Podcasts about Getting Things Done

In this episode of The Talk Spot, we interview former Congressman Jim Renacci and we discuss how he got things done in The House of Representatives.  To visit our website: https://ucaststudios.com/ To visit other podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u-cast-studios/id1448223064 To visit our LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-cast-studios Song: "Orion Canyon" By Insect Surfers  

Deb Smith-Hemphill talks about how to approach using AI with GTD. First she gives an overview of four types of AI. Then she considers how we can use AI more effectively, while staying aware of its limitations. Deb also details how we can get more out of AI by learning how to prompt it better. You can watch the entire conversation from August 2025 at GTD Connect®. -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

We did a live Slice of GTD Life Interview with Drew Domkus, saving time at the end for Q&A from webinar attendees. Drew does audio/video production, social media management, and podcasting. His work as a podcaster led to his induction into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame in 2016. Although his work is in the digital world, he reveals that he uses paper as his list manager. You can watch the entire conversation from May 2021 at GTD Connect®. -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Great leaders know there's no one-size-fits-all formula. In this episode, Bill Scherkenbach and Andrew Stotz discuss practical lessons on how to connect with people on physical, logical, and emotional levels to truly get things done.  Discover why balancing “me” and “we” is the secret to lasting results—and why empathy might be your most powerful leadership tool. Tune in now and start rewriting your own leadership playbook. (You can view the slides from the podcast here.) TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.1 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we dive deeper into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm continuing my discussion with Bill Scherkenbach, a dedicated protégé of Dr. Deming since 1972. Bill met with Dr. Deming more than a thousand times and later led statistical methods and process improvements at Ford and GM at Deming's recommendation. He authored The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity at Deming's behest, and at 79, still champions his mentor's message, "learn, have fun, and make a difference." And the episode today is Getting Things Done. Bill, take it away.   0:00:41.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay, Andrew. We will get 'er done today. The reason I put that on there is that in many of his seminars, Deming said that, "I am not a businessman and not trying to be one." But you need to think about these things. And his approach really was to improving organizations was to put people who he thought were masters of his teachings into organizations, and they would be there full time to facilitate the transformation when he wasn't there, such as Ford and GM and a few other companies. There were a few of us who he trusted to be able to be there to get things done. And I'm reminded of the philosopher, the Asian, Chinese philosopher, Mencius, and I'll read it there. It says, "Don't suspect that the king lacks wisdom. Even in the cases of things that grow most easily in the world, they would never grow up if they were exposed to sunshine for one day and then to cold for 10 days. And it's seldom that I have an audience with the king. And when I leave others who exposed him to cold arrive, even if what I say to him is taking root, what good does it do?"   0:02:35.7 Bill Scherkenbach: And quite honestly, that's the lament of every consultant trying to get stuff done in today's world, in Western style management. And so one of the things in this slide, the framework for getting things done, for having fun learning and making a difference, is one of the two, I think, major contributions I do say that I've made to the profession of quality. And that is using this Venn diagram to be able to show that even though other people have used other terms for physical, logical, and emotional, that there usually have been holy wars being fought by people who say, "Well, emotional is better. That's how you get stuff done." And other people saying logic and other people saying physical. And in fact, I think in the last time we spoke, the three major gurus of quality were those ships sailing in the night. Dr. Deming was the epitome of logical thinking, whereas Phil Crosby was looking for the wine and cheese parties and the emotional sell part of it. And Joe Duran was looking at physical, how are you going to organize to get stuff done? Now, they all had their followers who were pretty much on those frequencies, and they reached people in other frequencies. I came up with this idea for the Venn diagram to show no hierarchy, I guess back in 1987, something like that.   0:04:49.3 Andrew Stotz: And for the listeners out there, we're looking at a diagram that shows one circle that says physical, that's interlocked with another one that says logical, and then there's a third, a Venn diagram, that third is emotional. And so those are the three pillars that Bill's talking about. All right, keep going, because you got stuff in the middle too, which is interesting.   0:05:16.1 Bill Scherkenbach: And the thing is that I based it primarily at the time in the mid-60s, there was a theory of brain structure called the triune brain. Now, and it was the limbic system, the neocortex, and the R-complex. And pretty much followed the logical, emotional, physical words that I'm using. Now, our understanding of the brain in the decades up through now, it's a little bit more complicated than that. But physical, logical, and emotional is in all of us. In our body, I mean, the latest looks at neural connections extend to your gut. And nerves are just about everywhere and connected, and that the way the brain works is still not even fully, not begun to be fully understood. Having said that, in order to get stuff done, this Venn diagram shows very, very simply that the intersection of physical and logical, I put as science. It's the logical explanation of physical phenomenon. And the intersection of logical and emotional is psychology, logic of the soul. And the intersection of emotional and physical is art. All art is is the emotional interpretation of sensory input, whether it's a great meal, whether it's a Mona Lisa picture.   0:07:27.9 Bill Scherkenbach: But what will make one person absolutely swoon will make another person barf. So it's all personal, but it's physical, logical, and emotional is in all of us. And in the center, we're looking at what Eastern philosophies call harmony, where all of these are working together. And Western philosophies would call them peak experiences. And it's where the whole can be a lot greater than the sum of its parts, but with some slight changes can be a whole lot less than the sum of its parts.   0:08:14.3 Andrew Stotz: Great. I like the harmony in the middle. That's the challenge, really. Now, just out of curiosity, is harmony the goal? Is that what you're thinking with that being at the center? Or what is the meaning of harmony being in the middle?   0:08:28.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. When I apply this to the individual, harmony would be the goal. When I'm applying it to an organization, the larger an organization grows, the more you really need to use this overarching approach. And the reason I say that is, and it doesn't happen all the time, but most of the time when we're starting up a company, you want to surround yourself with fine people just like yourself. And so if you have a particular way of getting stuff done, you're going to hire people or surround yourself with people that are just like that, and everything is fine. But the more you grow the company, the more you're going to get people that are absolutely vital to your organization that aren't on those frequencies. And certainly, if you're in international business, you're trying to sell things to the world that in the larger the group of people, the more you have to be broadcasting on the physical, logical, and emotional frequencies. I mean, one of the first things that I did at GM when I joined was looked at the policy letters that Alfred Sloan wrote. And Sloan, it was very interesting because in any policy, Sloan had a paragraph that said, "make no mistake about it, this is what we're going to do."   0:10:31.8 Bill Scherkenbach: That's a physical frequency. In the Navy, it's shut up and fly wing. And so make no mistake about it, this is our policy. The second paragraph had, well, this is a little bit why we're doing it. And to be able to get the, and I don't know whether he was thinking that, but to my mind, it was brilliant. He was explained things. And the third paragraph or so in the policy letter was something that would instill the GM spirit, that there's something to do with the values. Hugely, hugely prescient in my viewpoint, but he's Sloan, I'm me, so he knew what he was doing.   0:11:29.9 Andrew Stotz: For people that don't know Alfred Sloan, he took over and was running General Motors at the time when Ford had, I don't know, 50% of the market share by producing one vehicle. And part of the brilliance of Sloan was the idea of building a lineup of different brands that went from the low all the way up to the high of Cadillac. And within a short period of time, he managed to flip things and grab the majority of the market share from Ford at the time, as I recall. Now, I don't recall it from being there, but I recall from reading about it.   0:12:12.3 Bill Scherkenbach: There you go. There you go. Yeah, having saying that, he offered those by buying the various little auto companies, littler auto companies to put that conglomerate together. But as people who have read my works, specifically my second book, The Deming's Road to Continual Improvement, this change philosophy is in there. And as I said, that's one of, I think, my major contributions to the field of quality. The other one being in a process model back in '86, we also were learning about Taguchi, Genichi Taguchi's approach to customers and the loss function, and he used the title or the terminology voice of the customer. And it occurred to me in our process definition, there was something called the voice of the process to go along. And so the voice, I introduced the voice of the process, and the job of anyone is to reduce the gap between the voice of the customer and the voice of the process. And I mentioned that because this matrix that we're showing now has physical, logical, and emotional, and the various process states that you could be in, there's a dependent state where you're completely dependent upon your customers or suppliers.   0:14:00.9 Bill Scherkenbach: There's an independent state where it's just you and an interdependent state. And I have that cross-reference with physical, logical, and emotional. In dependent state, it's essentially feed me, teach me, love me, do it for me, teach me, and love me. Now, in the independent, it's, I do it, I understand what I do, and I take great joy in doing what I do. And in the interdependent is, we do it. I understand how what I do helps optimize our process, and I take great joy in belonging to this team. And joy is the ultimate goal of what Dr. Deming had said for years, the ability to take joy in one's work. Now, I mean, every one of us starts out in life as dependent. It's feed me, teach me, love me, newborns, parents have to do everything. When you're a new employee, you might have some skills and understanding and emotion or pride, but this is how we do it in this company. And so you're dependent upon how you are introduced to that organization. But everyone tries to get out of that. Now, having said that, a pathology is there are givers and takers in this world, and some of the takers would just be very happy for other people to feed me, teach me, love me.   0:16:18.8 Bill Scherkenbach: My point or my philosophy is you've got to get out of the dependency and you have to balance that sense of independence and interdependence that is in each of us. Whether you're doing it or whether you're doing it in your family, as part of a family or a company or a motorcycle gang, whatever your group is, you're looking to blend being a part of that. Every human being looks to balance that sense of me and we. And in the thing we're finding in Western cultures, obviously, especially in North America or the US, we celebrate the me. It's the individual. And the team, we talk a good game about team, but mostly we're celebrating the me. In Eastern philosophies, they're celebrating the we. It's the team. It's not necessarily the, well, not the individual. The point is that in the Western philosophies, if you can't feel a part of a family or express that part, what we see in the US, there's a whole wave of people volunteering to belonging to organizations, whether it's sports teams, whether it's volunteer teams, whether the family balance. If you can't be a part of a family at work, you're going to go offline and do it.   0:18:24.9 Bill Scherkenbach: And the problem is your life suffers because you can't fulfill yourself as a person. In the Asian cultures, if you can't feel important as an individual, you go offline. Golf is huge in Japan and elsewhere, and it ain't a team sport. Calligraphy isn't a team sport. Karaoke isn't a choir event. There are ways to be able to express yourself offline if you can't feel important as an individual in your group. And so my philosophy is every human being needs to find that balance for each individual to be able to lead a fulfilled life.   0:19:28.7 Andrew Stotz: I'm reminded of a book by Dr. William Glasser called Reality Therapy, brought out in late '60s, I believe. And his philosophy was that part of the root cause of mental illness was that people didn't have one person they could trust. And that all of a sudden sets up all kinds of defense mechanisms that if prolonged end up leading to mental illness. That was a very interesting book, but the thing I took from it is that people want to connect. They want to belong. They want to be a part of it. They may act like they don't sometimes and all that, but we want to be in this interdependent position. And I'm looking at the bottom right corner of the matrix where it says, "I take joy in belonging to a team or this team." And that to me is, you know, that book helped me understand that it's not just the idea of, "Hey, we should all get along and work together." There is true value for a human being to be able to feel good about being part of a family or part of a business or part of a team. Something that just reminded me of.   0:20:53.7 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Where I'm coming from is that everyone needs to balance that pride that you take as an individual and as you take as a member of a team or a family. That the independence is not, the interdependence is not the preferred state. Everyone, even people who are celebrating team need some time out to be alone, to do whatever they need to do to hone their skills, improve their knowledge, get excited about things that they also do as individuals. So it's a balance that I'm pushing for.   0:21:51.4 Andrew Stotz: Okay, got it.   0:21:53.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. So with that as a framework, I think there are a couple of mistakes, well, there are many mistakes that leaders make, but the two big ones are, is don't think that what works for you must work for everyone. Okay. And don't even think that the sequence that works for you has got to work for everyone. Change is not a predictable hierarchy. And I'll explain that further. Let's see here. Yeah, I can do it on this next one here. I've got the matrix again, and of physical, logical, emotional, and physical, logical and emotional. And if a physical person is talking to another physical person, they're communicating on a similar frequency. And so a physical person is going to say, "Okay, this is the policy." The mother will say, "Because I said so." However, that physical person is communicating, the physical person receiving that communication is going to say, "Aye, aye, roger that, consider it done."   0:23:43.6 Andrew Stotz: Loud and clear.    0:23:45.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. If a physical person is telling a logical person, using those same things, these are the policy, you could be a dean at a college and you're telling your professors, "This is what we're going to do," a logical person would say, "They're ignorant suit."    0:24:11.3 Andrew Stotz: Suit, what do you mean when you say suit? You mean an ignorant executive? What does it mean suit?    0:24:16.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, executive. Over here, they're called suits.   0:24:19.5 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   0:24:22.3 Bill Scherkenbach: So, no, but I'd be interested, you're logical, what would a logical person respond to a physical person who said, "Do this"?   0:24:34.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, I think without any logical backing, it's rejection maybe is what I would say is that ignorant, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, he thinks just do it.   0:24:51.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. Okay. So, and again, if that same physical leader is saying, "Well, get this done," to an emotional person, that person might say, "You Neanderthal, you don't, you don't feel what the value system is." Okay. So, I'm trying to come up with sayings or whatever that these particular people would be saying. So if the logical person tells the physical person, "We've got to do this," it could be, well, the physical person is going to say, "That's too academic, spray some paint on it so I can see it." So, and that's the diss. Logical person talking to another logical person, "Yep, I got it, I understand it, it'll be done." A logical person talking to the emotional person, "You're heartless," or, "Quit mansplaining," as they say over here. So, and again, an emotional person trying to talk to a physical person to get stuff done, the physical person's going to say, "There's no crying in baseball." And so, and the logical person will say, "That's too touchy feely," and the emotional person reacting to the emotional signal, "Oh, they really like me." So, I'm trying to use movie quotes there to express the feelings and the understanding and the, what to really get done.   0:27:04.4 Andrew Stotz: So, people really come from different places, and if we don't take that into consideration, we may, it's one of the things I teach, Bill, when I teach a course on presenting, and I say, "Are you more of a logical person or are you more of an emotional?" And half the audience will say logical, half the audience will say emotional, let's say. And I said, "If I look at your presentations that you create, they're going to be based around what you are, logical or emotional. The problem with that is that you're only going to connect with half the audience. So, you need to build the logical and emotional aspect into your presentation to capture the whole audience."   0:27:50.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I would argue that you're missing a third of it because you didn't check for the physical folks. I mean, in the story I tell about what we were doing at Ford, our vice president of supply purchasing was listening to Dr. Deming and said, "Well, we need longer term contracts." And so he had his people talk to the buyers down through the ranks and we need longer term contracts. And at Ford, a longer term contract was a contract that was more than one year. And so, yep, there were classes. It's important to get it done. Everyone's enthused. We look at it six months later, no change. A year later, no change. And so we looked at, because some people react to physical stimuli. And so we looked at the policy. And in order to get a long term contract, then you had to go through three levels of supervisory approval. No person in their right mind is going to go through that hassle. So we changed one word in the policy and it changed overnight. So now if you need a contract that's less than a year, you need to go through three levels of supervisory approval.   0:29:48.5 Bill Scherkenbach: And the long term contracts were magically appearing. So there are physical people. That is not a pejorative. I know that the educators are saying, "Well, the logical and emotional, but physical is a very viable way of getting stuff done." That should not be a pejorative.   0:30:14.1 Andrew Stotz: So I think now when I'm looking at my teaching in presentation, when I think about physical and presentation, there's people that really like props. They like having physical things to bring up on the stage. They like people, "Hey, stand up and raise your hands," or "Turn and talk to the person next to you," or something like that. So maybe that's what I need to do is bring that physical into my thinking and teaching.   0:30:44.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, I would recommend that. Find a way. There are many dimensions of physical. But you've got my second book. There are a bunch of ideas.    0:30:58.9 Andrew Stotz: Right here.    0:30:59.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. Yep, yep, yep. Let's see here. Now we're going to go that transformation is not hierarchical. And this is hugely, hugely important. Again, if it works for you, don't make the mistake that it's going to work for everyone. And one of the sequences is everyone knows form follows function, form follows function. Physical form follows logical function. And in the automobile industry, if an automobile is to be fuel efficient, that's the function. It's got to have a jelly bean form. It's got to be aerodynamic. If the function of the vehicle is to carry passengers in comfort, the form has got to be a shoebox. Okay. And so that certainly form follows function. A screwdriver, whether it's the tool or the drink, the form follows function. If the function is to, no matter what the screw head is, you need to be able to screw it in or unscrew it, the form of it, you're going to give that head some leverage to be able to turn it.   0:32:36.9 Bill Scherkenbach: And if the function is to relax, you need to have a good vodka in the screwdriver, in the drink anyway. So if we look at how animals have evolved, a bird's beak is a prime example of over the years of whatever you want and whatever you want to say happened, the beaks went from blunt to very peaked so that they could get into a particular flower and be able to feed themselves. Dr. Deming used the example of what business are you in and the carburetor people went out of business because they only thought in terms of form. But if the function of the carburetor was, as Dr. Deming said, provide a stoichiometric mixture of air and fuel to the combustion chamber, then you might expand the number of forms that could be useful. So a number of examples of form following function, but function also follows form. The logical follows physical. And we're looking at it in the US government today. If your headcount is cut in half, you can't keep doing the same functions you were doing.   0:34:43.4 Bill Scherkenbach: You've got to figure out what your function is. So your function is going to follow form. Logical is going to follow the physical because you don't have the resources. In other times, when I was in Taiwan, I used the example of, if the price of petrol gets to 50 new Taiwanese dollars, the function of the automobile is to sit in the parking space because gas is too expensive to go anywhere. And again, the function of, I mean, if the function is security on the internet, one of the forms is the CAPTCHA. You have to identify, click the picture of all of the cars in this picture to prove you're a human. Next week, I'm going back up to Michigan to be with some of the grandchildren, but my daughter has toddlers, twins, that are 19 months old now. And whenever she is lying on the ground or on the floor, the twins sit on her. And I keep thinking of these large language models who are, that are in the AI approach to, she could be classified as a chair because her function is something for babies to sit on.   0:36:43.3 Bill Scherkenbach: And so it even applies in the AI generation. Okay, so now we come to seeing is believing. Physical leads the emotional. In Christianity, the doubting Thomas must see for himself. Some people don't really appreciate, it's not necessarily believing, but the emotional impact of going to our Grand Canyon or seeing something that is so indescribably beautiful and vast is, you have to see it to believe it or appreciate it, actually. The use of before and after pictures, if unless I see the before picture, I don't believe you did lose 150 pounds or whatever the before and after is, seeing is believing. Other, who is it? Thomas Kuhn in The Essential Tension wrote of Foucault. There's something called Foucault's Pendulum. It's a weight on maybe a 20 meter wire that back in the 1850s, he really was able to unequivocally get people behind the Copernican view that the earth really is rotating because that was the only explanation that this big, huge pendulum and the figure it was tracing in the sand, he had a spike at the end of it. Absolutely, okay, I believe the earth is spinning before the space shuttle.   0:39:07.4 Bill Scherkenbach: So, and yet, okay, seeing is believing, believing is seeing. Emotional leads the physical. Many times our beliefs cause us to use or see or miss seeing something I've said or quoted a number of things. The greatest barrier to the advancement of knowledge has not been ignorance, but we think we already know it. And so we're not going to even consider another perspective. Our friendships, our like of someone or dislike of someone can blind us to other qualities. The placebo effect, conspiracy theories, they're all believing is seeing. You believe in UFOs or unidentified aerial phenomena now, you're going to see a whole bunch of them based on your belief. And then there's feeling should drive reason. Emotional drives logical. You use your gut or intuition to make decisions. I mean, impulse sales, what's on the cap in any grocery store. You're going to buy the sizzle, not the steak. At least that's what they're selling, the sizzle. Political battles often play on the heart. So rescuing someone, emotional drives logical. If you see on YouTube, but even before that in the newspapers. I don't know if anyone remembers newspapers, but yeah, they would show pictures of someone running into a burning building and try and rescue someone or a crashed car getting them out before it explodes.   0:41:30.3 Bill Scherkenbach: If you had to think about it, you wouldn't do it perhaps, but the spur of the moment, the feelings driving over reason. Choosing a career for fulfillment and not the money. A lot of people do that and that perfectly fine. None of these as I go through them are a pejorative. They're perfectly, everyone uses, well, all of these at various points in time in your life. And last but not least, reason should prevail over passion. That logical rules the emotional, make a decision on the facts. Don't cloud your decision with emotions. Some of the ending a toxic relationship or diet and exercise. You're using reason. I've got to stick to this even though I'm hungry and sore. I've got to do this. And hopefully investing. You're not going to go for the latest fad. And there hopefully is some reason to investment strategies.   0:43:04.7 Andrew Stotz: And when...   0:43:06.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Go ahead.   0:43:09.1 Andrew Stotz: Let's just take one just to make sure that we understand what you want us to take from this. So seeing is believing and believing is seeing. And I think in all of our lives, we have some cases where we don't believe something and then we see it and then we think, "Okay, I believe now." And there's other times where we have a vision of something and we believe that it can occur and we can make it happen. And eventually we get it, we get there. So seeing is believing happens sometimes and believing is seeing happens sometimes in our life. And then some people may be more prone to one or the other. So what is the message you want us to get is to recognize that in ourselves, we're going to see it. It's going to be one way sometimes and another way and other times. Or is it to say that we want to make sure that you're aware that other people may be coming from a different perspective, the exact opposite perspective?    0:44:04.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, it's the latter. This whole thing is really what management, how is management going about communicating. And if they think if what works for them is form follows function or feelings should drive reason, then they have to be aware that other people need to, might look at it the other way around and approach their communication. Again, and this goes to the voice of the customer and the voice of the process. Every one of us has an individual voice of the customer. And people, psychologists would say, "Well, that's internal motivation or motivation's internal." Many of them do. Having said that, it's management's job who manages the process to be able to, if someone is motivated by money, that's important to them, then management needs to talk on that frequency. If they want retirement points or time with their family or recognition in other ways, what will, and Deming mentioned it, what will, he gave a tip to someone who just wanted to help him with his luggage getting to the hotel room and gave him a tip and completely demoralized him. And so management's job is to know their people, they're the most important customers that management has if you're going to satisfy whatever customer base your organization is trying to meet. And so how to get stuff done, getting things done, this applies to all of it.   0:46:15.5 Andrew Stotz: Fantastic. All right, I'm going to stop sharing the screen if that's okay?   0:46:19.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah.   0:46:20.6 Andrew Stotz: Okay, hold on. So an excellent run through of your thinking, and I know for listeners and readers out there, you've got both of your books, but one of them I've got in my hand, Deming's Road to Continual Improvement, and also the other one, which we have right here, which is The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity, both of these books you can find on Amazon, and you go into more detail in it, in particular in The Deming's Road to Continual Improvement. Is there anything you want to say either about where people can go to find more and learn more about it, and anything you want to say to wrap up this episode?   0:47:04.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, the first book, my second edition, is in e-book form on Kindle. You can get it through Amazon or Apple Books. And in Apple Books, that second edition has videos of Dr. Deming as well as audio. And a whole bunch of stuff that I put in my second book. And that's in e-book format, immediately available from Apple or Kindle.   0:47:37.0 Andrew Stotz: So let's wrap up this episode on getting things done. Maybe you can just now pull it all together. What do you want us to take away from this excellent discussion?   0:47:49.6 Bill Scherkenbach: As we began, if what works for you doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. And the larger your span of control, the larger your organization, you have to understand to be broadcasting on physical, logical, and emotional levels, as well as trying to help people balance their sense of individual and their sense of team and family.   0:48:22.5 Andrew Stotz: Great, great wrap up. And the one word I think about is empathy, and really taking the time to understand that different people think differently, they understand differently. And so if you really want to make a big change and get things done, you've got to make sure that you're appealing to those different aspects. So fantastic. Well, Bill, on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute, I want to thank you again for this discussion. And for listeners, remember to go to deming.org to continue your journey. And also, you can find Bill's books on Amazon. And as he mentioned, on Apple, where there are videos in that latest book. You can get them on Kindle, on printed books. I have the printed books because I love taking notes. And so this is your host, Andrew...    0:49:12.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. But old people like that.   0:49:15.4 Andrew Stotz: Yes. We like that. So this is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'm gonna leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming. And that is, that "people are entitled to joy in work."

A conversation between two friends.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1812: Glen Allsopp lays out a simple yet powerful method for generating meaningful insights by deliberately creating space to think, capturing thoughts in writing, and revisiting them with intent. His approach is a refreshing reminder that the best ideas often come not from more input, but from disciplined reflection and personal clarity. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.marcandangel.com/2009/05/10/generating-new-ideas-and-insights/ Quotes to ponder: "Creativity and insight almost always come from persisting through the boredom of pondering the same idea for hours and hours." "The mind is for having ideas, not holding them." "Sometimes all it takes to generate a good idea is a quiet space and a blank sheet of paper." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1812: Glen Allsopp lays out a simple yet powerful method for generating meaningful insights by deliberately creating space to think, capturing thoughts in writing, and revisiting them with intent. His approach is a refreshing reminder that the best ideas often come not from more input, but from disciplined reflection and personal clarity. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.marcandangel.com/2009/05/10/generating-new-ideas-and-insights/ Quotes to ponder: "Creativity and insight almost always come from persisting through the boredom of pondering the same idea for hours and hours." "The mind is for having ideas, not holding them." "Sometimes all it takes to generate a good idea is a quiet space and a blank sheet of paper." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3736: Stephen Guise explains how principles can serve as powerful guides when detailed planning feels overwhelming or restrictive. By adopting simple rules like the 2-minute rule, acting on anything that improves your life, and consulting your “future self,” you can make better everyday choices, stay consistent, and build momentum without relying solely on rigid schedules. His approach blends the structure of planning with the flexibility of principles to help create lasting progress. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://minihabits.com/how-to-use-principles-instead-of-plans/ Quotes to ponder: “If it takes 2 minutes or less, do it.” “If you'll regret it tomorrow, don't do it. If you'll be thankful for it tomorrow, do it.” “The final principle: If you can ingrain valuable principles into your psyche and follow them, you'll do great(er) things!” Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3736: Stephen Guise explains how principles can serve as powerful guides when detailed planning feels overwhelming or restrictive. By adopting simple rules like the 2-minute rule, acting on anything that improves your life, and consulting your “future self,” you can make better everyday choices, stay consistent, and build momentum without relying solely on rigid schedules. His approach blends the structure of planning with the flexibility of principles to help create lasting progress. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://minihabits.com/how-to-use-principles-instead-of-plans/ Quotes to ponder: “If it takes 2 minutes or less, do it.” “If you'll regret it tomorrow, don't do it. If you'll be thankful for it tomorrow, do it.” “The final principle: If you can ingrain valuable principles into your psyche and follow them, you'll do great(er) things!” Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3736: Stephen Guise explains how principles can serve as powerful guides when detailed planning feels overwhelming or restrictive. By adopting simple rules like the 2-minute rule, acting on anything that improves your life, and consulting your “future self,” you can make better everyday choices, stay consistent, and build momentum without relying solely on rigid schedules. His approach blends the structure of planning with the flexibility of principles to help create lasting progress. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://minihabits.com/how-to-use-principles-instead-of-plans/ Quotes to ponder: “If it takes 2 minutes or less, do it.” “If you'll regret it tomorrow, don't do it. If you'll be thankful for it tomorrow, do it.” “The final principle: If you can ingrain valuable principles into your psyche and follow them, you'll do great(er) things!” Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan has been at the GTD game for years. He talks about his journey from early implementation to refinement over time. He also shows his tool of choice in generous detail. An avid practitioner of Getting Things Done, Bryan is also an Atlassian Certified Expert, SAFe Practice Consultant, and ITIL Strategist.

Struggling to get things done might not be about effort; it could be something deeper. Psychologist Ari Tuckman uncovers the emotional roadblocks behind productivity, from shame to decision paralysis. Discover how to rethink prioritization and tap into meaningful motivation. A must-listen for anyone who wants to work smarter, not just harder.What to expect in this episode:Why productivity struggles often start with emotional roadblocks, not lack of effortHow to figure out what's really getting in the way when you're stuckWhat it means to define a problem clearly before jumping to solutionsWhy learning to say “no” is a productivity skill, not just a boundaryWhat “deep work” is and how to protect your best focus timeAbout Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA Dr. Tuckman is a psychologist, sex therapist, international presenter, and respected ADHD thought leader based in West Chester, PA. He specializes in diagnosing and treating ADHD, as well as working with couples on intimacy and relationship dynamics. A former board member and current conference committee co-chair for CHADD, Ari is the author of five books, including The ADHD Productivity Manual. He has been featured in major media outlets such as CNN, NPR, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post.Connect with AriWebsite: Ari Tuckman Check out Ari Tuckman's latest book, The ADHD Productivity Manual, and more on his website, like:Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions WorkbookThe ADHD Productivity ManualADHD After Dark: Better Sex Life, Better RelationshipRelated Links: EP163: How to Stop Fixing So You Can Start Helpinghttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-163-how-to-stop-fixing-so-you-can-start-helping/id1565976964?i=1000656348462 EP172: The Parent Paradox: Avoid 'Fix-It Mode' for Better Problem-Solving https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-172-the-parent-paradox-avoid-fix-it-mode-for/id1565976964?i=1000663157748 EP202: ADHD Can Help You Succeed in Unexpected Ways with Ari Tuckman, Psy.D.https://impactparents.com/adhd-can-help-you-succeed-in-unexpected-ways-with-ari-tuckmanGet your FREE copy of 12 Key Coaching Tools for Parents at https://impactparents.com/gift.Read the full blog here:https://impactparents.com/adhd-and-productivity-how-to-work-smarter-not-harderConnect with Impact Parents:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactparentsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImpactParentsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactparentsSponsors"Cognitive Ergonomics from the Inside Out" – A New ADHD InterventionDo you recognize current ADHD interventions fall short? At DIG Coaching, we've developed a groundbreaking field of engineering called Cognitive Ergonomics from the Inside Out. Discover a fresh approach to ADHD care that looks beyond traditional methods.Learn more at www.cognitive-ergonomics.com

In this episode of Success Showcase, Eric Lopkin and Chip Janiszewski dive into the ultimate key to progress: taking action. Ideas and intentions are powerful, but without execution they remain nothing more than dreams. Together, they uncover why so many people get stuck in analysis paralysis, how fear of failure and the pursuit of perfection hold you back, and what it really takes to break free.From Agile thinking to real-world stories of innovation and resilience, this conversation proves that momentum begins the moment you move. Discover how to execute with precision, adapt when plans meet reality, and use setbacks as stepping stones toward greater success. Whether you are building a business, leading a team, or chasing personal goals, this episode will inspire you to stop waiting and start doing.Your success story begins with one decision: take action today.

This webinar recording will assist you in developing a current, complete, accurate, and clear inventory of all your projects -- the outcomes you are committed to finish within the next 12 months. To watch the entire webinar from July 2025, please visit GTD Connect. -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

Jonah Goldberg is joined by Cass Sunstein, legal scholar and author of Manipulation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, What to Do About It, to define liberalism once and for all (it means being a mensch), explain the role of “nudging” in public policy, and defend the “abundance” agenda. Show Notes:—Sludge: What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including access to all of Jonah's G-File newsletters—click here. If you'd like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask Me Anything, die Zweite!Eure Fragen, unsere Antworten. Hast du dich schon mal gefragt, wie Entwickler:innen eigentlich ihren riesigen To-Do-Berg organisieren, wie viel Kaffee wirklich durch ihre Venen fließt oder wie man als Papa von drei Kids noch Engagement für Open Source oder Side Projects übrig hat?Was tun wir gegen Overcommitment und Stress? Wie priorisieren wir, damit private Themen, Side Projects & Karriere am Ende halbwegs im Einklang bleiben?Dies sind nur einige Fragen, die wir bekommen haben. Du erfährst u.a.Ob Koffeinkonsum ein Running Gag in der IT ist.Welche Produktivitäts-Tools, Workflows & persönlichen Rituale sind bei uns im Einsatz (Spoiler: Getting Things Done & Remember The Milk sind nicht tot).Warum Sport beim Stressmanagement hilft.Wie Side Projects manchmal sogar zu echten Exits führen, inklusive der Frage aller Fragen: Wie viel ist ein Dev-Projekt wirklich wert?On top reden wir über Podcast-Equipments (Spoiler: Gutes Mikro ab 50€ genügt!), Automatisierung, Videospiele für Entwickler:innen und wozu ein Podcast wirklich Aufwand bedeutet.PS: Podcast hören macht dich zwar nicht produktiver – aber definitiv entspannter.Unsere aktuellen Werbepartner findest du auf https://engineeringkiosk.dev/partnersDas schnelle Feedback zur Episode:

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1787: Laura Stack shares a practical system for aligning your daily actions with your long-term goals through structured weekly, monthly, and yearly reviews. She explains how to use these checkpoints to refine priorities, track progress, and eliminate wasted effort so your work stays purposeful and productive. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://theproductivitypro.com/blog/2013/02/how-to-conduct-weekly-monthly-and-yearly-reviews/ Quotes to ponder: "Weekly planning and review keeps your head in the game." "The more often you check your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them." "Stop doing anything that doesn't move you toward your objectives." Episode references: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1787: Laura Stack shares a practical system for aligning your daily actions with your long-term goals through structured weekly, monthly, and yearly reviews. She explains how to use these checkpoints to refine priorities, track progress, and eliminate wasted effort so your work stays purposeful and productive. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://theproductivitypro.com/blog/2013/02/how-to-conduct-weekly-monthly-and-yearly-reviews/ Quotes to ponder: "Weekly planning and review keeps your head in the game." "The more often you check your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them." "Stop doing anything that doesn't move you toward your objectives." Episode references: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transform your chaotic to-do lists into powerful project management systems that actually get things done! Mikah and Rosemary get busy with task and project management on iOS, comparing the built-in Reminders app to powerhouse tools like OmniFocus 4 and Things 3, plus they tackle tricky location-based automation challenges. Breaking down overwhelming projects - The hosts discuss how splitting large, daunting tasks into smaller, manageable steps makes projects feel achievable and less intimidating OmniFocus deep dive - Rosemary demonstrates OmniFocus's advanced features including tags, defer dates, repeat systems, time zone-specific due dates, sequential vs parallel projects, and custom perspectives for organizing tasks Things 3 overview - Mikah explains how Things 3 offers similar powerful functionality to OmniFocus but with different design choices and user experience approaches Reminders app capabilities - Detailed walkthrough of Apple's built-in Reminders showing subtasks, location-based reminders, time-based alerts, priority flags, and even printing options for physical lists News UK government backs down on iCloud encryption - The UK reportedly withdrew demands for backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data, avoiding security risks for users worldwide Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor returns - Apple cleverly circumvents the Masimo patent dispute by having the iPhone process blood oxygen measurements instead of the watch displaying them directly Feedback Location reminder delays - Bob writes about his home arrival reminders triggering 10+ minutes late despite expanding the geographic boundary, with suggestions including checking low power mode and resetting network settings Shortcuts Corner Focus mode automation challenges - Dustin asks about setting up three different focus modes for his wife's work schedule that aren't switching properly between personal, office, and client time App Caps Product Hunt - Mikah recommends this app and website for discovering new products and services before they become mainstream, despite the recent influx of AI-focused launches Bridges - Rosemary showcases this $1.99 link formatting and organization app that lets you save, categorize, and export links in multiple formats including Markdown, HTML, and JSON Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at iOSToday@twit.tv. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Transform your chaotic to-do lists into powerful project management systems that actually get things done! Mikah and Rosemary get busy with task and project management on iOS, comparing the built-in Reminders app to powerhouse tools like OmniFocus 4 and Things 3, plus they tackle tricky location-based automation challenges. Breaking down overwhelming projects - The hosts discuss how splitting large, daunting tasks into smaller, manageable steps makes projects feel achievable and less intimidating OmniFocus deep dive - Rosemary demonstrates OmniFocus's advanced features including tags, defer dates, repeat systems, time zone-specific due dates, sequential vs parallel projects, and custom perspectives for organizing tasks Things 3 overview - Mikah explains how Things 3 offers similar powerful functionality to OmniFocus but with different design choices and user experience approaches Reminders app capabilities - Detailed walkthrough of Apple's built-in Reminders showing subtasks, location-based reminders, time-based alerts, priority flags, and even printing options for physical lists News UK government backs down on iCloud encryption - The UK reportedly withdrew demands for backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data, avoiding security risks for users worldwide Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor returns - Apple cleverly circumvents the Masimo patent dispute by having the iPhone process blood oxygen measurements instead of the watch displaying them directly Feedback Location reminder delays - Bob writes about his home arrival reminders triggering 10+ minutes late despite expanding the geographic boundary, with suggestions including checking low power mode and resetting network settings Shortcuts Corner Focus mode automation challenges - Dustin asks about setting up three different focus modes for his wife's work schedule that aren't switching properly between personal, office, and client time App Caps Product Hunt - Mikah recommends this app and website for discovering new products and services before they become mainstream, despite the recent influx of AI-focused launches Bridges - Rosemary showcases this $1.99 link formatting and organization app that lets you save, categorize, and export links in multiple formats including Markdown, HTML, and JSON Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at iOSToday@twit.tv. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Transform your chaotic to-do lists into powerful project management systems that actually get things done! Mikah and Rosemary get busy with task and project management on iOS, comparing the built-in Reminders app to powerhouse tools like OmniFocus 4 and Things 3, plus they tackle tricky location-based automation challenges. Breaking down overwhelming projects - The hosts discuss how splitting large, daunting tasks into smaller, manageable steps makes projects feel achievable and less intimidating OmniFocus deep dive - Rosemary demonstrates OmniFocus's advanced features including tags, defer dates, repeat systems, time zone-specific due dates, sequential vs parallel projects, and custom perspectives for organizing tasks Things 3 overview - Mikah explains how Things 3 offers similar powerful functionality to OmniFocus but with different design choices and user experience approaches Reminders app capabilities - Detailed walkthrough of Apple's built-in Reminders showing subtasks, location-based reminders, time-based alerts, priority flags, and even printing options for physical lists News UK government backs down on iCloud encryption - The UK reportedly withdrew demands for backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data, avoiding security risks for users worldwide Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor returns - Apple cleverly circumvents the Masimo patent dispute by having the iPhone process blood oxygen measurements instead of the watch displaying them directly Feedback Location reminder delays - Bob writes about his home arrival reminders triggering 10+ minutes late despite expanding the geographic boundary, with suggestions including checking low power mode and resetting network settings Shortcuts Corner Focus mode automation challenges - Dustin asks about setting up three different focus modes for his wife's work schedule that aren't switching properly between personal, office, and client time App Caps Product Hunt - Mikah recommends this app and website for discovering new products and services before they become mainstream, despite the recent influx of AI-focused launches Bridges - Rosemary showcases this $1.99 link formatting and organization app that lets you save, categorize, and export links in multiple formats including Markdown, HTML, and JSON Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at iOSToday@twit.tv. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Pascal Reischl is a certified GTD trainer in Austria. He will tell you that he has always been interested in technology. Naturally our discussion about his journey with GTD involves plenty of tech talk. But especially when working with people who are new to GTD, he doesn't push for feature-laden applications. Instead, he says "Start with what you are already using." He also shares an inspiring story about how putting GTD fully into practice has helped him to be more present with his family, and in every aspect of his life. -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

Get instant access to the Why You Aren't Taking Action Video : successbykayla.com

You need to control commitments, projects, and actions in two ways--horizontally and vertically. Horizontal control maintains coherence across all the activities in which you are involved. Vertical control, in contrast, manages thinking, development, and coordination of individual topics and projects. In this webinar recording, Ana Maria Gonzalez talks about the relationship between these two levels of control and how you can leverage them both for your productivity. -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Self-discipline is the ability to control one's behavior and actions to achieve goals or maintain a certain standard of conduct. It involves making  sacrifices, staying focused, and resisting immediate pleasures for long-term benefits. Veterinarians struggle with self-discipline because we have an unpredictable job and we tend to be people pleasers.  On this episode we discuss tools to overcome procrastination and be more self-disciplined. Contact Julie at theveterinarylifecoach.com Buy Julie's Book on Amazon - Love Your Veterinary Life

Is it hustle… or is it survival mode? In today's episode, we unpack what it really means to balance grit and grace in a world that glorifies grind culture. From the chaos of modern schedules to the pressure to do it all, we're cutting through the noise to talk about how flexibility, consistency, and mindset shifts can help you stay in the game without burning out. We share how our own routines have evolved—especially as parents, business owners, and health professionals—and how you can build sustainable habits that don't require perfection. Plus, we weigh in on the ancestral health debate, shifting your mindset for better outcomes, and the small actions that actually move the needle for long-term health. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or just trying to find a rhythm that works, this one's for you. What You'll Learn: Why balance doesn't mean 50/50, and what to aim for instead How to stay consistent when life gets chaotic The mindset shift that makes health sustainable Where ancestral health advice falls short in the modern world Why your version of self-care matters more than any trend Press play, and let's build a life where health supports your hustle—not drains it. APPLY FOR COACHING: https://www.lvltncoaching.com/1-1-coaching SDE Method app: https://www.lvltncoaching.com/sde-method-app Project B Waiting List https://quest.lvltncoaching.com/project-b Macros Guide https://www.lvltncoaching.com/free-resources/calculate-your-macros Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lvltncoaching FREE TOOLS to start your health and fitness journey: https://www.lvltncoaching.com/resources/freebies Alessandra's Instagram: http://instagram.com/alessandrascutnik Joelle's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joellesamantha?igsh=ZnVhZjFjczN0OTdn Josh's Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshscutnik Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Grind Culture vs. Getting Things Done 02:53 The Evolution of Podcast Platforms 05:45 Finding Balance in Life and Fitness 11:19 The Concept of Harmony Over Balance 15:19 Flexibility and Discipline in Achieving Goals 20:03 Personal Experiences and Perspectives on Hard Work 23:53 Finding Time for Health Amidst Busy Lives 27:17 Grit and Grace: Balancing Self-Care 30:13 Identifying with Your Future Self 35:14 The Importance of Hard Work in Health 39:19 Modern Health vs. Ancestral Myths 42:40 The Power of Health Awareness

You're crushing your to-do list, checking off task after task, but by 3 PM you feel like you've been hit by a truck. Sound familiar? That was my guest Heather Chauvin's reality until a stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2013 changed everything.As a mom of three boys and a new business owner, Heather was in the thick of juggling it all. She was getting things done, hitting deadlines, and managing everything on her plate. But she was also completely burned out, resentful, and running on fumes with an internal ache that this wasn't sustainable. Her cancer diagnosis became an unexpected teacher, showing her that there's a whole other layer to how we manage our time and energy.Today, Heather shares what she discovered about energetic time management and why asking "How do I want to feel?" might be more powerful than asking "What do I need to do?" In This Episode, We Cover:Why energy management works alongside your planning systemHow to spot invisible energy drains in your daily lifeWhy women automatically shrink themselves (and how to stop)The simple question that changes how you make decisionsWhat alignment actually feels like in real lifeHow to stop doing emotional work for other peopleConnect with Heather:Website: heatherchauvin.comEmotionally Uncomfortable Podcast: heatherchauvin.com/podcastInstagram: instagram.com/heatherchauvin_JOIN THE PLAN-A-PALOOZA ANNUAL PLANNING WORKSHOP The #1 Planning Event for Women, That Works for REAL Life!Live October 15 & 16, 2025Business Owners can add Oct 17Create Your Roadmap for 2026... One that actually includes time for YOU, progress on your goals, AND room for life's curveballs.100+ Page Annual Planning Digital Workbook,Guest Expert Trainings + Replays Included!Get your ticket now at www.meg ________________________________

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Productivity hacks and strategies are helpful — but only if you use them. The right mindset, however, can keep you track at work and in your personal life. Ari Tuckman, Psy.D., teachers us how to develop a resilient, productivity mindset. Productivity Hacks for ADHD: Additional Resources Free Download: Focus Your ADHD Brain With 5 Helpful Hacks Read: Popular Productivity Advice That Torpedoes the ADHD Brain Read: How to Not Procrastinate When Task Avoidance Strikes Read: The Everyday Rationales That Let Procrastination In Access the video and slides for podcast episode #567 here: https://www.additudemag.com/webinar/productivity-hacks-procrastination-adhd/ This episode is brought to you by Brain.fm. Unlock your brain's full potential FREE for 30 days by going to brain.fm/ADDITUDE. Thank you for listening to ADDitude's ADHD Experts podcast. Please consider subscribing to the magazine (additu.de/subscribe) to support our mission of providing ADHD education and support.

In this episode of the Pumped Up Parenting Podcast, I'm thrilled to sit down with Jen Anderson aka the Professional Imperfectionist and creator of the Accomplist app for a real and refreshing talk about perfectionism, overwhelm, and how to stop beating yourself up when your to-do list doesn't get done. Jen shares her personal journey of building a productivity app designed for real people with real lives, not robots who never miss a checkbox. Together, we explore why most task systems set us up for failure, how underestimating tasks creates unnecessary stress, and how Accomplist helps you ditch the guilt and finally feel accomplished, even on your most chaotic days.Whether you're a parent juggling schedules, a multi-tasking entrepreneur, or simply someone who's tired of unrealistic productivity tools, this conversation is your reminder that progress beats perfection every time. Tune in to learn why you're not a hot mess — you're an inspiration! Download the Accomplist app today on the App Store or Google Play Store, or head to Accomplist.app to get started. Connect with Jen at jen@accomplist.app and follow along on Facebook and Instagram @TeamAccomplist. And don't forget to leave a review, share this episode with a friend who needs it, and keep those days filled with peace, love, and tons of laughter because laughter truly is the best medicine.*******************************************************Are you ready to STOP YELLING AT YOUR CHILD in just 21 Days? Join my newest program at low introductory pricing... go to ⁠QUITYELLING.COM⁠1. Need more help? Let's grab some coffee or tea and talk. Go to TalkWithCelia.com and choose the time that works for you.2. Looking for a manual for parenting your child (now in English & Spanish)? It's finally here and you can grab your copy of my latest parenting & children's books today!3. Become a Member of my TRANQUILITY TRIBE and STOP YELLING Once & For All.4. Read my latest article to find out how to stop yelling... https://celiaArticle.com5. Looking to be part of a fun free and informative FB community (without all the bitching)?... join us in Pumped Up Parenting6. Love YouTube? Do you know there are lots of parenting videos, story time videos for you and your kids, as well as some great family workout videos? All on Pumped Up Parenting with Celia Kibler7. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok8. Join me on my newest platform PEANUT: Connecting women across fertility & motherhood9. Get my parenting worksheet and other resources at PumpedUpParenting.Etsy.com10. Join us on ⁠THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CALM⁠, watch the full replay on our YouTube Channel @DayofCalmTake the Pledge, Support our Mission of the Day of Calm Foundation to SOOTHE THE ANGER & RAGE AT THE HUMAN CORE as we work to end senseless violence against our kids.Support our school in Uganda, Share the Day, Attend a Calm Class or Parenting Class and feel great!

“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential” That quote from Winston Churchill perfectly captures the dilemma we face when it comes to planning.  You can subscribe to this podcast on:  Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin The Time-Based Productivity Course Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Time Sector System 5th Year Anniversary The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 379 Hello, and welcome to episode 379 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show. Planning and organising have their place. Yet, there is a danger of taking them too far and using them as an excuse or as a way to procrastinate.  Ultimately, whatever you are planning to do will eventually need to be done. The goal, therefore, is to get to the doing part as quickly as possible.  One of the dangers of David Allen's Getting Things Done book, is the emphasis on organising and doing the weekly review. It's a procrastinators heaven. An authority in the the productivity space giving you “permission” to spend two to four hours a week planning and reviewing and another large proportion of your time organising and reorganising your lists.  Don't get me wrong. Both planning and organising have their place and as Winston Churchill says, “planning is essential”, but it's a thin line between helpful and unhelpful planning and organising. In today's episode, I will share with you some ideas that you can use to ensure that you are following some sound principles with your planning and reviewing.  So, that means it's time to hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question. This week's question comes from Sally. Sally asks, hi Carl, I'm struggling to get myself organised. I have so many things on my desk and on my computer's desktop I don't know where to start. I feel like all I do all day is plan what to do and tidy up my lists. How do you avoid over planning and organising?  Hi Sally, thank you for your question. Firstly, I must admit I have been down this road of over-planning and organising.  I read Getting Things Done in 2009 and loved it. I ditched my Franklin Planner, the “tool” I had been using consistently for over fifteen years, bought myself a nice Quo Vadis notebook (the paper quality was better than Moleskine) and spent a whole weekend setting up the notebook as a GTD tool.  I also printed out the GTD weekly review checklist from David Allen's website and stuck that into the back go my planner and became a GTDer.  It took me seven years to realise that I wasn't getting anything significant done. I had a lot of ideas, plans and goals, yet all I seemed to be doing was reviewing, planning and doing the easy things from my context lists.  Replying to emails was much easier than sitting down to write the first chapter of the book I wanted to write. Spending more time mind mapping the presentation I had to give on Friday seemed more important than opening up Keynote and designing the presentation.  Yet, ironically, it was an end of year review that forced me to face up to reality and see that while I was excellent at planning and reviewing, I had become terrible at doing the work.  And this is one of the most common problem areas I see with many of my coaching clients. The fixation on having everything perfectly organised and planned.  You see, the problem here is not that everything is neatly organised and you have the plans to do whatever it is you want to do. The problem is nothing is being done to do those plans.  While I was working on my recent Time-Based Productivity course, the project note I had for it was a mess. I had a lot of notes, ideas and thoughts. Yet, I maintained a strict next actions list at the top of the project note as well as links to the documents I was working on.  It didn't matter that below those items was a horror show of ill-thought out ideas and random thoughts. They were there in case I got stuck somewhere. What mattered was the important information was clear and at the top of the note.  The note was designed so that the work got done. It was not designed to look pretty.  I've seen clients with thirty page Word documents detailing their department's plans for the year. It's written in some vague management language that leaves a lot to interpretation. It's as Winston Churchill once said of a similar document from the government's treasury department: “This paper, by its very length, defends itself from ever being read.” You can spend hours going through a document like that, and nothing will ever get done.  What matters is knowing what the department's objectives are and what needs to be done to accomplish them.  That does not need thirty pages. That can be summarised on one page, at most.  If you're working in an organisation that loves using management speak to communicate their ill-thought through ideas, one of the best ways to navigate these documents is to establish what the ultimate goal is.  What are the targets, or in management speak “KPI's” (Key Performance Indicators)? Once you know how you or your department will be measured, you can use your own experience and knowledge to put in place a plan to achieve those targets.  Ultimately, your boss, and their boss, are concerned about your targets. How you achieve those targets are less important, although they should always be achieved legally, of course.  In many ways translating these verbose annual planning documents is the role of the departmental managers. This means translating them into actionable items so that everyone in the team clearly understands what they are aiming for. This then reduces the necessity of further planning meetings and everyone can get on and achieve the objectives.  And this is the same for individuals.  When we plan things out we are exploring options, considering best ways to do things and perhaps thinking of potential outcomes.  While these exercises do have their place, they cannot replace doing the work.  The objective, therefore, is to figure out as quickly as possible what you need to do to get the work completed.  My wife bought me a new iron and ironing board for my birthday. I love ironing, I find it relaxing. I've learnt that no matter how big the pile of ironing is, the pile is not going to diminish by more planning and strategising. The only way the pile of ironing will shrink is for me to plug my iron in, set up my ironing board and get started.  Now years of ironing has taught me to begin with the clothes that require a cooler setting and finish with clothes that require a hotter setting such as linen shirts. That's experience, although, I remember being taught that one by my grandmother many many years ago.  The final part of this is choosing when to do the ironing. For me, I find ironing after I've been sat down for a long time works best. I'm stood up and have to move around to hang my shirts up after they're ironed. So, doing the ironing in the afternoon or early evening works best for me.  Given that I generally do the ironing once a week, all I need to decide is when. When will I do it? That's the only planning I need to do with something I routinely do.  When it comes to organising, I'm always surprised how so many people have missed one of the best features of computers and technology. It's not so you can sit and stare at a screen for hours on end. It's the speed at which a computer can organise your files.  You can choose to organise your files by date created, date modified, title, type of document or by size. The only thing you need to do is to put the file into a folder.  If you were to keep things as simple as possible, two folders one for your personal life and one for your professional life would work. (And I know a lot of people who do just that and can find anything they need with the use of a keyboard shortcut or a few typed letters.  While travelling last month, I had all my flight confirmation emails and car hire documents stored in Evernote in its own notebook. Before we set off, I made sure this notebook was downloaded to my phone so that no matter where I was in the world, I was not going to be relying on flakey internet.  This meant, when we finally reached the car hire desk at 11 p.m. At Dublin Airport, all I needed to do was open Evernote, type Europcar in the search and all my details we instantly on my screen ready to show the assistant.  Most notes apps people are using today have incredibly powerful search features built in. Evernote was build on its search features. I'm frequently amazed at how quickly Evernote can find something I vaguely think might be in there.  I remember my wife trying to sort something out for me on a Korean website while we were sitting in cafe. She asked me if I remembered my password for a particular website I had not used for over ten years.  I opened up Evernote and typed in the name of the website and in less than second the login and password details were there. My brain cannot work that fast when trying to recall something from ten years ago.  What this means is you do not need to spend days or months trying to come up with a “perfect” notes organisation system. You could quite easily operate on a simple professional and personal folder system.  You'd still be able to find anything you were looking for, and all you would need to do is to learn how to use the search features.  So, Sally, if you want to get things organised, let your computer do the work for you. Start by creating a simple folder structure of personal and work, and organise your documents there first.  As you're doing this I would add that you ensure the title of the documents and files are clear. Sometimes we download something from the internet and we end up with a jumble of letters and numbers. While your computer will be able to tell you when you downloaded it and what the file type is, it won't be able to tell you what it is. That part of the organising process is on you.  If you wish to have a little more structure than simply personal and professional you can modify things later. The goal here is to begin the cleaning up process.  And don't forget the delete key. It's your best friend when cleaning up.  Once you've tidied everything up and you know where everything is, when it comes to what to do next will naturally follow.  This organising may take you a weekend to do. Yet, that investment in time will be well worth it. You'll feel less anxious, lighter and will have begun developing confidence in your system. That's a very nice place to be.  I hope that has helped, Sally. Thank you for your question and thank you to you too for listening. It just remains for me to wish you a very very productive week.   

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1767: Laura Stack delivers a sharp, practical approach to reclaiming your time by eliminating inefficiencies, leveraging peak productivity hours, and mastering focused attention. Her strategy isn't about doing more, it's about doing what matters, faster and smarter, so you can win professionally without sacrificing personal time. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://theproductivitypro.com/blog/2012/06/the-work-less-more-success-guide-to-time-management-2/ Quotes to ponder: "True productivity is not about being busy; it's about getting results." "Discipline yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on one task until it's complete." "Schedule your highest priority work during your peak energy periods, and save routine tasks for when your energy is lower." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://gettingthingsdone.com/ The 80/20 Principle: https://www.amazon.com/80-20-Principle-Secret-Achieving/dp/0385491743 Eat That Frog!: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/1576754227 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich Clark, CFP Exectuive Director on preferred playoff format and getting things done by Ed Lane

In episode 37, Toby Young is joined by writer and founder of Redeeming Productivity, Reagan Rose, to explore what it means to get things done for the glory of God.Together, they unpack the theology behind productivity, the dangers of hustle culture, the contrast between secular systems and biblical stewardship, and how the gospel transforms the way Christians manage time, work, and purpose.

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In this episode of Change Your Game with GTD, actor and musician Marcelo Cervone shares how the GTD methodology has transformed his creative and professional life. From mastering the two-minute rule to tackling prioritization challenges, Marcelo's journey offers valuable insights for anyone balancing complex, self-driven projects.

“Word-processing is a normative, standardised tool. Obviously, you can change the page layout and switch fonts, but you cannot invent a form not foreseen by the software. Paper allows much greater graphic freedom: you can write on either side, keep to set margins or not, superimpose lines or distort them. There is nothing to make you follow a set pattern. It has three dimensions too, so it can be folded, cut out, stapled or glued.” That's a quote from Claire Bustarret, a specialist on codex manuscripts at the Maurice Halbwachs research centre in Paris. And is the start of my attempt to explain why you don't want to be abandoning the humble pen and paper just yet. You can subscribe to this podcast on:    Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN   Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin   The Time-Based Productivity Course Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Time Sector System 5th Year Anniversary The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page   Script | 378 Hello, and welcome to episode 378 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show. I recently came across a short video from Shawn Blanc of the Sweet Setup website who argued that paper-based planners enable better focus and less distractions that their digital counterparts.  And in my now ten-month experiment with the Franklin Planner I also have discovered that planning on paper gives me greater insights about what is important and what is not, it has allowed me to reduce my to-do list dramatically and improved my ability to think at the next level—the level that really matters if you want to go beyond just the rudimentary basics and create something special.  This week's question is about my “experiment” and what I did it and what I learned. So, without further ado, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question. This week's question comes from Phil. Phil asks, hi Carl, I'm curious about your Franklin Planner experiment. Why did you do it and what have you learned from the experience?  Hi Phil, thank you for your question.  Before I begin, I should give you some background.  My planner journey began on my 18th birthday when my uncle and auntie bought me a black leather Filofax. These were all the rage in the mid to late 1980s. They were a symbol of what we called in the UK the “YUPPIE generation”  A YUPPIE was a young urban professional or young upwardly mobile professional. It was a term used to describe a young, well-educated, and affluent person who worked in a city. It was often associated with a particular lifestyle and consumption patterns.  Filofaxes had a diary—usually a week to view—, an addresses area, and other planning pages such as a goals and notes area and an expenses tracker.  I loved that Filofax. And I remember carrying it around with me everywhere. I was living the YUPPIE lifestyle without having the job, type of car or luxury apartment associated with them. I was pretending hahaha. A few years later, while working in car sales, I was introduced to the Franklin Planner. I think it was around 1992 or 1993, by my general manager, Andrew.  That changed everything for me. No longer was I just carrying around information—really what a Filofax did in those days—and I had a tool that enabled me to establish what was important to me (my “governing values”) and a way to plan the day, and week.  I used that Franklin Planner for fourteen years. It went everywhere with me. I'd take it on holiday with me and often find myself sat on the hotel's balcony late at night writing out how I felt my life was going and what I wanted to change.  It was a tool that kept me accountable to my goals and values and really did change my life for the better.  Then came what I call the digital explosion in 2009. That's when I got my first iPhone and that coincided with my first reading of David Allen's Getting Things Done.  I stopped using the Franklin Planner and began a transition to digital tools.  It was an exciting time and my whole time management system began to change. Often for the better, sometimes for the worse. Yet, on the whole I enjoyed the evolution.  That's the background.  So, why did I decide to go back to using a Franklin Planner.  Well, I had begun to notice that I felt I was rushing everything. Sure, some things needed to be done quickly, but the majority of my work didn't need to be done right now. Those tasks in my task list could wait until another day, yet, I had this feeling I had to complete them today.  It created a sense of anxiety. A sort of low level buzz in my head telling me I should be doing work, checking off my tasks and not taking time to step back and think if what I was about to do was necessary or important.  It was unpleasant. So, I decided to go back and try a Franklin Planner for a few months to see what would happen.  It was a revelation and I was shocked.  The first thing I noticed was I slowed down. Because you have to manually write out your tasks and appointments each day, you had time to contemplate whether they really needed to be done.  With my digital system, I had things like watch this YouTube video, or read this article. Yet, these were not important at all. For some reason the digital task manager elevated their importance because they were on the list and had to be done—which, of course, they didn't. I never wrote those down in the Franklin Planner. I might have written them down in the notes area for later, but they would not be a task.  It was too easy to add stuff to a digital task manager, which meant all sorts of rubbish got added to the list. What that did was to make my task lists bigger and bigger. It got to a point where there were over 600 tasks in my task manager.  I remember looking at that realising that 80% of what was in there was either no longer relevant or would be a waste of time if I did do them.  That never happened with the Franklin Planner. The act of writing down tasks, meant you would carefully consider whether it was worth doing or not.  The result of this transition was instead of having fifteen to twenty tasks on my task list each day, in my Franklin Planner I had less then eight most days and what was there was genuinely important.  Another area that changed almost immediately was I started to think again.  Earlier last year, I had started planning out my projects, YouTube videos and weekly plans in what I called my Planning Book. This was an A4 ring-bound notebook that contained all my plans and initial thoughts about a project or video.  Suddenly, I found I was thinking things through better. When I sat down to plan out something, I was completely engaged. There were no pop-up notifications, or other digital distractions that would stop my thoughts. I could go deep, much deeper than I ever did digitally.  And the results were almost instant. My YouTube video views went from an average of 3 to 4 thousand in a week to over 10,000!  The only change I had made was to plan out my videos on paper instead of an Evernote note.  On analysis, what I noticed was I became a better storyteller—and important part of creating YouTube videos. And that resulted in almost three times more views on YouTube.  I quickly began to see that there was something going on here.  Digital tools are great. They are so convenient, and it's fantastic that you can carry around fifteen years of notes on a simple device like your phone. But, is that really helpful.  99% of my journeys and trips never required me to have to look up some important information.  And on those rare occasions when I did need to look up something, I could have easily explained to the person I was meeting that I would send the information when I got back to my office.  In fact, remembering to do that after writing it down on a piece of paper may have impressed the person I was meeting and would have given me time to think of a memorable way to convey the information.  Returning to the Franklin Planner and bringing some paper-based planning back into my life has been a revelation. It's slowed me down, while at the same time has helped me to become far more productive.  It's done that by getting me to think again.  And that's perhaps where digital tools are failing us.  Technology is all about speeding things up and making things more convenient.  Think about it, the introduction of elevators and escalators has coincided with people becoming less fit and healthy. The convenience of delivery food has created a generation of people who wake up, sit down at a desk all day, then order food and continue to sit while they eat highly processed foods that are slowly killing them.  Walking up stairs and cooking your own food ensures you are moving and likely eating a lot healthier. It also means you more likely to eat with your family and as a consequence maintain that all important communication with the people you love.  Technology has massively increased the speed at which things can be done. And in some areas that's helpful. But, and this is a big but, your brains ability to process all that information has not speeded up.  This means, if you want to feel fulfilled and be more productive, you should become better at filtering out the noise and focus on the things that are genuinely important.  Digital tools make that difficult with their emphasis on speed and monotonous lists.  Paper-based tools enable your brain to slow down, work at a healthy pace and to think deeper. A consequence of which means you think better, make better decisions about what to work on and feel less stressed and overwhelmed.  Will I go back to an all-digital system? No.  I've found a happy balance. My Franklin Planner allows me to make better choices about what I should work on today. My Planning Book gives me a space to think about what I am trying to do and to brainstorm better ways of doing the work.  However, I do see a space for digital tools.  I always scan in my plans to a digital project note. The output of my work is digital. Blog-posts, YouTube videos, online courses and even my coaching programmes are all done digitally. (I use Zoom to talk with my clients who are based all over the world)  I also use Todoist to keep track of the recurring stuff I would likely forget to do. Reminders to water the office plant (every four days), to do my expenses, respond to my actionable emails and to send out regularly recurring invoices are all managed in Todoist.  The conclusion I have come to from this experiment is that the perfect system is a hybrid of digital and analogue tools. Your calendar works best digitally, yet on a daily basis, slowing down and writing out what you will do that day works better in an analogue form. It stops you from overwhelming yourself.  Thank you, Phil, for your question. And thank you to you for listening. It just remains for me to wish you all a very very productive week.   

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3679: Cal Newport explores a minimalist yet effective approach to personal productivity by combining structured systems with intuitive freedom. Drawing on insights from top performers, he outlines how to balance organization without over-planning, helping you maintain momentum and avoid burnout. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://calnewport.com/blog/2009/10/02/freestyle-productivity-balancing-systems-and-simplicity-when-organizing-your-life/ Quotes to ponder: "Most people exist somewhere in between: they crave the structure of a system, but become frustrated if it grows too complicated." "Freestyle productivity is about finding the right level of organization to enable your work, not get in its way." "You want your systems to be like a fine-tuned guitar: always there to help you produce something beautiful, but never stealing the spotlight." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://gettingthingsdone.com The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Scott Young's Study Hacks: https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ Zen To Done: https://zenhabits.net/zen-to-done-ztd-the-ultimate-simple-productivity-system/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3679: Cal Newport explores a minimalist yet effective approach to personal productivity by combining structured systems with intuitive freedom. Drawing on insights from top performers, he outlines how to balance organization without over-planning, helping you maintain momentum and avoid burnout. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://calnewport.com/blog/2009/10/02/freestyle-productivity-balancing-systems-and-simplicity-when-organizing-your-life/ Quotes to ponder: "Most people exist somewhere in between: they crave the structure of a system, but become frustrated if it grows too complicated." "Freestyle productivity is about finding the right level of organization to enable your work, not get in its way." "You want your systems to be like a fine-tuned guitar: always there to help you produce something beautiful, but never stealing the spotlight." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://gettingthingsdone.com The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Scott Young's Study Hacks: https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ Zen To Done: https://zenhabits.net/zen-to-done-ztd-the-ultimate-simple-productivity-system/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3679: Cal Newport explores a minimalist yet effective approach to personal productivity by combining structured systems with intuitive freedom. Drawing on insights from top performers, he outlines how to balance organization without over-planning, helping you maintain momentum and avoid burnout. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://calnewport.com/blog/2009/10/02/freestyle-productivity-balancing-systems-and-simplicity-when-organizing-your-life/ Quotes to ponder: "Most people exist somewhere in between: they crave the structure of a system, but become frustrated if it grows too complicated." "Freestyle productivity is about finding the right level of organization to enable your work, not get in its way." "You want your systems to be like a fine-tuned guitar: always there to help you produce something beautiful, but never stealing the spotlight." Episode references: Getting Things Done: https://gettingthingsdone.com The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Scott Young's Study Hacks: https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ Zen To Done: https://zenhabits.net/zen-to-done-ztd-the-ultimate-simple-productivity-system/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GTD Live is the audio version of David Allen's complete two-day seminar that brings you the powerful principles of Getting Things Done, including the Mastering Workflow, Managing Projects & Priorities models. Recorded live, this will give you a great hands-on experience with the GTD® approach, at your own pace. If you'd like to purchase the complete seminar and binge it all at once, please visit the GTD® Store

Ever feel like there's never enough time to get it all done? Khalil and Martin break down David Allen's “Getting Things Done” framework to help contractors take control of their time, energy, and priorities—so the important stuff actually gets done.Time Stamps00:40 - Oklahoma City: A Tale of Transformation03:05 - Revamping Email: GTD Approach04:08 - Getting Things Done: Key Concepts13:26 - Energy Management: The Secret to Productivity16:58 - Finding Your Energy Flow17:47 - Maximizing High-Energy Tasks19:43 - Understanding Priority30:59 - Practical Tips for Task ManagementSnippets from the Episode“Everybody's busy. It cannot change until you carve out and start making changes.” — Martin Holland“Energy management usually beats time management. If you've got really good energy and allocate it to the right things, you're going to be much more successful.” — Khalil Benalioulhaj“You cannot have a bunch of priorities. The word ‘priority' is Latin, and it means first.” — Martin HollandResources⁠Getting Things Done by David AllenThe ONE Thing by Gary Keller⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock CallCheck out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenPhone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthKits ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Marketing Help? We Recommend ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Help with podcast production? We recommend ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Demandcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Martin Holland⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from The Cash Flow ContractorSubscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow On Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X(formerly Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Cashflow Contractor

Our discussion focused on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in your GTD practice. We talked about apps and how much intelligence they have, and how much of the thinking is still up to you. We also considered ways to give AI models more information so they can assist us better with various parts of the GTD implementation. Sign up for the GTD Newsletter -- This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity. Sign up for a free guest pass Learn about membership options Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It's easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You'll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won't find anywhere else. If you already know you'd like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options. If you'd like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what's included and how to get your free trial. During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to: Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book Extensive audio, video, and document library Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick David Allen's exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book. Ready to start your free trial?

Send us a textEver have one of those nights where you're staring at the fridge with no clue what to make for dinner, and no energy left to figure it out? You're not alone. In this episode of the Real Happy Mom Podcast, we're talking about what to do when motivation has left the building and you're running on fumes.Tune in to learn simple strategies that will help you get things done without burning out.Mentioned in this episode: