Dale Halaway is the guest on this episode of the podcast. He has been influencing the lives and careers of thousands for almost forty years and is a leader in the movement for awakening and change. Dale and I talked about a whole bunch of topics that can really help with our personal development: ego, resistance, change, letting go of things that no longer serve us, and this thing called “transcovery” – to be honest, I wish we had more time to talk! Talking Points Dale’s beginnings, his career fast track, and the opportunities that followed Overcoming his speech impediment and the role of ego in letting go and change The Transcovery Process: Its spontaneous development and his eureka moment Recognizing and handling change when it comes knocking on our door Unconscious Resistance: Its roots and manifestations How our body can reveal our fears and resistance Slowing down to open up the greater version of ourselves and get what we deserve Deep-seated control issues that hinder productivity The benefits of adopting the practice of daily journaling Exclusive freebies and bonus materials for Productivityist listeners Quote “When change comes knocking on your door, the first thing you want to do is that you want to be able to break that down to what does that ultimately mean… There’s going to be a process that could go on for days, weeks, even months, before you complete that process and come out of the other side where not only have you changed something within yourself but others around you will notice the change.” Relevant Links Being Called to Change: Let Go of All That No Longer Serves You and Grow Into Your Full Potential | Amazon Being Called To Change Dale Halaway Dale Halaway on Facebook Dale Halaway on Linkedin @dalehalaway on Instagram This episode largely deals with one question: How can you get comfortable with this ever-accelerating pace of change? Big thanks to Dale for chatting with me and if you want to learn more about him, check out his book Being Called to Change: Let Go of All That No Longer Serves You and Grow Into Your Full Potential. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m excited to be joined by Mary Shores this week, the bestselling author of Conscious Communications: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Harnessing the Power of Your Words to Change Your Mind, Your Choices, and Your Life. Mary is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Through her work, she provides pragmatic solutions for people who are “freaking out”. With an extensive knowledge of neuroscience and human behaviour added to her repertoire, she guides businesses and individuals to defeat the “freak out” and create their ideal life. The topics Mary and I discussed had a ton of significance regarding our choices and perception and how they shape our current situations. Talking Points How Tony Robbins impacted Mary’s work and changed her life Developing communications strategies for debt collection calls Reframing: Changing perspectives after personal tragedy and trauma A serendipitous encounter with Chazz Palminteri back in 1993 for the movie A Bronx Tale The Power of Words: How your words help shape your life and manifest your intentions Mary’s daily practice of gratitude and journaling to harness the power of words Motivation then Action: Writing a one page action plan that becomes the blueprint to integrate the plan into your life Quote “The most beautiful part of your story, even when these terrible things happen, the more empowering part and the more impactful part is in how did you move on. And so when you look at your circumstances in this way that creates you to be a victim, then you make choices that a victim makes… Whereas when you look at yourself as someone who’s overcome something, then you can look at yourself through a perception of empowerment and then you’re making choices that an empowered person makes.”  Relevant Links Conscious Communications: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Harnessing the Power of Your Words to Change Your Mind, Your Choices, and Your Life | Amazon Tony Robbins A Bronx Tale Mary Shores  Mary Shores on Instagram Mary Shores on Twitter Mary Shores on LinkedIn The Daily Desires Diary Bundle Fearless Ambition – Facebook Community I encourage you to check out everything that we spoke about and to also pick up Mary’s book. This session’s message with Mary is powerful and I’m delighted to have had a very productive conscious communication with you through this podcast. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Cal Newport joins me to talk about his latest book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. He is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and is a self-professed blogging nerd. He is also the author of six books, focusing on topics related to professional productivity, personal satisfaction and the intersection of technology and society. My guest this time around is Cal Newport. Cal is a friend of mine and I’ve always loved chatting with him. This episode is no exception. We dived into a lot, talking about how I tend to share cool things on Facebook, the concept of “keeping things in boxes”, and being more intentional with birthday notifications – all in the name of what Cal has dubbed “Digital Minimalism.” Talking Points More of less is more: The rise of minimalism in the physical and digital world Gaining meaning back into your life through less digital presence Lifestyle philosophy over lifehacks, tips and tricks Keeping boxes packed and installing only apps you miss Clutter is costly: The negative cost that offsets the ‘benefits’ of clutter Optimization is important: Make digital platforms work for you instead of you working for them Intentionality trumps convenience: Reorienting your life to the things that provide most value Quality analog friendships: Our lives pre-2007 and why Facebook birthday notifications is a giant Ponzi scheme  Mindset shifts to make minimalism sustainable Quote “Digital minimalism is a movement. There’s a lot of people out there doing this. These are the people you see who are not looking at their phone when they’re waiting in line, they’re enjoying something outside and not documenting it, they have long conversations with friends where they don’t have a phone with them, they’re the guys building a canoe in their woodshed and haven’t seen their phone in three hours. They have so much more meaning and satisfaction they’re getting out of their lives.”  Relevant Links Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World Deep Work with Cal Newport | The Productivityis Podcast Leo Babauta | Zen Habits Joshua Becke | Becoming Minimalist Courtney Carver | Be More with Less Ryan & Joshua | The Minimalists Packing Party: Unpack a Simpler Life Sensible Defaults | Patrick Rhone Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator for Chrome and Mozilla Instapaper Buffer Cal Newport I’m pleased to bring you this insightful conversation between me and Cal. The two of us can just talk for hours and cover so many things; I look forward to having him on again soon. I hope you’ll find this episode packed with tidbits to help you deal with your digital (and life) clutter. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, Joey Cofone, the co-founder and CEO of Baron Fig, joins the show. Baron Fig is a company that started as a Kickstarter project which has evolved into a brand that designs and offers inspiring products to thinkers such as writers, illustrators, and entrepreneurs around the world. I just talked with James Clear on the previous episode, and now Joey Cofone is here! I’ve been wanting to chat with Joey for a while and on this episode, I finally got the chance. I had a great time discussing a range of topics from my well-documented affinity for Baron Fig, their collaboration with James Clear, what it’s like to create physical products, and how he builds a team that’s crafting these products. Talking Points Point, don’t plan: How to set goals, let them go, and keeping impostor syndrome and comparison at bay  The Beginnings of Baron Fig: From a notebook idea at a Thai restaurant to selling nearly 10,000 notebooks in 30 days and now taking over my life  Creating a design-oriented notebook and building a thinker company  Digital vs Analog: What is the best tool for the job and why is a notebook still the best tool for thinking  The freedom and restriction that apps tend to bring  Rooting for digital tools and integrating new styles in paper products  Guided editions including James Clear’s The Clear Habit Journal: the next evolutionary step for people intimidated by the blank page  Balancing digital and analog tools in developing ideas simultaneously  Why Joey supplanted the Nomad sticky notes with the Strategist note cards  Good ideas come from anywhere: Talking to 500 thinkers around the world for feedback  Quote “Design is integrated into everything that I do and how I look at the world. And I don’t think it was something that I chose, it’s how I grew up, being very nitpicky and detail-oriented. And in design, it just seem that that is what I should do with this. So, when we started Baron Fig, we’re very much design-oriented.” Relevant Links Baron Fig Horizontal Themes: Maintaining Time, Making Time, and Musing Time Notion App Patrick Rhone’s Sensible Defaults James Clear’s Clear Habit Journal Why You Need Atomic Habits with James Clear How Did This Get Made? Eureka Michael Hyatt Adam Kornfield How I Built This with Guy Raz SCOTTeVEST Nomad Sticky Notes Strategist Dot Grid Index Cards Joey Cofone’s Website @joeycofone on Twitter @joeycofone on Instagram Joey Cofone on Facebook I had a (fittingly) productive discussion with Joey and I trust you’ll enjoy our chat as much as I did.   Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, I speak with James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. James is an expert on habit formation who offers not only theories backed by science, but also practical strategies that will help you achieve powerful, atomic-level results. On this episode, James and I had a really productive discussion on a range of topics from the journey of putting the book together, how alarm clocks fail me (or I fail alarm clocks), turning off the internet router at 10 PM to keeping the beer at the back of the fridge and Crossfit. Talking Points Designing and Defining Atomic Habits: Two main lenses to look the book through  The two-minute rule in scaling down a habit and actually making it stick Importance of slowing down and awareness for effective behavioral change  Having a variety of small things organized toward the same goal  Solutions for setting up efficient timing  Strategies for building good seasonal habits  Tools to make habits stick and break through biases  The three reasons/meanings behind the use of the term “atomic”  Creating a journal that makes it easier to build habits that is useful but not fixed  Quote “Many of our behaviors are socially reinforced… When the social reinforcement is so strong, we overcome the obstacles in our environment. The key insight there is you want to join a tribe, a group where your desired behavior is the normal behavior. Because if it’s normal in that group, then it’s going to seem attractive to you to do it even if it’s not convenient.” Relevant Links Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich | Amazon The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris | Amazon Baron Fig’s Clear Habit Journal Use Freedom to Block Websites, Apps, & the Internet Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator Distraction-free YouTube (Chrome extension) Trello.com James Clear @jamesclear on Twitter @james_clear on Instagram James Clear on Facebook I learned a lot from reading Atomic Habits and through my conversations with James and I’m sure you will too. And make sure to catch the next episode where I have Joey Cofone as my guest for a back-to-back habit tracking and intentionality goodness. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, I speak with my good friend and author of Company of One, Paul Jarvis. I’ve known Paul for years and am elated to finally have him appear on the show to talk about staying small and how to build a company of one. My discussion with Paul nearly mimics the kind of thing we do every few weeks when we get together for coffee. I’ve admired how Paul goes about his work and we explore those elements during our conversation. Some of the things we talk about are how ego plays a role in building a business, how the “company of one” that Paul built happened accidentally at first, how you can implement the “company of one” mindset in business that are larger, and how to scale through automation in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you in the process. Relevant Links Company of One by Paul Jarvis | Amazon How talking to Seth Godin on the phone changed my life and business by Jeff Goins | Ladders Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday | Amazon Beyond The E-Myth with Michael Gerber | The Productivityist Podcast The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss | Amazon Do Things You Can Sustain | James Clear I Don’t Actually Care About Growth | Paul Jarvis The Sunday Dispatches | Paul Jarvis I learned a lot through this discussion (and by reading Paul’s book) and I trust that you will as well. If you do get value out of our conversation and enjoy the process along the way. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the show, my guest is Steve Glaveski. Steve is an entrepreneur, author, and podcast host whose mission is to unlock the latent potential of organizations and their people so that they can create more impact for humanity and ultimately to lead more fulfilling lives. Our conversation focuses primarily on his book Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Earn Your Freedom and Do Work That Matters, as we explore the ideas and insights he peppered throughout its pages. We spoke about what one needs to have in mind before leaping from employee to entrepreneur, the importance of keeping a level head throughout an entrepreneurial journey (especially when you have a big spike in sales or performance that might not be sustainable), how to deal with the tough questions you need to ask and the answers that may come with those questions, and much more. Relevant Links Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Earn Your Freedom and Do Work That Matters by Steve Glaveski | Amazon The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | Amazon Episode 222: How to Fight a Hydra with Josh Kaufman | The Productivityist Podcast Episode 296: Jason Fried on Why It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work | Future Squared Episode 60: Less Doing with Ari Meisel | The Productivityist Podcast Repurpose.io The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin | Amazon The Odyssey by Homer | Amazon Employee to Entrepreneur I had a great time chatting with Steve this week and I hope you enjoyed our conversation. If so, please let me know by giving the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I’d also love it if you subscribed to the show. You can do that when you visit the podcast website or by doing so on a variety of popular podcast platforms and apps. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest for this episode is Dr. Bryan E. Robinson, author of the book #CHILL: Turn Off Your Job and Turn on Your Life. He is a licensed psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He currently has a blog on Psychology Today called “The Right Mindset.” He has been interviewed by Forbes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among countless other magazines. During our discussion I asked Bryan about why this was the book that he needed to write now. He also reveals an easy to remember acronym that can help you slow down in a deliberate fashion and what the concept of #CHILL means. Beyond that we talk about the specific structure of the book, how he suggests readers approach the book, why being curious is so important, and more. Relevant Links #CHILL: Turn Off Your Job and Turn on Your Life by Bryan E. Robinson | Amazon Creative Quest by Questlove | Amazon Elizabeth Gilbert | The TED Interview Bryan E. Robinson | Website Dr. Bryan E. Robinson – @brtherapist | Twitter I hope you were about to #chill while listening to this episode and found valuable insights along the way. If you enjoyed this episode and don’t want to miss another, make sure to subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts or visit the podcast page to subscribe on one of several podcast listening mediums. Feedback is always helpful so if you can find time to rate and review the show, I’d appreciate it. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the show, I speak with Joe Ferraro. Joe is the man behind The One Percent Better Project and is a teacher and podcast host who helps to dissect the mindset, language, and behavior of daily improvement across the worlds of business, communication, and education. During our conversation, we talk about the power of working towards getting one percent better, how making one change in your world can lead to so much more change that you’d never expect, where Joe starts with people when trying to help make a change, why embracing change that is unconventional can lead to great success, and much more. Relevant Links The One Percent Better Project One Percent Better: The Podcast TimeCraftingTV VidIQ The NOW Year Calendar | NeuYear & Productivityist (SAVE 20% with promo code FRESHSTART)      Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape This Book | Amazon Creative Quest by Questlove | Amazon Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom | Amazon The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg | Amazon Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman | Amazon Episode 222: How to Fight a Hydra | The Productivityist Podcast Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon Wine Library TV from Gary Vaynerchuk The Five Minute Journal: A Happier You in Five Minutes a Day | Amazon Comedian | Amazon Joe Ferraro | Twitter I had such a great time talking with Joe – so much so that we ran longer than I usually would. If you’re looking to get one percent better then I encourage you to check out Joe’s work and podcast. If you liked this episode, then I also encourage you to share it far and wide and subscribe to the show here. You can also rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening to The Productivityist Podcast. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m joined this time around by Josh Kaufman, the author of three bestselling books – including his latest effort How to Fight a Hydra: Face Your Fears, Pursue Your Ambitions, and Become the Hero You Are Destined to Be. Josh’s research focuses on business, entrepreneurship, skill acquisition, productivity, creativity, applied psychology, and practical wisdom and he’s someone I’ve wanted to have on the show for a long time. Josh and I carry on a conversation that revolves around the differences between How to Fight a Hydra and his previous books, the power of story (particularly fables and parables), why I never thought of Josh as a productivity expert yet he describes himself as such, and much more. Relevant Links How to Fight a Hydra: Face Your Fears, Pursue Your Ambitions, and Become the Hero You Are Destined to Be | Amazon The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield | Amazon Josh Kaufman’s Website I had a fantastic time chatting with Josh and I hope you enjoyed our conversation as well. If you did, I encourage you to share this episode and subscribe to the show. You can do that right from wherever you’re listening to this episode or by visiting the podcast website. And if you’re open to rating and reviewing the podcast, that’s even better. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices