Hello. You're here. Wonderful. Thanks for joining me.
If you've been here before, then welcome back. If this is your first time; then where have you been?
I'm Julian - your host, and today there are a few things I'd like to talk about. So, get yourself a cuppa and settle back. Or not. It's up to you!
Activity is not productivity.
I’ve heard that a couple of times recently and thought I’d pick up on it.
It’s true that just because you’re active and doing something, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re being productive and getting things done.
Doing something doesn't mean it's worth doing, or even needs doing
On a previous episode I asked if listening to a podcast is productive?
I decided that, in itself, listening to a podcast, or any form of audio entertainment, is not productive.
It's an activity, and it may help you to get things done, but in itself, it's not actually helping you to achieve anything.
You're not getting anything done through listening to a podcast.
Personally, I don’t work very well listening to the spoken word. I find I get distracted because I’m paying attention. I know, typical man, I can't multi-task!
Music works better for me when I’m working. Although my colleagues might not appreciate me singing along!!
So. Remember that doing something and being active doesn’t mean you’re being productive.
Mind you - doing exercise is being active, and the consequence is better fitness and health - so in a roundabout way, that is being productive.
Oh - it's such a subjective matter.
Change to format
Now. Eagle-eyed listeners may have noticed a small, subtle change to the titles of my new episodes.
Have you figured it out?
I've removed the episode number.
Many podcasts aren't actually serialised - they can be listened to in any order. So, unless they need to be in a specific order, like chapters in a book, or an episode of a drama, then the numbers seemed, to me, to be irrelevant.
If you're interested, then this is episode 5 from series 2. But that doesn't mean anything, so I've taken them out.
I've also broadened the brief.
Productivity Matters was originally intended to discuss apps that help you get things done - but I've made a small change to the description, and therefore the overall purpose.
I still look at apps, but I've added products and services; which encompasses more, and allows me to be a bit broader with subjects.
It's still very much around being productive. and getting things done, and hopefully you'll find these interesting, with more breadth and depth, and not just restricted to technology.
In fact, I'd love to go further and do some interviews. This is a step into the unknown for me; having little experience, but if I want to expand this podcast, then I think I need to embrace the double-header / interview style and that’s something I’ll be looking at over the next few weeks.
In fact, if you're listening to this and think that you would be a good interviewee, with regards to your experiences, then why not get in touch, via twitter @Prodmatters, and maybe we can get something arranged.
Who Moved My Cheese
Many, many years ago, I read a book by Spencer Johnson, called 'Who Moved My Cheese'.
It's a book about change, and how to manage and cope with change and I recently read it again. It's not a big text book, but a small 32 page paperback with four sections.
It has sold over 26 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and it remains one of the best-selling business books, continually ranking highly on Amazon. Now some may say that it's past it's sell-by date.
Published on September 8, 1998, "Who Moved My Cheese?" is described as a way to
manage and cope with change in your business and personal life. It is a motivational business fable. The text describes change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to those changes by four characters, during their hunt for cheese.
The four characters are two mice, "Sniff" and "Scurry," and two little people, human metaphor, "Hem" and "Haw." (The names of the little people are taken from the phrase "hem and haw," a term for indecisiveness.)
They live in a maze, which is a representation of the environment, and they're looking for cheese, which is a representation of happiness and success. Initially without cheese, each group, the mice and humans, pair off and travel the lengthy corridors searching for their cheese.
One day both groups happen upon a cheese-filled corridor at "Cheese Station C." Content with their find, the humans establish routines around their daily intake of cheese, slowly becoming arrogant in the process.
One day - the 'Cheese' is gone.
The mice had seen this coming, and were prepared to move on. The little humans, however, hadn't anticipated it and were suddenly scared and worried. What will they do?
I'm not going to spoil it for you; but, during the course of the book, there are a number of little sayings that punctuate the story; which help to understand the metaphors involved.
If you've never read it, then I definitely recommend it.
Podcast of the Week
Since I started doing this podcast, I've been listening to more and more podcasts. I don’t mean just those from the big media companies, but also from small, independent producers, like me.
There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, it's always nice to hear what others have to say, and I may learn something new.
Secondly, I like to listen to hear how the podcast is put together, and to learn from the presentation. It's interesting, because I'm sure, for all of us who put out podcasts, we have our own ideas about how our podcast should sound; the tone and speed etc.
Listening to others can help to maybe introduce new ideas. For example; I was going to pre-record the endings of my podcasts. The outro. But, for me, that came across as too impersonal. Apart from the fact that the audio might not match that from the actual episode, I wanted to refer directly about the episode; and for the sake of a few minutes more, that was worth it for me.
I felt the same about the introduction. Having a pre-recorded intro wasn't for me. Having said all that; I appreciate that I only publish one episode each week, and it's only 10 to 15 minutes long. So editing time is not as great as for an hour long episode. Maybe, one day...
I also listen for the quality of the sound. Is it too echo'y? Is it clear or muffled?
There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of podcasts about making podcasts, which seems slightly ironic! Although, the audience is huge, so it kind of of makes sense. In fact, maybe I should produce one of my own, based on my own experiences; to help others. Mmm…. Stay tuned for that one.
So, onto my podcast recommendation of the week - ooh! Is this going to be a regular slot? I just made this up. Maybe it is.
A podcast that I listen to regularly is Prosperity Kitchen. Hosted by Gemma McCrae, this is a podcast that helps you to be a better you. Gemma is an international life coach and business coach, and her podcast offers inspiration and motivation to be better at what you do.
She talks clearly and calmly about a range of topics, from happiness to health, confidence, lifestyle, mindfulness and, a particular favourite of mine, productivity hacks.
It's a weekly podcast, although at the beginning of the year, Gemma did put out daily episodes to help kick start 2019.
You can find much more on her website too.
If you're looking for a podcast to help you be better; then give Gemma a listen on Prosperity Kitchen. I'll include a link in the show notes.
Thank You
That's it for this episode.
I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any questions about anything I've talked about, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters or via email blog@productivity-matters.co.uk
If you've listened to the end of this podcast, then thank you very much - tweet me the phrase 'Change is good' and I'll give you a shout out in a future episode.
Thanks for listening and until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.
Equipment I use to make my podcasts:
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Professional Microphone Boom Arm - https://amzn.to/2P4EIio
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