The Accidental Creative

You have a finite amount of attention to spend on behalf of the creative problems you're solving. How you allocate that attention will often determine your success or failure. On this episode, I share three simple strategies for gaining creative focus and generating traction in your work. Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental and enter The Accidental Creative in the how did you hear about us section. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Work would be so easy if it weren't for all the people, right? However, all of us have to deal (from time to time) with difficult co-workers and people who seem intent on making our lives miserable. On this episode, I share a few principles for dealing with those difficult co-workers. === Today’s episode is sponsored by Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll. Visit Gusto.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Writing every day has tremendous benefits to your creativity, your emotional state, and your career. On this episode, I share some tactical tips for establishing a daily writing practice, including how to commit the resources, choose your tools, and find the right format to help you turn information into wisdom. Today’s episode is brought to you by Skillshare. To get 2 months of free access, visit Skillshare.com/AC. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Meetings are the bane of many creative pros' existence. The amount of wasted time in meetings in incalculable. On this episode, I share eight key principles for helping you have better meetings, and how to honor the time of your team, your collaborators, and your clients. This episode is sponsored by Gusto. Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/creative. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Do you have a matrix for important decisions in your life? How do you decide which path is correct when you're being pulled in multiple directions? On the first part of this episode, I share some insights from Herding Tigers to help you establish your core decision-making matrix. Then, Aaron Dignan joins us to talk about his new book Brave New Work. He lays out a framework for re-imagining how organizations function in the accelerating and ever-changing marketplace. Thanks to Molekule for supporting the podcast. Get $75 off your first order at http://www.molekule.com code ac. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Accidental Creative. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/ac.

If you want to produce a body of work you're proud of, you must have a creative point of view. However, it is risky to commit yourself to ideas and ideals that cause you to be vulnerable and open you up to critique from others. On this episode, I share just a few principles for developing creative confidence and pushing yourself to the next level. Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental and enter The Accidental Creative in the how did you hear about us section. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Many creative pros charge through their work over days and weeks without ever stopping to assess whether they're on the right course. In this episode, I share a simple method for instilling a checkpoint into your life to help you ask critical questions about the work you're doing and the life you're living. This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Get 20% off your Grammarly Premium account at Grammarly.com/ac. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

I believe that the love of comfort is often the enemy of greatness. You cannot pursue comfort and great work simultaneously. However, comfort is seductive and can lull us into creative complacency. On this episode, I share three kinds of goals you can implement in your life to help you push outside of your comfort zone, and accomplish those big objectives. Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental and enter The Accidental Creative in the how did you hear about us section. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

How do you handle feedback? We need other people in our lives to tell us the truth. If we immediately get defensive when they tell us something we don’t like, we will lose key allies in our journey of growth. If you manage a team, your trigger happy ways will eventually destroy the culture of your team. On this episode, we share a few strategies for dealing with feedback in a healthy way. Today’s episode is sponsored by Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll. Visit Gusto.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Many of us are told to keep our emotions in check at work. Don't display how you feel, and make sure that you don't "get emotional" about a business decision. Today's guest believes this is bad advice. Her name is Liz Fosslien, and she's the co-author of a new book called No Hard Feelings. She's going to help us understand the power of emotion at work. Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental and enter The Accidental Creative in the how did you hear about us section. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Technology is an extension of your capacity to accomplish your will. So, it gives you a "longer lever" when you want to move big rocks. However, we are finding that technology is encroaching upon us in ways we couldn't have anticipated ten years ago. It's more difficult to find the space necessary to do the important, creative work we're tasked with. Today's guest is Cal Newport. He's just written a book called Digital Minimalism, and on this episode he will share some tips for dealing with technological encroachment. Today’s episode is brought to you by Skillshare. To get 2 months of access to over 25,000 classes absolutely free, visit Skillshare.com/AC. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

How you spend your time is how you spend your life. As a creative pro, you're not accountable for "showing up", you're accountable for the value you produce. On this episode, I share a method for planning your days that helps you ensure that you spend your hours in a way that facilitates your creative productivity and helps you produce the value you're accountable for. Check out the Daily Plan Sheet. Today’s episode is sponsored by Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll. Visit Gusto.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Do you have a good game plan for how you'll spend your week? Many people charge into Monday without really thinking much about their plan of attack. On this episode, we share a simple method for planning your week that will help you better organize around what matters, and will ensure that you have the space necessary to tackle those big, conceptual projects. Want a tool to help you plan your week? Check out the Weekly Plan Sheet. Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental and enter The Accidental Creative in the how did you hear about us section. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

It is a reality that managers and creatives often speak different languages. Each has a different set of responsibilities and perspectives they are bringing to a project, and often the collision of these forces is enough to create massive waves within the organization. With that in mind, here is a list of statements that could begin to spark dialogue between organizational leaders and creatives. Today’s episode is sponsored by Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll. Visit Gusto.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Having worked with and interviewed hundreds of professionals, I’ve come to believe that each person also has a “sweet spot”. It’s comprised of the situations and activities where they are maximally effective, and where they create the most unique value for their effort. It’s not necessarily a specific job or task, but rather a mode they go into that separates them from the pack. It’s a unique kind of value that they become known for, and that others seek out. However, in the flurry of busyness, many people never stop to consider the patterns present in those moments when they have delivered extraordinary results. They may be great students of the marketplace or their customers, but they have failed to be great students of themselves. On this episode, we share some principles for navigating to your sweet spot, and operating in your area of maximum effectiveness.