Imposter Alert

Introduction

Hello there.

I’m Julian and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to download and listen to this episode.  I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to little 'ol me! 

If you're new here, then welcome to the Productivity Matters podcast; here to help you be better at getting things done, through the use of apps, products and services. 

On this episode, there are two distinct items - firstly, I’m going to take a look at podcasting, and the growth of podcasts in the UK.  Following that, What is Imposter Syndrome and do you suffer from it?

That's all coming right up.

Podcasting

Podcasting in the UK is on the rise.  At least, that's according to Ofcom.

Who are Ofcom?  It's the The Office for Communications; the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day, in the UK.

They make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

They also oversee the universal postal service, which means Royal Mail must deliver and collect letters six days a week, and parcels five days a week, at an affordable and uniform price throughout the UK.

Another remit is to help to make sure people don’t get scammed and are protected from bad practices. This is particularly important for vulnerable or older people.

They also help to make sure people across the UK are satisfied with what they see and hear on TV and radio, and that programmes reflect the audiences they serve. We consider every complaint we receive from viewers and listeners. Often, we investigate further and we sometimes find broadcasters in breach of our rules.

Ofcom are independent, and funded by fees paid by the companies they regulate.

It appears that podcasts fall outside of the Ofcom remit, but that doesn't mean they don't keep a keen eye and report on findings.

In this case, a report from 2018, which found that, in the UK, the number of weekly podcast listeners has almost doubled in five years – from 3.2m (7% of adults aged 15+) in 2013 to 5.9m (11%) in 2018.

The increase is across all age groups, but the steepest growth is now among young adults aged 15-24 with around one in five now listening to podcasts every week.

- the most popular podcast genre is Comedy, followed by music, TV and film.

- Half of podcast listeners are under 35. While only 29% of traditional radio listeners are under 35, this rises to 49% for podcasts.

- Approximately 96% of listeners also listen to the radio each week, though live radio commands a much lower share of their total listening activity (48%) than adults generally (75%).

- Podcast versions of BBC radio programmes such as Desert Island Discs and Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review feature regularly in Apple’s iTunes podcast chart. TV broadcasters are increasingly interested in podcasts as a source of material for TV shows, or as an extension of established series (such as ITV’s podcast Love Island: The Morning After).

Starting Your Podcast

So, now is a great time to get into podcasting.  What's more, because it's yours, you can do with it what you like.  You own it.  You can record to your own schedule and not answer to the regulators or senior bosses.

Plus - there is no age barrier to running a podcast.  Young or old, everyone has a voice, and it can be quite cathartic to sit and talk; get things off your chest.  It's like a self-service therapy!!

However, you do need to consider your audience.   Content is king - you'll hear a lot about that when researching podcasts; simply because, without great content, you won't have an audience.
You need a reason to 'tune in'.  Either download or stream the episodes.

You also need to get over the anxiety of talking to yourself.  Which is, basically, what you're doing when you sit down to record.  The anxiety that what you're recording isn't good enough, and even greater anxiety that nobody will listen.

Of course, if you don't promote your podcast, then no-one will know it exists, and you will end up with very few listeners; just those who fell over your podcast whilst browsing.  But put in some serious promotion and the numbers will grow.

One of the biggest issues with podcasting, is PodFade.  It's easy to get started, but it's easier to stop.  Life gets in the way and you stop doing it.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of podcasts that start with great intentions, but fade into the background as the episodes dry up.

It's hard to keep going. You have to really work at it.  I've missed publishing for a couple of odd weeks; and I felt really guilty.  But who was I feeling guilty for?  You?  I doubt anyone noticed I wasn't there.  I felt quilty for me.

The other point that might stop someone starting a podcast is because they don't think they'll be any good!  To quote Zig Ziglar....

"You don't have to be great at something to start, but you do have to start in order to be great"

If you're thinking about podcasting; just pick up your mobile phone, download the Anchor app and record and publish. 
It's all there, in your hand, and I highly recommend giving it a go.

Imposter Syndrome

Leading on from this, and especially the point about feeling inadequate to start a podcast, comes the subject of Imposter Syndrome.

This is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behaviour where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud.

This feeling of being a fraud is not uncommon. It has been estimated that nearly 70 percent of individuals will experience signs and symptoms of impostor phenomenon at least once in their life. 
This can be a result of a new setting, academic or professional. Research shows that impostor syndrome is not uncommon for students when entering a new academic environment. Feelings of insecurity can come as a result to an unknown, new environment. This can lead to lower self-confidence and belief in their own abilities.

Certainly, this is something that I can relate to.  When I start a new contract, there's always this feeling that 

The Symptoms:
A lack of self-confidence, anxiety, doubts about your thoughts, abilities, achievements and accomplishments, negative self-talk, feelings of inadequacy, dwelling on past mistakes and not feeling good enough — these are all signs and symptoms of imposter syndrome.

The Cause:
Nature and nurture together create the tendency to experience feeling 'not good enough' or the Imposter Syndrome. However, the feeling remains latent until it is triggered by something external to us; something we react to; something that tips us into actively feeling not good enough.

Overcoming:
The first step in overcoming Impostor Syndrome is to acknowledge what you're feeling, and why. Start by keeping a journal. Whenever you experience feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy, write them down, and explain why you're feeling this way. Be as specific as possible about each situation.

The next steps are:
Step 2: Realise The Truth. ...
Step 3: Choose Someone To Confide In. ...
Step 4: Turn It Around And See The Gift In Your Imposter Syndrome. ...
Step 5: Set Goals And Expectations You Know You Can Achieve. ...
Step 6: Accept Where You're At And Revisit In 90 Days.

Thank You

I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

If you have any questions about getting started with a podcast, feeling like an imposter or, indeed, anything else, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

Don’t forget to follow me where you normally listen to your podcasts.

Thank you very much for listening and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

Equipment I use to make my podcasts*:
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Please help to support this podcast - click here to make a donation which will help me to keep creating great content.

It's very much appreciated.  Thank you.

*If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.

Give Me (LastPass) Strength

Intro

Hello there.

I’m Julian and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to download and listen to this episode.  I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to little 'ol me! 

If you're new here, then welcome to the Productivity Matters podcast.

On this episode, much has been in the news lately about the apparent lack of care being taken with online security.  So, as a subject close to my heart, I’m going to take another look at how you can take steps to be safe online.

First of all, just checking… yes, my phone on silent and my MacBook is on Do Not Disturb.  Let’s do this...

I’ve talked about online security in the past, and thought that, following recent headlines, I’d do a follow up. 

It seems that, on the whole, we’re not learning lessons and we are exposed in ways we simply can’t imagine.  It seems to be a case of ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude.

It’s strange, because you look after your house keys and the keys to your car/bike/van etc.  You’ll lock belongings away safely; but it appears that, generally, we’re care-free when it comes to passwords.

National Cyber Security Centre

A recent study by the UK National Cyber Security Centre found that the most common password found on accounts that had been breached was 123456. 

It was found 23 million times. Second most popular was 123456789, then “qwerty”, “password” and 11111111. 

The NCSC study also asked people about their security habits and fears.

It found that 42% expected to lose money to online fraud and only 15% said they felt confident that they knew enough to protect themselves online.

It found that less than half of those questioned used a separate, hard-to-guess password for their main email account.

This last point is very worrying as your email is the one place a hacker could get access to everything! They could use it to find out all about you, then target scams specifically at you. 

Take this real life example where a scammer convinced someone to part with thousands of pounds.

Because they had the password to the users email account, they discovered they're in touch with a builder about some work. 

The scammer then emails you, pretending to be the builder, asking for money. 

You pay. That’s it. 

The banks take the stance, currently, that because you authorised the transaction; known as an Authorised Push Payment, then you’re liable and they don’t have to refund you. 

It’s harsh, and steps are being taken to address this; but through taking care with your online security reduces the risk of this happening.  The onus must be on us to take care with our money.

Another issue is that, apart from being easy to crack, it’s a fair bet that these password are being used for multiple accounts. So, if one of your accounts had been compromised, then the hacker can just use your username and password against other sites to see if they get a hit!

How?

So. How can you protect yourself online?

The first step is to use a different password for each online account you have. 

This might seem onerous, but your online life is on the line and you need to protect it.

This will reduce the impact of a hacker accessing your accounts.  Where possible, use different usernames too.  You need to make it as hard as possible for the fraudster to get access to your information. 

Password Strength

Using a different password is good.  But, if it’s easy to guess; like a surname, maiden name, dogs name etc; then this will be easily found out by the fraudster and… BINGO!!

The passwords need to be hard to guess and there are a couple of ways to do this.

The simplest method is to come up with a phrase and create a password using the first letter of each word.

So, you might use the phrase “My favourite place in the world is at home with my family”.  Your password would then be ‘MFPITWIAHWMF’

That’s a great password.  Now, mix it up with some upper and lower cases.  You could replace certain letters with numbers; for example replace the ‘I’ with a ‘1’ and replace the ‘A’ with a ‘4’.

Now you have ‘MFP1TW14HWMF’ (or ‘Mfp1tw14HwmF’)  Maybe you can introduce some special characters - ‘Mfp1tw1&HwmF’.  

You still need to create separate passwords for all your accounts, but if you make them memorable, then the difficulty in remembering them is reduced.

This is quite difficult to articulate on a podcast, so don’t forget to read the transcribe on my blog; details in the show notes.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

However, you probably have lots of online accounts.  There’s all your online shopping accounts. Financial accounts. Your email account (or accounts).  Your Netflix or other streaming service login.  Your social media accounts too.

I’ve checked, and I have 286 different accounts.  Not all of them are used regularly; but they are all accounts stored somewhere online.

Of these, only 6 of them have the same password.  I really should take a look at those!!

How do I do it?

I use a password manager, called LastPass.  There are others on the market, such as Dashlane and 1Password; but I’ve been using LastPass for years and have been very happy with them.

LastPass is cross-platform, so I can use it on my MacBook, iPhone, or anywhere else I access the web.

When you create an account, you set up an access password - this should be a hard-to-guess password, as it’s the only one you’ll need in the future.  It’s so important (and secure, not even the guys at LastPass can retrieve it) that if you lose it, then you’ll lose access to all your passwords.

The next time you log in to one of your online account, LastPass will ask you if you want to store this in your vault.  If you say ‘Yes’, the username and password will be stored securely.

The next you go to the login page, LastPass will recognise the site, and will prompt you to select the details from the vault.  Simply select the details, click login and you’re done.  

Now, you’re going to set up a brand new account and you reach the field that says ‘Enter password’.  Instead of using your usual string of letters, you can now ask LastPass to generate the password for you.  I’m not going to talk through all the steps, but at the end, your new account will be stored in the vault, and all is safe.

LastPass also gives you the space to store images; so you can create Secure Notes, with passport information, driving licence information etc, and store images of your current documents.  All safe.

In an emergency, (if your passport has been stolen) you can access these easily, wherever you are.

Another great feature of LastPass is the ability to store credit and debit card information; along with your address details.  The next time you shop online and need to get your card (which is in your wallet, in the kitchen, and you really can’t be bothered to get up) then use the Form Fill functionality to retrieve the necessary information and your purchase is complete.  You can set additional security against these; so that you have to enter your LastPass password to access them - adding an extra layer of protection.

Housekeeping is a breeze and you can take regular Security Challenge to test your password strength.  You will be told how old your passwords are, and in some cases, LastPass will automatically update them (for certain sites) with just one click.  It’s a real timesaver.

It’s definitely worth looking into, and there’s a link in the programme notes to get you started.

I have literally scratched the surface of password security, and it will take a little effort to get your house in order.  But, it must be worth it, to know your information is secure and away from the prying eyes of the fraudsters.

Two Factor Authentication

There is one further level you can go to secure your passwords; and that is 2FA - 2 Factor Authentication.

This is being offered by more sites now, and means that access to your accounts are only available when you have the password and a physical entity at the time of logging in.  Your mobile phone is probably the key here; although it could be a token too.

When you log in, you’ll use LastPass as usual to pre-populate and send your login details, then you’ll be asked to enter another piece of identification, generated on a device you physically have with you.  This way; even if the hackers get your detail, they cannot access your account.

You still need to be vigilant.  Password managers won’t save you from accessing ‘dodgy’ sites and entering your information.

Try Before You Buy

As I mentioned, this is a subject close to my heart.  It seems the simplest thing to do; but it’s amazing the number of people who, at the very least, don’t use separate passwords.

Click here to try LastPass free for 30 days, and after that it’s approximately £30 per year.  I think that’s very reasonable for peace of mind.  You can even take advantage of their family plan, for up to 6 people, for about £36 per year.  True value.

Don’t become a statistic. Don’t be one of the 15% who aren’t confident in online security. 

Take the first step and see how LastPass can help you. 

Thank You

I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

If you have any questions about online security or anything else, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

Don’t forget to follow me where you normally listen to your podcasts.

Thank you very much for listening and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

Equipment I use to make my podcasts:

Blue Yeti Microphone - https://amzn.to/2R2am1N

Pop Filter - https://amzn.to/2OVMbQP

Professional Microphone Boom Arm - https://amzn.to/2P4EIio

Try LastPass free for 30 days - LastPass

Please help to support this podcast - click here to make a donation which will help me to keep creating great content.

It's very much appreciated.  Thank you.

If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.

Taking Up The Slack

Hello there.

I’m Julian and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to download and listen to this episode.  I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to little 'ol me! 

If you're new here, then welcome to the Productivity Matters podcast.

On this episode, I’m going to take a look at Slack - a communication tool.  As you may know from previous episodes, I love using automation to make things as efficient as possible, and the use of Slack, and the integrations it provides is just one more way to help.

Don’t go away.  Just going to do this….

Communication in business, in fact in any walk of life, is key to understanding.  Whether that’s understanding a business message, or receiving the latest company information, or just discussing what’s happening from a social point of view; it’s clear we need to be consistent and communicate often.

In our personal space, we have access to the likes of WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage, Snapchat and good old fashioned text messages.  We also have the ability to message in apps such as Instagram and Facebook.  It’s interesting that the biggest messaging apps are all owned by one company - with WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger all part of Facebook!!

In the business world, the primary place for communication is LinkedIn - a site that has given me access to various different roles over the years.

However, when it comes to communicating internally; between you and your colleagues, then there is a very different set of tools available.

First off, there’s the various web chat services, such as Webex, GoToMeeting, Skype or Zoom.  These are ideal for multi-site meetings, to discuss and share screens to keep conversations flowing.

Then there’s the in-house chat; HipChat springs to mind (for JIRA users, this integrates very nicely for a joined up collaboration), there’s Yammer and there’s also Slack.

I’ve had previous experience of HipChat, having used it quite heavily with one client, and also GoToMeeting and Webex.  However, I have recently been introduced to Slack, within the last year, and I must admit to liking the way it works.

Whilst I use Slack supplied by my clients, I have also set up one for Productivity Matters.  Now, this is just for me; there are no colleagues to interact with, but this has become a great way for me to keep up with certain information, as I’ll explain in a moment.

Slack is a cross-platform application; available on Mac, Windows, Linux, web, Android, iOS and Windows mobile.  It’s a real-time, cloud based tool - so you will need an internet connection regardless of the app you use.

Slack works using Channels - which are like areas for a specific subject.  They act as a stream for information in that area.   It’s important to be selective about the channels you join, otherwise you’ll be bogged down in messages you don’t really need to see.

You can set notifications, do not disturb and even statuses, so your colleagues can see if you’re available or not.  You can also use keywords as a way to set alerts; so whenever that word is used, you’ll be notified.

Now, Slack is free to download and use, with as many members as you need; but there are restrictions on the file storage, of just 5GB, and audio / video calls can only be made between two people not groups.  Also, only the last 10,000 messages are included in the search functionality.  Free accounts can also only be integrated with up to 10 third party apps.

Apart from the normal person-to-person chat; with which you can include links, documents and much more, one of the huge benefits are the apps that you can integrate.

I just love the various ways you can do things, automatically, using different apps; and I’m going to talk through how I use some of them now.

First of all; Zapier.  This is a great integration tool, that can trigger events based on outcomes, and then send the output as a message.  I have a number of Google Forms that I’m using for the Cub Scout group I run.  These forms are for capturing information relevant for our upcoming camp.

When a form is completed by the parent, a Google Sheet is automatically updated.  Using Zapier, I can look for a new line in the Sheet and then send a message to a channel in my Slack account.  Within the Zap, I have included the Cub name and parent name; along with any specific response, in a preset message.  This means that I can see who has responded, and any pertinent information immediately, without having to continually check the Google Sheet.

How about this one; also using Zapier (in fact most of my integrations use Zapier).  When I add a file to Google Drive, I have a Zap that will move it to a specific folder - this saves me having to navigate to the folder at the time of uploading it.  Once the file move is complete, then I receive a message in Slack confirming the move has taken place.

Both of these take the form of ‘bots’ - automated messages in Slack.  I created my own Slack account specifically for this purpose and it’s working really well.  It saves me having to check all the different places.

Of course, there’s much more available, such as receiving news items from RSS feeds directly into Slack.  This can get a bit onerous and after a while I removed these.  I just felt they were creating more noise, than actually being of benefit.

Other integrations, that are available directly with Slack, are Giphy, to send some visual effect to your messages.  You can add a poll; so you can ask your users to vote on a subject.  There are also integrations with calendars, such as Google and Outlook.

There are tons of integrations available, and with Zapier, this runs to many, many more.  In fact, you can also integrate with IFTTT.  I’ve set one up with Tado, the smart heating system.  When the temperature drops below, or rises above, a temperature, I will receive a message in Slack.  Why?  Who knows! It does mean I can check if the heating is on, or not, and take action remotely (or even if I’m at home).

I’ve often extolled the virtues of ToDoIst, as my to-do list application; and Slack has integrations with that too.  It’s more useful when there are other people involved, but it’s a good one to have.

It’s even possible to set reminders, that pop-up at the requisite time.  It’s all about having the right tool in the right place to get the job done.

If you haven’t used Slack before, and want to see what the fuss is about, then I’ve added the link in the show notes.

Now, as previously mentioned, Slack is free to download and use, with as many members as you need; but there are restrictions on the file storage, of just 5GB, and audio / video calls can only be made between two people not groups. 

For up to 10GB of storage and the ability to do video / audio calls between groups, then you’ll need Slack Standard; which currently costs £63 per person per year (or £6.30 per month, if you just pay monthly).

I hope you’ve found this episode interesting.

If you have any questions about Slack or anything else, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

Don’t forget to follow me where you normally listen to your podcasts.

Thank you very much for listening and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

Equipment I use to make my podcasts:

Blue Yeti Microphone - https://amzn.to/2R2am1N
Pop Filter - https://amzn.to/2OVMbQP
Professional Microphone Boom Arm - https://amzn.to/2P4EIio

Please help to support this podcast - click here to make a donation which will help me to keep creating great content.It's very much appreciated.  Thank you.

If you purchase from these links then I may receive a commission.  This does not affect the price you will pay.  Thank you.