The Productivityist Podcast: Ideas And Tools For Personal Productivity | Time Management | Goals | Habits | Working Better

Phil Simon joins me on this episode to talk about his book, Slack for Dummies. If you’ve ever wanted to get more out of Slack then you’ll get a lot out of this conversation. Phil is a sought-after speaker and recognized authority on technology, trends, communication, and management. He advises companies on how to optimize their use of technology has written nine books, most recently Slack For Dummies. His contributions have appeared in Harvard Business Review, CNN,& Inc., The New York Times, Wired, NBC, CNBC, Wired, The Huffington Post, FoxNews, abcnews.com, forbes.com, BusinessWeek, and many other high-profile media outlets. Whenever Phil and I have the opportunity to connect, we have a great discussion. This episode is no exception. We spend plenty of time “talking Slack,” including why Phil decided to write an entire book about it, the most creative use cases he discovered while writing the book, and more. If you’ve been dipping your toe into Slack, then this episode will help you warm up to the idea o

On this episode of the podcast, I’ve decided to share with you the most productive thing I’ve done today. And it’s been a long time coming. I’m taking imperfect action with this episode. I know that I’ve got plenty to learn and a lot of listening to do. But I wanted to start somewhere. This episode is that. There are no show notes for this episode. I’d like for you to give all 22 minutes a listen and then if you’d like to email me to talk about this episode, I’m at askmike@productivityist.com. Feel free to reach out. Thanks. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your

I’m beyond thrilled to bring you this episode of the podcast featuring guest Keith Ferrazzi. Keith is the author of the best-selling book Never Eat Alone and our conversation centers around his latest book – a book I had the pleasure of devouring in advance – Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration. Keith’s mission is simple: transform teams to help them transform the world. (I said simple.. not easy.) Beyond his work as an author of #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who’s Got Your Back and Never Eat Alone, Keith is the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a management consulting and team coaching company that works with many of the world’s biggest corporations. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Keith rose to become the youngest CMO of a Fortune 500 company during his career at Deloitte, and later became CMO of Starwood Hotels. He is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fortune and I

Matt Bodnar returns to the podcast to share three more things. Check out his original appearance on Episode 207 of the podcast. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices I'm trying something new with A Productive Conversation...Starting in May 2025, you’ll be able to support the podcast directly—and help keep it focused, ad-free, and sustainable. Just visit https://aproductiveconversation.transistor.fm/support-apc and help shape what’s next.

On this episode of the program, I’m joined by Amy Woods. Amy has become known as a leading expert and true visionary when it comes to content repurposing, and is the author of Content 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum Results. I had the pleasure of meeting Amy a few years ago at a conference and I’ve always wanted to bring her on this program to talk about what she does and how she does it. I’m pleased that I was able to do that with this episode. Amy and I spent time talking about why repurposing your content is one of the most productive things you can do, the importance of planning, Amy’s own productive practices, and more. So sit back, relax, and learn how to 10X your content with Amy Woods – a true expert in the field! Talking Points Amy reveals whether she’s a night owl or an early riser Amy shares her thoughts on people who constantly want to be creating more rather than repurposing Amy shares some of the simply practical things in her book that people can do now She shares the process of deci

Erin Acton returns to the podcast to share three more things. Check out her original appearance on Episode 209 of the podcast. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices I'm trying something new with A Productive Conversation...Starting in May 2025, you’ll be able to support the podcast directly—and help keep it focused, ad-free, and sustainable. Just visit https://aproductiveconversation.transistor.fm/support-apc and help shape what’s next.

My guest for this episode of the program is Ron Tite, the author of Think Do Say: How to Seize Attention and Build Trust in a Busy Busy World. A best-selling author, speaker, producer, and entrepreneur, Ron Tite has always blurred the lines between art and commerce. He has been an award-winning advertising writer and creative director for some of the world’s most respected brands including Air France, Evian, Fidelity, Hershey, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Intel, Microsoft, Volvo and many others. Ron and I both have a background in comedy, so there’s a natural connection there. We talk about how that background has helped him in his work, how companies can enact his “think, do, say” philosophy, and much more. Talking Points This is how Ron got to Dexter Guff to “blurb” his book. Why does Ron encourage the order as “think, do, say” and not “think, say, do”? Ron talks about how his book will help organizations think beyond the bottom line Why does Ron think organizations get caught up in making money while

Garry Marshall created many television programs and directed plenty of movies, but one of his most popular contributions to the creative world was the show Happy Days. I used to watch his shows – particularly that one – growing up and have enjoyed the movies he made after he moved on from television. Garry passed away in 2016 but the lessons and laughs he shared in his work live on. Many of them are timeless. I hope that the main lesson I share in this episode is timely… and perhaps a little bit timeless, too. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.Learn more about your ad choices. Vis

This week I’m joined by fellow productivity enthusiast/specialist/strategist, Matt Ragland. This is a conversation I’ve wanted to have for some time and I’m glad I’m able to deliver it as my 300th episode of The Productivityist Podcast. Matt is a YouTuber and productivity coach who shows you how to get your head out of your apps and focus on what matters. His ACE method has helped thousands of people create awareness, clarity, and execution on their goals and habits. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and two sons. We spend time talking about habits, the tools he uses, journaling, and much more. If you’re really into productivity practices or simply want to hear two people really “nerd out” about that sort of stuff, then this episode of the podcast is for you. Talking Points What led Matt to that moment of realization that he needed to “get his head out of his apps?” This is how Matt got past the feeling of the idea that you must use online tools and apps Matt talks about his views on New Year’s reso

Social media and productivity seem to be strange bedfellows. But in the right hands, they can coexist better than you might think. On this episode of the program, I talk about how social media use CAN be productive, how to make that happen, and share the story of my current social media platform experiment with one I never thought I’d use: TikTok. Helpful Links Want to follow me on social? Here’s where I hang out (most of the time productively): Me on TikTok Me on Instagram Me on Twitter | @mikevardy Productivityist on Twitter | @productivityist Me on Facebook Productivityist on Facebook Me on LinkedIn (Sorry, no Snapchat. Yet.) Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure

On this episode of the program, I’m joined by Dr. Melanie Katzman, the author of Connect First: 52 Simple Ways to Ignite Success, Meaning, and Joy at Work. Dr. Katzman is a business psychologist and consultant to the world’s top public and private companies, government agencies and nonprofits. She is the founder of Katzman Consulting and a founding partner of the social enterprise Leaders’ Quest. During our conversation we dive into how her work can help people start connecting first, the role connection plays in how much you can impact someone, the word both of us like to use rather than the word “enough” and much more. Talking Points How does Melanie help someone break through the bias of connecting first? Melanie talks about the idea of “Got it.” How important was it for Melanie to make sure that the 52 simple ways were all simple? This is what Melanie would say about whether or not engaging your senses has to do with connecting with yourself first Melanie talks about the biases she has noticed beyon

This was not the episode I had planned. I’ve shelved that planned episode for now but while sitting with the dilemma of what episode to deliver to you this time around, I believe I’ve come up with something will do the trick. A series called TimeCrafting Tactics. Now this series won’t happen in consecutive weeks or in any sort of sequential order. After all, that’s not how most people listen to podcasts. Instead, I’ll drop an episode in this series every once in a while, taking into account the season that we may be in and any other factors that would make the subject both timely and timeless. This installment showcases the concept of The MVP Day. It’s a shorter episode and fits both the season and the series well. The only helpful links you’ll need are below. Helpful Links You Could Use An MVP Day Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you

I’m excited to welcome Thomas Frank to this episode of the podcast. Thomas is an author, YouTuber, musician, and podcaster who is passionate about helping people become more capable and productive. Thomas does most of his work at College Info Geek, one of the world’s largest and best-loved resources for students. College Info Geek includes a blog, podcast, and a YouTube channel with over 1.7 million subscribers. I’ve been looking forward to releasing this episode for a long time. As a matter of fact, it’s bizarre that I haven’t had Thomas on the show until now. (That’s probably why this episode clocks in as my longest to date, both in terms of length and amount of links in the show notes.) There’s so much we talk about during this episode – as you can see and soon will hear. I hope you enjoy this lengthy and deep discussion that I’m thrilled to send your way. Talking Points When did Thomas decide that video was the route he was going to take? Thomas talks about his inspiration to “do video” a little differ

On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast I’m sharing with you insights from my inactive daily podcast “3 Minutes of TimeCrafting”, which concluded after this run of episodes in April 2019. Some of the insights I share on this episode include: The importance of flexible frameworks The concept of “necessary endings” The focus pulling of push notifications What noticing does for your productivity The problem with hidden tasks (And that’s just scratching the surface.) This episode is loaded with three-minute bits of productivity and time management tips that you can adopt and adapt as you see fit. I hope you like what I offer in this slightly longer-than-usual episode. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access

On this episode of the program I’m joined by David Marquet, best-selling author, student of leadership and organizational design, former nuclear submarine Commander, and named one of the Top 100 Leadership Speakers by Inc. Magazine. David’s new book, Leadership is Language, is a re-engineering of the language we use at work and a new playbook for leaders. “It’s time to ditch the Industrial Age playbook of leadership.” This book provides insights on how choosing your words can dramatically improve decision-making and execution skills for teams.  We talk about the concept that David explores in this book (that leadership is language), why this is as much a playbook as anything else, what leaders need to work on in order to take their leadership skills to the next level, and much more. I enjoyed our conversation and I’m certain you’ll get plenty out of it. Talking Points What lead you to writing this book and why is it so important? David explains the terms “red work” and “blue work” Why do you consider this

I’ve tried my fair share of fitness programs and plans over the years and have always found them to be more of a challenge than I’ve been willing to deal with. But the time has come for me to face the challenge that fitness presents and conquer it once and for all. So on this episode I share with you the things I need to overcome this challenge on an ongoing basis, what I’ve tried before, and what I’m doing that I’m committing to for the foreseeable future. Helpful Links P90X Body for Life Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Episode 249: The Magic of Metabolic Profiling with Angelo Poli Future Episode 109: Whole Life Fitness with Dai Manuel Episode 265: Bringing Gratitude with Karl Staib Episode 286: Doing Project 333 with Courtney Carver The Whole30 Program Episode 116: The Power of When with Dr. Michael Breus Centr Derek Sivers: Keep your goals to yourself How I’m Challenging Fitness Couch 2 10K DDPY The Spotify Playlist I Use When I’m Running Want to discover some of th

I’m joined by David Allison on this episode of the program. David Allison is the founder of The Valuegraphics Database, the world’s first database that can predict and influence behaviour for anything on earth. He is a pioneer of ‘Values Thinking’ as the new best practice for organizational decision-making. I’m thrilled to have met David recently and once we had a conversation about what we were working on, I knew I wanted to have him on this podcast. David has coined the term, and become a champion of, Values Thinking, the new best practice for organizational decision-making in a post-demographic world. I find the practice fascinating and definitely worth your attention. We talk about why values thinking works, the difference between virtues and values, what led David to pursue this practice, and much more. David and I are aligned in our thinking in plenty of ways and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation. Talking Points David explains what he does, how he got into it, and what “Valuegraphics” actually a

On this episode of the podcast I fly solo! I talk about why I’ve added a second episode to the podcast each week and present (nearly) all of the story of how I’ve built my business as per a request from a podcast listener. While I’ve shared my story in bits in pieces both on this podcast and elsewhere, listener Jeffrey Fate wanted me to try to share how I’ve built my business in one fell swoop somewhere. I asked him if he’d like that somewhere to be a single episode of The Productivityist Podcast, and he loved the idea! So I share my long and winding journey from Costco to today, with all (or most of) of the “built my business” highlights and waypoints along the way. I also discuss why I’ve decided to double the amount of episodes I produce per week and what that means for the future of this podcast. Helpful Links Jeffrey Fate and Me: The Twitter Thread that Led to This Episode’s Topic Effing The Dog: The Podcast | Episode 3 from 2008 (Effing is short for Efforting) The posts I’ve written for GTD Times M

On this special episode I’m joined by Chase Reeves LIVE at The BIG Ready to talk about many things, including something Chase calls “creative menopause.” Chase co-founded Fizzle.co — the first education platform designed for modern indie entrepreneurship — as well as the Chase Reeves YouTube channel, where he makes 60 minute reviews of backpacks that somehow people love watching. When I asked Chase to join us at The BIG Ready I knew that having him record a live edition of this podcast was the way I wanted him to present. Chase has a natural gregariousness that simply fit this model, especially in front of a live studio audience (of sorts). We talked about productivity, his journey from Fizzle to creating a YouTube channel where he shares his insights and ideas on bags of all shapes and sizes, creativity, and much more. It’s an engaging, entertaining, and endearing conversation that I’m certain you’ll get a kick out of. You may even learn a thing or two! Talking Points Why did you choose the word Fizzle for

As we head towards the end of March, I wanted to share another bonus episode of the podcast featuring every episode from March 2019 of my inactive daily podcast 3 Minutes of TimeCrafting. On this bonus episode you'll hear me discuss the following: How your to do list can be deceptive The concept of "overchoice" and how it can derail your productivity Why just getting through today is plenty productive Insights on wasting time The reason your to do list is a story ...and much more! This stretch of episodes also includes a mini-series called "Work By Mode" that deals with one of the primary elements of my TimeCrafting method and philosophy: Mode-Based Work. http://productivityist.com/fivedollars/ (Take my 30 Days of TimeCrafting fundamentals course) Want to discover some of the books mentioned in this episode on Scribd, my reading app of choice?https://www.scribd.com/g/9a8d8 (Click here.) If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to hav