The Friday Habit

Mark Labriola II & Benjamin Manley

Most business owners are too busy doing work for their customers to make critical improvements to their business. We created The Friday Habit Weekly Review System to show entrepreneurs around the world how to set aside one day every week to improve their businesses so they can stop feeling overwhelmed and make their businesses work for them.

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Top 10 The Friday Habit Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Friday Habit episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Friday Habit for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Friday Habit episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Interview With Joseph Fung pt 1

The Friday Habit

01/20/23 • 22 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Joseph is the CEO of Uvaro, the Career Success platform. An award-winning, five-time technology founder & CEO with multiple successful exits, Joseph is also an expert on HR technology and is a compelling presenter who speaks frequently on the topics of career success, future of work, high-performing cultures, and corporate social responsibility. As a purpose-driven leader, who is recognized for challenging the status-quo, Joseph is driven to help the world’s professionals lead more fulfilling careers.

Recap / Takeaways

How to validate business ideas
What are the long-term trends?
Talk to people with the problems you're trying to solve
Do I understand the problem right?
Here's how I would solve it. Do I understand the solution right?
If I could give it to you right now, what would you pay be more it?
The starting point for your culture is your personality
DEFINE - Definition of the values you want your culture to have
Make the names short and memorable
Potentially create icons or visuals that represent each
SHARE - How to you share culture
Share stories of people exhibiting your values
Build weekly habits around the values (like giving kudos related to your values)
SCALE - How do you scale culture?
Think about how you could hire for a good culture fit without even being in the interview
Develop interview questions around your company values

Go to TheFridayHabit.com to find show notes for this episode. There you can also find links to our websites and ways to get in touch. At the bottom of the page you can download our guide to the Friday Habit system that will show you how to set aside one full day each week dedicated to working on your business instead of in your business.

If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts app.

If you have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover don’t forget to record us a quick voice memo and send it to [email protected]

Thanks for listening to The Friday Habit.

Until next time. Live every day like it’s Friday.

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Build A Low-Stress Business With Time Blocking

The Friday Habit

12/18/20 • 19 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Time blocking is the topic on this episode of The Friday Habit, and Ben’s insights could be beneficial to you whether you currently use time blocking in your business or not. Time blocking is helpful in a business because it keeps you away from overcommitting, it makes you better at estimating how long things will take you, and you can have foresight in working with your clients to ensure that you are providing them with adequate time for their project.

At Knapsack, Ben and his team rely on time blocking because of their structure of creating websites for clients in one day. They have a very well-established framework for each project, so they know the 4 different client sessions involved in each website build, how long they will each take, and when/if they can fit them in within the client’s timeframe. They aim to walk away from each project without any homework because they have accounted for every possible contingency within their time blocking system. During any given week, Ben has meetings scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays (including 3 hours on Wednesday mornings that are set aside for support requests), he commits Tuesdays and Thursdays to client work, and Fridays are reserved for working on the business rather than in the business (The Friday Habit).

While not every business has the ability to structure and schedule things out to the same extent as Knapsack, most service-based companies could employ time blocking to some degree. When you get a new order, instead of just putting it on a to-do list, go ahead and place a time block for it on your calendar and then stick to it when that time comes around. The more you do this, the better you will be at estimating how much time certain tasks take you, and you may find that this will help you adjust your pricing models to be more realistic and/or be more detailed about what is included in your different services. Even when it comes to your life outside of work, you could block off thinking time, gym time, time for various errands, or anything else that you may have trouble prioritizing.

Your action item this week is to put every step of your next project into your schedule and then stick to those tasks when the times come. Ben also recommends that you time block at least 2 hours of your Friday to work on your business, and you can find more information about what this looks like at TheFridayHabit.com.

Connect with us:

To submit questions/comments: [email protected]

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Positivity. The Secret To Success

The Friday Habit

09/04/20 • 25 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

In this episode of The Friday Habit, Mark provides 5 of the top ways to be a more positive person. It has been proven time and again that your emotions have the power to change your body at a cellular level, so here are a few techniques to ensure that those are positive changes rather than negative.

