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Published June 7, 2021

Episode 87: Unleashing the Power of Productivity with Charles Duhigg

TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST

CultureLeading Organizations

Have you ever spent an entire day frantically working, only to finish and wonder if you’ve actually accomplished anything significant? Is there a way to truly be more productive and not simply busier? Paula Faris interviews New York Times best-selling author Charles Duhigg on how to distinguish between mere busyness and true productivity, and also shares real-world, practical techniques to super charge not only your own productivity, but also the productivity of the teams you lead.

Show Notes

SUMMARY:

Have you ever spent an entire day frantically working, only to finish and wonder if you’ve actually accomplished anything significant? Is there a way to truly be more productive and not simply busier? Paula Faris interviews New York Times best-selling author Charles Duhigg on how to distinguish between mere busyness and true productivity, and also shares real-world, practical techniques to super charge not only your own productivity, but also the productivity of the teams you lead.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Defining Productivity

  • Busyness and productivity are not the same thing.
  • The most important question you can ask yourself is, “What deserves my attention right now?”
  • Productivity looks different for different people and different contexts.
  • We need systems and habits that give us space and time to ask ourselves, “What is most important right now?”
  • Knowing your “why” helps you define productivity for yourself.

 

Building Better To-Do Lists

  • Make shorter, not longer lists. A “To-Do List” is not the same as a “Memory List.” Just 3 things suffice.
  • Ask yourself, “What’s the most important thing to do today?”
  • Productivity comes from prioritization.
  • If you’re putting something off because you dread doing it, it’s likely the most important thing you should be doing.
  • Look at your Memory List and ask yourself, “Which of these items, if I accomplished them today, would I feel best about?”

 

Principles of Productive Teams: Psychological Safety

  • Saturday Night Live succeeded, in part, because of the psychological safety created by show creator Lorne Michaels.
  • Ostentatious listening from a team leader allows people feel heard and encourages everyone else on the team to start listening as well.
  • Team norms differ from team to team, but what matters is that the team feels like they are able to choose those norms for themselves.

 

Principles of Productive Teams: Effective Culture

  • The most effective startup culture is a “Culture of Commitment”: culture is not based on rules or stars but rather based on a company maintaining its commitment to its people at all costs, helping them to be their best at their work.

 

Principles of Productive Teams: Lean Management

  • Whoever is closest to the problem is often the expert on that problem (and therefore should be empowered to solve the problem).

 

RELATED LINKS:

Charles Duhigg 

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business 

Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business 

Paula Faris 

Called Out: Why I Traded Two Dream Jobs for a Life of True Calling (Paula Faris) 

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story (Michael Lewis) 

The Surfline App: Check the Ocean From Wherever You Are 

Dawn Patrol App: Track your waves, Relive your surf, Share your session 

 Jamie Franklin, True Leadership Builds a Culture Where People Thrive 

Rory Vaden 

Amy Edmondson 

Global Leadership Network 

Global Leadershp Summit 

 

SPECIAL LISTENER BENEFITS:

Be sure to use your exclusive listener code PODCAST21 at checkout to get $60 off our regular ticket price for The Global Leadership Summit on August 5-6, 2021!
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