The Less Doing Podcast

Summary: In Episode #213 Ari welcomes [Seth Godin](http://www.sethgodin.com/), a man who needs no introduction. (Find his blog by typing “Seth G” into Google.) Seth’s a bestselling author, speaker, thinker and doer. Listen as he and Ari talk about becoming more productive, why bigger isn’t better, and how to move past your fear and start _doing the work_. Time Stamped Show Notes: - 14:30 – Welcoming Seth to the show - 15:41 – “Where we live is a state of mind” - 17:40 – Eliminate meetings - 19:30 – “Meetings are a festival to avoid responsibility” - 21:10 – Don’t be busy to be busy - 21:50 – “It can be entirely appropriate to be a meaningful specific” - 23:00 – “Just because it’s important to you, doesn’t mean it should be on my agenda” - 23:20 – Seth writes every day - 24:50 – Writing forces you to have a point of view. That makes you meaningful. - 25:50 – “A freelancer gets paid when she works. An entrepreneur builds a business bigger than herself” - 27:00 – Seth is currently a freelancer - “I do all the work I get paid for” - 27:40 – “You can’t do both at once...decide what you’re good at” - 31:10 – “It doesn’t scale - so what? Bigger doesn’t have to be better” - 33:10 – Seth sees his job as noticing and engaging with patterns - 34:30 – “I’m always writing with my head and sometimes I’m writing with my fingers” - 35:20 – Productivity tips help. But 90% is merely _doing the work_. - 37:40– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Commit to ongoing education. Learn how to engage, connect, think and speak. - Create a culture around you that reinforces the effectiveness you seek. - Commit to strategy, not tactics. - [sethgodin.com](http://www.sethgodin.com) Key Points: 1. Entrepreneurs create something bigger than themselves. Freelancers turn themselves into something big. You can’t be both at once. 2. _Do the work_. Write every day. Learn how to connect, engage, and make change happen. It’s as simple - simple, not easy - as that 3. Eliminate meetings. Communicate by email or one-on-one. 4. Look for truth, even when it’s difficult and frightening. Notice the world. Decide what kind of person you want to be. Resources Mentioned: - [Enflux](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1850884998/enflux-smart-clothing-3d-workout-tracking-and-form?ref=producthunt) - A suit that gives real-time feedback on your workout form - [Cola](http://cola.io/?ref=producthunt) - A text app that lets you carry out tasks like surveys - in one message - [Video Slam](http://videoslamapp.com/?ref=producthunt) - Make a movie from photos and videos in your camera roll - [Keezel](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keezel-online-freedom-for-every-device-everywhere#/) - Access American web content when you’re out of the country - [The Leader](http://theleader.io/) - Feedback on satisfaction and leadership - [If You're A Real Grownup Minivans Are Cool](http://jalopnik.com/if-youre-a-real-grown-up-minivans-are-cooler-than-cros-1764226230?utm_source=nextdraft) - Article from Jalopnik - [Deep Gram](https://www.deepgram.com/) - Transforms transcription by letting you search audio files for keywords Sponsored By: [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

Summary: In Episode #212 Ari welcomes Jason Wachob, the founder of [mindbodygreen](http://www.mindbodygreen.com/), and the author of a new book called [Wellth](http://www.amazon.com/Wellth-Learned-Build-Life-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9/dp/1101904488). Jason’s an ex-trader and entrepreneur whose practice of yoga sparked his passion for wellness. Listen as Jason and Ari talk about how to maintain health and happiness in your life. Time Stamped Show Notes: - 33:45 – Welcoming Jason to the show - 34:10 – [mindbodygreen](http://www.mindbodygreen.com/) - a health and wellness site - 34:40 – Jason left his job as a trader to become an entrepreneur - 35:25 – Became very unwell running his startup: started practising yoga - 37:10 – Sparked an interest in wellness - 38:00 – Led to the launch of [mindbodygreen](http://www.mindbodygreen.com/) - 38:30 – A literary agent contacted Jason about a book - 40:20 – He wrote every time he flew and slowly built up enough words - 41:40 – What’s in [Wellth](http://www.amazon.com/Wellth-Learned-Build-Life-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9/dp/1101904488)? - 42:30 – Wanting to refocus people on health and happiness - 43:50 – Health and nutrition is incredibly important - 44:20 – There’s no one-size-fits-all health solution for everyone - 45:30 – Rigidity isn’t sustainable - 46:40 – In this culture people want to be told what to do - it doesn’t work - 47:50 – It’s important to ground yourself in the natural world - 50:00 – We think about soulmates all wrong - 55:00 – A soulmate is never going to complete you - just make you a little better - 56:30– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Listen to your intuition. Your gut will never fail you. - Find some kind of stress reduction practice that works for you. - Prioritise the things you’re passionate about - [wellth.mindbodygreen.com](http://www.wellth.mindbodygreen.com) Key Points: - Wellness is holistic. Mind, body, relationships, nutrition and the environment are all connected to each other. - Follow your passion. It will make your happier than doing anything else. - There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to having a healthy life. Commit to finding what makes you well and happy. Resources Mentioned: - [com](https://privacy.com/) - A new virtual credit card for every site you sign up for - [Craft the Perfect Productivity Playlist](http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/03/20/craft-perfect-playlist-productivity/) - [Calvin](https://www.calvinapp.com/) - App to make scheduling your social life a cinch - [coffee](https://www.doers.coffee) - Custom ground and roasted coffee - [Boom](http://boom.aero/?ref=producthunt) - The fastest aeroplane ever - [Slack API](https://api.ai/slack/?ref=producthunt) - A conversational Slack bot - [iOS Night Shift](http://jasonprall.stfi.re/2016/03/appleiosnightshift/?sf=jyvxzl&utm_content=buffer1cc8c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer) - A slightly less jarring nighttime screen - [How Often Do You Need To Shower?](http://time.com/4259559/shower-soap-hygiene/) - Against daily showering - [The Secrets of Being Productive](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/28/smarter-faster-better-the-secrets-of-being-productive-in-life-and-business?utm_source=nextdraft) - Analysing the self-help genre Sponsored By: [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medi

# Episode 211 **Summary:** In Episode #211 Ari welcomes Catherine Lavery, co-creator of the [SELF journal](http://bestself.co/) - a mindfulness and planning journal with tens of thousands of backers - to the podcast. Listen as Ari and Catherine talk about goal-setting that works, managing to-do lists and how to achieve the things you want to . **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 17:15 – Welcoming Catherine to the show - 17:30 – The Self Journal - a 13-week goal planner - 18:20 – A means of breaking down a goal into steps and tracking performance - 19:00 – Focus on one thing at a time - 19:40 – Catherine’s own goal-setting - 20:20 – Taking a huge goal and breaking it down into daily tasks - 21:50 – How do you choose the right goal for that framework? - 22:30 – Find an emotional connection to your goal - how will it affect your life? - 23:30 – The journal: write your goal every day and set targets - 24:00 – Writing wins at the end of a day - 24:40 – At the end of the week, reflecting on the goal and progress - 25:20 – Catherine’s journal page for today - 27:30 – The importance of checking in, morning and evening - 28:36 – What’s next? An app? - 29:00 – Developing products to complement the journal - 29:50– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Ask yourself how each ‘to-do’ relates to getting where you want to be - Know what’s draining for you and what’s energising - Look at what you’ve achieved - [bestself.co](http://www.bestself.co) **Key Points:** - Work on one goal at a time, and constantly check in with how you’re getting there - Understand why you want to achieve your goal. What difference will it make in your life? If you don’t have an emotional connection it’s easy to give up. - Look at what you’ve achieved as well as what’s left to do. - Goals become achievable when you break them into daily tasks. **Resources Mentioned:** - [SELF Journal](http://bestself.co/) - Journal designed by Catherine to help people achieve their goals - [Watch Your Mind For 5 Minutes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/01/mindfulness/) - Mindfulness article from Barking up the Wrong Tree - [People making a living from content sharing](http://thehustle.co/meet-the-people-making-a-full-time-living-from-instagram-kickstarter-and-teespring) - [Trim](http://www.asktrim.com/?ref=producthunt) - Manage and cancel subscriptions by text - [Recharge](https://recharge.co/?ref=producthunt) - Book free hotel rooms by the hour - [Prompt App](http://www.promptapp.io/?ref=producthunt) - A bot for everything, controlled via text **Sponsored By:** [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter **Credits** - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

Sorry Team, no notes this week :( ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

**Summary:** In Episode #209 Ari welcomes Clint Arthur, the CEO of Statusfactory and author of ‘Performance’. Listen as Clint and Ari discuss the importance of status for entrepreneurs, how to manufacture celebrity, and why being more entertaining is the best business strategy. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 14:20 – Introduction of Clint Arthur - 14:38 – What is [Statusfactory](http://www.statusfactory.com/)? - 14:59 – To be successful as an entrepreneur, you need to be perceived as high status - 15:22 – The easiest way to raise status is with celebrity - 16:05 – Raising status with speaking engagements - 17:15 – Clint’s background - 17:50 – Meeting Donald Trump - 18:10 – Using celebrity as a tool to appear to be a thought leader - 18:40 – How do you sell a book? Get on TV - 19:40 – Start with tiny cities and work your way up - 21:50 – Booking his own publicity - 22:40 – Appearing on the Today show - 23:04 – You can work up to big markets, as long as you have the right formula - 23:50 – Clint’s pitch email for his appearance was the best one ever sent to Less Doing - 24:14 – [‘Performance’](http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Celebrity-Mesmerize-Audiences-Maximize-ebook/dp/B01AALONJ2) - 25:20 – The skills that help you on TV, webseries, and presentations - 26:03 – ‘Performance’ is about how to be entertaining in everything you do - 41:36– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Realze that you need to be in showbiz - Talk louder: it conveys energy - Choose a costume that sends the right message - [clintarthur.tv](http://www.clintarthur.tv/) **3 Key Points:** - The best way to be trusted is to be perceived as high status. - If you want to be famous, start with small appearances and work your way up. - If you’re in business, be in show business. Always be performing. **Resources Mentioned:** - [The Jolly Roger Telephone Company](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/202664225/the-jolly-roger-telephone-co): An entertaining system for dealing with telemarketers. - [Medical Daily](http://www.medicaldaily.com/academic-performance-self-control-grip-strength-373454): A study correlating grip strength to self-control - [Alton Brown](http://altonbrown.com/thermal-shock-porterhouse-steak-recipe/): The science of cooking a perfect steak - [Good Morning Mantras](http://www.marcandangel.com/2016/02/14/52-good-morning-mantras-that-will-change-your-life/) - [Will Automation Make Your Job Redundant?](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/will-automation-make-job-redundant/): The jobs most likely to be taken over by robots - [Scout](http://www.sendwithscout.com/?ref=producthunT): A service that allows you to send custom postcards - [Buy Me Once](http://www.buymeonce.com/home-usa): Products that last a lifetime - [HDP Health](http://summarizer.hdphealth.com/?ref=producthunt): Service that provides summaries of medical research papers - [Law Trades](http://www.lawtrades.com/slack?ref=producthunt): The on-demand legal service is now based on Slack - [Class Pass](https://classpass.com): Pay a monthly fee for unlimited studio classes in your area - [Get Croissant](https://www.getcroissant.com): Pay a monthly fee for up to 40 hours at multiple co-working spaces - [Calvin](https://www.calvinapp.com): Seriously effective scheduling app **Sponsored By:** [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter **Credits** - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm

Summary: In Episode #208 Ari welcomes Maneesh Sethi, founder of [Pavlok](http://pavlok.com/hello.php)—a device that uses electrical shocks—to train you out of your bad habits—back to the Less Doing Podcast. Listen as Maneesh and Ari talk about the tricks of habit-forming and habit-changing, as well as how strategically formed habits can be the foundation of a more productive life. Time Stamped Show Notes: - 22:57 – Introduction of Maneesh - 23:28 – Explanation of Pavlok - 24:56 – How aversion works - training the reptile brain - 26:07 – Reducing cravings - 26:36 - Breaking bad habits - 27:15 – Forming a good habit - 28:45 – It’s easier to break a bad habit than form a new one - 29:40 - Using the Pavlok as a habit-forming tool - 30:50 - A zapping alarm clock - 31:55 – Waking up one street before you get home - 32:50 - Available apps: Pavlok Break Bad Habits, and Pavlok Alarm Clock - 33:50 – Having a jolt of adrenaline when you get up to put your kids to bed - 35:00 – Making Pavlok work with the RescueTime app - 35:34 – Gaining an hour a day is important: having the right elements in that hour doubly so - 36:30 – What’s Maneesh using the app for right now? - 37:00 – Getting over an ex - 37:43 – An user identifying the triggers for her depression - 39:20 – The zap is as much an awareness creator as an aversion trainer - 40:28 – [Using Pavlok with someone else](http://www.pavlok.com/shockmaneesh) - 41:10 – Accountability partners - 41:36– _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Sleep on time; wake up early; eat healthily and be fit - Begin forming habits in a planned way - Lay out your apartment to maximize productivity - 43:50 – [pavlok.com/ari](http://www.pavlok.com/ari) 3 Key Points: 1. You can train the reptile part of your brain to break bad habits and change thought patterns. 2. Using aversion and interruption techniques helps to make you aware of triggers for your habits, and change them more quickly. 3. Gaining extra time in your day is great; using that time for the right things is even better. Resources Mentioned: - [Gmailify](http://mashable.com/2016/02/17/how-to-gmailify-email-accounts/?utm_content=buffer3076e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer#0BTMB5iGI5qO) – Add Gmail features to your Outlook or Hotmail accounts - [Make Your Life Awesome](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/02/make-your-life-awesome/) – An article from Barking Up The Wrong Tree - [Juicing is Bad for You and the Earth](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/21/juicing-is-bad-for-you-and-the-earth.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page) – A great article on health from The Daily Beast - [15 Things Insanely Productive People Do Differently](https://medium.com/life-learning/15-things-insanely-productive-people-do-differently-f336e3e6c199#.o375eqbb0) – A different take on a hackneyed topic from Medium - [Smart Moderation](http://www.smartmoderation.com/?ref=producthunt) – Moderate social media groups automatically - [Porti](http://scrapinghub.com/portia/?ref=producthunt)a – A tool to scrape websites visually - [Treat](http://treatapp.io/?ref=producthunt) – An app to help you work with a personal nutritionist - [Vocus](http://vocus.io/?ref=producthunt) – Neat tool that lets you manage complex email functions - [Since You've Been Gone](https://www.sybg.io/?ref=producthunt) – Delivers personalized product updates to users Sponsored By: [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE

# Summary: In Episode #207 Ari welcomes [Jesse Yandell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseyandell), an NCO and US Army Ranger who’s successfully transitioning from life as a Special Forces operator, to life as an entrepreneur. Listen as Jesse and Ari talk about what it takes to make it as an US Army Ranger, how military training is _perfect_ for any aspiring entrepreneur, and why doing the routine things routinely is of the utmost importance. Time Stamped Show Notes: - 31:15 – Introduction of Jesse Yandell - 31:45 – NCO and US Army Ranger - 32:02 – What the Rangers do - 33:05 – When much is given, much is expected - 34:10 – _The Standard_—there’s no grey area…it’s pass or fail in the Special Forces - 35:35 – What the Rangers specialize in? What’s their talent?—The Ranger Fire Team - 37:04 – Turning fear into courage - 37:55 – Jesse has done 15 tours - 39:15 – Describing the week of recovery - 40:50 – The resiliency of the Ranger - 41:50 – The Special Forces community uses PT to handle the recovery process - 43:03 – Rangers are responsible for making sure their teammates get the help they need when they need it - 43:52 – You need to take your recovery as seriously as your training - 44:22 – No one ever sees their own warning signs - 45:00 – _Do the routine things routinely_ - 45:22 – Waking up at 5:30 AM every day - 47:47 – Jesse’s Ranger Buddy in Business - 48:05 – [AmericanDreamU.com](http://www.AmericanDreamU.com) - 49:20 – [The Uncommon Human](http://www.uncommonhuman.com/) - 51:00 – Don’t put yourself in a compromising situation - 51:24 – _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Become confident, than become self-reliant - Live with discipline and humility - Maintain balance - 52:25 – [uncommonhuman.com](http://www.uncommonhuman.com) 3 Key Points: 1. Do the routine things routinely. 2. Understand that when much is given to you, much is expected of you. 3. Never intentionally put yourself into a situation where you’re questioning your morals or integrity. Resources Mentioned: - [SirCa](http://sircanav.com/?ref=producthunt) – Helps you find services and facilities along your route, regardless of your mode of transit - [What the Productive Won’t Do](http://www.marcandangel.com/2016/01/31/10-things-enormously-productive-people-refuse-to-do/) – A great article from Marc and Angel - [How to be a Better Parent](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/01/how-to-be-a-better-parent-2/) – From Barking Up the Wrong Tree - [Hail Overman](http://www.hailoverman.com/flowstate?ref=producthunt) – A flow-state writing app that will keep you writing - [True Bill](https://www.truebill.com/?ref=producthunt) – Find, track, and cancel all your subscriptions in one go - [Workato](https://www.workato.com/workbot-slack?ref=producthunt) – Like Zapier, but you’re talking to a bot to create the automation in slack - [Knote](http://knote.com/2016/02/02/want-creative-dont-sleep/) – Want to be creative? Don’t sleep - [SethGodin](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2016/02/fit-and-finish.html) – An upcoming interview with Ari - [The Uncommon Human](http://www.uncommonhuman.com/) – Jesse’s Company Sponsored By: [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.LessDoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter Credits - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.MallardCreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

**Summary:** In Episode #206 Ari welcomes Taylor Pearson, author of [The End of Jobs](http://taylorpearson.me/the-end-of-jobs-book/) one of the most highly rated books of 2015. Listen as Ari and Taylor talk about our transition away from a service based economy to an entrepreneurial economy, and the monumental significance of addressing the bottlenecks in your business. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 27:44 – Introduction of Taylor - 28:00 – Taylor shares his background - 28:44 – The new life script thanks to automation and outsourcing - 29:55 – What people can extract from Taylor’s book—[The End of Jobs](http://taylorpearson.me/the-end-of-jobs-book/) - 30:11 – Automation and outsourcing - 31:50 – Safe and secure careers are not safe and secure anymore - 32:13 – There is always ONE bottleneck—if you don’t clear the limit, you’re wasting resources - 35:10 – Complex work is what moves us forward—work without clear outcomes is how we find true success - 35:45 – Definition is the hardest thing - 36:08 – Can you figure out what’s worth doing and can you figure out how to do it? - 36:29 – [OmWriter](http://www.ommwriter.com/) - 37:48 – How Taylor arranges his day - 38:40 – _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Mediate - Establish and hold to a morning ritual - Have more structured, non-work social time - 41:11 – [www.TaylorPearson.me](http://www.taylorpearson.me/) **3 Key Points:** 1. If work is constantly creeping into all aspects of your life, establish structured social times where you _can’t_ work. 2. There is a bottleneck in every business—any resources you dedicate that don’t address that bottleneck are being wasted. 3. Agrarian economy à industrial economy à service economy à we are not in the Entrepreneur Economy **Resources Mentioned:** - [Hack your Stress](https://www.bulletproofexec.com/hack-your-stress-and-sex-with-these-7-adaptogens/) – Using sex—Yay! - [Lose weight with cake?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/12/30/a-simple-way-to-lose-weight-while-eating-cake-sort-of/) – From the Washington Post, and article talking about weight loss and cake - [Get Movi](https://getmovi.com/) – Gives the illusion of having multiple cameras at an event - [Cultivating Serendipity](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/opinion/how-to-cultivate-the-art-of-serendipity.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0) – Take 10 minutes to space out after finishing some intense activity - [Reginald](http://reginald.io/?ref=producthunt) – Automated passive aggressive emails - [Optimal Energy Measurement](http://www.fastcompany.com/3055045/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/how-i-learned-to-measure-my-optimal-energy-and-put-it-to-u) – From Fast Company, how to measure optimal energy - [Thermo](http://www.withings.com/us/en/products/thermo?clickid=wF92qOyf30xvzc5VSVSJlVzQUkSxYVWpyyYJXM0) – A bad ass thermometer **Sponsored By:** [EarthClassMail](https://www.earthclassmail.com/) – Earth Class Mail helps you move your snail mail to the cloud. Visit [www.LessDoing.com/postal](http://www.lessdoing.com/postal) to get signed up now! Text DOLESS to 33733 to sign up for the Less Doing Newsletter **Credits:** - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.mallardcreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

# Episode 205 **Summary:** In Episode #205 Ari welcomes [Geoff Woods](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mentee-podcast/id957438503?mt=2), host of [The Mentee Podcast](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mentee-podcast/id957438503?mt=2). Listen as Geoff shares how he transitioned from employee to entrepreneur in just ten months, and his advice for improving personal efficiency and effectiveness. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 13:56 – Introduction of Geoff Woods - 14:11 – What Geoff does and what he’s been doing - 14:59 – _You’re the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with_ - 15:05 – The world is chalk-full of amazing people, but if they’re not living the life you want to live, they shouldn’t be giving you advice on how to get where you want to go - 15:40 – Geoff talks about his media company and repurposing of content - 17:15 – Still developing that systematic approach - 18:05 – The first hire - 18:38 – Identifying mentors that can be impactful - 18:45 – Commit to yourself, your goals, and the changes necessary to get where you want to be - 19:01 – Getting clear on where you need the most help is _vital_ - 19:35 – Ask yourself, who would my _ideal_ personal guide/mentor be? - 20:15 – Drawing inspiration from [Jeff Hoffman](http://www.jeffhoffman.com/jeffs-full-bio.html) founder of [priceline.com](http://www.priceline.com) - 20:55 – “Return the favor” and mentor someone else - 21:10 – The mentor gets more from the mentor-mentee relationship - 21:45 – Coming for mentorship - 22:10 – Expressing interest in the person you’d like to mentor or be mentored by - 23:33 – Get in to the habit of taking action _consistently_ - 24:00 – _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective:_ - Plan with structure and priority - Surrounding yourself with the right people all the time - Make time for meaningful thought and meditation - 26:45 – [mentors.com](http://www.mentors.com) **3 Key Points:** 1. You’re the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. 2. Commit to making a change and hold yourself accountable. 3. Consistent action is the only way to facilitate success. **Resources Mentioned:** - [Alert](https://www.alert.email/) – The best way to get important emails - [Productivity Magic Hour](%E2%80%A2%09https:/whatmybrosaid.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/the-magic-time-frame-for-maximum-productivity/) – They key time for productivity - [TrueBill](https://www.truebill.com/) – The easiest way to cancel paid subscriptions - [Entro](https://www.producthunt.com/tech/entro-2) – The Holy Grail of email introductions - [Drift Daily](http://www.drift.com/daily?ref=producthunt) – The easiest way to generate new leads - [All Set](https://allsetnow.com/?ref=producthunt) – The easiest way to get lunch done - [Negative Food?](http://greatist.com/eat/negative-food-messages-make-us-eat-more?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http--greatistcom-) – Does bad food compel us to eat more of it? - [Try Tara](http://trytara.com/chat-with-tara/) – your LIVE on-demand team - [SeedFeed](http://www.seedfeed.com/) – Crowdfunded real estate deals **Special Announcements:** [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower. **Credits** - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.MallardCreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

**Summary:** In Episode #204 Ari shares the Less Doing Podcast with speaker, writer, and coach, [Shari Alexander](http://www.shari-alexander.com/). Listen as Ari and Shari discuss the power of persuasion, the importance of remaining curious at heart, and why _believing_ in someone’s values and _leveraging_ someone’s values are not the same thing. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 21:18 – Introduction of persuasiveness coach Shari Alexander - 21:30 – What a persuasiveness coach does - 22:50 – Anybody can learn to be more persuasive—observe, connect, influence - 23:49 – Entrepreneurial leaders are the majority of Shari’s clients - 24:40 – Time, preparation, methodology - 26:50 – You cannot influence somebody you’re judging - 27:18 – Stay in a curious mindset like a scientist - 27:46 – You cannot influence yourself into new ideas or beliefs if you’re self-flagellating - 28:09 --- There is no ONE influential technique - 29:05 – If you have ONE mark to hit with, you need multiple techniques—if you have multiple marks, you can use ONE technique - 29:50 – Pay attention to the influential V.I.B.E.S. of somebody - 30:30 – Just because you don’t believe in someone’s values, doesn’t mean you can’t leverage them - 31:41 – Talking neuro-linguistic programming - 34:25 – Look for patterns in body language if you’re trying to determine if they’re being honest - 34:53 – Shari’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_ - 34:58 – Suspend your ego - 35:22 – We are all anchoring in emotional states with our behaviors//be what you want to see - 36:13 – Words have magical powers so pay attention to what you’re saying every day - 36:45 – [Shari-Alexander.com](http://www.Shari-Alexander.com) **3 Key Points:** 1. Anybody can learn to be more persuasive. 2. Stay curious—be a scientist! 3. If you’re judging someone, you cannot influence them or yourself. **Resources Mentioned:** - [How to Bootstrap Prison](https://t.co/1FTgCiyopV) – An article from Entrepreneur magazine about the savviness of the incarcerated - [Informed Delivery](http://realmail.usps.stfi.re/box/pages/intro/start.action?sf=lavrle&utm_content=buffere1ce4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer) – By signing up with USPS you can see what letters, packages, etc. are coming in-advance - [Stringify](https://t.co/UOob9fmp3O) – Basically IFTTT but way more complicated - [Roger App](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roger-talk-your-favorite-people/id943662312?mt=8) – Basically a walkie-talkie app - [iCliniqi](https://t.co/zZ1GFjc7uu) – An add-in for paid-slack that basically acts as an on-demand doctor - [Shelfie](https://t.co/J79JsW9r7N) – An app for cataloguing eBooks - [Stacktive](https://t.co/jox3y1zUmk) – Like Class Pass but on-demand and cheaper - [Chat by KeyReply](https://t.co/1R6dLXmbE9) – A free, crazy-easy-to-integrate app for inflowing chats into slack - Call 1-844-i-do-less – Toll-Free number, Press “0” to speak with a Less Doing Certified Coach - Text DOLESS – Text DOLESS to 33733 **Special Announcements:** [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower. **Credits:** - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Audio Production by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard Creatives](http://www.MallardCreatives.com/Testimonials) ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)