In this episode, author Jenny Blake joins me for a conversation about her new book, FREE TIME: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business  (https://itsfreetime.com/book), which helps entrepreneurs engineer the stress out of their work. I ask her to use myself as a case study and apply her principles to helping me reduce stress in my working life.Though FREE TIME doesn’t come out until March, if you pre-order a copy now (at https://itsfreetime.com/book) you’ll get immediate access to a pair of free copies of the audiobook: one for you and one for a friend.Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering.

How many times have you said yes to something, started it, gotten halfway through, then either been distracted, run out of time, energy, money, ideas, motivation, or all the above? And, just kind of walk away, leaving something that could’ve been amazing unfinished? Never getting the chance to back in the I DID THAT glow of accomplishment and tell everyone around you, “hey, I DID that!” And, yes, I’m raising my hand here.And, what about being able to do what’s important without it also taking over your life, and leaving you living reactively? Wouldn’t it be cool if there were ways, strategies, tools, processes and technology that could dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to get things done, so you could have so much more free time to do all the other stuff you love to do? Including absolutely nothing at all? These are the questions we’re diving into in today’s special spotlight conversation featuring conversations with Start Finishing author, Charlie Gilkey, and Free Time author, Jenny Blake. How do I not only choose and start but also finish what really matters? And, while you’re at it, how can I reimagine the way I work to create a ton more free time to do anything that lights me up? You can find Charlie Gilkey at: Website | Instagram | Listen to Our Full-Length Convo with CharlieYou can find Jenny Blake at: Website | Free Time Podcast | Listen to Our Full-Length Convo with JennyIf you LOVED this episode you'll love the conversation we had with Chip Conley about reimagining what you center in your life.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED: We’re looking for special guest “wisdom-seekers” to share the moment you’re in, then pose questions to Jonathan and the Sparked Braintrust to be answered, “on air.” To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Eric and Jenny explore the concept of heart-based decision-making in business and in life. They also delve into ideas about redefining success, learning to trust and follow your intuition, as well as getting comfortable with awkwardness and discomfort.We also discuss How to Find More Free Time and… Defining heart-based business and heart-based living Understanding that stress is a systems problem How we can create systems to combat decision fatigue The importance of learning to let go of control The often missing and important metric of time to-revenue ratio Examining the energetic time blueprint Learning to trust and follow intuition Why we need to embrace imperfection To learn more, click here!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest Jenny Blake, an author and career strategist, discusses topics such as saying "no" to something good, creating assets for yourself, making yourself discoverable, running a business on intuition, and seeking advice from "friendtors".

What would you give to have more free time, less stress & more ability to do the things you love, while knowing everything else is handled? That is the promise of a powerful new body of work from today’s guest, Jenny Blake. Jenny is an author, host of two podcasts, Free Time for Heart-Based Business Owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake, and keynote speaker who loves helping people move from friction to flow through smarter systems. Her new book, Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business, is, quite literally, life-changing. I actually featured Jenny in my last book, SPARKED, because she’s what I call an Essentialist, meaning she lives and breathes to create order from chaos, in the name of clarity and ease. Her mind works in ways that mine doesn’t. Jenny is world-class at creating systems that give you back your life. And, the stunning volume of ideas, tools, processes, and resources she’s developed and curated in Free Time, along with the dashboard she’s launched alongside it, made me realize how much harder I’ve been making things in all parts of work and life, and how much more automation and ease I could access, and, as a result, how much more time I could create to do the things that truly light me up. So, I was excited to invite Jenny to dive deeper into her ideas, methodology and specific tools and resources to create more free time and joy in work, life and beyond. You can find Jenny at: Website | Free Time Podcast | Buy One, Get One, Give One Preorder Bonus.If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Brené Brown.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED.Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.Question - when it comes to work, do you really care about being more productive, or is the real goal to get all the important stuff done, but in a way that actually gives you back more free time to do the things, in both work and life, that you’re genuinely passionate about and excited to do? Because, they’re not the same. Sometimes, we talk about productivity as if it’s the end-goal. It’s not. The real goal is what it gives us. Which begs a question, are all those productivity methods, tools, strategies actually working for you? Are they giving you back your life? And the free time to choose what matters most, even if it’s just taking a nap or playing, and spend more time doing just that?This is where we’re heading in today’s provocative hot take with SPARKED Braintrust regular, Jenny Blake. These Hot Take episodes are where we look at hot topics in conversation with expert guides from the SPARKED Braintrust.In today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Jenny discuss: The benefit of scheduling a ‘do not schedule’ time block on your calendar Asking what can you batch, delegate or automate? The power of A-synchronous communication tools How a rolling agenda can save you time and bring less friction to a meeting Why we need to run our own experiments on when and what works best for us Why we shouldn’t underestimate how helpful systems & processes can be ie. Canned or Guided Responses in your email for repeating conversations And, today, we’re going on a myth-busting journey, taking a bit of an ax to old school ideas of productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, and sharing powerful insights and practical tools from her body of work designed not just to help you be more productive, but to literally create a volume of free time you never knew was possible.  Jenny also reminds us that ‘Free Time’ is not about floating through life as if on perpetual vacation. Free Time is about optionality: the ability to choose when you work, with whom, and on the projects that most excite you—on the work that you and only you can do. It is about moving from friction to flow through the power of focus and smart systems.SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Jenny Blake | WebsiteJenny is a podcaster, career and business strategist, and an award-winning author of three books: Life After College, the groundbreaking Pivot for navigating what’s next, and her recently published Free Time for optimizing what’s now. IN CONVERSATION WITH: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsiteRead more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.How do you satisfy an impulse to build a living around multiple passions and be in constant learning and growth mode, in a work world that keeps pushing you to pick a single passion or skill-set, become an expert and just keep doing that one thing for life? Jonathan & Jenny offer: Closing the communication gap with multiple resumes / portfolios Pitching your varied skillset as an asset and differentiator not a detractor Is it about the size of the organization or actually the scope of opportunity for growth / learning? Finding your thriving style instead of trying to ‘fit or pigeon hole’ How to query all the ‘shoulds’ Find your guiding lights, even if you’re not connected with them directly Concept mentioned: Steven Johnson ‘The adjacent possible’ - quick explainerIn today’s episode we’re in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Jenny Blake | WebsiteJenny is a podcaster, career and business strategist, and an award-winning author of three books: Life After College, the groundbreaking Pivot for navigating what’s next, and her recently published Free Time for optimizing what’s now. LISTENER: Sarah, Sparketype: Maven/PerformerToday's listener Sarah shares that when she works in less purposeful, single-focused, non-growth-oriented roles she becomes drained and uninspired once the initial novelty has worn off. She wants to reclaim ‘play’ and variety, pursue different passions and she’s fine always learning and not being an established expert in any one domain.But, Sarah feels like potential employers want to hire people who are committed to one craft and is feeling pressured to pick a path or profession that feels too limiting. And, she’s not alone. So, how do you handle expressing an impulse for many things when the world of work wants you to be one thing?YOUR HOST: Jonathan FieldsJonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The WebsitePresented by LinkedIn.

Jenny Blake, author, speaker and podcaster, joins Jay to discuss pulling out moments of meaning from small interactions, reshaping stories for audio, and the power of setting and description in storytelling.

In this conversation with bestselling author Jenny Blake, she tackles overcoming burnout and improving business efficiency. Jenny urges listeners to identify systemic issues instead of just tackling individual challenges. She shares insightful strategies for delegating tasks, streamlining operations, and rediscovering what truly engages you. Jenny also emphasizes the balance between routine and cognitive work, the importance of embracing change, and how to reassess outdated financial beliefs for better decision-making. With her practical tips, find out how to manage your time effectively and focus on impactful work.

Jenny Blake discusses the importance of systems for reclaiming time in your business. She shares tips on implementing systems at any stage of your business. The podcast explores embracing authenticity, vulnerability, and efficiency in storytelling and business processes. Tools like Descript, Speakpipe, and Help Scout are recommended for automating tasks and streamlining operations.