Tag Archives: personal productivity

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier – Author Interview – Productivity Book Group

March 4, 2018interview, podcastauthor interview series, getting things done, gtd, Michael Bungay Stanier, personal productivity, productivity, The Coaching HabitRay Sidney-Smith

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Productivity Book Group Author Interview Series is an opportunity to learn about new and interesting productivity books and authors. I’ll be interviewing some of the authors that we have read or will be reading here on Productivity Book Group as well as other authors. These shorter podcast interviews will be injected between our normal discussion-format episodes that are published here on Productivity Book Group.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever [ http://amzn.to/2BFkaY0 ] in 2016 when this book came out.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, was the first Canadian Coach of the Year and a Rhodes Scholar, and podcast host of Great Work Podcast.

Box of Crayons is a company that helps organizations around the world do less Good Work and more Great Work. They specialize in giving busy managers the tools so they can coach in 10 minutes or less. They have particular expertise with organizations in the financial, professional service, pharmaceutical and consumer goods market sectors, and particular success with organizations with engaged but overwhelmed employees. Their programs are delivered by a global cadre of program leaders.

(mostly quoted (or appended to) from Box of Crayons’s website)

Enjoy the interview!

The Amazon book description states:

In Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

Our next reading selections are:

March 31, 2018	Six Thinking Hats	Edward de Bono
June 30, 2018	Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days	Jake Knapp, et al.
September 29, 2018	Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ	Daniel Goleman, PhD
December 29, 2018	The Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness	Stephan Aarstol

For full details, see Upcoming Books.

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

Michael’s books

Other resources referenced

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Chip and Dan Heath’s books
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin
Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help (The Humble Leadership Series) by Edgar Schein
Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling by Edgar Schein

Find Michael on Twitter and Michael on LinkedIn.

Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls; check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Please feel free to visit iTunes, Stitcher or whichever podcast directory or app you prefer to access Productivity Book Group…and feel free to review us there! This helps expand our readership and bring new discussion callers into the fold. Thank you.

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.

Note: All registered service marks, trademarks and other copyrighted materials mentioned on the podcast are that of their respective owners. This group is not affiliated with or officially endorsed by those copyright owners.

The Paradox of Choice – Productivity Book Group

September 25, 2017podcastpersonal productivity, productivityRay Sidney-Smith

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Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less [ http://amzn.to/2hIDDzn ] by Barry Schwartz, PhD.

Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

Whether we’re buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

Our next reading selection is:

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

Getting Things Done by David Allen
Martin Seligman, PhD
Daniel Gilbert, PhD
SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient–Powered by the Science of Games by Jane McGonigal, PhD (Website) (Discussion)

The callers you hear in this episode are readers just like you, and you are more than welcome to join us on the live calls to discuss productivity books too! Please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and find out the details and the schedule for upcoming book discussion calls. If you plan to read ahead or read a little more slowly, please visit ProductivityBookGroup.org and check out the schedule on the “Upcoming Books” page.

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.

Deep Work by Cal Newport – Productivity Book Group

June 26, 2017podcastCal Newport, Deep Work, personal productivity, productivity, shallow workRay Sidney-Smith

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Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World [ http://amzn.to/2hECDsQ ] by Cal Newport.

Deep Work, as defined by Cal Newport is

Professional activities performed in a state of … concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.

In contrast, Newport identifies Shallow work as

[Cognitively undemanding], logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much value in the world and are easy to replicate.

Further, he then proposes a Deep Work Hypothesis:

The ability to perform Deep Work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.

Two core abilities for thriving in the new economy:

The ability to quickly master hard things.
The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed.

He comes up with several other pseudo-principles and terminologies, including The Principle of Least Resistance and Busyness as Proxy for Productivity. So, that’s enough to give you a concept of what Deep Work is. Let’s get the conversation started with a basic argument of the veracity of Deep Work itself.

Do you agree with the author’s concepts of Deep Work and Shallow Work? And, his Deep Work Hypothesis? Was he able to convince you that Deep Work is vital to the present and burgeoning New Economy?

Cal Newport presents himself as particularly anti-Twitter. Why do you think he points out Twitter specifically and is he right about Social Media? Should you quit Social Media?

Let us know in the comments! Enjoy the discussion!

Our next reading selections are:

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.

SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal, PhD – Productivity Book Group

January 30, 2017podcastgame design, gameful life, gamification, jane mcgonigal phd, kelly mcgonigal, living gamefully, personal productivity, productivity, quantified self, superbetterRay Sidney-Smith

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Productivity Book Group [ http://productivitybookgroup.org ] discussed SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient–Powered by the Science of Games, [ http://amzn.to/2jh5Q2D ] by Jane McGonigal, PhD. Enjoy the discussion!

The Amazon book description states:

An innovative guide to living gamefully, based on the program that has already helped nearly half a million people achieve remarkable personal growth

… In this book, McGonigal reveals a decade’s worth of scientific research into the ways all games—including videogames, sports, and puzzles—change how we respond to stress, challenge, and pain. She explains how we can cultivate new powers of recovery and resilience in everyday life simply by adopting a more “gameful” mind-set. Being gameful means bringing the same psychological strengths we naturally display when we play games—such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination—to real-world goals.

Our next reading selection is:

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, Revised 25th Anniversary Edition, by William Bridges, PhD. Join us on February 25, 2017 at noon Eastern Standard Time for our live discussion!

Winter	February	2/25/17	Transitions: Making Sense Of Life’s Changes	William Bridges, PhD	http://amzn.to/2hIzVqU
Spring	March	3/25/17	Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time	Brigid Schulte	http://amzn.to/2kD36Nk
Spring	April	4/22/17	Path of Least Resistence	Robert Fritz	http://amzn.to/2jCjOuy

Show Notes:

(Please listen to understand the context of the resources provided. If we missed something, please comment on the episode and let us know!)

You can learn more about SuperBetter, the book and program, on its website. [ http://superbetter.com ]
TED Talk, “The game that can give you 10 extra years of life | Jane McGonigal” by Jane McGonigal [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs ]
FitBit / Google Fit
Quantified Self
areyougameful.com (inventories)

Finally, all podcast episodes are archived at ProductivityBookGroup.org under “Episodes” so if you missed a call and want to review it, feel free to head over and give them a listen.