ProdCast: The Personal Productivity Podcast

Digital life is convenient, but over time, services and subscriptions can pile up, and the cost can outweigh the value that you receive from them. Matthew Anderson discusses how he is trimming subscriptions that he isn't using, but Joel has some cautionary tales from that approach. This leads to a discussion of digital cameras vs. cell phone cameras and personal file backup strategies. Joel has rediscovered the value of rehearsal--once you become proficient at what you do, it might seem that you don't need to rehearse, but even for a seasoned professional, you can still benefit from rehearsal. And we bring back the "that's not productive" segment as Matthew reveals how to attend onine meetings without really being there.

This episode is brought to you by Inogic. Check out their new Kanban visualization for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Learning is important. Joel has started a bi-weekly LinkedIn newsletter about learning--why it is important to be a life-long learner, choosing a learning goal, and tools to help learning. On the podcast we discuss our learning goals. Matthew Anderson has also been pursuing certification, and he talks about his strategies for learning and test-taking. Other topics in the episode: Smart pens: Neo Smart pen and Moleskine Pen +. https://www.amazon.com/smartpen-N2-Bluetooth-Digital-Smartphones/dp/B00ST8GT8W/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Neo+smartpen&qid=1582039395&sr=8-4 Edge collections: https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2019/08/20/collections-now-available-microsoft-edge-preview/ Microsoft certification poster that shows the intersection of all Microsoft certifications: http://aka.ms/TrainCertPoster Taking certification exams: how to read the questions and scenarios to optimizing finding the correct answers. Going to testing center vs. online proctored exams Show notes:   [00:00:23] And Matthew. How are you doing day, Joel?   [00:00:27] I am excellent. Welcome to 2020.   [00:00:29] A little bit late in a little bit. Yeah, yeah. But we've been so productive we haven't had time for a podcast.   [00:00:36] Exactly. it's prioritization. And I think we both had that silent agreement that we have some things we're focused on right now.   [00:00:44] Well, actually, last week on my My Analytics for the first time I hit 42 percent of time for focus.   [00:00:53] Oh, congrats on that. I feel like I've graduated to new level.   [00:01:00] Yeah, I can say I have that much focused time scheduled. I am not hitting it, but I am getting more and more people to respect that time that I've got out there. So it's a it's a process. We'll say that.   [00:01:17] Right. So I've been putting a focus for 2020 on learning, trying to get some certifications as well as learn some other other things. I find that, you know, sometimes you get a little stale and you need to update your skill set, especially working with technology. You can do anything with learning in 2020.   [00:01:37] Yeah, absolutely. So the most recent certification I earned is the Azure A.I. Engineer Associate Certification.   [00:01:47] That's the A.I. 100. It was the exam. The core exam behind that one.   [00:01:53] So is this like super deep data science stuff for what is it?   [00:01:58] So it is a collection of cognitive services, including language, understanding and prediction, translation, and getting into machine learning pipelines. And how do you actually build and structure those services together to be able to meet the need for some sort of end user use case?   [00:02:22] Cool. So what what made you decide on that one versus all the other many things you could study?   [00:02:31] Yeah, so I had a stretch goal for myself around kind of getting outside of the business applications kind of silo within our product cloud, the different solution areas, I wanted to do something in Azure and I looked toward what are those things that are that I talk about the concept of in the biz app platform a lot, but I'd like to be able to go deeper and, you know, chat with folks about what's going on behind the scenes, talk intelligently around what some of those capabilities are and what really comes up a ton. Is these things around cognitive services and kind of improving those experiences using prediction automation around that. So it seemed like a really good fit. And then with the advent of the A.I. Builder Capabilities and power platform and some of what we have inside of customer insights and being able to make predictions about this kind of super set of information about customers, it just seemed like a really appropriate place to put some of that learning effort into.   [00:03:43] Definitely a hot area there. So how much time did you allocate to preparing for it?   [00:03:53] Yeah, so I have had this on my radar for about the last four and a half, maybe five months. I've been trying to go through some of the Microsoft learn capabilities or rather the learning paths that they have around that just to get familiar. But I really got serious about it when I put the I put my money where my mouth was and I scheduled the certification exam two months out. So it was mid-December. I made the decision to schedule it out for middle of February or rather early February. And just kind of use that as a way to pressure myself and really ratchet up the prep and training work that I was doing. And labs. Yeah.   [00:04:41] So that's that's key, I think. And I've been I've been writing a series of Linked-In articles about learning, because my focus has been on that since last year. I got the sales and customer service and marketing Dynamics 365 certifications and he first power platform certification. I didn't have to study at all for those because I've been doing it so long that I could just walk in and pass, maybe with just a cursory review, but the one I haven't had is field service because I just don't have as much experience with field service. I've dealt with it and worked with it. But I've never I've never taken the certification test on it before. So that was sure that was my goal. And my goal with this is just to broaden my reach outside of the normal projects that I work with. So with (the field service exam), that was kind of the first one I really had to study. And like you, I set myself a pretty aggressive goal of actually scheduling the exam. You put some teeth behind it. I've got people that are on my team or my mentor and they set a goal that “I want to get certified in xyz,” and then they never do it because they don't have a date. You got to have a date.   [00:05:59] What was going through my head the night before the exam, I was just panicking and saying I don't know if I'm actually ready. I went in and I was one click away from canceling the exam that I had for the next day. I didn't. Partially because I don't want to pay twenty two bucks to cancel this within the window. It's like five business days or something like that. You know what? I've done this much. I've put in the effort and I go take it even if I don't feel 100 percent ready. And I came out on the other side feeling pretty glad that I didn't spend the money to defer on something or I was going to pass it anyway.   [00:06:50] Right. I think when you take the more of those exams you take, you kind of recognize patterns. Not that taking more exams makes you more likely to pass another one, but it could. I've developed my own approach to taking a certification exam that helps me be more sure that I'm getting closer is the right answer. Doesn't always give me the right answer, but it gets me closer. I read the question backwards because the questions generally are set up with a scenario and a question. So the question is last and sometimes the scenario gives you extra details that you don't really need. So if you read the question, read it backwards. Read the bottom section to get the questioner and then look for the details in the scenario. You can be a lot more focused and avoid having the extra details throw you off. And then look at the scenario and then I look at the answers. And if it's not if I'm not really, really, really sure of which one's the right one, I start weeding out the distractors, and those are the ones that aren't right. And if you can weed out the ones that you know aren't right, then you have  a 50/50 chance and then you can pretty much narrow down if you if you have a cursory knowledge of the topic.   [00:08:26] I have a variation on that approach that I use quite a bit. And I think that definitely that that concept of narrowing down the field of possible answers to what's important and also not getting hung up on a bunch of potentially extraneous information is really important. And that's consistent even on the exam that I just took here recently, as well as certainly some of the dynamics ones that I certainly know well, just given my history with the platform and most of those questions you can get rid of to maybe sometimes three and you barely have to read the whole range of what it's going to be.   [00:09:18] And the new ones have introduced case studies, which is sometimes a lot of text to then get to the questions. And that can be kind of intimidating. You have, you know, the scenario, the requirements, the details. You've got half a dozen different tabs on that thing. Then you have questions. Here's one thing I found is on the and this is this is for the what is it Pearson view or whatever Microsoft uses for the testing centers as well as the proctored exams. You can ctrl+f to search the text. That's a little tip I found to where if you have a question about “what should the sales managers do” and you go to the scenario, do a ctrl+f to search for “sales manager” and if you find it. That usually leads you to the answer or enough detail to get the answer.   [00:10:13] Yeah, that's a good one, I was not familiar that you could actually do that. Very cool.   [00:10:19] Do you go to the test center or do you do the the proctored exam at home?   [00:10:25] I am a firm believer in going to the test center. That is the way I like to do it. There is no worry of someone walking into the room. I don't have to have the anxiety that comes off like shining a camera around to show that I don't have any cheating materials or anything I'm going to cheat with. And it's just one less thing that I have to deal with. Also, it feels official. I can actually protect that time. I don't have a. Now I have to travel to physically get to the test center so I can tell people, no, I need to be done with this call at 9 o'clock because my exam starts at 9:30 and I have to physically leave and get there. And I like having that little bit of buffer. How about you?   [00:11:15] I am the opposite. I do all my exam as online proctored exams, and a year ago when they first started doing it, it was kind of rough because you'd have to have a webcam to show all around the room. They've changed a little bit now where you they text you a little app or a Web page on your phone and you just take pictures of what you're facing, what's behind you. I've got to unplug my my external monitor and flip it around.   [00:11:44] But generally, that goes that goes very well. I lock my door. I do it from my house so I don't have co-workers walking in if my wife or kids are home. I make them swear that they will not try and get in the room because otherwise I'll fail. And maybe in Minnesota you have really nice testing centers. Frankly, the ones around me are all like dumps with computers that are 10 years old with desks that are falling apart.   [00:12:16] And I've had technical problems going to my local test center, so I think I trust it more doing it from home. And I get more flexibility. Like I have a meeting cancelled tomorrow. I'm going to take a take a certification exam and have more flexibility than when I do a testing center, usually it seems to only have availability a week out..   [00:12:39] Yeah, I'm I'm definitely scheduling mine more in advance, so that part's not an issue. Pearson is headquartered in Minnesota. So we have a million testing centers around here. There there's one that’s a ten minute drive from my house. Then I'm going to be moving soon, and the place I'm moving to there's a testing center one mile from the house. You know, I can walk there in under 20 minutes if I really needed to. And like all of them they have been reasonably nice.   [00:13:12] I mean, it's not crazy. You know, hardware quality of the machines that I'm on, but they've physically worked.   [00:13:19] The only argument or complaint that I have is I did try to take my customer service exam, which I just for whatever reason, hadn't taken previously. And this was in mid-January. And there was the threat, the threat of snow in Minnesota. Now, it hadn't actually started snowing yet.   [00:13:40] So that's like every day in the winter, right?   [00:13:43] Right. They were concerned that there was going to be snow later in the day. So they canceled at 8:00 in the morning. All the exams that they had. Now, my exam was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. I showed up at 8:45. They said, sorry, it's been canceled. You know, it's supposedly you get, I don't know, 210 minutes or something like that. Ridiculous amount of time for that exam at least.   [00:14:07] I'd never personally taken that long just because I have worked with the material so long. So I literally would have been out there out of there, even if I took that full time, by noon. Not a flake of snow fell from the sky until about 2:00 in the afternoon. I was just I was very, very frustrated with that. That was the biggest chink in the armor for going to an actual testing center.   [00:14:42] And people like Shawn Taber have this elaborate routine where he goes to the same Starbucks before he takes his exam and feels like if he doesn't do this he will fail. I don’t have this routine myself, I schedule and just jump in and take it.   [00:14:58] Sure. So I don't quite have that rigorous of a of a series of things I have to go through. It's not that regimented. I have a couple of different test centers I go to. I try to make it there about 15 minutes early. But beyond that, I just focus that energy on knowing the material and having that carry me through.   [00:15:21] Right. So the series I'm writing on LinkedIn has been a departure from the normal kind of content that I usually write. But it's been kind of an experiment because I got in on a preview of a new LinkedIn feature called newsletters. I like it because it's basically articles that are grouped into a series and people can subscribe to the series of articles. And currently I'm limited to just one newsletter, but I can see once this gets released then that I will probably have newsletters on different topics. And the really cool thing is I have people following the series that don't follow me or aren't connected to me. So it seems to have a little bit more of a life than just writing individual articles or LinkedIn posts. I created both like a WordPress blog and the LinkedIn articles. And by far, the LinkedIn newsletter is getting more traction than the blog version. So I really like that new feature of LinkedIn.   [00:16:31] Yeah, it's been great. I. As soon as I saw Joel Lindstrom is starting a newsletter, I said, oh, give it away. I'll try that out. See what it's all about. And yet I've continued reading.   [00:16:42] I don't know when they're going to release it as more of a general feature, but I would imagine it's coming soon. Once they do, I think you'll really like it. I think the problem with articles is they've just been kind of one off things. They have good findability because you can find them through Google and other places. But, you know, it seems like this is the missing piece to make articles a little bit more sticky.   [00:17:09] Yeah. If you have a topic where you have some authority or want to be able to communicate a lot without just doing a novel in a single post. It gives a way to be able to chunk that out and get good feedback from people, because when you are managing your own blog and that type of thing, you know how many people are going and leaving meaningful comments or interacting or sharing their views. If it's within LinkedIn and doing that, I think it will be a pretty cool feature. I'll take advantage of it once it is a little more prime time.   [00:17:50] So you mentioned you're moving. Where and why are you moving, Matthew?   [00:17:54] So I am moving within Minnesota. This is not weather driven. Actually, it will only be about a 10, 15 minute drive from where we are now.   [00:18:10] But so my kids are going to be in school age, coming up in the near future here. And we wanted to try to think through where do we want to be for them to go through all of their schooling and hopefully, depending on what happens, not have to move because of you need to go to a different school or not thinking that that far ahead. So we started the search. It was about eight months ago at this point that we started casually looking with a timeline of within the next couple of years, we want to try to move in. Sure enough, we found one that we were really excited about, with a good school district that we're excited about there. And a little more space. We like what we have. But as the kids start to get and a little bit more space to themselves, it'll give them that that space that they need.   [00:19:17] Great. I'm going to bring back a feature that we haven't done for for a while, which is “is that productive.”   [00:19:34] So for today's is that productive, I'm going to review my smart pen. This is something I have been using for over a year. I intentionally wanted to live with it for a while before I reviewed it. We have talked about Evernote and OneNote, and we have talked about physically writing your journal versus electronic notes. The idea of a smart pen is the merging of the two: a physical pen that can easily be transitioned into digital notes. So the pen that I started with is the Neo Smartpen N2, which is a pen that uses a specially coated paper. You can buy notebooks, such as the Moleskin notebooks, the ones that look a little bulbous, the paper sticks a little bit. It works with them. And the idea is you take notes like you would normally take notes, but you can sync those notes to your phone, to your computer, to your iPad, to almost any device. It will sync and OCR your notes. You can sync directly to OneNote or Evernote. And it's something that I found pretty indispensable. And I said my original pen because I broke my original path. I somehow damaged the sensor.   [00:21:04] I think I pushed the pen part too far in or something. And so I had to replace it because it actually got in 2018, it was out of warranty. So there's also the Moleskine version, which is the Pen+, which is basically the Neo Smatpen N2 and branded Moleskin. They're shaped a little bit differently. The N2 is more rounded where the Moleskin is kind of flatter. They have the same technology in them. But I find the Moleskine version feels better to hold In some ways, but either one are not are not bad.   And I had terrible handwriting. One of my goals has been, over the last year and a half, to improve my handwriting. And I've been successful with that. But it successfully transcribes my handwriting.   I'll give you a for instance, I was in a meeting where we were doing discovery and then transitioning the notes into user stories into Azure DevOps. So I intentionally just wrote in my Moleskine with Moleskine Pen + notebook rather than typing them into my computer. Then I was able to very quickly sync my notes, take the text transcrption, wordsmith it, and then copy and paste it into stories.   [00:22:26] And it it went very quickly. So I find it I find it extremely effective. Not every note I want to keep, but it's kind of per page I can choose. There's als a little checkbox. If you want email the notes to somebody, you can just check it. And when you sync with the app, it will email it. And what I find very useful about it is I can go into meeting and don't have to fire my laptop. I can be writing in my notebook and it saves me a ton of time transitioning that into OneNote, sharing the notes with other people, or taking an OCR of the notes. There are other things like the Rocket Notebook, where you use a regular notebook with specially designed paper to scan it with the phone. I find that the smart pen is better and there's other smart pens like I think there's one called the live scribe or something. I haven't tried those. But as for the Neo N2 or the Moleskine Pen +, which is basically N2, I would say that for me it is productive and saves me a ton of time.   [00:23:32] All right. Well, that's cool. I don't know. I mean, I still like my pen and paper for both journaling and for planning. And I'll call it more limited note taking. And my go to is still the Office Lens app to be able to pull that in, push directly into a OneNote notebook. And I can choose from either my work or my personal one notes or drop it into PDF or any of those kind of things. So that's that's still my go to I haven't graduated to trying that digital pen.   [00:24:13] Right. When (the digital pen) syncs, I don't know how it does it, but if I have a red notebook and a black notebook and if I write in the red notebook and I write in the black notebook, it knows which notebook that I'm I'm writing it in. So I don't have to deal with each page necessarily. I can just sync the pen. I've actually got three or four different notebooks, one to use for more of a journal, one I use for just personal to do type things, and one I use for meeting notes, And it keeps them separate. So you could you could do the same thing with Office Lens or whatever. So I’m not saying you have to use a digital pen. I'm just saying for me, it's very productive.   [00:25:03] The pen and multi notebook combo. Exactly.   [00:25:09] So kind of kind of related to that. Have you tried the collection feature in the chromium Edge Dev?   [00:25:19] So I have not tried that yet.   [00:25:21] I did write about that in one of my articles on my learning series, and it is something I find to be a very useful learning tool. Specifically, you can have multiple collections, you can drag and drop text and images. It's basically like the clip to OneNote, but having it in the browser and being able to build the collection, and then you can send the whole collection to OneNote or whatever you want to.   [00:25:45] I found that useful, especially for learning, because you go through Microsoft Learn, or whatever learning content you want and  just grab these snippets, put them in the collections, arrange it the way you want to, and then copy that to OneNote. It could be from different pages versus sending each snippet to one note. It's kind of easier to arrange it the way you want and build the build the collection, then send it somewhere.   [00:26:14] Sure. Now, as you're using that, are you finding that you get stuff that's like partially done in transition, sitting in that collection and hot? How do you not have orphaned content that sits out in those collections?   [00:26:32] I don’t have orphaned content. For example, when I'm studying for my field service exam, I have a collection for resource scheduling. So as I go through the multiple articles about resource scheduling, I'm grabbing sections or lists, such as the statuses of work items, because I know that's probably going to be on the exam.   [00:27:00] And then there's a diagram of the stages of work and I'll drag that over. And so then you can rearrange those pieces, drag them up, drag them down, delete them, whatever. What I'm building is kind of a study sheet that has all that detail that I want to remember on it.   [00:27:24] Got it. OK.   [00:27:25] And it's live. So if you have part of a Web site on there, you can click on it to go directly to that section of the webpage. Right in the browser.   [00:27:37] Yeah, I do like that concept, though, I feel I would have to try it, but I would still be worried that it would be one other thing to manage. I'd be trying to think back to where is that content stored, and I won't necessarily remember it was part of my learning that I was doing there. I'll try to go search one note. It's not there. It's one where I think I'd have to get hands on to figure out what the actual workflow would look like for me. That’s not a judgment, good or bad. I just can't see how that's going to land. Or I've maybe tried too many of those things and thought “oh, this is going to be great.” But it turns out it's just one more place to have to go look for something later.   [00:28:25] I don't think I'd make it my permanent home for anything. That's not what I did. I used it when I'm in a session learning things and collecting pieces about them. But I then moved it to OneNote.   [00:28:38] Yeah. And that's like a staging area.   [00:28:41] But also, I was recently researching mattresses, for example, and going to different pages that had different models and pages like Consumer Reports. Besides learning, I found Collections to be very helpful when compiling research amongst different pages for something you want to purchase as a way to collect all that information arranged the way you want. Maybe you're not keeping it permanently, it might just be for that specific focused time, then delete the collection. But I think if I was going to keep it in perpetuity and come back in and be able to find it a year from now, I would agree with you. I wouldn't keep it there permanently.   [00:29:27] Yeah. So it's important then to have that habit of actually moving it somewhere if you want to be able to get it, get it later. Otherwise, you have that challenge of one more place of contact. So either stick a fork in it because it's done or move it forward to a more permanent repository.   [00:29:45] The thing about me and taking notes. They're not so much for perpetuity. I have very few notebooks that I need to keep for long term.  

This episode is brought to you by ClickLearn. Topics discussed in this episode: Revisiting inbox zero Ohio method triaging email working from multiple computers PowerToys for Windows 10 https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys Waiting for list in Microsoft To Do Business Wars podcast https://wondery.com/shows/business-wars/ Untitled Goose Game https://goose.game/ Music: www.purple-planet.com

This episode of ProdCast is brought to you by ClickLearn. How do you deliver bad news? Today Matthew and Joel talk about how to tactfully and confidently deliver bad news, and how to help people without becoming the owner of their problems. Topics in this episode: Delivering bad news Mentally preparing for the conversation Confidence Helping without taking ownership Bad news doesn't get better over time Mentoring, ownership, and skin in the game Feedback on dumping Outlook desktop Review of iPadOS What's the most productive podcast player? Link: iPadOS Preview https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-preview/ Music: www.purple-planet.com

This episode is brought to you by D365UG. Topics discussed in this episode: Productivity and personal collections Improved search and scheduling in Outlook web access Is dark mode productive? Should you use animated gif's and emoji's at work? @mentions in email Controlling subscriptions Should you cancel Amazon Prime? Tool recommendations: All-In-One Messenger https://allinone.im/ Flighty App: get pilot grade flight info https://www.flightyapp.com/ Music: www.purple-planet.com

This is our 50th episode of ProdCast, brought to you by D365UG. Topics in this episode: Password management Generating passwords Turn off built-in password manager in your browser: https://support.1password.com/disable-browser-password-manager/ Create your own personal threat model: https://blog.securityinnovation.com/creating-your-own-personal-threat-model Yubikey: https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-hardware-3/?msclkid=aee4a744a40c11380cb6fa447dca6edd Authenticator apps Microsoft Authenticator: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/account/authenticator Authy authenticator app: https://authy.com/ Bullet Journal review: https://bulletjournal.com/ Updated review of Microsoft To-do Music: www.purple-planet.com  

This episode of ProdCast is brought to you by D365UG. In today's episode we revisit our moves to Outlook Web in last episode. One month in, what is working well, and what do we miss? We also revisit our ongoing discussion of personal mission statements--what does Joel mean when he says his goal is to do amazing work, and how do mission statements help you determine what not to do. Have you ever had a time when you are super busy? When you find yourself in that state, it's important to do a personal retrospective--how did I get myself here, what was my part in it, and what am I going to do differently in the future to avoid this happening again? Got any feedback about how you do your personal mission statement? Do  you do personal retrospectives? Let us know by posting a comment on the blog or email us at voice@crm.audio. Music:www.purple-planet.com  

In today's productivity podcast (brought to you by D365UG), Matthew C. Anderson talks about making the move to the modern experiences for OneNote and Outlook. Why did he make the move, do the new experiences have the same capabilities as desktop, and what are some of the things that you can do with the new experiences that you can't do with the desktop versions? We also get into Microsoft Teams and how Outlook and OneNote can work with Teams. Plus we discuss if a vertical monitor can be productive.  

In today's episode (brought to you by D365UG), Matthew and Joel talk about being more efficient with your browser sessions during demos and screenshares, and Microsoft Teams productivity--is Teams the new Trapper Keeper or the new flapper binder? Chrome browser profiles Working with multiple demo personas and D365 accounts Controlling extension icons Tab management Microsoft Teams productivity The Team of me Organizing contacts Quickly start a chat Group meetings vs teams Copying and moving files between Teams and OneDrive Handle multiple networks more effectively Managing your teams list Using Flow to manage Teams

In today's ProdCast (brought to you by KingswaySoft): Breaking an audacious goal down into smaller pieces Re-evaluating direction toward a goal Deleting Facebook Being more intentional with technology Joel's strategy for managing personal online subscriptions Links discussed in this episode: How to achieve your most ambitious goals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQMbvJNRpLE Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy-ebook/dp/B07DBRBP7G/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=digital+minimalism&qid=1550850372&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle: https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Conversation-Power-Talk-Digital-ebook/dp/B00SI0B6PC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=reclaiming+conversation&qid=1550850334&s=gateway&sr=8-1  

This episode is brought to you by Kingswaysoft and mscrm-addons.com. In today’s personal productivity episode, Joel Lindstrom and Matthew C. Anderson discuss lifelong learning, and why you should be self-taught. Joel’s five tips for learning a subject: 1. Read a variety of types of literature 2. Make connections 3. Read books that are 5-10+ years old 4. Make a list (maybe) 5. Set a deadline Matthew talks about building a “fudge factor” into estimation and scheduling for both professional and personal tasks, and we end the podcast with a discussion about paper towel productivity. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Player.FM, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, or YouTube. You can also listen via our app on iOS or Android. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC.

This episode of ProdCast is brought to you by mscrm-addons.com. Sometimes input from others is necessary before you can complete a task, and if those people aren’t responsive, it can become a roadblock to your productivity. In today’s episode, we discuss how you can get more control over these tasks by strategically predefining outcomes. Make the default action the result you want. Joel shares an Outlook productivity tip about quickly archiving emails, and we also discuss habit stacking–grouping things you have to do with things you like to do to motivate yourself to do the things that you need (but don’t want) to do.

This episode is brought to you by mscrm-addons.com. When you are writing, blogging, podcasting, or some other creative endeavor, one of the most difficult things can be coming up with ideas for content and translating those ideas to a presentation or article. In today’s episode, Matthew Anderson and Joel Lindstrom discuss techniques that they use to create content. Topics discussed: Finding ideas from your life experiences Overcoming common fears Self-imposed deadlines Minimum level of proficiency Stages of competence Being comfortable with what you don’t know Outlining a topic Being authentic Links: Scrivner https://www.literatureandlatte.com

This episode is brought to you by Maplytics by Inogic. A few episodes ago we discussed personal mission statements. In this episode, Matthew Anderson talks about his personal mission statement and techniques he found to get to the why. In this episode: Frying turkeys Personal mission statements revisited Essentialism "Personal philosophy" vs. "mission statement" How do values fit in with mission statement? Detect vs. invent Bland and concrete mission statement Leaving room for new experiences in your concrete mission statement What has Matthew stopped doing in light of his mission statement? Is TSA Precheck productive? Links: Franklin Covey mission statement builder: https://msb.franklincovey.com/  Essentialism by Greg McKeown  Got feedback or suggestions for a future episode? Email voice@crm.audio. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Player.FM, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, or YouTube. You can also listen via our app on iOS or Android. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this week’s ProdCast (brought to you by KingswaySoft), Marius Agur Lind (The CRM Viking) joins us to talk the challenges of balancing work, family and still finding time to give back to others through community contributions. As an MVP, Marius is well known for his contributions to the Microsoft Business Applications community, and he has recently released a new plugin for the XrmToolBox called Message Explorer. Find out some of the techniques he used to find time to work on this side project while working and adjusting to life with a new daughter at home. Do you have any tips that you use to find time to give back while your schedule is busy? Send us an email at voice@crm.audio. Links: Marius’s new XrmToolBox plugin Message Explorer: https://github.com/mariusagur/MessageExplorer/ How to draw a horse: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/how-to-draw-a-horse-picture_n_1241936.html This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This episode is brought to you by D365UG. The D365UG/CRMUG summit is underway, look up your favorite CRM Audio hosts in the app and stop by and say hello at our sessions. Topics discussed in this episode of ProdCast: Evernote Digital Wellness controls in IOS and Android Update on goals Deep Work 4DX Reading challenging books Links discussed in this episode: Learning How to Learn course on Coursera Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode (brought to you by Maplytics by Inogic) Matthew and Joel follow up the recent episode about attending conferences and look at productivity as a conference presenter: Finding a topic for your presentation Preparing the content for your presentation PowerPoint tips Presentation delivery tips We also follow up on our recent episode about reading nonfiction with a discussion of why you should read fiction, and how reading fiction is different than reading nonfiction.  

In this episode (brought to you by KingswaySoft), we revisit The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and talk about how relevant it is today. Much productivity advice focuses on making your production more efficient but ignores the production capacity. Topics we discuss on this episode: P/PC balance Seeking to understand, then be understood Sharpening the saw--in what areas are we doing well, what do we need to focus on more How does P/PC balance apply to people working with Dynamics 365? Personal mission statements Do you have a personal mission statement? We would love to hear your approach and how it has helped you. Links discussed: 7 Habits Revisited: https://joellindstrom.com/2018/08/11/the-7-habits-revisited/ Start with Why by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone-ebook/dp/B002Q6XUE4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1534592489&sr=1-1&keywords=start+with+why This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Thanks to D365UG for sponsoring this episode. Be sure to attend the free D365 Virtual Summer Camp for Service August 7-9 to learn what you need to know about Customer, Project, and Field Service in Dynamics 365. You can sign up for this event at https://www.d365ug.com/participate/virtual-summer-camp. In today’s productivity episode we talk about productivity at conferences–how to pick your sessions, build relationships, balance work responsibilities while at the conference, and how to pace yourself. Other topics discussed: Windows timeline support for Chrome and Firefox  Improvements in Edge browser Turning Kindle Fire into a full Android tablet  The productivity of wearable technology This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode of ProdCast (brought to you by KingswaySoft), Matthew and Joel talk about how focused intensity can help you accomplish more, and why you should sweat the small stuff. Joel talks about his experience after a month on Android, subtle features that are great, and some areas where IOS is more polished. Also discussed–productivity tools, including Windows 10 cloud clipboard sync. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode of ProdCast (sponsored by  Maplytics by Inogic), Matthew C. Anderson and Joel Lindstrom talk about staying productive during extended times off from work. Other topics in this episode; Retrace your steps with Google Maps Timeline view Update on organizing OneNote notebooks Manage and control your mobile data usage with Datally Links discussed in this episode: Google Maps Timeline view: https://www.google.com/maps/timeline?pb Datally (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.freighter&hl=en_US Disconnect Privacy Pro (IOS): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disconnect-pro/id1057771839?mt=8 Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.podcasts&hl=en_US This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

his episode is brought to you by Ingenius. Email is something we love to hate, but since it is necessary for most of us, how can you make it easier for the people to whom you are sending messages and improve your likelihood of getting a response? Tips on making your emails more respond-able How to ask questions in email What to do if the message requires a lot of detail Tools mentioned in this episode: Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com Respondable from Boomerang: https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA104379606?tab=Overview

This episode is brought to you by D365UG. Matthew gives Joel productivity tips for his new Android phone, we discuss Microsoft Teams and how Matthew uses a personal team to organize his life, and we revisit Onetastic and some of the macros for OneNote. Links in this episode: Remove your phone number from iMessage: https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage/ Download Onetastic: https://getonetastic.com/ This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This episode is brought to you by Maplytics by Inogic. Being busy does not equal productive, but we all have times that are super busy. How do you keep productive and make progress on your personal goals during very busy times? Taking time for training/learning while busy Maintaining relationships while busy Productivity while traveling Airport/layover productivity We also discuss new Dynamics 365 delegate/category tracking features, and some great new productivity features in Windows 10–timeline, focus assist, voice dictation, and nearby sharing. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This episode is sponsored by Ingenius. Today on ProdCast Matthew and Joel talk about minimalism--what is it, and how can it help you be more productive? And not only in reducing unnecessary possessions, but also digital decluttering. We also discuss strategies for reading books productively--how should you approach reading fiction vs. nonfiction, and what are some good nonfiction books we've read recently? Books mentioned in the podcast: Risk Savvy by Gerd Gigerenzer The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey Lost Heart Found by Megan Smith This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This episode is sponsored by Maplytics by Inogic. Matthew C. Anderson is joined by special guest host Shawn Tabor to talk about password managers. What’s more productive: sticky notes, notebooks, or apps like KeePass and LastPass? Matthew also gets Shawn’s take on the following productivity topics: Smartwatches Using OneNote in Microsoft teams Productive workspace In-flight wifi This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is ask for help. In this episode (sponsored by Maplytics by Inogic), Matthew and Joel discuss asking for as well as giving help. When should you ask for help Imposter syndrome Where to find mentors and advisors Reciprocity of giving help Helping others in a helpful way When someone asks for help and you don’t have time Rules for productive calendaring Optimal meeting duration This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode (sponsored by D365UG/CRMUG), Matthew talks about his experiences working from a coworking space--why he chose to use a coworking space, coworking etiquette, and if it has made him more productive. Joel gives an update on his month-long experiment pausing his inbox, and some of the unexpected results.  

This episode is sponsored by Ingenius. Flying can be frustrating, but if you plan for it, travel can also be a productive time. In this episode, Matthew and Joel share their favorite tips for productive travel. Productive planning before the trip Getting through security efficiently Dealing with the challenges of finding a charge at the gate Making your flights more productive Avoiding forgetting personal items on the trip Noise canceling headphones--are they worth it? Got any questions or topic suggestions? Send us an email at mail@prodcast.show. Follow us on Twitter @prod_cast, and check the other podcasts in our network at CRM.Audio.

In this episode (sponsored by CRMUG/D365UG) we talk about Outlook and how to make it more productive.  Quick access toolbar Ribbon Reading Pane Theming Folder Pane Smart Folders Link: How I Outlook Got any questions or topic suggestions? Send us an email at mail@prodcast.show. Follow us on Twitter @prod_cast, and check the other podcasts in our network at CRM.Audio.

This episode is sponsored by KingswaySoft. Matthew Anderson is starting a new role, so we talk about productivity when starting a new job. Career changes give you a chance to take a fresh start on your personal systems and structures. Separating work and personal artifacts OneNote organization Personal contact management Update on Microsoft To-Do We also talk about daily routines and compare our morning and evening routines. Do you check your calendar and email when you get up in the morning? Got any questions or topic suggestions? Send us an email at mail@prodcast.show. Follow us on Twitter @prod_cast, and check the other podcasts in our network at CRM.Audio.

This episode is sponsored by Kingswaysoft. We love social media, but sometimes managing Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networks can be overwhelming. In this episode, we discuss how to manage multiple social profiles and schedule your posts so social media doesn't rule your life. On a related topic, we talk about how to take control of the personal technology in your life, rather than having it control you. Topics discussed: Scheduling posts--how and why Finding your "why" for using social media What not to do How cell phones are like slot machines Social reciprocity Intermittent variable rewards Taking a technology sabbath Links: How technology is Hijacking your mind by Tristan Harris Resources: Buffer Social Pilot This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by Inogic. We kick of 2018 on ProdCast with a discussion about planning for 2018 and setting goals. We reveal what our personal goals are for 2018 (including shrubbery), and talk about some techniques that help you achieve your personal goals for the year.  In "that's not productive" we talk about how to watch a television show or movie at an increased rate of speed to save time. Got any questions or topic suggestions? Send us an email at mail@prodcast.show. Follow us on Twitter @prod_cast, and check the other podcasts in our network at CRM.Audio.

This episode is sponsored by Inogic. It's the last ProdCast of 2017, and in the spirit of the end of the year we talk about the power of finishing things. How many books have you started reading but never finished? Do you have half-completed home improvement projects? Many people are enthusiastic starters and terrible finishers. We discuss the motivational value of tying up loose ends.  We also revisit some of our recommendations from the past year and some of the best productivity books and podcasts that we have listened to this year. Resources in this episode: Zenkit Microsoft To-Do Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport Back to Work Podcast This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by Inogic. In this episode of ProdCast, Matthew and Joel discuss writing--how to get started, what our writing processes are, and what tools we use. Matthew recommends Scrivener, a great way to collect and organize your ideas and combine them into a document or blog post. Joel shares a tip for rearranging big documents in Microsoft Word. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by D365UG. It's thanksgiving in the US, and we are celebrating with a grab bag of productivity tips. Creating appointments from emails Quick steps Make your life easier when connecting to recurring meetings from your phone Microsoft Teams Productive cooking tips for Thanksgiving This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

This weeks episode (sponsored by KingswaySoft) covers meetings you should have with yourself. Too often we let our schedules get dictated by others, it is important that we schedule focused time for specific purposes. We discuss what types of meetings you should have with yourself each week. In "that's not productive," we discuss our workspaces, and what music, lighting, and desks accessories we use for optimal productivity. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In the latest episode of ProdCast (sponsored by Maplytics™ by Inogic), Matthew Anderson discusses how he developed the habit of journaling, and how it has helped him over the past decade. Topics discussed include: Paper vs. digital When to jornal Work vs. personal jornaling The benefits of handwriting How to start journaling This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode (sponsored by KingswaySoft), Matthew C. Anderson and Joel Lindstrom discuss Evernote vs. Microsoft OneNote. While they may seem similar, there are differences between their approach to organization and how to optimally use them. Which is better for work? Which is better for personal notes? Tagging and organization We also ask “is taking a nap productive?” Whether you are a regular napper, or you don’t take naps, we hope you will enjoy this episode. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode (sponsored by KingswaySoft), we talk about some new productivity tools. Moment for IOS Focus – Screen Free Driving Quality Time for Android Passion Planner That’s not productive: Multitasking This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by KingswaySoft. We revisit the topic of procrastination this week. When is it prudent to put things off, and how do you know if you should remove something from your list? In "that's not productive," is it productive to catalog your collections? This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

  In this episode (sponsored by KingswaySoft and AlexaCRM) we talk about perfectionism. Howe do you know when something is good enough? How do we fight the urge to try to be perfect? We also discuss one of the major modern distractions--app notifications. How can you tame the notification beast? This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode (sponsored by KingswaySoft and AlexaCRM) we ask the question “is having kids the ultimate productivity hack?” It comes down to the power of deadlines–whether you have kids or not, one trick to becoming more productive is to give yourself deadlines for your goals. In that’s not productive, we talk about listening to podcasts in “chipmunk mode.” Is that productive? This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode Matthew C Anderson and Joel Lindstrom discuss how to do a weekly self-evaluation planning session. How effectively are you meeting your goals? Prioritizing what's important You're not as busy as you think you are The Systems Mindset by Sam Carpenter That's not productive: too many subscriptions

In this episode, we discuss email and calendar apps for computer and mobile--which is the most productive experience?  We also talk mobile calendar woes--why can't we find one calendar app to rule them all? And have you ever taken a fake-cation? Why that might be a call for help. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.  

In this episode (sponsored by Kingswaysoft and AlexaCRM), we talk about mental blockers--tasks that you have on your to-do list that you don't want to do or have difficulty motivating yourself to do--how do you break through blockers and motivate yourself to get them done? We also discuss "The psychological importance of wasting time." A balanced view of productivity doesn't mean a total elimination of time wasters--it means being intentional about your time, including your wasted time. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

Many people hate meetings, but they are an unavoidable part of work life. And if they are conducted effectively, meetings can be very productive. In this episode, Matthew C Anderson and Joel Lindstrom cover their top tips for running productive meetings. In “that’s not productive” Matthew talks about his experience designing a board game for the Game Crafter Big Box Challenge. Matthew’s game “Whistle Blower,” a stealthy game of strategy, secrets, and scandal in the statehouse, is available for purchase at https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/whistle-blower. This episode is a production of Dynamic Podcasts LLC. Subscribe to the  CRM Audio network of podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of ProdCast, Matthew C. Anderson gives OneNote tips about how to effectively use tagging and other methods to organize OneNote: When should you use tags? Tags vs. Tabs? One notebook or multiple notebooks He also mentions some really great third party tools, such as One Calendar from Onetastic that will make your life much easier. In the "that's not productive" segment we talk about shirt folding. Follow us on twitter @ mcanderson and joellindstrom and Matthew's blog Connecting The Data. This episode is a production of CRM Audio. Subscribe to the CRM Audio network of podcasts on Itunes

In this episode, we compare our favorite task app Wunderlist with it's new successor Microsoft To-Do. We look at what we like about the new app, and what is missing. A big reason I use Wunderlist is for light project management capabilities--how does To-Do stack up? We also discuss some third-party alternatives: Trello Asana And we ask the question "will using colors around your workspace increase your productivity?" Follow us on twitter @ mcanderson and joellindstrom and Matthew's blog Connecting The Data. This episode is a production of CRM Audio. Subscribe to the CRM Audio network of podcasts on Itunes

In this episode, we talk about Microsoft MyAnalytics, a service that uses Delve and the Office Graph to help identify ways to work better--stop multitasking, cut down on unnecessary meetings, and make more effective use of time. We talk about our MyAnalytics goals and some interesting things we have found about our work habits.  Follow us on twitter @ mcanderson and joellindstrom and Matthew's blog Connecting The Data. This episode is a production of CRM Audio. Subscribe to the CRM Audio network of podcasts on Itunes

In this episode, we talk about how you can live in the future through the magic of delayed send email. Give yourself some more breathing room and get a better response to your emails, even when writing and responding to emails at 2 AM. Joel reviews Boomerang for Outlook, a great app that will help you become a delayed send ninja. In the "That's not productive" segment, we debate the productivity merits of Siri/Cortana/Alexa. Follow us on twitter @ mcanderson and joellindstrom and Matthew's blog Connecting The Data. This episode is a production of CRM Audio. Subscribe to the CRM Audio network of podcasts on Itunes