Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Visit thedigitalorganizer.com/beyond to book a discovery call

Connect with Erik:

________________________________________

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

Aytekin Tank on Having an Automation First Mindset

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

10/09/23 • 49 min

This week it was my privilege to speak with Aytekin Tank about his new book Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff. Aytekin is the founder and CEO of JotForm, a leading online form builder platform that helps millions of users streamline their workflow and increase productivity. In this conversation, Aytekin emphasizes the importance of clarifying priorities. By asking yourself the questions, "What should I spend my time on?" and "What shouldn't I spend my time on?" you can gain clarity and focus on tasks that energize and excite you. As Aytekin explains, automating the draining, time-consuming tasks can help prevent burnout and improve overall efficiency. In addition, Aytekin unpacks the principles behind time-boxing, where you set aside dedicated blocks of time to investigate and refine ideas that can streamline your processes. By prioritizing what is urgent and important, you can effectively allocate your time and concentrate on tasks that truly require your attention.

During the episode, Aytekin also highlights the importance of refining and iterating systems to find the perfect solution for your specific needs. It's a journey that requires exploring automation tools, learning from others, and embracing new technologies like AI. Aytekin also emphasizes that AI is the next revolution in automation, with its ability to learn, adapt, and perform tasks that were once only possible manually. The possibilities are truly beginning to become endless.

Make sure to check out our sponsors to help support the show!

Connect with Aytekin:

Book

Connect with Erik:

________________________________________

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

Mindy Peterson and Erik Fisher on Enhancing Your Life With Music

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

10/16/23 • 41 min

This week I’m excited to share with you a conversation I had with Mindy Peterson on her podcast Enhance Life with Music. Mindy is a kindred spirit who examines and explores the power of music in our everyday lives. She is passionate about exploring how music impacts our psychology, productivity, and well-being. Whether you consider yourself a musician or just a music fan, the fact remains that music is all around us and most of us have deep and dare I say spiritual connections with the magic of Rock, Pop, Rap, Classical Music, Jazz, Country, or any of the infinite genres of music.

This episode is clearly personal for me as music has been, and continues to be an incredibly powerful part of my life. Mindy and I dive into the transformative power of songs, bands, and the joyful ways that in its many incarnations, music has enriched our lives in ways that are both productive and stress-reducing. We discuss how different styles of music can impact our brain activity, productivity, stress management, and creativity.

Throughout our conversation, Mindy also unpacks the importance of self-awareness in selecting the right type of music based on mood, motivation, and setting, and how it can reset our minds and help us accomplish tasks more effectively and efficiently.

Make sure to check out our sponsors to help support the show!

Connect with Mindy:

Connect with Erik:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

Todd Rogers on Why Your Writing Is Likely All Wrong

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

10/23/23 • 42 min

This week I was excited to speak with Todd Rogers about the new book that he co-authored with Jessica Lasky, Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World. Todd is a professor of public policy at Harvard University, where he has won teaching awards for the past seven consecutive years. He is a behavioral scientist and cofounder of the Analyst Institute and EveryDay Labs. His opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico, among others.

In this conversation, we delve into the importance of making writing more accessible and reader-friendly in our fast-paced and busy lives. Todd illustrates the six scientific and common sense principles behind more effective, concise, and readable writing. Drawing inspiration from user design thinking, Todd also challenges the traditional notion that it's solely the reader's responsibility to extract information from the text. Instead, he emphasizes the writer's role in making content accessible and reader-friendly, shifting the burden away from the audience.

The principle of "less is more" takes center stage in this chat as we explore how using fewer words and simplifying content can lead to more effective communication. We also address the vital importance of editing with the purpose of making writing easier for the reader, more effective, kinder, and more accessible. In closing Todd addresses the ways that we can use tools such as ChatGPT and AI software to become better editors and content creators.

Make sure to check out our sponsors to help support the show!

Connect with Todd:

Grab Todd and Jessica’s Book

Writing For Busy Readers AI Tool

The Reading Ease Calculator

Connect with Erik:

________________________________________

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

Jason Feifer on Resilience During Times of Change

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

03/13/23 • 48 min

This week I was really encouraged by my conversation with Jason Feifer. Jason is the the Editor In Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine and author of the new book, Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career. If we want to admit it or not, these past few years have been a time of serious change and in this conversation Jason reveals how the ability to cope with and adapt to change is the number one trait that he has observed in successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.

Through his research and experience interviewing and interacting with countless business leaders coupled with observations that he and his colleagues made in the lead-up and unfolding of the pandemic, Build For Tomorrow captures the principles and realities of change and how the fear of change can both inhibit our growth and stifle our present. Jason unpacks his four phases of change and illustrates how, similar to the phases of grief, change can be paralyzing and emotionally devastating at first, but through resilience and proper framing can liberate us from both fear and false pillars of our identity.

In addition to editing and writing Jason also hosts the podcasts Build For Tomorrow and Problem Solvers, and is a popular keynote speaker, startup advisor, and nonstop optimism machine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

Jon Acuff on His 3-Step Plan to Achieving Your Goals Without Regret

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

09/04/23 • 47 min

This week it was my privilege to welcome Jon Acuff back to the show to discuss his new book, All It Takes is A Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential. Regular listeners to the show are of course familiar with John as he has been on the show a number of times to talk about his previous books, Start, Finish, Soundtracks, and Your New Playlist. I consider Jon a good friend and in this new book he brings his trademark style of humor and clear communication back to the subject of achieving your goals.

Fans of Jon might be familiar with his book Finish which begins to outline his philosophies on goal setting. In All It Takes is A Goal he both expands and codifies his thoughts on how we can set goals that are smart and achievable. In our conversation Jon introduces the concept of guaranteed goals, setting easy, middle, and potential goals to achieve a balance between comfort and chaos zones. In addition Jon also highlights the importance of what he calls sustainable fuel, goals that help to drive us without burning us out.

Jon is the New York Times bestselling author and is Published in more than twenty languages. His work is both critically acclaimed and adored by readers including yours truly. He has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges and companies around the world including FedEx, Nissan, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chick-fil-A, Nokia and Comedy Central.

For over 20 years Jon has also helped some of the biggest brands tell their story, including The Home Depot, Bose, and Staples. His fresh perspective on life has given him the opportunity to write for Reader’s Digest, Fast Company, The Harvard Business Review and Time Magazine.

Make sure to check out our sponsors to help support the show!

Connect with John:

Books

Connect with Erik: