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

• Mamie Kanfer Stewart on Meeting Smarter: How to Stop Wasting Time at Work (Shortcast)

  In this Shortcast edition, Mamie Kanfer Stewart, co-author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings, explains why meetings are one of the biggest productivity drains—and how to fix them. From clarifying desired outcomes to optimizing who’s in the room, Mamie shares practical, people-focused strategies to make meetings more effective, purposeful, and energizing. In this Shortcast, we explore: Start With the Outcome: Don’t ask, “What’s the purpose of the meeting?” Ask, “What do we want to achieve?” This mindset shift transforms how meetings are planned and executed. Alternatives to Meeting: Mamie highlights when meetings aren’t needed—and how tools like email or asynchronous comments can often deliver the same outcome with less time. Before, During, and After: She outlines a full meeting workflow—from designing the agenda around outcomes, to assigning timekeepers and capturing key decisions and next steps. Fixing Meeting FOMO: We dive into how a culture of over-inviting people to meetings can waste time and lead to disengagement—and what to do instead. Reframing Meetings as Real Work: When done right, meetings are collaborative work, not interruptions. Mamie encourages giving them the same intentionality as solo tasks. Mamie’s insights help shift meetings from draining distractions to meaningful, productive moments that move work forward. Find more Shortcasts like this one on Blinkist here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Mamie Kanfer Stewart on Meeting Smarter: How to Stop Wasting Time at Work (Shortcast)

  In this Shortcast edition, Mamie Kanfer Stewart, co-author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings, explains why meetings are one of the biggest productivity drains—and how to fix them. From clarifying desired outcomes to optimizing who’s in the room, Mamie shares practical, people-focused strategies to make meetings more effective, purposeful, and energizing. In this Shortcast, we explore: Start With the Outcome: Don’t ask, “What’s the purpose of the meeting?” Ask, “What do we want to achieve?” This mindset shift transforms how meetings are planned and executed. Alternatives to Meeting: Mamie highlights when meetings aren’t needed—and how tools like email or asynchronous comments can often deliver the same outcome with less time. Before, During, and After: She outlines a full meeting workflow—from designing the agenda around outcomes, to assigning timekeepers and capturing key decisions and next steps. Fixing Meeting FOMO: We dive into how a culture of over-inviting people to meetings can waste time and lead to disengagement—and what to do instead. Reframing Meetings as Real Work: When done right, meetings are collaborative work, not interruptions. Mamie encourages giving them the same intentionality as solo tasks. Mamie’s insights help shift meetings from draining distractions to meaningful, productive moments that move work forward. Find more Shortcasts like this one on Blinkist here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Mike Vardy on The Productivity Diet: Feeding What Fuels You

  I’m excited to welcome back Mike Vardy to the show. Mike is a productivity strategist, longtime friend of the podcast, and the author of The Productivity Diet: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Your Productive Potential. In this conversation, we dive into how the language, systems, and inputs you choose each day can either nourish or deplete your ability to do meaningful work. In this episode, we cover: Productivity as Nutrition, Not Punishment: Mike explains the “diet” metaphor—how productivity isn’t about restriction, but about choosing sustainable inputs that fuel the life you want. Mental Calories and Decision Fatigue: We explore the idea of cognitive nutrition and how overloading your brain with options, tabs, and to-dos creates burnout. Intentional Constraints: Mike shares how building structure around time, energy, and attention helps avoid binging on urgency and makes space for deeper work. The Language of Productivity: From calling tasks “ingredients” to using meal metaphors, Mike breaks down how naming things differently changes your relationship to work. Identity-Based Planning: He outlines how aligning your calendar and task list with your future self leads to better follow-through and less internal resistance. Productivity Styles and Personalization: Mike introduces the idea of “productivity personas,” encouraging listeners to build systems that honor their natural rhythms. From Should to Could: We talk about reframing productivity from a guilt-fueled obligation into an opportunity to nourish what matters most. This conversation is equal parts practical and philosophical. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by productivity advice—or burned out trying to do it all—Mike’s approach offers a refreshing, sustainable alternative. Learn more at MikeVardy.com or grab The Productivity Diet  wherever books are sold. Connect with Erik: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This Podcast is Powered By: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Mike Vardy on The Productivity Diet: Feeding What Fuels You

  I’m excited to welcome back Mike Vardy to the show. Mike is a productivity strategist, longtime friend of the podcast, and the author of The Productivity Diet: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Your Productive Potential. In this conversation, we dive into how the language, systems, and inputs you choose each day can either nourish or deplete your ability to do meaningful work. In this episode, we cover: Productivity as Nutrition, Not Punishment: Mike explains the “diet” metaphor—how productivity isn’t about restriction, but about choosing sustainable inputs that fuel the life you want. Mental Calories and Decision Fatigue: We explore the idea of cognitive nutrition and how overloading your brain with options, tabs, and to-dos creates burnout. Intentional Constraints: Mike shares how building structure around time, energy, and attention helps avoid binging on urgency and makes space for deeper work. The Language of Productivity: From calling tasks “ingredients” to using meal metaphors, Mike breaks down how naming things differently changes your relationship to work. Identity-Based Planning: He outlines how aligning your calendar and task list with your future self leads to better follow-through and less internal resistance. Productivity Styles and Personalization: Mike introduces the idea of “productivity personas,” encouraging listeners to build systems that honor their natural rhythms. From Should to Could: We talk about reframing productivity from a guilt-fueled obligation into an opportunity to nourish what matters most. This conversation is equal parts practical and philosophical. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by productivity advice—or burned out trying to do it all—Mike’s approach offers a refreshing, sustainable alternative. Learn more at MikeVardy.com or grab The Productivity Diet  wherever books are sold. Connect with Erik: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This Podcast is Powered By: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make sure to support the show by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Donald Miller on Productivity: How to Focus, Finish, and Find Meaning (Shortcast)

  In this Shortcast edition, Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand, shares how applying storytelling principles can bring clarity, purpose, and momentum to your personal and professional life. Drawing from narrative theory, Donald explains how to see your life as a story—complete with a clear goal, supporting characters, and an inciting incident—and how productivity begins with the power of focus and finish. In this Shortcast, we explore: The Life-as-Story Framework: Donald outlines the classic storytelling structure and how it applies to real life: a character with a problem, a guide, a plan, and a call to action that leads to either success or failure. The Power of an Inciting Incident: We discuss how deliberately creating an inciting incident—like signing up for a marathon or making a public commitment—can push you into meaningful action. Designing the Ideal Workday: After battling writer’s block, Donald took a road trip and absorbed every productivity audiobook he could, using what he learned to build a personalized, high-focus day planner. Focus and Finish: Donald explains how the two most important productivity principles are narrowing your focus and completing what you start—because only finished work makes an impact. Clearing the Clutter of Life’s Script: By eliminating unnecessary “characters” and distractions from your life story, you can make space for the plot that actually matters. Donald’s insights offer a unique, narrative-driven approach to productivity that helps you clarify your goals, trim the distractions, and finish what matters most. Find more shortcasts like this on Blinkist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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