In my life I’ve gone through periods of intense, driven productivity – months where everything fell into place, and my goals almost seemed to accomplish themselves. At the other extreme, there have been times in my life where I was completely overwhelmed, burdened by my different projects and responsibilities – and frustrated because so many […]

The post #070 – Focus (Essentialism Pt 20) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow … toward your resonators … your dreams … your essential things. We can get so “destination minded” that we forget the journey in front of us. If we do this we lose site that making any progress is better than no progress. Click […]

The post #069 – Progress (Essentialism Pt 19) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day. —Lao-tzu What is the obstacle that is keeping you back from achieving what really matters to you? By systematically identifying and removing this “constraint” you’ll be able to significantly reduce the friction keeping you from executing what is essential. Click to […]

The post #068 – Subtract (Essentialism Pt 18) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

The problem is that very few people know what buffer is, let alone ever experience it. So why don’t we have any? Why are we so overcommitted and crazy-busy? Life is a long-distance run not a sprint. If you and I are going to be effective over the long-term, we have to create buffer and pace ourselves. […]

The post #067 – Buffer (Essentialism Pt 17) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Margin is the space between our load and our limits.  It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed.  Margin is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. If you and I are going to be effective over the long term, we have to create margin in our lives.  This is not […]

The post #066 – Margin (Essentialism Pt 16) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We previously likened looking at our lives as a journalist … listening, asking questions, connecting the dots, investigating. Another way to integrate Essentialism is to see yourself as an editor, where you edit your life. The root word for “decision” is cis or cid, which means “to cut.”  You see this root word in “scissors.”  A great way […]

The post #065 – Edit (Essentialism Pt 15) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Sometimes we truly have so much to do, we don’t know which end is up. But sometimes the frenzy is self-induced. Feeling overwhelmed is sometimes a matter of perception – if you think you have too much to do, your limbic system takes over and you can’t think creatively about alternatives. Overscheduling is a common […]

The post #064 – Uncommit (Essentialism Pt 14) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

I dare you … dare you to simply say “no” to the trivial many things in your life.  But how exactly do we do this?  Sometimes that is easier said than done. Yet, the right “no” spoken at the right time can change the course of history.  Are you ready to take this dare and […]

The post #063 – Dare (Essentialism Pt 13) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Clarity … the first type of nonessential you’re going to learn how to eliminate is simply any activity that is misaligned with what you are intending to achieve.   We need a “mission statement” to help gain clarity in our lives.  Knowing what our goals are in life are the first step in saying “No” […]

The post #062 – Clarity (Essentialism Pt 12) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

If the answer isn’t a definite yes, then the answer should be no.  Part of essentialism is being picky about what we say yes to.  Your most effective no is a well-defined yes.   Ok ok … but how can we really do this?  How can we implement a stronger, selective criteria into our lives.  We discuss that in this episode. […]

The post #061 – Being Picky (Essentialism Pt 11) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Sleep … the last frontier.  These are the voyages of “Gee do I have to?” and “I can live off of just 4 hours” craziness.  The mission is to totally crash my life by going against every bit of research about what meaningful sleep actually is.   Ok ok … so I’m being a little […]

The post #060 – Sleep (Essentialism Pt 10) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Many of us have been lied to.  We were told that play is trivial. That it is a waste of time …unnecessary … childish. And this is further from the truth. Play is essential in many ways. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play, has studied over six thousand individuals and has concluded that play has the power to […]

The post #059 – Play (Essentialism Pt 9) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

I want to get personal today and tell you about some of my struggles (and successes) with Essentialism.  Also, I need your help!  I discuss some of the future of First Things podcast in this episode. I hope you will consider taking the first annual survey of First Things listeners.  The survey link is in […]

The post #058 – SPECIAL: My Essentials and the Future of First Things appeared first on First Things.

Do you know how to LOOK for essentialism in your life?  How to find the essential things in your life?  Many people struggle with this vital aspect. We discuss some exercises you can do to find that “signal” among the noise of your life.  If you know what to look for, it is often easier […]

The post #057 – Look (Essentialism Pt 7) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Space … we all desperately need it, yet our society does not give us space by default.  We must proactively build space into our lives. We need to set aside time to take a breath, look around, and think. You need that level of clarity in order to innovate and grow.  We talk about the […]

The post #056 – Space (Essentialism Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

You can do anything not everything.  Which problem do you want?  Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs.  It’s about deliberately choosing to be different. In this episode, we talk about the fallacy in which we think we must do everything.  The essentialist mindset, instead, realizes that we can do anything not everything. Click to Listen […]

The post #055 – Anything Not Everything (Essentialism Pt 5) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Not everything in life is important … just a few … the vital few.  Most of what exists in the universe – our actions, and all other forces, resources, and ideas – has little value and yields little result.  On the other hand, a few things work fantastically well and have tremendous impact. We have […]

The post #054 – Vital Few (Essentialism Pt 4) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Choice, this is the very first pillar … the first mindset we need to embrace Essentialism.  It is the ability to choose that makes us human. We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. Click to […]

The post #053 – Choice (Essentialism Pt 3) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Before we embark on the study of essentialism in detail, let’s first give an essentialism overview.  What is essentialism all about?  What is the big picture? Greg McKeown did an excellent lecture at Linkedin over this very issue.  We listen through Greg’s presentation in this episode as we prepare to land and explore the Essentialism […]

The post #052 – Essentialism Overview (Essentialism Pt 2) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized? Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum? Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda? Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it? If you answered yes to any of these, the way […]

The post #051 – Essentialism Introduction (Essentialism Pt 1) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We suck at email … no really, we REALLY suck at email.  I’ve heard countless podcasts and read many books that talk about being more productive at email … “inbox zero” … creating tasks from emails … but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone talk about why we have such a hard time communicating […]

The post #050 – Why We Suck at Email [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Depending on whom you ask, the road to success means different things. If you were to ask me, I’d say it means having a career that revolves around my real life. If you were to ask my cat, she’d say it involves finding a way to catch, immobilize and destroy her own tail. The first […]

The post #049 – The Road to Success [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Cultivating your passion requires a dedication to unstructured exploration. You have to leave large swathes of free time in your schedule, and fill this time with the exploration of things that might be interesting. Of equal importance, when something catches your attention you must leverage your free time to aggressively follow up.   Faced with the […]

The post #048 – Cultivating Your Passion [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Wow … 17 episodes on assertiveness!!  As we finish up this series on assertiveness, I thought it would be good to summarize what we have discussed for 17 episodes.  This episode is a bit longer than other episodes (one hour and 21 minutes, so be forewarned!). In this episode, we first go through a brief […]

The post #047 – Essential Assertiveness Skills (Assertiveness Pt 18) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

How good are you at confronting someone? Do you, like most people, prefer to avoid confrontations? It turns out that the majority of people are pretty bad at confrontations and opt to dodge them whenever possible. The prospect stresses them out, and they’re even more anxious in the encounter. It’s not uncommon for people who […]

The post #046 – Constructive Confrontation (Assertiveness Pt 17) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Confrontation countdown … A former colleague holds complete conversations in his head with people with whom he is angry. He rarely speaks directly with the other person. This anger in his mind continues to build because of his frustration, yet he never lets the other person know that he is frustrated and subsequently angry. His […]

The post #045 – Confrontation Countdown (Assertiveness Pt 16) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Making requests … getting what you want isn’t always easy, and, for many, neither is the asking. Even so, we have learned that assertiveness is not about getting your way in the first place.  Yet, the ability in making requests that are clear and concise is a hallmark of those who achieve what they want in […]

The post #044 – Making Requests (Assertiveness Pt 15) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Do you have difficulty saying “no”? Not sure you know the difference between an “aggressive no” and an “assertive no”?  Are you always trying to be nice to others at the expense of yourself? Well, you’re not alone. In the past, I was not good at saying “no”, because I didn’t want to hurt the […]

The post #043 – Assertive No (Assertiveness Pt 14) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Constructive feedback is an essential element for everyone in an organization’s workforce. Giving constructive feedback is a task you perform again and again as a manager or supervisor, letting people know where they are and where to go next in terms of expectations and goals – yours, their own, and the organizations. Constructive feedback is a useful tool […]

The post #042 – Constructive Feedback (Assertiveness Pt 13) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

I have a very tough time handling criticism … being criticized, corrected, or accused – of even the smallest mistakes – and I react very angrily. I’ve wrestled this instinct under control in a professional context, more or less, but I have more trouble with it at home. All it takes is for my daughter […]

The post #041 – Handling Criticism (Assertiveness Pt 12) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

You may be thinking: “Telling people they’re doing a good job is easy! What instructions could I possibly need?” Sure, that sounds reasonable. But in reality, most people don’t know how to give helpful, authentic, positive feedback in the workplace. Instead, they simply offer generic compliments and bland gestures of praise. Click to Listen “Giving Positive Feedback” […]

The post #040 – Giving Positive Feedback (Assertiveness Pt 11) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Most people like hearing praise but some people bristle when they hear compliments and others downright hate them. What is it that determines whether someone enjoys receiving compliments or whether they turn sour at the first hint of positive feedback? More often than not, how receptive we are to compliments is a reflection of our […]

The post #039 – Embracing Positive Feedback (Assertiveness Pt 10) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Let’s face it … you can’t really be assertive if you aren’t giving your opinion.  But how do we do this in a way that embraces assertiveness and not aggression?  And do we have to give our opinion all the time? We cover several principles of what “giving your opinion” means for assertive styles of communication. […]

The post #038 – Giving Your Opinion (Assertiveness Pt 9) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Did you know that at least 60% of your communication is non-verbal?  Research indicates it might go as high as 93%.  That is a lot!  If we are going to become better communicators … assertive communicators … we can’t ignore the role that body language plays.  Vanessa Van Edwards of Science of People joins me to […]

The post #037 – Body Language 101 with Vanessa Van Edwards (Assertiveness Pt 8) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Before we get to the assertiveness skills, there are a few last steps to consider.  You need to lay the groundwork for change in your life. Before we embark on strategies to put more assertive styles of communication in our lives, we want to go over a few more suggestions to think about assertiveness, relationships, […]

The post #036 – Preparing for Change (Assertiveness Pt 7) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Now that we have covered stinking thinking that prevents us from establishing assertive styles of communication, how can you replace your thoughts with beliefs that push you toward assertiveness? In a previous episode, we talked about the overall aspects of Stinking Thinking.  Last week, we talked about how this applies to assertiveness.  Now, what types […]

The post #035 – Replace Your Thoughts (Assertiveness Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. – Napoleon Hill In a previous episode, we talked about the overall aspects of Stinking Thinking.  How does Stinking Thinking apply to the topic of Assertiveness?  What are some examples of stinking thinking that can thwart our attempts to develop an assertive style of communication? […]

The post #034 – Stinking Thinking (Assertiveness Pt 5) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. – Albert Einstein Seems obvious, only an idiot would try to keep doing the same thing and expect different results, right? But the truth is I’m guilty of it, my friends are guilty, my family are guilty and I […]

The post #033 – Social Barriers (Assertiveness Pt 4) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Stress is inevitable. A stress barrier can be a great inhibitor to establishing a habit of assertiveness.  Stress walks in and out of our lives on a regular basis. And it can easily walk all over us unless we take action. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to minimize and cope with stress. […]

The post #032 – Stress Barrier (Assertiveness Pt 3) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

What exactly is assertiveness?  What is the difference between assertiveness vs aggressiveness?  What about passivity or being passive-aggressive? Many people believe that assertive and aggressive behavior means the same thing. The first step in managing difficult people at work is to clear up this confusion.  What is the difference in assertiveness vs aggressiveness? Click to […]

The post #031 – Assertiveness vs Aggressiveness (Assertiveness Pt 2) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

For most of my life, I wasn’t assertive enough at work (I’m usually assertive enough in my personal life, but even there, I’m not always assertive enough). I was scared to death to speak in public. I’d often allow others to walk all over me, often ending in disastrous work situations. I was usually willing […]

The post #030 – Assertiveness Pt 1: Introduction [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Timothy Moser is the host of the ACE Productivity podcast as well as blogging on his AceProductivity.com site.  Timothy has been a long supporter of my show, and has tremendous insights on experimenting in life. I find the idea of experimenting with life not only fun, but essential for true productivity.  I recently caught up […]

The post #029 – Timothy Moser Interview: Your Life an Experiment [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We have spent over two months talking about the issue of procrastination.  Now, let’s hear from the man who wrote the book!  Neil Fiore is interviewed in this episode. This is an older interview of Neil’s, and in it he covers many of the fundamental ideas of the Now Habit and overcoming procrastination. Click to […]

The post #028 – Neil Fiore Interview (The Now Habit Pt 11) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

What about dealing with procrastinators?  It is one thing to learn how to personally overcome procrastination. But how do we handle living in a world dominated by procrastination? By knowing the techniques to overcome procrastination, you are already at a huge advantage in dealing with procrastinators. A key idea is to not be a “dictator” […]

The post #027 – Dealing with Procrastinators (The Now Habit Pt 10) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We have covered all of the major techniques for overcoming procrastination. But now … what about dealing with setbacks? What should we do with failure in this area? Does that mean we are hopeless to overcome procrastination? Not at all!!  All it means is that you have let procrastination become an “8 line highway” in […]

The post #026 – Dealing with Setbacks (The Now Habit Pt 9) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Basketball intrigues me … especially when the player shoots free throws.  Have you ever seen this craziness?  People waving signs, pictures, big heads … just in an attempt to distract the player.  Yet the great players seem to enter a new dimension … a flow state … and not even see the distractions. Have your ever lost yourself […]

The post #025 – Working in the Flow State (The Now Habit Pt 8) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We’ve talked about guilt-free play to overcome procrastination.  We’ve talked about a “reverse calendar” to overcome procrastination.  How do we merge these two ideas together for an overall strategy to deal with procrastination? The answer provided in the Now Habit is to use the “Unschedule.”  This is an innovative use of calendar planning that provides […]

The post #024 – The UNschedule (The Now Habit Pt 7) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Many of us face roadblocks.  How do we overcome blocks to action?  How can we get unstuck when we feel overwhelmed with a task and procrastination is a natural response to the stress? In this episode, we look at various roadblocks that tempt us toward procrastination, as well as tools to help in overcoming blocks.  […]

The post #023 – Overcoming Blocks (The Now Habit Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Do you have guilt-free play? Or do you see your life more as if it is “on hold” until you accomplish something? In this episode, we look at what I consider one of the most exciting topics that Neil Fiore covers in The Now Habit.  That is, some of us think we are so busy we […]

The post #022 – Guilt-Free Play (The Now Habit Pt 5) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We continue our discussion on procrastination by discussing the issue of how to talk to yourself. Want to know what a person really believes and feels? Listen to what they talk about. Our speech reveals our deepest beliefs. Can we use this to our advantage to overcome procrastination? In short … YES.  But, it isn’t […]

The post #021 – How to Talk to Yourself (The Now Habit Pt 4) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.