Episode 39 Full Transcript:

[00:00:00] Natalie: I have a special tradition that I started on the podcast and it's been so popular. Hi everyone. I'm so glad that you're here at the end of 2021. ​ [00:00:08] You know, I learned from successful, inspiring people, and I know that many of you do too, based on what you've told me about. I started this year by asking everyone their favorite tool or tip for productivity and their answers are worth taking. Note of these are experts, top authors, doctors, industry leaders, my wonderful podcast, producer, Simona, and I have put together a compilation of their answers about productivity. ​ [00:00:35] And those of you who've listened since I started the podcast in early 20, 21. No, that I left. A wild career as a TV anchor. In fact, that was my job for 28 years. My days turned into nights, my nights, they were sleepless. I called it the hamster wheel, where I got up to do a four and a half hour morning show it when it was dark early, early, early two 30 in the morning. ​ [00:00:57] I wrote stories for the late news after the show was over. And then I turned into Superman. Or at least that's what I told myself, but I found myself starting each day with a sense of sadness. And I ran that hamster wheel over and over again. And we know how important it is to be productive. ​ [00:01:14] Right. It's important. And we want more time out of our day, but it's not a replacement for health and wellness and happiness and time with your family. In fact, my tip for all of you for productivity is to take time for yourself when you're feeling healthy, you're going to be more productive. ​ [00:01:36] That's my tip. As you set your goals, think through the things that really give you joy. And I promise doing more of those things will make you more productive. If you want more tips like this from me, you sure. To subscribe to my newsletter, which you can do by using the link in the episode, show notes. I send a note out each week, that's packed with tips to help you in the parenting mindset and health department. ​ [00:01:59] Okay. So on with the clips from my experts this year, we're going to start with my friend, Dr. Cheryl Ziegler from the very first episode of the podcast. I have interviewed Dr. Z so many times through the years, but those interviews, they used to be very short on morning TV. Our conversation on the podcast was refreshing and it was her tip on productivity that really got me thinking. ​ [00:02:24] And when I started this tradition. So listen in while she talks about loving yourself and doing things just for you. ​ [00:02:32] Dr. Zeigler: So I have two that just come to mind. The first one is my Peloton and I say that because not necessarily that it's the workout part. It's the fact that I stopped. And I could be doing other things, but I say, I am worth this time. I put on my favorite, you know, instructor. I usually do it 20, usually 20 minutes, sometimes 2030. ​ [00:02:58] I'd never go past 30. And what it is for me is it's a mental health break. It is just like, boom, it's the middle of the day. Things feel like a lot, or I've got an hour till I have to go get. I'm just going to have mental health breaks. So really, truly some sort of, you can do whatever you want, quiet time, meditation, mental health break, that walk, but just that, that 20 or 30 minutes every day, sometime I do it in the middle of the day. ​ [00:03:24] It's not, it's not the same time every day, but it's sometime, usually between 11 and one. I just take 20 to 30 minutes for my. That's huge for me. And the second thing that's recent for me that I've been loving that I want to share with other people is I still, it's funny. It's like I'm in transition. So I'm doing kind of both. ​ [00:03:42] I'm not going to say I'm perfect with this, but I heard somebody speak and say no longer make to-do lists. Don't don't make. Put whatever you're supposed to do, write it right into your schedule. And I'm like, Ooh, this is a great idea. Right? So I kind of in transition, so I'm doing both, I'll have a to-do list, but then I take my to-do lists and I plug it into my week. ​ [00:04:03] Wow. Five, I'm going to run to the post office on Monday at two, I'm going to go food, shopping, whatever it is. And all of a sudden I'm like, this is so awesome. This is great. It feels like I'm way more in control of my schedule, because if it's on that to-do list, it means it has to be done. And then I just find a time to do it. ​ [00:04:21] Natalie: Next a New York times bestselling author, Rachel Greenwald. She's a relationship expert and Rachel is so fun to talk to. I feel better about myself. Every time I talked to her and her tip is something that you might not expect. ​ [00:04:37] Rachel Greenwald: Okay, well, I'm going to say something that I don't know if it's considered a tool, but I consider it a tool. It's a two letter tool and the letters R and O saying no is the best productivity tool that has served me. Well, I think that we are. So inclined, especially as women to say yes to things and then end up regretting it and your productivity goes down because you're simply over committed. ​ [00:05:09] So, you know, let's start with the most basic and simple thing you can do. It's free. And it is so liberating to say no to the things that you don't love. And. Even if you think that you might love something, but you're, over-scheduled saying no. And letting go to something gives you back your sanity. So that's what I would say. ​ [00:05:34] Natalie: Best advice. I love that so much. I can't tell you I'm guilty of that feeling like I need to say yes, but learning to say no. ​ [00:05:42] That was Rachel Greenwald and episode number eight from the podcast to saying no is one of those really hard things for people, but I've started to take this into account and I hope that you will too, before maybe you agree to that lunch or call or a meeting and think about what you could say. Would actually be okay. ​ [00:06:04] And would give you the time that you need. Maybe it's just a phrase, like I can't take the time for that right now, but let's talk again in the future. Next episode, number two and Dr. Michael Snyder. Every time. I talked to Dr. Snyder and I've known him for years as well. I come away with so many ideas and I feel motivated. ​ [00:06:23] He is a weight loss doctor, but he's about so much more than that. He has a relationship with his patients that really is unmatched. one of the stories that I remember from him was Dr. Snyder telling me about. Uh, male patient that lost hundreds of pounds and he was taking kinds of steps to improve himself, especially after he lost that way, because he had lost so much of his self-esteem and he called Dr. [00:06:50] Snyder and said, you know, I'm trying to just improve myself image and I want to go get a pedicure. So being the kind man that Dr. Snyder is. He said, I'll go get a pedicure with you. And that's just who he is. So Dr. Snyder and his patient went to get pedicures and He doesn't care what people think. ​ [00:07:08] He just cares about people. And his tip for productivity is motivated by his personal life. Here it is. ​ [00:07:16] Dr. Snyder: Well, it's interesting. You asked me that because I've everything in life you can screw up. I've kind of screwed up on some levels. So this is the voice of experience at the end of the day, the things that I thought needed to be more productive, actually didn't matter if I made a little bit more money, it didn't matter that much. ​ [00:07:29] I was finding what I didn't make much, and if I had more stuff, it didn't make me have. I was a little more accountable work. It didn't make me happy. What really mattered was when I kept my home team happier for me personally, you know, if I come home, I drive home and I think like, how can I make my wife happy? ​ [00:07:44] And I like, what could I do? That would be super nice to her that she'd say, well, that's great. Like that thought process. And I know you listening to this thinking, like, would that be fun to do that? Like I try and do it all the time. You know, having failed marriage before and done all that stuff. Like I'm kind of wired that I just want to be better. ​ [00:07:59] And the things I care about being better as being a better dad and being a better. Husband and trying to be nicer to people in life patients. And I don't joke about people anymore. Like I'm just because I think I'm trying to become a better guy after 57 years. I think I learned a couple of lessons. ​ [00:08:14] Natalie: Next another very successful author. And now the head of a very successful company that helps moms get back into the workforce. Her name is Samantha EDIS. She's a successful author, also a mom of three, and we know how hard it is to manage all of that. Trying to stay on top of work and be a mom. ​ [00:08:33] So Samantha gives us her top tip for staying organized, trying to do it all. ​ [00:08:38] Samantha Ettus: I'm going to hold up my notebook. I'm like a big pen paper girl as is, as is as much as I run a FinTech company. I actually, I'm a big believer in making my to-do list the night before. In fact, last night I didn't do it. And I woke up with a blank to do list and it's like scaring me because I'm so much more productive in the morning. ​ [00:08:56] When I look at my list and I can hit the ground running. So I'm always a fan of making your to-do list the night before. Um, that's one of them. And then also I think in terms of productivity, like. I believe in doing things fast. And I think that in terms of decision-making, I make decisions fast. I think that the more you deliberate on a decision, there's no correlation between the, the strength of that decision and how much time you spend on it. ​ [00:09:20] So I'm a big believer in making decisions fast and moving on. And then if, if it was the wrong decision, you can, you can fix that. But I don't think I spend a lot of time deliberating. I just don't have the time for it. I couldn't get things done if I spend a lot of time on every decision. So I just need to tune into your gut. ​ [00:09:36] Natalie: From pen and paper to an author that has advice on using technology to be more productive. Julie lift Scott Hanes has several books now, including one that really changed things for me as a mom. That's how I first found her. And that book is called how to raise an adult here's Julie's tip for productivity. ​ [00:09:55] Julie: So a couple of things are coming to mind. I'm going to pick one. I use the Google calendar and I have my to-do lists as a calendar. And so I keep my to-do list as an ongoing repeating calendar every day. And so I can go into today and I have little to do big to do so I can look at little to do take care of a few tasks. ​ [00:10:13] Save and it'll say, save for just now or save for the future. And I'm like save for the future. That means the to-do list is automatically updated. I can access it on a plane. I can access it as long as I have cell coverage or wifi, I can see my to-do list. And so it's a way for me to be very productive in small moments. ​ [00:10:29] It's like, w you know, I've got 15 minutes, I got five minutes. I got an hour. What do I need to take care of? And it's. Yeah. And I like you ​ [00:10:36] Natalie: have a little to do. Yeah, because sometimes my to do is like long to do and some of them take an hour and some take ​ [00:10:42] Julie: five minutes. Yeah. And I'm often asked to read other people's books and blurb them. ​ [00:10:47] And that could be a 20 hour task depending on the length of the book. So that's those going big to do? I have to then schedule out time to make sure it gets done. ​ [00:10:54] Natalie: And another technology platform from a parenting expert is what I have for you. Next in episode 22, I interviewed Amy McCready from positive parenting solutions. Amy gave me so many excellent tips for working with kids of all ages. And she also has an online course for parents needing some extra support. ​ [00:11:15] Check that out. We're going to put it in the show notes. It is so good. So what does she use to keep her business and her personal life? Organic? ​ [00:11:23] Amy McCready: Oh, my goodness. So first off I struggle with productivity. Like I'm not one of those people that is just like super naturally organized. So I do need tools. And the one that I use, it is a, it is a technology platform, but it's a sauna. Are you familiar with that? ​ [00:11:38] Natalie: Okay. A little bit here and there, but tell me how you use it. ​ [00:11:40] Amy McCready: One of my longtime friends, April Perry, her company is called learn, do become, she teaches this process of using a sauna to sort of prioritize your tasks. And so you put them into different buckets. So you would have a today list. You would, I have like a, you know, decisions, pending thing, things that I have to make decisions on waiting on from. ​ [00:11:59] So I know like I'm waiting on my team for certain things. So I don't forget about those, my current projects. And then I have a category for like someday projects, like great ideas that I have, but I can't execute on them now. So they're just different buckets. And then just every day looking at that list and it really, oh, and there's a list for like errands. ​ [00:12:18] So if you're out and you have 15 extra minutes, okay, what can I do or phone calls to make there's a bucket for that? I'm not explaining it well, like she does, but basically it's like all those things that you have to do in your life or managing your business, it's creating these systems within a sauna that just kind of help you track it and stay on top of things. ​ [00:12:37] So you don't have like handwritten lists everywhere networks, ​ [00:12:40] Natalie: But I like the buckets, like putting them in different categories allows you to not feel overwhelmed. If you have like one long to-do list, you're never going to get to all of them. Some of them can wait or some of them can be done in little pockets of time, but the bucket system with the sauna. ​ [00:12:56] Amy McCready: Yeah. It's really handy. Like you're waiting for, you know, you have in the parking lot 10 minutes before you have to go into your appointment. Okay. What calls can I make? I've got that bucket of all those calls I have to make. And it's just, it really works. So anyway, you can check in like, ​ [00:13:10] Natalie: You are going to love this next tip. And what's really cool about this is it's something that I have been doing for years, but I never really identified it. And now I'm really in tune with it. So if you can think about this and do it, I think it will help you in your productivity as well. In episode 12, I talked to Jill and David Henry together after. ​ [00:13:31] Coaching sports and teaching. They wrote a book called the greatest college health guide. You never knew you needed. So Dave, in the podcast episode, talked about being productive and getting into a state of flow. ​ [00:13:45] Dave: So the flow state. Is I'm sure something that you guys have had discussions on, on this podcast and maybe not yet, but it's essentially, you're finding this optimal experience where nothing else seems to matter. Right. If you've ever been doing something and then you looked up and you're like, oh my God, three hours went by. ​ [00:14:02] Right. You were in a flow state. Okay. Well that's essentially. For being the most productive you could ever be in your life. Right. In that kind of moment. I can't turn that on and off. And so for me, I have to set the stage. I have to build the environment. I have to gather the goods. And if I, if you have to write a paper or, you know, for me, if I have to cut a scene, I need to not know, not only know what is this about, what are the emotions that are involved in this? ​ [00:14:30] I've got to go through all the footage and find every single piece that I can use to help fortify that. And then I've got to make sure that all of these things. Are available for me. And then I start a timer on my phone and I'm not allowed to do anything else, but now that I have all the goods, I can just get right to it. ​ [00:14:49] And I'm not going to do anything until that timer goes off. And that could be 20 minutes. That could be 45 minutes. It's up to you to decide how long, but if you treat it like a. You don't just show up to a race and start running. Right. You've got to like wake up and hydrate and eat something and get there and maybe stretch a little bit. ​ [00:15:05] And then when that goes off, you know, that it's time to do it because you've built up to that moment. So that's my hack for trying to get into the flow state is knowing I can't just turn it on and off. I've got to like be ready for it. And then when it's time commit to it, nothing else, like no phone, no email, nothing. ​ [00:15:23] I'm going to just do this right. ​ [00:15:25] Natalie: Do you recognize Dave, this could be a whole, this could be a whole podcast and we haven't talked about that, but I love this and I'm going to call it this because I was in this yesterday. It was like, I'm getting so much done this yesterday and I've never called it or heard it called that flow state. ​ [00:15:38] You recognize when you're in it. Oh, man, I'm in a good, I'm in a good state, right? I'm getting a lot done. Then I'm going to set the timer. Like [00:15:46] Dave: it's not, it's not until you just said that I'm getting a lot done. Right? So in the process of building of moving of writing, whatever it is that you need to do, I'm not aware that like, this is what's happening. ​ [00:15:58] It's only when like, well that's done moving on to the next one. You know what I mean? If that little bit of feeling where you're like, I'm doing it today, ​ [00:16:05] Natalie: That was David Henry from episode 12 of the podcast. If you'd like to check it out, just go to the show notes. And that's where we have linked to all of the guests that you are hearing today. I do have more tips, so many to choose from. We couldn't fit them in to just one episode. So we're going to continue this next week. ​ [00:16:23] Awesome productivity tips from some of the experts that have been on as guests here on the Natalie Tisdel podcast this year 2021. So join us for that. I hope you have a super week, a happy week and a healthy week, and I'll catch you next week. Right here, back on the podcast.