Free Time with Jenny Blake

Four Thousand Weeks. Author Oliver Burkeman is asking us to reconsider what it means to “manage time." The conveyor belt of tasks is infinite, but our time most certainly is not.Instead, Burkeman says the most fundamental question is: “What would it mean to spend the only time you ever get in a way that truly feels as though you are making it count?And equally powerful: “In what ways have you yet to accept the fact that you are who you are, not the person you think you ought to be?”More About Oliver: Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking (2012) and an award-winning feature writer for The Guardian, where he wrote a long-running weekly column on psychology, “This Column Will Change Your Life.” Today we’re talking about his brand new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, HELP!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done, The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children🔗 Resources Mentioned: Oliver on the web, Twitter: @OliverBurkeman, The Guardian articles by Oliver, Why You Should Brave the ‘Bad’ Weather🎙 Related Episodes: 23: Happiness For People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking With Oliver Burkeman💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/027 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How long does it take to write a book? That depends: how much else are you juggling? Today I'm sharing five major trade-offs from dedicating my time almost exclusively to writing for these first seven months of 2021. I wrapped final edits just yesterday, and the book goes into typesetting (page layout) next!Singular focus is "the ability to concentrate exclusively on a single task without distraction." I call that short-term singular focus. In this episode we're talking about long-term singular focus: eliminating distraction to focus on one project to the exclusion of just about all else.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener-supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private podcast feed with bonus episodes.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business, Essentialism🎙 Related Episodes: 024: Missing Mojo, Pivot Podcasts: 131: Indistractable with Nir Eyal, 207: How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1), 208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a precrastinator or procrastinator? In today's solo episode, Jenny riffs on the pros and cons of completing everything you possibly can far in advance of big deadlines, with spacious margin around mid-project benchmarks. This requires a healthy dose of systems, structure, and room for emotional rollercoasters.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener-supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private podcast feed with bonus episodes.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business, The Deadline Effect📰 Articles Mentioned: The New Yorker's Clock's Ticking: Can Deadlines Bring Us Back To Life? The Atlantic's Precrastination: Worse Than Procrastination?🎤SXSW's Panel Picker: currently accepting submissions; community voting starts Aug. 10 (Through Aug. 26)🎙 Related Episodes: 024: Missing Mojo💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when your mojo is missing from a creative project you care about? In this solo episode, Jenny riffs on the Free Time gauge: friction versus flow, and her mantra "let it be easy, let it be fun." She shares book updates and an aha! moment about the courage to go all-in.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener-supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Life After College, The Courage to Be Disliked🎙 Related Episodes: 017: Serendipity as Business Strategy with Leanne Hughes, Pivot Podcast—223: Stepping up Systems—How I Shifted to Daily Podcasting💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you determine your true capacity, one that takes your whole life and family into consideration, and then build a streamlined business model to support it? That's the focus of this conversation with Ashley Gartland, who helps service-based business owners scale sustainably.More About Ashley: Ashley is the host of the Better Than Big podcast, where she shares stories, strategies and solutions to help small business owners run their business with more ease and intention. She runs her six-figure business in 25 hours a week, leaving her plenty of time to enjoy the good stuff in life like trail runs, good books, and adventures with her family.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot🔗 Resources Mentioned: Ashley on the web, Instagram: @AshleyGartland, Course: Do Less, Live More, Better Than Big podcast🎙 Related Episodes: On the Decision to Quit Social Media with Jenny Blake💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are you wildly curious about? What types of learning and curating are you doing, even if you have no clue where it's taking you (yet)? In this solo episode, I'm taking the pressure off of becoming an overnight self-declared expert. Instead, I'll share six lenses to help you become a better thought-listener first.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Life After College🔗 Resources Mentioned: Parody: TED Talks—"Thought Leader", Jay Acunzo's Unthinkable: Expert vs. Explorer🎙 Related Episodes: 001: All-in On Heart-Based Business, 006: Going Pro on Podcasting with Jordan Harbinger, 017: Serendipity as Business Strategy with Leanne Hughes💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo-Ná’s aha-moment came five years into running her law practice, at a time when in theory she was thriving, with 11 employees and more work than they could handle. And yet, that crush of exciting work was also leading to burnout.Unsure how to step out of the operations to take a break, Jo-Ná started subconsciously sabotaging her business—just so she could feel free again. Now, five years later, she is thriving and more energetically aligned with her practice and clients than ever. Jo-Ná reconnected with her love of law and coaching after making crucial business model shifts that put her own joy and wellness back where it belongs: front and center.More About Jo-Na: Jo-Ná’s life in entertainment began 23 years ago as background vocalist and songwriter and it took a fortuitous turn when she was not credited or compensated for her work. As a result, she committed her life to educating and protecting entrepreneurs through her work as lawyer, coach, instructor, and business advisor on entrepreneurship. She’s also a spiritual counselor, currently living in New Orleans after spending many years in New York City.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot🔗 Resources Mentioned: Jo-Na on the web, Instagram: @jwilliamsesq, Pro Bono legal support, Goop feature: A Candle Ritual to Attract Love💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is your relationship to your business? If you look at it as a partnership, how well is it serving you and vice versa? What are the patterns? What are you missing? How much of pricing is math and how much is mindset?That's what we're digging into in this juicy conversation with financial behaviorist Jacquette M. Timmons. Jacquette focuses on the human side of money — to help you see that you don't manage money - you manage your choices around money. She'll also explain why the idea of "charging what you're worth" is toxic.In addition to being the author of Financial Intimacy: How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Your Money and Your Mate, Jacquette is the creator of programs like The Comfort Circle™ dinner series, her quarterly Pricing Made Human™ workshop, and host of the More Than Money podcast.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Financial Intimacy: How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Your Money and Your Mate🔗 Resources Mentioned: Jacquette on the web, Instagram: @JacquetteMTimmons, Facebook: Financial Intimacy, Essential Financial Planning for Couples on GMA, monthly Comfort Circle dinners🎙 Related Podcasts: More Than Money💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/020 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The poetic justice of Dave’s mission to help others focus is that it started as a clinical diagnosis of “off-the-charts” ADHD. He took that as a personal challenge and developed simple systems to help us all be more productive. You’re going to love his thoughts on reducing team interruptions, making room for your Most Valuable Activities (and why the business depends on you doing that to grow), and how to remove the BS in your business.More About Dave: Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times, and his five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done, just recently released in its second edition.❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, The Myth of Multitasking, Conscious Business, The Focused Business🔗 Resources Mentioned: Dave on the web, Facebook: @DaveCrenshawAuthor, LinkedIn: @Dave Crenshaw and LinkDave.com💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you justify a luxurious hotel stay in your own city? If you enter it with intention and clear outcomes, the real question becomes how can you not?Even if all you did was rest and recharge, that would be a priceless "win" enough. But workcations can also be powerful for shifting your energy, harnessing focus and flow, and generating your best work.In this solo episode—recorded in a hotel room, where else?!—I'm sharing my thought-process for why these staycations have been so helpful for my most important projects (except for scheduling a batch of podcast interviews on a day when it turns out there's a jackhammer next door to my room).❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Life After College🔗 Resources Mentioned: Soho House Hotel NYC, Two-Day Strategy Sprint Template, Naadam, The Freedom Journal, Aeropress, Blue Yeti travel mic🎙 Related Episodes: 250: Staycation in the City, 005: Brand Obsessed with Emily Heyward, 010: Batching & Boundaries with John Lee Dumas, 77: 21+ Travel Tips, Tools and Apps — with Jenny Blake💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join 💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime 📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices