

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

Jun 17, 2019 • 8min
My Favourite Tip: Mia Freedman on overcoming procrastination
My favourite tip from my chat with Mamamia co-founder Mia Freedman are her strategies for overcoming procrastination.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 amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 12, 2019 • 24min
TED2019 Interview Series: Goodreads co-founder Elizabeth Khuri Chandler on how she plans for unstructured time and spontaneity
My guest today is Elizabeth Khuri Chandler. Elizabeth is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Goodreads, a website that helps people find and share books they love. Goodreads has over 90 million members and was acquired by Amazon in 2013.Elizabeth is also the host of the podcast Books of Your Life with Elizabeth, in which she interviews some of the most creative people in the world about books that have had an impact on their life.In this interview, we cover: How Elizabeth uses calendars to organise her life Elizabeth’s approach to prioritisation The role unstructured time plays in Elizabeth’s life How Elizabeth overcomes writer’s block How to write well How to write a great headline Where she gets her best book recommendations from How she prepares for interviews Where her best ideas com from. You can listen to Elizabeth’s podcast Books of Your Life right here.Visit 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.

Jun 10, 2019 • 11min
How to turn your FOMO into JOMO (the joy of missing out)
This episode looks at four science-backed strategies for turning your FOMO into JOMO - the joy of missing out.Visit 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.

Jun 5, 2019 • 37min
Happiness Professor Elizabeth Dunn on how to buy happiness
My guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Dunn. Elizabeth is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Elizabeth’s research looks at how time, money, and technology shape human happiness. She is the co-author of “Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending” with Dr. Michael Norton. Her research has been featured in hundreds of media outlets around the world, including The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, The London Times, Maclean’s, Time, and CNN.I connected with Elizabeth at TED2019 in Vancouver recently where she gave one of my favourite talks of the week on how helping others makes us happier. In this chat with Elizabeth, we talk about how she has applied a lot of her own research to lead a happier life. And as well as sharing some great insights on how to spend money to be happier, she also has some also tips around making the act of saying no to people much easier.We cover: How to use money to increase happiness How Elizabeth uses money to buy time How to avoid feeling guilty when hiring someone to do jobs that you could be doing yourself How changing the way you check your email can reduce stress levels Elizabeth’s research into how smart phones are impacting our social interactions Where Elizabeth’s ideas for research experiments come from Elizabeth’s rules for deciding which projects to take on How Elizabeth is trying to be more proactive with saying no To consume more of Elizabeth's work, you can watch her TED talk, grab a copy of Happy Money, follow her on Twitter, or visit her website.Visit 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.

Jun 3, 2019 • 10min
My Favourite Tip: Rachel Botsman on how she prepares for a presentation
Rachel Botsman is a world renowned expert on technology and trust, and the author of bestselling books “Who Can You Trust?” and “What’s Mine Is Yours”. Rachel also happens to have delivered a couple of TED talks that have been viewed by literally millions of people.In this My Favourite Tip episode, I ask Rachel about how she goes about preparing for a talk.Listen to the full interview with Rachel 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 amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 27, 2019 • 36min
TED2019 Interview Series: Kevin Rose on managing social awkwardness at conferences, kicking technology addiction, and getting a great night's sleep.
My guest today is Kevin Rose. Kevin founded the social news site Digg, and was a General Partner at Google Ventures, where he invested in companies like Ripple, Blue Bottle, Medium, and NextDoor. Prior to that, Kevin began his investing career as an Angel investor in Twitter, Facebook, and Square.Kevin also hosts the podcast The Kevin Rose Show where he dissects how high performers like Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris, and Elon Musk have achieved such great performance.In this interview, we cover: Why Kevin has been trying to cut down on mobile phone use - and how he has achieved this Kevin’s approach to keeping people off their mobile phone in meetings His approach to making meetings more productive How Kevin manages his self-confessed social awkwardness at conferences like TED How he avoids small talk when meeting people for the first time Kevin’s approach to being a lifelong learner How Kevin consumes books Using nature to boost creativity When Kevin’s best ideas come to him Strategies for sleeping better You can find Kevin right here and check out his podcast The Kevin Rose Show.Visit 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.

May 26, 2019 • 6min
My Favourite Tip: Dan Pink on how he structures his work day
My favourite tip from my chat with best-selling author Dan Pink on his science-backed strategy for structuring his workdays.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 amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 22, 2019 • 24min
TED2019 Interview Series: 1800-GOT-JUNK Founder/CEO Brian Scudamore's extreme method for avoiding email on weekends and holidays
My guest today is Brian Scudamore. Brian is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands (a $400 million business) which is the umbrella company for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, You Move Me, and Shack Shine.Brian's companies have been featured on ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, CNN, The Today Show, Oprah, and CNBC. Brian’s story has been featured in Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and he contributes regularly to Forbes, among other publications.He is also the author of WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success.In this chat, we cover: Brian’s weekly rhythm and rituals Why Brian doesn’t accept one hour meetings Why Brian never goes into the office on Mondays Brian’s hacks for being efficient with his inbox How Brian optimises his commuting time How the type of work Brian is doing determines where he works from How Brian structures every single one of his meetings Brian’s trick for staying off email during weekends and holidays Why he insists that staff stay off email during their holidays Brian’s approach to protecting his mental health How Brian manages digital distractions Brian’s approach to getting the most out of TED Brian’s technology hacks for being more productive You can grab a copy of Brian’s book, WTF? here, and find him on Instagram and Twitter.Visit 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.

May 20, 2019 • 13min
Three science-backed strategies to get a great night's sleep
This episode looks at three science-backed strategies for having a great night’s sleep.If you are a Sydney or Melbourne listener, sign up for our Workday Reinvention Program. Register for the Sydney program here and Melbourne here. Enter the code HOWIWORK at checkout.Are you the parent of a little person? Check out my sleep school blog here.Grab yourself an Oura ring to track your sleep.Visit 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.

May 15, 2019 • 14min
TED2019 Interview Series: Penguin Random House's Adrian Zackheim on how he decides what to publish
Have you ever wanted to write a book and get it published? Or maybe you have already done so? If you have any interest in this field, I think you’ll like today’s interview which is with Adrian Zackheim. Adrian is the founder and publisher of Portfolio, a business book imprint at Penguin Random House.At Portfolio, Adrian has published bestselling books, such as Purple Cow by Seth Godin, Start With Why by Simon Sinek, and The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. More recently, he published Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, who I had on the show recently, and they have also published many of Ryan Holiday’s books, one of my favourite writers.I feel like every second great business book I read is published by Portfolio, so I was very keen to talk to Adrian about his approach to book pitching and making decisions.This is a shortish interview episode, and I think it’s a really relevant one to current and aspiring writers. I hope you enjoy it.Visit 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.


