Mike Vardy's Blog, page 41

Episode 307: This is The Most Productive Thing I’ve Done Today

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.

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 307: This is The Most Productive Thing I’ve Done Today appeared first on Productivityist.

3 Top Tips for Managing Time When You Don’t Have Enough of It

Photo by Harry Sandhu on Unsplash

Do you plan out your day every night before bed? When you wake up the next morning, feeling fresh and ready to tackle your day – do you find that before you know it you are writing the next day’s to-do list and all you are doing is shuffling today’s tasks to tomorrow (and adding a few more)? Are you continually asking ‘Where did the day go?’? Do you wonder how you can possibly get better at managing time when you don’t have enough of it to manage in the first place?

If this sounds familiar, you are far from alone.

We all ask ourselves where the time goes and bemoans that it goes far too fast. But there are twenty-four hours in a day – every single day, for every single person. It is not going any more quickly or any slower for anyone else.

It is about using that time carefully to get what you need to do… done.

Sometimes you need to circle back and look at the simple things you can do to improve your time management and productivity. We all need those reminders every once in a while. That’s my aim with this piece – to share with you 3 ways you can get better at managing your time when you feel like you don’t have enough of it. When you adopt any or all of these tips, you’ll be in a better place with managing time than you were before.

Just Say No

“It is only by saying ‘no’ that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”

Steve Jobs

The main reason why we never seem to have enough time to do everything is that we are trying to do everything, usually in the span of a short time period (like a day or a week).

I can speak from personal experience. During the summer months, my kids are home from school and I still need to run my business. For years I tried to do “all of the things” in both areas during the months of July and August (the months when my kids are out of school).

I couldn’t do it all then. I know I couldn’t do it all now.

The problem is, we are all generally not great at saying no. From a young age, it is drummed into us that saying no is rude and disobedient – and we naturally want to be people-pleasers.

That’s all well and good until it takes over our lives and away from the important things.

Obviously, we can’t say no to working our regular job and we can’t say no to looking after our families. But there are always some things that we can say no to.

If your boss calls you up and asks you to do an extra shift as a favour, you can say no. Got a friend is badgering you to be her workout partner? You can say no. Someone is asking you to drive out of your way to pick them up? You can say no to that, too.

It can be difficult to start saying no, but when you realize just how much more free time you have to spend with your family, writing that book, earning that extra money freelancing or doing something that you enjoy, it will become a lot easier.

If you are finding it hard to say that word, then think about what my good friend Patrick Rhone shared with me years ago: Saying no is saying yes to other things.

Use Tools Designed to Help with Managing Time

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

Bill Gates

A few years ago, the only tools that you would have had to help you to manage your time would have been a paper calendar and a notepad with a pen to write out a to-do list.

Today we have far more to work with. Technology has helped us to develop a whole range of tools and apps to help us to organize and start managing time in a better way so that we can get the very best out of it.

For example, if you are a business owner, you might feel the struggle of time management more acutely – particularly in the beginning – when you are trying to get everything up and running. Instead of creating new documents such as contracts and proposals from scratch every single time, you can use documentation automation. This sounds like a small thing, but if you create several documents a day, that time can add up. Once you have something like this in place, you have a considerable chunk of time to spend on doing something else important.

There are other great tools to help. Search through apps on your cellphone or Chrome extensions and you will find no end of Pomodoro timers. The Pomodoro Technique is a method where you concentrate on one task for 25 minutes, and then take a five-minute break, and repeat this four times before taking a longer break of around a half an hour. It keeps you focussed and on task. There can be problems with exclusively relying on this technique – I’ve written about this here – but for certain types of tasks The Pomodoro Technique can be a valuable ally.

Stop Multitasking & Start Batching

“Most of the time, multitasking is an illusion. You think you are multitasking, but in reality, you’re wasting time switching from one task to another.”

Bosco Tjan

You’ve heard this myth before: Multitasking equals greater productivity. In reality, that could not be any further from the truth.

When you start trying to do too many things at once, you can’t do any of them as effectively or efficiently as you would if you were to choose one task and focus it on it. When you start to use some of the elements of my TimeCrafting methodology – things like theming your time and working by mode, you can effectively “batch” your work either by the theme of the day or the time period. You could also tackle your to do list by the resources you need to be using, the energy level you have, the type of activity (such as writing), or the time it will take to work on tasks.

By batching tasks, you can get into and stay in the mindset you’ll need to have do give your best to that task rather than floating from one task type to another, opening and closing tabs and programs on your computer and so on. This way of working can be applied to anything – housework, business tasks, parenting and school work.

Start Leading Time

You only have – and will always have – twenty-four hours in a day. That is, frankly, plenty of time. Managing time is the starting point – and these tips will help you with that.

Ultimately, you want to go from managing time to “leading time.” You do that by consistently applying these tips and evolving them to work for you over time.

If you are struggling to find the time to do everything, it’s likely because you are taking on too much. It’s important to get comfortable with saying no. You need to do this for the sake of your own mental health, for your family, other relationships, and to be able to achieve your own goals.

It’s important to take advantage of the range of sophisticated tools and software that has been developed in recent years to get the very best out of your time. There are plenty of tools out there and resources to help you use them. You need to find the ones that will work for you and then stick with them to make them work for you over the long term.

Finally, focus on one task at a time. Use themes and modes to help you with this. It’s possible that it will involve some short term pain while you start to operate in this fashion. But, like with the tools mentioned above, stick with it and it will become a new way for you to operate as you go through your days.

To be more productive – to give attention to your intentions – you have to start to do these things. As much as we would all love to add a few extra hours to the day, we can’t. So employ these tactics to help you get better at managing time. Then you can start to invest the time that you do have wisely. The dividends you’ll receive when you do that will be worth it.

The post 3 Top Tips for Managing Time When You Don’t Have Enough of It appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 306: Leading Without Authority with Keith Ferrazzi

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.

This episode is brought to you by  Setapp , a subscription for Mac apps. Setapp packs over 180 high-quality apps into one. There’s an app for almost any task, so you can stay in your flow and finish what you started. Setapp has a dedicated curation team that only selects the highest quality apps. New apps are always being added to Setapp, updates are free and all the apps are full-featured pro versions. And you don’t have to spend time on app discovery and testing. Setapp makes it easy to get the best tools when you need them – they’re already in Setapp. Listeners of The Productivityist Podcast can check out Setapp for free for 7 days. Just visit  Setapp.com  and give it a try today!

This episode is brought to you by  SaneBox . SaneBox is the easiest way to automatically organize your inbox and keep it that way forever. SaneBox sorts your emails for you, keeping ​unimportant email out of your inbox, so you can focus on what matters. See how SaneBox can help you reclaim your time and attention with a free trial. Visit  sanebox.com/timecrafting  today to start your free trial and get a $25 credit.

This episode is brought to you by the  University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education . Established in 1962, UCI offers education for adult learners in Orange County. But thanks to technology, their courses and certification programs in various fields are now available worldwide and online for just about anyone who’s interested. You can get 15% off of one (1) course by visiting  http://ce.uci.edu/productivityist  then enter the promo code  timecrafting . Make sure you take advantage of this limited time offer as it is only valid until July 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm. (Please note that this discount is for almost all of the certificate programs. The exceptions only include coding boot camps, international programs, teacher credentialing programs, and test prep courses.)

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 am delighted he decided to join me in conversation on The Productivityist Podcast.

Keith and I talk about what he means by “co-elevation” and why it’s so vital in today’s world – even beyond the workplace environment. We also spend time discussing the role of ego. in leading without authority, why believing that you work better on your own is not at all true, and much more. I had a great time having Keith as my guest on the program and I know you’ll get plenty out of our conversation.

Talking Points



Keith explains what he means by leading without authority (0:53)What is an example of how co-elevation can help you operate beyond your work life? (3:13)Why can a shift in mindset be such a struggle for people? (6:01)Keith touches on what it is like to have to change how you work to adapt for someone else (11:22)How important was it for Keith to include the proof that this can work for people – and lead people in the right direction? (23:32)How can ego affect the process and the co-elevation way of thinking and living? (27:25)This is what Keith has to say to people who think they work best on their own (31:14)Keith shares his thoughts on patience and if patience is required for adopting the elements of co-elevation (32:24)If someone picked up Leading Without Authority today, what is ONE action that they should start with? (34:12)

“The ability to truly transform, not just you, not just your companies but the people around you.“

– Keith Ferrazzi

Helpful Links



Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent CollaborationFerrazzi LearningVirtual Teams Win

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 306: Leading Without Authority with Keith Ferrazzi appeared first on Productivityist.

How to Trick Yourself into Learning Faster

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

In today’s world, all of us are pressed for time. For some, it’s so bad that we don’t even have space in our schedules to eat. We’re always down in the trenches, doing our work. 

Finding time to learn, therefore, can be a challenge. We want to engage in training to progress our careers, but doing so isn’t always easy. People say, “just use your evenings and weekends.” But what if you don’t have any?  What then? 

The best strategy for people in this position is to use the latest science to accelerate their learning. It turns out that there are a bunch of ways that you can trick your brain into learning faster.

Here’s what to do. 

Break Learning Tasks Up Into Chunks

Have you ever stepped away from a problem you couldn’t solve, made a drink, and then returned to it a few hours later with an answer? If so, you’re not alone. Researchers call this phenomenon “distributed practice.” The idea is that it is easy to come up with solutions to problems if you dip in and out of them frequently. 

The reasons for this have to do with the way the brain works. Learning something new is only part of the process. The brain also needs to consolidate. Most of this happens unconsciously, though. There’s not much you can do to accelerate it. Your best strategy is to simply get out of the way and let your brain do what it does. 

So how can you hack this weird quirk? The current advice is to spend fifteen minutes learning. Then, take a break (sometimes up to a day), and then go back to it. You’ll find that you make much more efficient use of the day. 

Manage Your Learning

Acquiring knowledge isn’t a random process. It requires structure. (I’m a big fan of structure.)

New learning builds on existing concepts, usually in a particular order. That’s why most college textbooks go through topics in the same way. It makes sense to start with the easy stuff and go from there. 

However, some companies are taking this concept a stage further, especially when it comes to work-based training. The idea is to structure learning in such a way that you get the most out of the course in the shortest time possible. 

Firms are using software more than ever before to hack the learning process. SAP Litmos reviews reveal the extent to which this is taking place. Companies need systems that distribute learning content in a timely and effective manner. Each student must be able to keep pace with the learning to derive maximum value from the next stage in the process. 

Test Yourself

Rarely will you learn fast by staring at a book for hours at a time. The real way to gain understanding is to test yourself and create challenges. Nobody learns to ride a bike by reading about it. This notion reminds me of something Merlin Mann once said:

“Joining a Facebook group about creative productivity is like buying a chair about jogging.”

@hotdogsladies

There’s no getting around it: You will only get good at something by taking the plunge and actually doing it.

No matter the time or season, if you want to learn something faster then give these three tips a try. It’s the way to learn something that isn’t just fast… but will last.

The post How to Trick Yourself into Learning Faster appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 304: How to 10X Your Content with Amy Woods

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.

This episode is brought to you by  Bambee . When running a business, Human Resources issues can kill you. There’s so much to wrap your head around and hiring an HR Manager is going to cost you  – they command an average of seventy-thousand dollars a year! That’s where Bambee comes in. Created specifically for small business, Bambee provides you with a dedicated HR Manager that can craft your HR policy, and maintain your compliance, all for just one low monthly fee. You don’t need to deal with HR issues – let Bambee do that for you. Go to  bambee.com/timecrafting  now to schedule your FREE HR audit. You’ll be glad you did.

This episode is brought to you by  SaneBox . SaneBox is the easiest way to automatically organize your inbox and keep it that way forever. SaneBox sorts your emails for you, keeping ​unimportant email out of your inbox, so you can focus on what matters. See how SaneBox can help you reclaim your time and attention with a free trial. Visit  sanebox.com/timecrafting  today to start your free trial and get a $25 credit.

This episode is brought to you by the  University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education . Established in 1962, UCI offers education for adult learners in Orange County. But thanks to technology, their courses and certification programs in various fields are now available worldwide and online for just about anyone who’s interested. You can get 15% off of one (1) course by visiting  http://ce.uci.edu/productivityist  then enter the promo code  timecrafting . Make sure you take advantage of this limited time offer as it is only valid until July 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm. (Please note that this discount is for almost all of the certificate programs. The exceptions only include coding boot camps, international programs, teacher credentialing programs, and test prep courses.)

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 riserAmy shares her thoughts on people who constantly want to be creating more rather than repurposingAmy shares some of the simply practical things in her book that people can do nowShe shares the process of deciding to take her expertise on content repurposing and distilling it into a bookYou’ll find out what Amy believes is the best platform to use as a jumping off point (or primary place) for repurposing contentHow important is planning in this process for Amy?We discuss the importance of patience in this process as well

“You have to plan in advance and you have to know that quality is going to win overall.“

– Amy Woods

Helpful Links



Content 10X (The Website)Content 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum ResultsPat Flynn’s Smart Passive IncomeAmy PorterfieldSeth Godin10 Great Gifts for the Productive Person in Your Life

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 304: How to 10X Your Content with Amy Woods appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 302: Think Do Say with Ron Tite

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.

This episode is brought to you by  Setapp , a subscription for Mac apps. Setapp packs over 180 high-quality apps into one. There’s an app for almost any task, so you can stay in your flow and finish what you started. Setapp has a dedicated curation team that only selects the highest quality apps. New apps are always being added to Setapp, updates are free and all the apps are full-featured pro versions. And you don’t have to spend time on app discovery and testing. Setapp makes it easy to get the best tools when you need them – they’re already in Setapp. Listeners of The Productivityist Podcast can check out Setapp for free for 7 days. Just visit  Setapp.com  and give it a try today!

This episode is brought to you by  SaneBox . SaneBox is the easiest way to automatically organize your inbox and keep it that way forever. SaneBox sorts your emails for you, keeping ​unimportant email out of your inbox, so you can focus on what matters. See how SaneBox can help you reclaim your time and attention with a free trial. Visit  sanebox.com/timecrafting  today to start your free trial and get a $25 credit.

This episode is brought to you by the  University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education . Established in 1962, UCI offers education for adult learners in Orange County. But thanks to technology, their courses and certification programs in various fields are now available worldwide and online for just about anyone who’s interested. You can get 15% off of one (1) course by visiting  http://ce.uci.edu/productivityist  then enter the promo code  timecrafting . Make sure you take advantage of this limited time offer as it is only valid until July 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm. (Please note that this discount is for almost all of the certificate programs. The exceptions only include coding boot camps, international programs, teacher credentialing programs, and test prep courses.)

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 lineWhy does Ron think organizations get caught up in making money while the iron is hot?This is the first step Ron thinks you should take when following through with the message in his book

“What are you currently doing and how can you do that way more efficiently to carve out time at the end of the day where you have dedicated to personal development.“

– Ron Tite

Helpful Links



Episode 169: Behind the Scenes with Dexter Guff and Peter OldringEpisode 289: The Vision Driven Leader with Michael HyattEpisode 290: Creative Menopause with Chase Reeves [Recorded LIVE at The BIG Ready]Ron’s WebsiteThink Do Say

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 302: Think Do Say with Ron Tite appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 301: Happy Days

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Shippo. The #1 challenge for most e-commerce businesses? Shipping. And these days customers expect it to be flawless. That’s why you need Shippo. Whether you’re a major retailer, or just getting started, you will save time and money, fulfill and ship at scale, and make returns easy for your customers with Shippo. Shippo is offering listeners of The Productivityist Podcast their best discount available anywhere – get a shipping consultation and Shippo Pro Plan 6 Month Trial – for FREE – at  goshippo.com/timecrafting . That’s up to a $700 value – for free!  Check out Shippo to receive this incredible offer today.

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.

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 301: Happy Days appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 300: Get Your Head Out of Your Apps with Matt Ragland

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.

This episode is brought to you by  Bambee . When running a business, Human Resources issues can kill you. There’s so much to wrap your head around and hiring an HR Manager is going to cost you  – they command an average of seventy-thousand dollars a year! That’s where Bambee comes in. Created specifically for small business, Bambee provides you with a dedicated HR Manager that can craft your HR policy, and maintain your compliance, all for just one low monthly fee. You don’t need to deal with HR issues – let Bambee do that for you. Go to  bambee.com/timecrafting  now to schedule your FREE HR audit. You’ll be glad you did.

This episode is brought to you 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 brought to you by the  University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education . Established in 1962, UCI offers education for adult learners in Orange County. But thanks to technology, their courses and certification programs in various fields are now available worldwide and online for just about anyone who’s interested. You can get 15% off of one (1) course by visiting http://ce.uci.edu/productivityist then enter the promo code  timecrafting . Make sure you take advantage of this limited time offer as it is only valid until July 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm. (Please note that this discount is for almost all of the certificate programs. The exceptions only include coding boot camps, international programs, teacher credentialing programs, and test prep courses.)

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 appsMatt talks about his views on New Year’s resolutions and annual eventsHow does Matt keep the flow of his day moving in a paper planner?This is what journaling looks like for MattMatt shares whether or not he uses a paper wall calendar

“If I see something that matters to me and I know it improves my life, my only goal is really just to be as consistent as I can with it.“

– Matt Ragland

Helpful Links



“Get Your Head Out of Your Apps” – Why the Bullet Journal Method means so much to meEpisode 213: The Bullet Journal Method with Ryder CarrollBaronfig (Affiliate Link)ConvertKit (Affiliate Link)Sleep Cycle (Affiliate Link)Philips SmartSleep HF3500/60 Wake-Up Light Therapy Alarm Clock (Amazon Affiliate Link)5 DAY TIME TRACKING CHALLENGEEpisode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin KleonSTART JOURNALINGEpisode 227: Why You Need Atomic Habits with James ClearPodia (Affiliate Link)Matt Ragland’s WebsiteMatt’s YouTube Channel

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 300: Get Your Head Out of Your Apps with Matt Ragland appeared first on Productivityist.

Move Slow and “Bake” Things

My mother’s late husband was a baker at Costco — the bakery manager, in fact. Even though he worked in a fast-paced environment, he lived by the title of this piece: Move slow and bake things.

He had a quiet demeanor, so when he did raise his voice, you paid attention. He moved deliberately, primarily because he’d been in a major car wreck that pretty much folded him in half. His legs were held together with metal, and yet he went about his life with a sense of reserved joy.

There’s a lot I don’t know about him, but I did get the chance to work with him at Costco for a few years. He was the one that helped me land my job there. There was even a point where we were both on the management team in the warehouse — he in the bakery and me in the food court. If he didn’t get the pizza dough to the food court in a timely manner each day, I jokingly warned him that I’d, “tell Mom.”

When I think about him, I can’t help but remember how eerily close he came to death in that head-on collision that occurred before I met him. He seemed to live every day as a gift. He worked his way through his days with purpose, and appreciated that good things take time. They need to … bake.

You can’t be too flexible when baking. Ingredient measurements matter. Even large-batch baking has plenty of thought behind it. If you rush baked goods, the quality suffers. The same goes for plenty of other things. If you want to ensure quality, you need to let things bake as long as they need to bake. And you need to pay attention to them so they turn out in the best way possible.

Forget “move fast and break things.” That concept is stale and well past its expiry date.

Try this concept instead: “Move slow and bake things.” This perhaps won’t apply to everything, but give it a try in more things, and see how they turn out for you.

Leon was an inspiration, and had I not already been in my twenties by the time he came into my mother’s life, I’d likely have known him as a stepfather.

So I suppose role model will have to do.

The post Move Slow and “Bake” Things appeared first on Productivityist.

Episode 299: The Social Media-Productivity Balancing Act

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 TikTokMe on InstagramMe on Twitter | @mikevardyProductivityist on Twitter | @productivityistMe on FacebookProductivityist on FacebookMe on LinkedIn

(Sorry, no Snapchat. Yet.)

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 299: The Social Media-Productivity Balancing Act appeared first on Productivityist.