For this episode, my guest is Stacy Tuschl of She’s Building Her Empire. Stacy is a business owner, philanthropist, in-demand speaker and business coach, author, wife, and mother. Her book Is Your Business Worth Saving? is a #1 International Bestseller which helps entrepreneurs to move towards success and do so without sacrificing time away from family. She started her first business at age 18 in her parents’ backyard and was able to grow it into a 7-figure business. As an entrepreneur herself, she understands what her clients experience and struggle with – her hands-on experience and realistic approach ensures that women achieve their business goals. Rescuing businesses and building empires are just some of what we’ve discussed. Other topics we’ve chatted about are: How her journey as an entrepreneur started, how coaches and mentors helped her in her business early on and how she realized her niche in the business. How meeting people with the same mentor yet in different phases and success levels of their businesses motivated her to write her book. Her reason to niche down and focus on women entrepreneurs with She’s Building Her Empire. Lessons learned, challenges her team faced and the groundwork involved with rebranding and shifting focus. The diverse stories of the guests in her show and why she decided despite being a female-oriented brand to have male guests on her podcast. Family and parenthood’s impact on her business, how her calendar, chunking, and theming the days enables her to accomplish more, and similar productivity systems I practice. How people can start to emulate Stacy’s systems through proactive and reactive work scheduling, and having a top 3 in the to-do list. The Mompreneur money map, how it works by simplifying things and implementing ideas, and how to get a free copy of it. Her advice to people waiting to launch their business ideas but lacks the confidence to do so. Relevant Links: She’s Building Her Empire | Stacy Tuschl Is Your Business Worth Saving by Stacy Tuschl Episode 140: How to Know When It’s Time to Rebrand | Stacy Tuschl Mompreneurs Money Map She's Building Her Empire | Facebook The Power of Chunking | Tony Robbins She’s Building Her Empire Live Meet Stacy | Stacy Tuschl Stacy Tuschl (@StacyTuschl) | Twitter Thanks for listening, until next time remember to stop guessing… and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

A landscape architect, entrepreneur, graphic journalist and memory collector, Deborah LeFrank uses pens and paper to capture stories from daily life by creating sketch notes or visual stories which help her remember things and memories. I've known her for quite some time and I'm a big fan of her work, and she's my guest for this episode. She uses bullet journaling and incorporates visuals to it as a key tool for productivity in all aspects of her life. Her company Visual Life Stories helps people to collect their memories through visual stories. There's so much that Deborah shared, some of the things discussed are: How we met at Social Media Camp and the story behind the business cards she handed that really impressed me. The scope of her work that allows for remarkable presentations and excellent ways to recall and capture the essence of the presentations for the audience. People's innate attraction to visual learning and story-telling, and her technique to do the process of note-taking and sketching effectively. How she started interest in her craft, honing it through practice as needed in her career, and finding out about the concept of sketch-notes. Integrating analog and digital methods in sketch-noting to create projects and serve clients. How bullet journaling allows her to combine artistry and productivity, and how its convenience and flexibility helps her greatly. Features she’s added into the newest version of her bullet journal like habit tracking template, daily theming and focus words. Relevant Links: Visual Life Stories | Deborah LeFrank Mike Rohde’s Books on Sketchnoting | Designer Mike Rohde Eva-Lotta Lamm | User Experience Designer My 3 Words for 2017 | Chris Brogan 3words | C.C. Chapman Graphic Recording and Meeting Facilitation with Sunni Brown Deborah LeFrank (@DeborahLeFrank) | Twitter Visual Life Stories (@visuallifestory) | Twitter Visual Life Stories | Facebook   Thanks for listening, until next time remember to stop guessing… and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

My guest for this episode is Kourosh Dini - a psychiatrist, writer, musician, and author. Some of his works include Zen & The Art of Work, Creating Flow with OmniFocus, and Workflow Mastery. I’ve met Kourosh a couple of years ago when we worked together for the OmniFocus set-up. I love his work and have always seen him as a thoughtful productivity strategist who knows his stuff. Some of the things we talked about this week are: How meditation shifts our mindset which ultimately makes us more mindful and productive. The importance of pausing and practical tips on how to apply it in your life. Personalization and why it's important in your daily interactions. Why play time is a necessary ingredient in performance, productivity, and happiness at work. How music can boost your productivity, creativity, and overall sense of well-being. Kourosh's thoughts on ambient sound apps and how he uses them in his own workflow. The five elements of good health, according to Kourosh. Kourosh's take on meditation and his recommendations for those who want to start meditating. Relevant Links: Kourosh Dini | Mind, Music, and Technology Zen & the Art of Work | Find Calm in Work and Play OmniFocus | Task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone Review: Zen and The art of Work | Productivityist Productivity & Play with Dr. Kirsten Milliken | Productivityist Focus at Will | Get 4x increase in productivity with this concentration music for working smarter. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport| Amazon How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery by Lawrence LeShan| Amazon What’s the Best Music to Listen to While Working? | The Atlantic Kourosh Dini (@kouroshdini) | Twitter Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

My guest this week is Alan Brown – a productivity coach, best-selling author of the book Zen and the Art of Productivity, and the host of Crusher TV. Alan helps people get more things done in less time and with less stress through smart productivity and brain hacks. We chatted about his experience in overcoming a learning disability and addiction, how he catapulted himself from an average ad executive to a successful entrepreneur, and how brain hacks played an important part in all these. This week, he shares some techniques to get you from planning to execution. Join us as we discuss: Alan's interesting background which involved dealing with ADHD and turning it into an advantage that accelerated his career. What motivated him to create the ADD Crusher and eventually the Crusher TV community. What a brain hack is according to Alan and his thoughts about it. Alan's thoughts on different coaching approaches and what works. What an inner game is and the role it plays in one's own productivity. Alan's views on setting boundaries, awareness, deep work, and how these all affect one's inner game. The importance of well-being to fuel the body and brain. Alan’s low-bandwidth but high-impact sampling of brain hacks that will help you maximize your productivity. Relevant Links: Crusher TV The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey | Amazon The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Pocketbook Guide to Fulfilling Your by Deepak Chopra | Amazon Mind Hacking: How to Change Your Mind for Good in 21 Days Hardcover by John Hargrave | Amazon Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Hardcover by Cal Newport | Amazon Crusher TV (@realcrusherTV) | Twitter Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

In this week's episode, my guest is Allison Schaaf - a food, nutrition and culinary expert, and founder of meal-planning website PrepDish. It offers gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo meal plans to help people save time preparing healthy, homecooked meals. Allison was a guest on a previous bonus episode where we chatted about her approach in productivity which got its roots from the kitchen. She’s back this week and talked about something that's off the beaten path for me: cooking! If you’re interested in having a more productive kitchen, I highly suggest paying attention to this episode as we discussed: Her background in culinary arts and nutrition, her stint as a personal chef, and a personal pain point that led her to create a meal plan system which is now known as Prep Dish. The importance of nourishment and well-being, and why people should invest time planning their meals instead of going for the convenience of fast, commerically-prepared food. How to create meal plans that cater to people with different diet preferences and restrictions. How the PrepDish meal plan works – what's in it, how tos, and the strategies that will help you master food preparation and healthy cooking. Allison’s food preparation hacks like prioritization, doing double-duty tasks, grouping and batching, and how it's parallel to my own productivity system. How learning the PrepDish system can help you enjoy the reward of healthy cooking in your family. Allison’s kitchen essentials and why you shouldn't skimp on the right tools. Allison's advice that will make a difference in your life. Relevant Links: PrepDish.com Three Must Have Knives for Your Kitchen | PrepDish.com Three Essential Cutting Boards You Need in Your Kitchen | PrepDish.com Prepping Ahead & Storing | PrepDish.com Food Processor vs. Blender? My Recommendation. | PrepDish.com Prep Dish (@PrepDish) | Twitter Anova Culinary PCB-120US-K1 Bluetooth Precision Cooker | Amazon Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker | Amazon Thanks for listening! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

In this week's podcast episode, my guest is Joshua Latimer – the man behind Send Jim and Automate Grow Sell, which help small businesses tap the power of relationship marketing. A few years back, Joshua left his job as a banker at JP Morgan Chase and decided to open a cleaning business in Michigan, which he eventually sold in 2015. He is now based with his family in Costa Rica managing a company that creates more freedom for businesses through automation and systems. Joshua and I chatted about planning, systemizing, theming, and automation among many others. Topics we’ve discussed are: Joshua’s business background, the different business models that inspired him, his motivation to create Send Jim, and it’s 4-year run as a business. The importance of relationship marketing in businesses and how Send Jim can help entrepreneurs harness its power. How he applies theming in his personal life and even created themed days for each of his family member. Joshua’s task management approach to the multiple projects he is running. His fascination with different beliefs, points of view, and economic and business principles across cultures. Books that captivated his interest and shaped the core paradigms he is currently applying in his business and life. Why he turned down an offer to co-author a book and a lesson about saying no. This resonated with me a lot. Other methods he has put into place like breaking his days into sprints, delegating, and turning things off. What Send Jim does, its market, and why it's called Send Jim instead of Send Josh. Relevant Links: Features | Sendjim.io  Send Jim | App Store  Automate Grow Sell | Joshua Latimer Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber | Productivityist Automate Grow Sell | Joshua Latimer Productivity Planner: Get More Done and Beat Procrastination by Intelligent Change | Kickstarter The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan | Amazon Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown | Amazon Thanks for listening! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

My guest on this episode is one of my good friends, David Knapp-Fisher. We met at the World Domination Summit where we found out that we live 4 blocks apart, and have been constantly connecting ever since. David is a father, speaker, and writer who loves connecting with people – especially the passionate and inspiring ones who lead remarkable lives. He describes himself as a guy who bumbled through school but always knew that he was smart outside of the standard school setting. He worked as a chef for some time until he realized that his passion is connecting with people. We chatted (with David right in my home office) about keeping connections alive, his routine, and the power of saying hello. Some specific topics we talked about are: How we met and first said hello to each other at the World Domination Summit. The importance of having the right knowledge to be productive. And in cases when you don’t how you can tap into gaining more knowledge by finding and saying hello to someone who does have it. David’s method to foster and maintain authentic connections through priority, productivity, and doing the right things, and a morning coffee-and-email-routine he’s been doing to ensure that this aspect is covered in the first hour of his day. Why it is important to always ask ‘How can I help you?’ which according to him may even be more important than saying hello. My takeaway on his point of view translated into productivity practice - such as going into his email app with missions rather than questions, and being deliberate in maintaining connections. The idea that by going into "self-serving mode" that we can wind up serving others. On that note, David shared the story of how merely introducing two people served a larger purpose. People’s tendency to perceive arrogance due to systems we put in place. An example of which is illustrated in my story involving scheduling podcast interviews via Acuity, and David’s experience managing Inspired Victoria and how he was able to resolve this through fairness and honesty. The process he uses if he wants to reach out to people or include people more closely in his life. An interesting rule he enforces in the Inspired Victoria community so people get to connect based on their passions, and a related story during my theater days about connecting through passions, and how we often miss opportunities like these when we only see things at face value. A story of saying hello that took so long to happen – maybe brought by fear of rejection – that ultimately led to a friendship. David's take on processing rejection, and his final words of advice. Relevant Links: Inspiration for Awesome Lifestyles | David Knapp-Fisher Discipline or Regret - A Father's Decision | David Knapp-Fisher | TEDxStanleyPark | YouTube Inspired Victoria World Domination Summit Acuity Scheduling Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang | Amazon The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz | Amazon This episode was definitely special because we were actually sitting face-to-face, and our conversation was more insightful as we fed off each other's energy. Thanks for listening! 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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 episode's guest is Claire Tompkins (a.k.a. the Clutter Coach). Claire works with clients to organize and declutter their homes and offices, to manage their time, and get things done better. She works with artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and more as a professional organizer by creating simple, practical systems for real people. If you’ve been following the podcast and my other work, you’d know how big a fan of simple I am. That's something that Claire also promotes. Claire and I chatted on this episode about clutter - from physical to digital, workflows, apps, clients, books, and influencers. Some of the specific areas we discussed were: Her perception of what clutter is – from the physical ones occupying our spaces, those hidden behind drawers and cupboards, to the ones that occupy our minds and our devices. An epiphany that motivated her to start decluttering her. How she starts the process of decluttering, and dealing with clients who identify and define clutter very differently. One of the methods she uses in task management – to make your tasks into a card game. Books she is interested in that deal with resistance, willpower, habit-creation, and procrastination. The process of she uses when working with her clients, including identifying pain points and urgency, sorting clutter and items, and dealing with resistance and the return of clutter. Getting people to step back and recognize the need to re-organize and declutter, and a very interesting story of how one client did not recognize their own living space immediately after taking a photo of it. Her preference for paper to-do lists, and the influencers that have inspired her to fit her to-do list within the larger context of how she intends her life to be. How she observes her clients’ productivity and organization techniques, asking them the logic behind their habits and practices to help them personalize their workflow so they can create a sense of ownership and accountability. The reason for her shift from productivity to zero in on clutter, the lack of women working in productivity and why she thinks that is the case. We also discussed how we want to introduce workflows so it becomes easier for people to absorb the importance of productivity practices, the problems we’ve experienced with systems and clients, and the integration of online and offline task management. Relevant Links Clutter Coach | Less Overwhelm = More Joy Podcast 029: Make your tasks into a card game | Clutter Coach The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield | Amazon The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It by Kelly McGonigal | Amazon The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg | Amazon It's About Time!: The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them by Linda Sapadin and Jack Maguire | Amazon 43 Folders zen habits Getting Things Done with David Allen | The Productivityist Podcast The Ivy Lee Method: The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity | James Clear The Emergent Task Planner™ | Dave Seah 52 Simple Ways to Get Organized (download) | Clutter Coach Clutter Coach Claire Tompkins (@ClaireTompkins) | Twitter Clutter Coach Claire | Facebook Thank you for joining me today- and remember to stop guessing and start going. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

My guest for this episode is Philip McKernan. He is an inspirational speaker, philosopher, writer, and filmmaker who works with entrepreneurs and leaders to live a life that benefits all aspects of their lives. This is one of the most impactful episodes I’ve ever had. We had a very refreshing conversation that covered so much it can get you to see things in a different light. He talked about letting go, alignment, consumption of information, and authenticity. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Some highlights of this episode are: The mindset that puts money on a pedestal, the freedom people think it provides, and how that doesn’t equate to peace of mind, sense of fulfillment and purpose. How long it took him to realize that what he was chasing was out of alignment with who he really was. How "busy-ness" and chaos indicates an underlying pain, how staying busy is just a rationalization of the feeling of disconnection, and how society evolved such that busy became socially acceptable. Indicators and manifestations of a life that is not aligned. The problem with people consuming so many how-to-guides and information instead of trusting their internal wisdom, gut, and intuition. His insights on retreats and conferences, and finding those that actually resonate with an individual in a way that can serve them emotionally and intellectually. The film he put together titled Give & Grow, his definition of what gifts are vs. talents, what drove him to create a film, and why he used this specific medium. The two core things human beings want to do. Strategies to let go on an emotional level and what things that we carry deep down end up sabotaging ourselves. How being aligned is a human possibility that creates fluency making things easier, instead of thinking that life must be hard and hard work is necessary. His thoughts on minimalism as not merely letting go of material things but is deeply rooted in alignment and emotions. The overwhelming expectation for perfection, productivity, and success people are subjected upon – which may not necessarily be their personal truth but a reflection of their family’s, friend’s, or society’s expectations. His thoughts on consumption of information – whether online or offline and how to move from mere information to knowledge, wisdom, and awareness. How he spent a huge chunk of his life suppressing his real self. His advice on how everyone should deal with life. Relevant Links Philip McKernan (@PhilipMcKernan) | Twitter PhilipMcKernan.com | Are you destined for more? Uncover Your Gift | GIVE & GROW A 5 Minute Plea to Do by Gary Vaynerchuck - YouTube Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss Stoic Optimism: Ryan Holiday at TEDxUChicago 2014 Thanks for listening. See you next time! 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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

It’s been 5 YEARS since my very first podcast recording with Michael Schechter. I thought it would be fitting to bring him back this week. We caught up on what has happened since we stopped recording podcasts together roughly 2 years ago. This episode at its core is just the two of us being nostalgic. I even injected in some clips of our podcasts together. Here’s what we did talk about on this episode: We reminisced during a very "professional" segment we did on Mikes on Mics called "What Are You Drinking?" I caught up with what he has been up to lately, and how his work on A Better Mess and in the productivity scene is being applied to what he is doing now. We discussed what motivated us to get into productivity, the backstory of our podcast’s Episode 0, and what the trajectory of his career and life has looked like since then. He specified habits and things rooted from his productivity days that he still finds helpful to this day, some things he's missed, and memories that stuck with us. He also recalled the things that he doesn’t quite miss, his tendency to be a bad friend, and my suggestion on how he can improve in this area. Relevant Links Workflowing/Mikes on Mics | Podcast Chart Workflowing/Mikes on Mics Thanks for listening. This was a fun one. 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. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. 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