

How I Work
Amantha Imber
You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 10, 2020 • 9min
My Favourite Tip: Bloom creator Glen Dolman’s on how to inject creativity into a writers' room
My favourite tip from my chat with Glen Dolman was about his strategies for injecting creativity into a room full of writers.You can find the full interview here.If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 5, 2020 • 7min
Things are pretty sh*t right now in Melbourne. Here are a few strategies that might help.
In today's episode, I cover 10 science-backed strategies to boost mental health. And here is a link to Worry Time (as mentioned on the show).Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 3, 2020 • 13min
My Favourite Tip: Guardian columnist Oliver Burkeman on how to stop procrastinating and get in flow
My favourite tip from my chat with Guardian columnist Oliver Burkeman was on how to stop procrastinating and get in flow.You can find the full interview here.If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 29, 2020 • 42min
Rachel Botsman on obsessing over the first few minutes of virtual presentations
My guest today is Rachel Bostman. Rachel is a world-renowned expert on technology and trust, and author of two bestselling books. Her first book was called "What’s Mine is Yours” which was all about collaborative consumption, and her second book, Who can you trust, explores how technology is transforming trust and what this means for life, work and how we do business. Rachel is a Trust Fellow at Oxford University and has been recognised as one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company and as one of the 50 most influential management thinkers in the world. She is also the host of the podcast Trust Issues. And where you might have come across Rachel is via her TED talks that have been viewed by literally millions of people. This is the second time Rachel has been on How I Work. Check out the first interview here.In this chat, we cover: The biggest challenges for her of working during lockdown Designing virtual experiences How Rachel has iterated her teaching at Oxford to create a great virtual experience for her students The very first thing to get right before delivering virtual experiences How to create the space for learning and thinking in the virtual classroom How to give introverted people a voice in virtual workshops How Rachel has made the switch from face-to-face keynote presentations to virtual ones “Settling” people into the room for virtual presentations How to create great poll questions How Rachel structures a one hour presentation How to finish a presentation so it promotes action On being a teacher versus a preacher Follow Rachel on Linkedin to get her biweekly newsletter RethinkCheck out her virtual experience design documents here:- A Guide to Designing and Delivering Virtual Experiences - A special edition of Rachel's Rethink Newsletter on the topic which can be read here.Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 27, 2020 • 7min
Turbo-charge team collaboration in the remote working world
This episode looks at three simple strategies to improve collaboration in the remote working world.Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 22, 2020 • 50min
Amantha Imber on doing a hard reset on her work habits
My guest today is…me! For the second time in the history of this show, I thought I’d turn the tables and share with you how I run my own workday. It's changed quite a bit in light of some very big changes in my life in 2019. The delightful and wise Dr Jason Fox joins me on the show to sit in the interviewer chair.We cover all sorts of ground, including:* The huge changes I have experienced in my work and life over the last year and how that has impacted my productivity* Why I prefer smaller teams to bigger teams* My team’s weekly rhythms* The different work experiments Inventium is currently running* Inventium’s move to a four day week and how the guidelines have been co-created by the team* How I balance work and parenting as a single mother* How digital distraction crept back into my life and how I dealt with it* How we do goal setting at Inventium* My daily and weekly rhythms* Why I create rules for myself* How I’m changing my email workflow* How I think about downtimeConnect with me via Inventium, and on Linkedin and Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 20, 2020 • 10min
My Favourite Tip: Ex-Google Ventures designer John Zeratsky on the calendar template he uses to plan his ideal day
My favourite tip from my chat with ex-Google Ventures designer John Zeratsky was on the calendar template he uses to plan his ideal day.You can find the full interview here.If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 15, 2020 • 51min
Dr Jason Fox on trialling a 7-day rhythm for work and life
My guest today is Dr Jason Fox. I’ve known Jason for the best part of a decade. Like me, he is a scientist at heart and has a bias for strategies that are grounded in research. Jason travels the world helping leaders from companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce, McDonalds, and Toyota in the area of motivation design.Jason is also the bestselling author of The Game Changer and How to Lead a Quest, and in 2016 was awarded Keynote Speaker of the Year.Check out the first time I had Jason on the show.In this chat, we cover:* Why Jason hates the concept of “discipline"* Trialling a 7 day rhythm for work and life* How Jason assigns different “modes” to different days of the week* Jason’s daily rituals that set up his work day for success* The value of keeping a daily journal* What’s NOT working well in the world of virtual events and workshops* How to elicit great comments and questions from virtual workshop and keynote participants and audiences* Why virtual events shouldn’t be recorded* Why Jason never finishes a keynote with Q&A* How Jason is seeing companies innovate the experience of virtual keynote presentations* Jason’s favourite questions to ask audiences* The importance of the first five minutes of a virtual experience and how to make the most of them* The apps that Jason is currently lovingConnect with Dr Jason Fox here.And here are some other links to things we mentioned:The Discipline by William van HeckeThe Museletter by Dr FoxThe Character Handbook (featuring the ‘Ritual of Becoming’) by Dr FoxAnd here are the apps Jase spoke about: roamresearch.com, obsidian.md, ulysses.app and ia.net (iA writer).Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 13, 2020 • 11min
My Favourite Tip: Auctioneer-extraordinaire Phillip Kingston on how to fast track getting to know someone
My favourite tip from my chat with Auctioneer-extraordinaire Phillip Kingston was on how to fast track getting to know someone.You can find the full interview here.Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 8, 2020 • 50min
Atlassian's Dom Price on dramatically improving virtual meetings
My guest today is Dom Price. Dom is the Head of Research & Development and also the resident Work Futurist at Atlassian, one of the world’s biggest and fastest growing tech companies. Dom has responsibilities spanning 5 global R&D centres, and is the in house “Team Doctor” who helps Atlassian scale by being ruthlessly effective, all while keeping one eye on the future.This is my second time having Dom on the show. I was keen to have him back to check in with how he has adapted the way he works during COVID.Check out my first interview with Dom here.In this chat, we cover: Why Dom has found the shift from working at home some of the time to 100% of the time How Dom starts his management meetings now they are virtual to boost interpersonal connections How Dom is reducing Zoom meetings How a virtual art class helped the Atlassian management team bond How the Atlassian executive team are structuring their virtual meetings How allocating clear roles is critical to having effective meetings Making quick decisions rather than perfect ones The optimal size for meetings How Dom uses the chat box in virtual presentations and workshops How Dom makes sure he gives introverts a voice in virtual meetings Atlassian’s 80/20 approach to helping its 4000+ employees cope during COVID What Dom learnt from Trello about remote working How to do water cooler conversation in the remote working world How Atlassian are doing onboarding during COVID Connect with Dom: Twitter Linkedin Atlassianteamplaybook.com Atlassian.com/remote Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auIf you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