Have a lens of positivity – Let your first reaction to any situation be to ask yourself “What is this trying to teach me?” Even when you can’t control the circumstances, you can control how you respond to them. You can choose to make the best of it, and you will likely find that things weren’t as bad as they seemed when you look back.
Be grateful – Many people spend some time every morning thinking about or writing down a list of things they are grateful for. It is hard to be negative when you are aware of how many things in your life are going well, even the simplest things.
Get enough sleep and exercise – Set routines for yourself to ensure that you go to bed at a reasonable time and you have time set aside in your day to exercise, even if it is just taking a break to walk outside during the workday. There are physical and mental benefits to getting 6 or more hours of sleep per night as well as through the release of endorphins during exercise.
Look to gain experiences more than possessions – You never look back on material things with joy, but memorable experiences are always worth it. Your kids won’t remember what you gave them for their 8th birthdays, but they will remember the road trip you took as a family.
Help others – Acts of kindness have a way of positively impacting the people you are serving as well as boosting your own satisfaction and happiness. You can’t be negative while helping people and gaining a better perspective on how fortunate you are in life.

Your action item after this episode is to integrate gratitude into your routine, writing down a list of things you are grateful for every day.

Connect with us:

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

5 Tips to Help you Delegate Like a Boss

The Friday Habit

08/14/20 • 16 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Delegating is a buzzword that is overused and underutilized in business. In this episode of The Friday Habit, we will outline five tips to using delegation effectively to help you accomplish more, serve more customers, and make more profits.

1. Identify what can be delegated – Ask yourself these questions:

Is this something that only I can do?
Is this the best use of my time and energy?
Can someone else do this?
What should I be doing?

2. Delegate to the right person – Try to match up the task with someone based on their skills, interests, experience, capacity, and career goals. Chances are, you have someone on your team who is looking for a challenge in the exact area you need to release some responsibilities.

3. Provide clear direction – Define the goal or the “why” behind the task. Set expectations for the output, in terms of the effort and time commitment expected. Be available for questions.

4. Stay organized – To be able to delegate tasks, you should have all of the relevant information in one place, such as a project management system, so you can easily pass it off to someone else.

5. Make delegation a team effort – Communicate with your team. Discuss why and how you are planning to implement more delegation and encourage others to do the same. Ask for feedback regarding the tasks you are planning to delegate. Give them the freedom to call you out if you try to pick those tasks back up again. A great avenue for this is a brief weekly meeting.

Your action item after this episode is to schedule a 30-minute meeting with your team to discuss the goals of delegating certain tasks and solicit feedback about how everyone could implement delegation where appropriate.

Connect with us:

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

How To Stay Focused at Work

The Friday Habit

02/14/20 • 15 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Too often, distractions invade our world and keep us from accomplishing everything we have set out to do in a certain timeframe. Whether you find that your distractions are of your own making or the result of those who work around you, hopefully you can find some good insights and action items in these 3 simple strategies for staying focused at work:

Stick to a time management plan such as the Pomodoro technique – Block out some time during your day when you can commit 25 minutes to focus on one task with no distractions whatsoever followed by a 5-minute break. You can then evaluate whether you need to commit to another 25-minute session to that same task or move on to a different focused task, followed by another 5-minute break. There are many helpful apps and tools to help facilitate this focused time/break time balance, but the easiest is just setting a timer on your phone. You will likely find that by spending such concentrated time on a single task skyrockets your productivity and helps you do your best work.
Wear noise cancelling headphones – In addition to the obvious benefits of blocking out ambient and distracting noise, wearing headphones sends a message to those around you that you are in focus mode and they should leave you alone. Mark recommends the Apple AirPods Pro in-ear headphones with noise-cancelling and Ben recommends the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 over-ear headphones.
Set boundaries – If your workplace culture will permit it, clearly communicate with your coworkers and boss that you set aside certain times of the day for focused work. Perhaps block out time on your shared calendar so people know not to schedule meetings with or try to call you during those times and/or establish “open office hours” when those around you are permitted to stop by to talk to you.

Links:

Hourglass timers: https://www.amazon.com/OrgaNice-Hourglass-Sand-Timer-Productivity/dp/B01KFYMFYE/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=hourglass+timer&qid=1581472135&sr=8-12

Connect with us:

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

AI vs. Human Creativity: Finding the Right Balance with Jeremy Ryan Slate part 2

The Friday Habit

04/19/24 • 32 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Welcome back to The Friday Habit! In part two of our interview with Jeremy Ryan Slate, we continue our exploration of how embracing the concept of "good enough" can lead to greater success for businesses and teams.

Jeremy expands on the idea that the pursuit of perfection in every detail can actually hinder growth and effective delegation. Instead, he suggests focusing on measurable outcomes based on customer satisfaction. By shifting the focus from perfection to achieving results that satisfy the customer, businesses can develop a more sustainable growth strategy.

We also dive into the importance of fostering trust within teams. Jeremy emphasizes the significance of respecting diverse styles and approaches among team members. By creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to contribute their unique skills and ideas, leaders can streamline operations and free up time to focus on strategic expansion.

In summary, our conversation with Jeremy highlights the value of finding a balance between excellence and efficiency, as well as building trust within teams to drive success.

Main Topics

00:01:04: Importance of delegation and trust in growth
00:03:37: The role of AI tools in podcasting
00:05:25: Evolution with technology, importance of starting with video
00:10:00: Being authentic and honest in content
00:13:19: The potential consequences of AI development
00:16:27: Potential new career paths due to AI development
00:17:09: Role of technology in problem-solving
00:22:16: Copyright infringement and AI

Episode Links

If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts app.

If you have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover don’t forget to record us a quick voice memo and send it to [email protected]

Thanks for listening to The Friday Habit.

Until next time. Live every day like it’s Friday.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Being Resilient with Sherry Walling, PhD

The Friday Habit

04/03/20 • 30 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark talk with Dr. Sherry Walling, a clinical psychologist with a specialization in trauma and stress. She works with people in high-intensity jobs, particularly entrepreneurs, so she has been trained in the space of chaos and has the advantage of experience in knowing how to navigate uncertain times.

Sherry says that during this time of coronavirus affecting countries all over the world and the subsequent impacts on the economy, many people are experiencing instability and a heavier than normal mental load. There is really nothing anyone could have done to plan or prepare for this drastic shift in lifestyle, which makes us all feel unsettled and burdened. It is very important to create as much cushion for yourself as possible: get plenty of sleep, eat well, limit alcohol and sugar intake, move your body every day, and create structures or boundaries.

In fact, these drastic shifts in lifestyle and daily life may merit the need for grieving the loss of rhythms, interactions, jobs, milestones, and comfort. Grieving these things might look like this: talk about it with others (virtually), move your body, and then discuss the question “What is the next meaningful move to make?” You may also find it helpful to step back from your own needs for a minute and reach out to help others around you in any way you can.

It is all about finding a counterbalance to what is going on in the world and in your own life, taking control of what you can through deep breathing, moving your body, and creatively reorganizing your mindset through mindfulness practices. As a business owner, the most practical ways to develop resilience are to be intentional with your choices, be honest about your limitations, and choose joy and creativity. Sherry’s action item after this episode is that you find a “quarantine project” that provides you with an outlet that allows you to experience stillness every day.

Connect with Dr. Walling:

https://www.sherrywalling.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Keeping-Your-Together-ebook/dp/B079SNX6NB

https://zenfounder.com/

Connect with us:

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

The Secret to Great Company Culture with Claire Chandler Part 2

The Friday Habit

10/23/20 • 27 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

This episode of The Friday Habit podcast is this second part of our interview with Claire Chandler, author of “The Whirlpool Effect” and thought leader on great company culture. She begins by offering an exercise that founders can do in order to gain clarity and make decisions more easily. Claire suggests writing down and drawing a circle around the core principles your company started with. Then, draw another circle that includes what’s currently working well. The third and last circle should describe goals for the future. Once you have all three circles, move them together to create a venn diagram and see which ideas overlap. This exercise not only helps get things out of your head and onto paper, but finding that sweet spot of the overlap also helps create clarity for decisions that need to be made.

Claire explains that this focus and clarity can be hard for founders who tend to have “shiny object syndrome.” She talks about how to confront this tendency and also goes over the FOMO (fear of missing out) that many founders feel when making an important decision. Being a founder involves uncertainty, risk, and unknown, but Claire reminds listeners that most barriers to success are mental. Her advice in this episode will help founders fight what’s holding them back from making their business everything they dreamed of.

Connect with Claire:

https://www.amazon.com/Whirlpool-Effect-Claire-R-Chandler/dp/B07DP4T39J

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairechandlersphr/

https://www.clairechandler.net/

https://www.talentboost.net/

https://twitter.com/claire_talent

https://twitter.com/TalentBoost

Connect with us:

https://www.thefridayhabit.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanley

http://www.benjaminmanley.com/

https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

The Power of Systems and Processes in Business with Sarah Noel Block

The Friday Habit

05/10/24 • 37 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Alright, buckle up for this episode! Mark and Ben are joined by the one and only Sarah Noel Block, the brain behind Tiny Marketing. They dive into the nitty-gritty of why having solid systems and processes in your business is like adding rocket fuel to your success rocket. Sarah spills the beans on her Tiny Marketing Framework, breaking it down into streamlining, systematizing, automating, and outsourcing - the holy grail for growth.

But wait, there's more! They dish out on the perks of outsourcing tasks that either drain your energy or aren't your forte. Ever thought about how telling a strategic story could up your lawn care game? They go there too!

Sarah lays it all out, focusing on the Tiny Marketing Framework: streamline, systematize, automate, and outsource. She hammers home the importance of singling out one customer avatar, one core channel, one core content, one lead generator, and one lead offer to craft a killer marketing strategy. Oh, and she's all about leveraging other people's audiences to get your name out there.

The bottom line? Audit your offers, figure out which ones are bringing home the bacon, and give 'em the spotlight they deserve. Trust us, you won't want to miss this marketing masterclass!

Takeaways

Creating systems and processes in business can lead to growth and success.
The Tiny Marketing Framework includes streamlining, systematizing, automating, and outsourcing.
Outsourcing tasks that are not a business owner's strengths or that take up too much time can save time and money.
The strategic story is an all-in-one messaging and content marketing strategy that can be applied to different businesses. Implement the tiny marketing framework: streamline, systematize, automate, and outsource your marketing efforts.
Choose one customer avatar, one core channel, one core content, one lead generator, and one lead offer to create a focused and strategic marketing plan.
Borrow other people's audiences to build reputation and reach new customers.
Audit your offers to determine the most profitable ones to market and pay attention to.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Friday Habit
09:21 COVID as a Catalyst for Change
15:18 The Benefits of Outsourcing
32:58 Borrowing Audiences

Episode Links

https://www.sarahnoelblock.com/

If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts app.

If you have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover don’t forget to record us a quick voice memo and send it to [email protected]

Thanks for listening to The Friday Habit.

Until next time. Live every day like it’s Friday.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

The 6 Levers Framework: A New Approach to Organizational Success with Shaun Lee

The Friday Habit

06/07/24 • 49 min

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Friday Habit! Today, we have Shaun Lee joining us to dive into an important topic many organizations struggle with. Ever wondered why pinpointing individual employees or leaders often misses the mark when solving organizational issues? We’ll explore how this common misconception overlooks deeper, systemic problems.

Shaun will share insights on systems thinking, a holistic approach that looks at how different parts of an organization interact. By focusing on the environment in which individuals operate, we can better understand their behaviors, attitudes, and performances.

We’ll also discuss the importance of collective ownership in driving systemic change. Shaun will introduce us to the Six Levers framework, a powerful tool for intentional and systematic organizational change. This framework helps organizations move towards healthier, more productive, and fulfilling ways of working.

Changing an organization isn't a straight path; it’s a journey that requires leaders to critically assess and prioritize the areas that need the most attention. This customized approach ensures effective and lasting interventions. Get ready to revolutionize the way you view organizational dynamics and productivity!

Chapters

00:14:11: Empowering leaders and building strong teams
00:16:58: Explanation of 'Six Levers' framework
00:19:16: Importance of teams in building systems
00:23:43: Meeting needs of different teams
00:29:12: Setting and adjusting priorities as a team
00:34:42: Importance of self-awareness in leaders
00:42:21: Creating a culture of feedback

Episode Links

If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts app.

If you have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover don’t forget to record us a quick voice memo and send it to [email protected]

Thanks for listening to The Friday Habit.

Until next time. Live every day like it’s Friday.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts

https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Friday Habit have?

The Friday Habit currently has 181 episodes available.

What topics does The Friday Habit cover?

The podcast is about Motivation, Entrepreneurship, Self-Help, Startup, How To, Podcasts, Education, Business and Freelancer.

What is the most popular episode on The Friday Habit?

The episode title 'Interview With Joseph Fung pt 1' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Friday Habit?

The average episode length on The Friday Habit is 29 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Friday Habit released?

Episodes of The Friday Habit are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of The Friday Habit?

The first episode of The Friday Habit was released on Jan 22, 2020.

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The Friday Habit

Mark Labriola II & Benjamin Manley

Top 10 The Friday Habit Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Friday Habit have?

What topics does The Friday Habit cover?

What is the most popular episode on The Friday Habit?

What is the average episode length on The Friday Habit?

How often are episodes of The Friday Habit released?

When was the first episode of The Friday Habit?

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