Mike Vardy's Blog, page 35
January 6, 2021
Episode 352: A Catalyst For Hope with Thane Marcus Ringler
Thane Marcus Ringler takes the professional athlete’s mindset to everyday people in everyday life.
This episode is sponsored by TextExpander . With TextExpander, you can unlock your productivity with its many features. With TextExpander you can make everything you write repetitively available everywhere you type: text documents, spreadsheets, web forms, and more. Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year.
This episode is sponsored by NuCalm . It’s the only stress management system of its kind, clinically proven in over 1 million sessions to improve your sleep, reduce your stress and boost your recovery without drugs and side effects. It’s imperative to your health and happiness to be able to manage stress and not be managed by it. This is why it’s part of my daily routine, and their programmes leave me feeling recharged and energised. As a listener, check out the exclusive link TimeCraftingNuCalm.com and get 50% off your 30-day subscription of NuCalm and their money-back guarantee.
I’m excited to be hosting this year’s The BIG Ready virtually on February 2nd 2021, and I’d love you to be a part of it! Learn from experts LIVE how to significantly scale back the endless emails, bottomless to-do lists, and constant overwhelm from simply having too much to do. Hear from four inspiring keynote speakers, engage with four unique workshops, and participate with twelve of our panel discussion members. There will be 20+ speakers, including former podcast guests Chris Bailey, Srinivas Rao, Laura Vanderkam, Dave Delaney and much more. Tickets are from $99 for the full day, including access to the recorded version too. What’s more, the first 100 people that sign up will get a special swag bag through the post. Simply visit TheBIGReady.com to get your ticket.
Today’s guest is Thane Marcus Ringler, the former professional golfer turned speaker, writer, development coach and podcast host of The Up & Comers Show. It’s his mission to help people get unstuck and overcome the self-limiting beliefs we all tend to carry.
In this episode we explore the four perspective shifts from his book Catalysts For Hope: Unlocking Energy, Optimism, And Your Full Potential. Thane’s idealism is infectious, and this will help frame your mind as we begin 2021. Join this conversation as we discuss the art of leaning in, the process of writing his book, critical thinking – and dragonflies.
Talking Points
The 4 Catalysts that will shift your perspective (3:17)Focus on the process, no the destination (6:23)Identifying your baby steps (9:34)A hope-filled life is more practical than you think (13:05)Why we regularly overlook our purpose (28:01)A case for Idealism (30:18)The power of pause (35:32)
“Purpose is active. We don’t default our way into it.”
– Thane Marcus Ringler
Helpful Links
Catalysts For Hope | Amazon
The Practice | Amazon
Episode 343: Consistency Over Authenticity with Seth Godin
Episode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin Kleon
21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Amazon
ThaneMarcus.com
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 352: A Catalyst For Hope with Thane Marcus Ringler appeared first on Productivityist.
January 4, 2021
What You Can Do to Make the Most Out of Your Spare Time
Free time is the enemy of progress.
Casey Neistat
In one of my favourite Casey Neistat videos – dubbed “Fat and Lazy” – the filmmaker offers the insight above.
We can all find ourselves in a position where we have a bit of free time. It might be because your working hours have changed, or you may find that the weekends are getting mundane and you want breathe new life into them. Free time (or spare time) is not something to waste, and there are many ways you can invest it, be more productive, and keep making progress. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
Learn to play a musical instrumentA great way to use some of your spare time is to learn something new. Trying your hand with a musical instrument can be one of the best pastimes to consider.
Learning to play an instrument takes time and practice, granted, but it can also be very fulfilling. You could teach yourself and try out instruments that may feel like a lower barrier to entry, like the ukulele. Whether you dive into a Google search or scour YouTube for videos, you’ll find no shortage of options that can help you get started and make progress with your ukulele experience. You could even take things to the next level and invest in a teacher if that’s more to your liking.
Start writing a blogBlogging has definitely become a hobby of choice for plenty of people, so why not start your own blog? That’s essentially how I got started over a decade ago.
There must be something that you have experience with or that you feel passionate about that you want to share with other like-minded people. And writing can be a huge creative outlet. It gives you a chance to get things off your chest, help others in similar situations, and share tips and tricks that you know will work. Whether you blog about your life or you choose a particular area of interest that is part of your life experience, there is room for everyone in the blogosphere.
Turn spare time into spare cashNeed or want a bit of extra cash? Why not use your spare time to earn a little extra? It could be through various online side hustles such as filling out online surveys or becoming a mystery shopper.
One increasingly popular option to consider is trading in digital currency. You can buy cryptocurrency with GBP online simply enough and it could prove to be very lucrative. I’ve started down that path and it’s proving to not only be an additional stream of income but it has given me a hobby to sink my teeth into.
Another consideration is to sell your unwanted things in an effort to declutter your home. Websites like eBay and craigslist are great for that.
Start by taking some of your spare time to figure out where and what you can do to make some spare cash. Then take that spare time and invest it in making that spare cash come your way.
Read (a lot) moreWe could all stand to read a little more – or even a lot more. Reading can be an excellent pastime to enjoy and Mark Manson noted in one of his YouTube videos not only how to read more but why reading as a hobby is one of the best you can pursue. (You can watch that video here, but remember that it is Mark Manson and he is known for NSFW language.)
Whether you read works of fiction that get your imagination going, self-help books to help improve your mindset and grow as a person, or non-fiction books like autobiographies, reading a hobby that we can most easily invest our spare time in and have it deliver an incredible impact to our lives.
Take up a sportFinally, it might be a good idea to start thinking about taking up a sport – or even join a team or club. This isn’t only good for your social well-being as you can make some great friends, but it can also be good for your health and fitness levels. Knowing that once or twice a week that you can participate in a sport and improve your overall well-being can be a powerful motivator – especially if you’re a competitive type of person. Sports to consider include football, basketball, tennis, hockey or whatever you think would work best for you given your set of circumstances (where you live, access to teams and clubs, and so on).
Remember that progress leads to happiness and unless you invest your free time you’ll be that much further away from the happiness you deserve. I believe that these tips will help you when it comes to making more of your free time… and living a happier life.
The post What You Can Do to Make the Most Out of Your Spare Time appeared first on Productivityist.
December 30, 2020
Episode 351: Eating Frogs with Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier – by eating your frogs first.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Uber for Business. You trust Uber as a way to request rides and order meals from restaurants you love, but did you know about Uber’s platform designed specifically for businesses? With their voucher system, you’re able to cover the cost of rides and meals for staff or customers – straight to their personal Uber accounts. Your business has total control over who gets them, when they expire, and what portion of the ride or meal you want to cover. Vouchers are shared via email or text, and can be redeemed with a single tap. As a listener of the show, get $50 voucher credit when you spend your first $200 with vouchers. Simply go to Uber.com/ProductivityPod to redeem your voucher today!
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
This episode is brought to you by OTIS, a digital marketing assistant to help you target, optimize and measure campaigns. From the easy-to-use app you create Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and OTIS’ A.I. technology intuitively optimizes your daily budget to whichever platform is performing best. It will analyze your existing customers to retarget and find other people like them to target your ads to. I love how you can see results from as little as $10 per day, and track results all in real time. As a listener to the show, get a 14 day free trial plus $50 in ad credit. Visit MeetOtis.com/TIMECRAFTING to take advantage of this offer today.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers you access to your own licensed professional therapist – all from the comfort of wherever you are. You can arrange weekly video chats or phone calls, text with your carefully curated counsellor, and do so at an affordable price. And anything you share is confidential. I’ve been using BetterHelp for a while and I am highly impressed. It’s been a huge help for me and I know it can be the same for you. Start living a happier life today with BetterHelp. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/timecrafting. Give BetterHelp a try today.
What I love about my podcast is that I get to speak with true mentors in this space – and Brian Tracy has been on my list to speak with for a long time. As a keynote speaker and seminar leader, Brian has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5 million people through talks and seminars worldwide. He has also published over 90 books, most notably the best-selling Psychology of Achievement.
His most recent book, Eat That Frog! for Students: 22 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Excel in School serves students to improve their time management skills and achieve their dream goals. In light of the latest edition of this book Eat That Frog!, I’m fascinated by how time management bleeds into everything. Join our conversation as we discuss writing goals in the present tense, the role of self-esteem, his magic wand exercise, and educating the student market. Now go eat your frog today!
Talking Points
Why students need to learn more about time management (3:20)What stops students from exploring better time management? (6:15)Handwritten vs digital notes (11:25)The timeless problems and solutions we all face (26:17)
“Success in life is about task completion – not task working on.”
– Brian Tracy
Helpful Links
Eat That Frog! for Students | Amazon
Eat That Frog! | Amazon
Franklin Covey Planner
How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day | Amazon
Understanding Human Nature | Amazon
BrianTracy.com
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 351: Eating Frogs with Brian Tracy appeared first on Productivityist.
December 23, 2020
Episode 350: Being Nice with Dave Delaney
As a specialist in delivering presentations and workshops to empower leaders, I’m excited to share with you today’s guest Dave Delaney – an expert on being nice.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Warby Parker. Founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty goal: to create boutique-quality eyewear at a revolutionary price point. Warby Parker is committed to providing exceptional vision care online and in stores – offering eyeglasses, sunglasses, eye exams, and contact lenses. Glasses start at $95, including prescription lenses. Try Warby Parker’s free Home Try-On program: order 5 pairs of glasses to try at home for 5 days – there’s no obligation to buy! Ships free with a prepaid return shipping label. Simply visit WarbyParker.com/timecrafting today.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers you access to your own licensed professional therapist – all from the comfort of wherever you are. You can arrange weekly video chats or phone calls, text with your carefully curated counsellor, and do so at an affordable price. And anything you share is confidential. I’ve been using BetterHelp for a while and I am highly impressed. It’s been a huge help for me and I know it can be the same for you. Start living a happier life today with BetterHelp. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/timecrafting. Give BetterHelp a try today.
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
This episode is brought to you by OTIS, a digital marketing assistant to help you target, optimize and measure campaigns. From the easy-to-use app you create Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and OTIS’ A.I. technology intuitively optimizes your daily budget to whichever platform is performing best. It will analyze your existing customers to retarget and find other people like them to target your ads to. I love how you can see results from as little as $10 per day, and track results all in real time. As a listener to the show, get a 14 day free trial plus $50 in ad credit. Visit MeetOtis.com/TIMECRAFTING to take advantage of this offer today.
Today Dave Delaney joins the show, creator of the NICE Method
. He’s a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and the author of the acclaimed book, New Business Networking. He’s worked with the likes of Google, LinkedIn and UPS.
I’m excited to speak with the fellow Canadian and comedy fan, to learn more about his approach to simply being… well, nice. We know the world could do with more of that! Tune in as we discuss practising empathy, the “Yes, and…” mindset, being open-minded – and my love for Ted Lasso on Apple TV.
Talking Points
Leaning into ‘niceness’ (1:43)Dealing with jerks (3:38)The link between happiness and niceness (6:43)How to not treat it as a throwaway word (9:33)Being authentically nice (11:31)The skill in considering other people’s opinions and beliefs (26:22)The NICE Method
framework (31:39)The impact of music (34:26)“First and foremost, be nice to yourself.”
– Dave Delaney
Helpful Links
Ted Lasso
Brené with Jason Sudeikis & Brendan Hunt on Ted Lasso
How to Fend Off a Jerk
The Master Communicator’s Secret Weapon
Episode 274: Humor That Works with Andrew Tarvin
Nice Maker Newsletter
DaveDelaney.me
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 350: Being Nice with Dave Delaney appeared first on Productivityist.
Episode 349: Being Nice with Dave Delaney
As a specialist in delivering presentations and workshops to empower leaders, I’m excited to share with you today’s guest Dave Delaney – an expert on being nice.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Warby Parker. Founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty goal: to create boutique-quality eyewear at a revolutionary price point. Warby Parker is committed to providing exceptional vision care online and in stores – offering eyeglasses, sunglasses, eye exams, and contact lenses. Glasses start at $95, including prescription lenses. Try Warby Parker’s free Home Try-On program: order 5 pairs of glasses to try at home for 5 days – there’s no obligation to buy! Ships free with a prepaid return shipping label. Simply visit WarbyParker.com/timecrafting today.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers you access to your own licensed professional therapist – all from the comfort of wherever you are. You can arrange weekly video chats or phone calls, text with your carefully curated counsellor, and do so at an affordable price. And anything you share is confidential. I’ve been using BetterHelp for a while and I am highly impressed. It’s been a huge help for me and I know it can be the same for you. Start living a happier life today with BetterHelp. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/timecrafting. Give BetterHelp a try today.
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
This episode is brought to you by OTIS, a digital marketing assistant to help you target, optimize and measure campaigns. From the easy-to-use app you create Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and OTIS’ A.I. technology intuitively optimizes your daily budget to whichever platform is performing best. It will analyze your existing customers to retarget and find other people like them to target your ads to. I love how you can see results from as little as $10 per day, and track results all in real time. As a listener to the show, get a 14 day free trial plus $50 in ad credit. Visit MeetOtis.com/TIMECRAFTING to take advantage of this offer today.
Today Dave Delaney joins the show, creator of the NICE Method
. He’s a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and the author of the acclaimed book, New Business Networking. He’s worked with the likes of Google, LinkedIn and UPS.
I’m excited to speak with the fellow Canadian and comedy fan, to learn more about his approach to simply being… well, nice. We know the world could do with more of that! Tune in as we discuss practising empathy, the “Yes, and…” mindset, being open-minded – and my love for Ted Lasso on Apple TV.
Talking Points
Leaning into ‘niceness’ (1:43)Dealing with jerks (3:38)The link between happiness and niceness (6:43)How to not treat it as a throwaway word (9:33)Being authentically nice (11:31)The skill in considering other people’s opinions and beliefs (26:22)The NICE Method
framework (31:39)The impact of music (34:26)“First and foremost, be nice to yourself.”
– Dave Delaney
Helpful Links
Ted Lasso
Brené with Jason Sudeikis & Brendan Hunt on Ted Lasso
How to Fend Off a Jerk
The Master Communicator’s Secret Weapon
Episode 274: Humor That Works with Andrew Tarvin
Nice Maker Newsletter
DaveDelaney.me
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 349: Being Nice with Dave Delaney appeared first on Productivityist.
December 16, 2020
Episode 349: Virtual Event Conversions with Liam Austin
Since hosting his first virtual event in 2015, Liam Austin knows the formula to making a success of it.
Today’s episode is sponsored by ExpressVPN . It’s an app that reroutes your internet connection through their secure servers so your ISP can’t see the sites you visit. It’s a must for protecting your online data and activity, which is why I never go online without using ExpressVPN. It keeps all of your information secure by encrypting 100% of your data with the most powerful encryption available. I love that I can use it across all my devices – phones, computers, even my SmartTV! So there’s no excuse for you to not be using it. Check out ExpressVPN.com/TimeCrafting and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package.
This episode is sponsored by NuCalm . It’s the only stress management system of its kind, clinically proven in over 1 million sessions to improve your sleep, reduce your stress and boost your recovery without drugs and side effects. It’s imperative to your health and happiness to be able to manage stress and not be managed by it. This is why it’s part of my daily routine, and their programmes leave me feeling recharged and energised. As a listener, check out the exclusive link TimeCraftingNuCalm.com and get 50% off your 30-day subscription of NuCalm and their money-back guarantee.
This episode is brought to you by OTIS, a digital marketing assistant to help you target, optimize and measure campaigns. From the easy-to-use app you create Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and OTIS’ A.I. technology intuitively optimizes your daily budget to whichever platform is performing best. It will analyze your existing customers to retarget and find other people like them to target your ads to. I love how you can see results from as little as $10 per day, and track results all in real time. As a listener to the show, get a 14 day free trial plus $50 in ad credit. Visit MeetOtis.com/TIMECRAFTING to take advantage of this offer today.
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
I learnt heaps from today’s interview with virtual events expert Liam Austin. As the world has gone radically digital for so many businesses this year, find out in today’s episode why a virtual event is a great way to grow your business and community.
Liam is the co-founder of Entrepreneurs HQ and Virtual Summit Academy, which organizes many virtual summits and publishes marketing tactics of top entrepreneurs. When he had over 15,000 people register to attend his first virtual event in 2015 – Liam knew he had to share what he did to the wider business community.
In this interview we explore producing live versus pre-recorded events, building tight funnels, how to stand out from other events, and how to make sure you attendees get the most out of the session.
Talking Points
What you can leverage from hosting virtual events (1:31)How to stand out amongst the virtual noise (5:00)The rough timeline needed when creating an event (13:14)How can attendees get the most out of online events (27:14)Optimizing what to do post-event (30:27)
“Reverse engineer from your end goal.”
– Liam Austin
Helpful Links
What you can leverage from hosting virtual events (1:31)
How to stand out amongst the virtual noise (5:00)
The rough timeline needed when creating an event (13:14)
How can attendees get the most out of online events (27:14)
Optimizing what to do post-event (30:27)
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 349: Virtual Event Conversions with Liam Austin appeared first on Productivityist.
December 9, 2020
Episode 348: Questions To Ask Yourself with Tripp Lanier
With over 15 years of coaching busy, high-achievers, Tripp Lanier shows how to stay present and be guided by your internal direction.
This episode is brought to you by OTIS , a digital marketing assistant to help you target, optimize and measure campaigns. From the easy-to-use app you create Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and OTIS’ A.I. technology intuitively optimizes your daily budget to whichever platform is performing best. It will analyze your existing customers to retarget and find other people like them to target your ads to. I love how you can see results from as little as $10 per day, and track results all in real time. As a listener to the show, get a 14 day free trial plus $50 in ad credit. Visit MeetOtis.com/TIMECRAFTING to take advantage of this offer today.
This episode is sponsored by LinkedIn Jobs . When your business is ready to make that next hire, LinkedIn Jobs can help by matching your role with qualified candidates so that you can find the right person quickly. You can pay what you want and get the first $50 off. Just visit linkedin.com/timecrafting to get fifty dollars off your first job post. Terms and conditions apply.
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
Tripp Lanier is a professional coach, author of This Book Will Make You Dangerous: The Irreverent Guide for Men Who Refuse to Settle, and host of The New Man Podcast. I loved interviewing Tripp as he’s an honest guy who asks thought-provoking questions.
Since 2005, Tripp has spent thousands of hours coaching people all around the world to get out of the rat race, become an authority in their field, and make a great living doing the work they were put on this earth to do.
As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get trapped in the hustle cycle. This episode will help release you from this trap and focus on what really matters to give you that ‘aliveness’. Tune in as we discuss issues with saying ‘no’, setting dangerous missions, unfulfilling vision boards, and reading old journal entries.
Talking Points
The correlation between being dangerous and being productive (0:51)Managing uncertainty (3:58)The comparison game (8:10)How to identity what really matters to you (11:39)Dealing with resistance (23:44)The relationship between finality and productivity (25:53)Creating missions as experiments (28:17)Four questions to ask yourself at the beginning of your day (33:58)
“A high-performing sheep is still a sheep.”
– Tripp Lanier
Helpful Links
This Book Will Make You Dangerous | Amazon
Conscience | Amazon
Gary Vaynerchuck
The War of Art | Amazon
My Shot – Hamilton
Episode 227: Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear
Atomic Habits | Amazon
Clear Habit Journal
The New Man Podcast
TrippLanier.com
Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. (FYI: I use Overcast on iOS.)
The post Episode 348: Questions To Ask Yourself with Tripp Lanier appeared first on Productivityist.
December 7, 2020
Is Moving Abroad A Good Productivity Hack?
Let’s face it: when most people want to improve productivity in their lives, they’ll make some small changes like creating a daily schedule or waking up early. Some may even hire a personal or virtual assistant to take care of things on their behalf.
But moving to another country – isn’t that a rather extreme thing to do for the sake of boosting productivity? It might seem like a crazy concept, but moving abroad could be the productivity hack you’ve been looking for in your life. Here’s why:
You could be wealthier
Do you find that you spend most of your waking hours working and seldom receiving a lot of financial reward for your efforts? The problem might not be down to your salary or what you charge, but more about the expenses you pay out each month.
If you moved to a country with a less expensive cost of living, you wouldn’t have to work so much each day. And that means you’d have more spare time to devote to other projects in your life, thereby increasing your daily productivity.
Your spouse (if you have one) could also enjoy similar benefits to moving somewhere cheaper. You could even have more time to work on joint projects together if there’s something you’ve both got in the pipeline.
Remember that you’ll need to check the visa requirements for couples moving to a new country together, as they’re often more challenging than ones for solo entrepreneurs. Be sure to check a spouse visa application guide online before making any firm decisions.
You could save on employee costs
If you run a business, moving to a cheaper country could mean you can hire local experts at a fraction of what you’ve been paying. But that’s not all. With the savings you make, you could technically hire people such as domestic help to boost your productivity.
It might sound like a radical idea but hiring a maid, for example, means you can use the time saved on household tasks and devote it to your work. You don’t need to be a millionaire to have domestic help.
Sure, that’s not something you could do in all countries. However, there are many nations where it is possible. Plus, you can still live a comfortable lifestyle and grow your business.
You could get a head start on projects
Finally, let’s say you are a consultant and you work on projects that always come with strict deadlines. Let’s also assume that you can work remotely because everything you do is on an Internet-connected computer.
Imagine if you live somewhere new where the time zone gives you a head start on clients based on where you are now. You could technically have more time to devote to your client’s working day.
You could also have a few hours each morning where you could complete other tasks before your clients head to work and start contacting you.
With all of this in mind, moving to another, cheaper nation to increase your productivity suddenly doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea… does it?
The post Is Moving Abroad A Good Productivity Hack? appeared first on Productivityist.
December 2, 2020
Episode 347: The Transparency Wave with Paul Pagnato
After analyzing companies for almost 30 years, Paul Pagnato, shows how we’re in an exponential era. Find out how transparency is the key to growth.
This episode is sponsored by TextExpander . With TextExpander, you can unlock your productivity with its many features. With TextExpander you can make everything you write repetitively available everywhere you type: text documents, spreadsheets, web forms, and more. Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Visit TextExpander.com/podcast for 20% off your first year.
In the run up to the holiday season, I want to give you a gift as a loyal listener to the show: The Gift of Time. It’s a book I’ve written for you, as I wanted to share my thoughts behind the true value of time. Broken up into three parts, I can’t wait to share this with you. You can access this from any of your devices, as well as an audiobook version. Simply visit Productivityist.com/FreeBook and get The Gift of Time for FREE today.
This episode is sponsored by Setapp , a large collection of 200+ powerful Mac apps, for almost any task, available by subscription. It’s the best way to discover new, quality apps so you can get all the tools you need to be productive. Plans start from $9.99 per month. With this flat monthly fee you get access to full-featured pro versions of apps, including Ulysses, MindNode and CleanMyMacX. Head over to Setapp.com for a one week free trial today.
We can feel pretty vulnerable when being transparent. But real change happens when we start to be more honest with ourselves and those around us. This is why I’m so excited to have Paul Pagnato on the show today to deep dive into how we can adopt the transparency mindset.
Paul has spent much of his career managing capital as a wealth advisor. From studying so many companies, he came to the realization that society has grown through massive waves of transformation over the last 500 years. And we’re going through one now – The Transparency Wave.
His latest book Transparency Wave: Exponential Changes That Will Transform Our World is an impactful read that dissects how an increasingly connected and technologically-advanced world presents exponential opportunities. Join us as we discuss his 6Ts of Exponential Transparency, embracing fear, genomics – and yogis.
Talking Points
What the Transparency Wave is (1:21)The exponential element of transparency (3:46)The 6Ts of Exponential Transparency
(6:18)The challenges when adopting a transparency mindset (9:18)How we can apply this mindset to our personal lives (13:31)The challenges with accountability (26:16)The role of longevity (28:26)How we can embrace failure (31:38)“Transparency changes everything.”
– Paul Pagnato
Helpful Links
Transparency Wave | Amazon
The Compound Effect | Amazon
Atomic Habits | Amazon
Growing Young | Amazon
Episode 318: Growing Young with Marta Zaraska
TransparencyWave.com
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The post Episode 347: The Transparency Wave with Paul Pagnato appeared first on Productivityist.
November 30, 2020
2 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Relationship with Time
The following is an except from my book The Gift of Time. You can download the entire book in a variety of formats (including audio) for free here.
I have written at length about different strategies and tactics for developing task and time management. At some point, I will deliver many of them in a book that is much more in-depth and longer than this one.
But in the interest of providing you with some simple steps to guide you as you navigate your way through life, here are two things you can do starting today to improve your relationship with time:
Qualitatively track your time
Time tracking is nothing new. We all keep track of how many moments and hours we spend on certain activities. But we don’t always qualitatively track those moments. Instead, we decide that the number of things we’ve done equates to productivity. That’s simply not the case.
Two of the easiest ways that you can qualitatively track your time include journaling and regularly reviewing. Whether you journal in the morning or evening, the act of chronicling your thoughts will help you spend more time on the important tasks you want to do. Journaling also gives you a chance to reflect when looking back over the past week. David Allen suggests reviewing your lists weekly, and I echo his sentiments. If you don’t review, then you can’t possibly plan ahead with confidence. You will wonder if everything that needs to be done will get done.
Routinize the start and end of your day
Your brain has a lot of work to do every day. When you add routines to the beginning and end of your day, you can let your brain focus on other work. Even if you don’t have a normal waking time and bedtime, you can create morning and evening routines.
Over the last few months, I have had to shift my daily schedule in order to accommodate coaching clients on the East Coast. As a self-described night owl, this change has not been easy. But because I started my day the same way and ended the same way without fail, the process of adjusting my schedule has been less painful. It ultimately doesn’t matter what you do at the beginning of your day or the end of your day as long as you keep it the same.
These things may sound simple, but you are really starting to build habits here. As you work on these habits, you will adjust them. And that’s fine. The key is to start. It doesn’t matter what time of the year you start doing them. Your routines will make you more aware of time. You will become more mindful and thoughtful about how you spend your time. You will begin to make the most of your time, no matter where you are. You will be more intentional with your time because you were paying more attention. Time doesn’t just represent seconds on a timepiece. Time will represent pieces of the life you want to live.
It took over 20 years for me to find my way and understand how time can work for me. I know that I’m not alone in this either. But once I found my way, I knew that I wanted to make sure that it didn’t get lost again.
You see, when you lose your way…you lose time. And that’s the last thing that any of us should want to lose.
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