...

The winter holidays season is upon us and soon the new year! And, there’s no time like the present to start planning for the upcoming holidays and new year. To reduce distress and increase the opportunities to enjoy and celebrate time with family, friends and work colleagues during this season, good planning (and execution) is vital. What do you do to prepare for the holidays and new year? In this cast, the ProductivityCast team converses about strategies to squeeze more out of your time and res...

You know the productivity annoyances you deal with daily or weekly when coworkers or family or friends waste your time or resources. Some things get under all of our skins. And, it's best to occasionally talk about them, and even strategize how to address them and overcome them. What are your biggest productivity pet peeves? We'd like to know! We present ours on this cast for you to know how to identify and overcome them! Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discu...

Clutter is a pernicious problem for many people. And, so is its cousin, digital clutter. Across your many desktop and mobile devices now prevalent in daily life, we house files piled high (metaphorically speaking) that as Art Gelwicks aptly notes, lives on "without a clearly defined purpose." Clearly this is a complicated issue and the ProductivityCast team has a healthy debate about the practicality of managing our digital worlds, and what awaits us in the future for digital information managem...

Augusto received mistakenly a letter from his local municipality, and the time-wasting process began of fixing another person’s mistakes. And, yes, people will make mistakes. You will make mistakes. But, the deeper issue here is valuing other people’s time. There are many issues when respecting and understanding the productive value of other people's time. And, in this cast, we guide you on how to be more productive when valuing other people's time and helping them understand how to value yours....

Eight years ago Paul Graham wrote an article characterizing two different types of time management, each centering on either a maker or manager perspective. The maker schedule is that of the individual who needs longer stretches of time in order to create, whereas the manager schedule is structured around meetings and shorter periods of work times. But times, they are a-changing...and fast! In this cast, the ProductivityCast team looks at potentially new additions to the maker and manager schedu...

There was a recent study of ravens that found they can plan. They can do the simple-to-humans function of planning for future possibilities. Only known to be a capability of humans and apes before, ravens (or, corvids) have now joined the elite thinkers of planet Earth. But, what does planning have to do with productivity? Why, everything! And, that's what the ProductivityCast team entertains in this cast--the importance of planning and getting into action so that you can get more done by thinki...

Ray starts out most productivity seminars with a fundamental definition of a productivity system: a dynamic set of skills, strategies and tools, that you adapt as your life circumstances change. And, as you'll hear from Francis in this episode, you have the system that usually developed organically, not out of planning necessarily. So, in many ways, you need to overcome your own productivity system that developed to a productivity system that you have built to match your needs and wants today. E...

Consider this: you couldn't have gotten to this cast without reflection. Consciously or unconsciously, you reflected on taking that action that lead you here, right now, preparing to listen to ProductivityCast. But, downloading this episode won't simply, magically make you more productive. There's much more to it. You need to listen to the substance, then reflect on how the knowledge bomb Augusto, Francis and Art drop in this cast will help you. ;) So, enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for li...

Where do you work best? And for what type of work (focused thinking work, diffuse thinking work, mundane/ministerial tasks, big projects that require multiple modalities, or specialized handcrafting) do you do best in what environment? Creating your ideal workspace is important to being able to be and stay productive. In this cast, the ProductivityCast team discusses the factors and tools to get and sustain productivity in your workspace. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If yo...

Is doing more faster really better? When is slow good for productivity? That’s what the ProductivityCast team seeks to find out in this cast on productivity and the need for speed! Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to leave a comment down below (this jumps you to the bottom of the post). In this Cast Ray Sidney-Smith Augusto Pinaud Francis Wade Art Gelwicks Show Notes Resources we mention, including links to them will be ...

Have you ever gotten stuck? Are you stuck right now? How do you get unstuck? Well, getting unstuck is tough, but it's doable! In this cast, the ProductivityCast team discusses what gets us stuck and methods for getting unstuck. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to leave a comment down below (this jumps you to the bottom of the post). In this Cast Ray Sidney-Smith Augusto Pinaud Francis Wade Art Gelwicks Show Notes Resourc...

Source: Google "If the things we believe in are different than the things we do, there can be no true happiness." —Dana Telford The ProductivityCast team tackles the concept of integrity and its relationship to your productivity system. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to leave a comment down below (this jumps you to the bottom of the post). In this Cast Ray Sidney-Smith Augusto Pinaud Francis Wade Show Notes Resources w...